Why it works: Turmeric and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,698 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Curry Powder
Ingredients
Directions
Make the powder
Pound all ingredients very fine in a mortar.
Sift the mixture.
Store
Store in a tightly corked bottle.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Turmeric + cumintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,698 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Coriander + cumintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,866 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Turmeric + cardamomtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together667 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Cardamom + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,299 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Ginger + turmerictop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,776 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Coriander seed
- Provides the main citrusy, warm body of the blend's flavor.
- Turmeric
- Adds earthy flavor and a warm yellow color to the powder.
- Ginger
- Contributes a sharp, aromatic warmth to the blend.
- Mustard
- Adds pungent, sharp flavor that deepens the blend.
- Cumin seed
- Adds a earthy, smoky aroma typical of curry blends.
- Cayenne pepper
- Adds heat that gives the blend its spicy bite.
The step that matters
Pound all ingredients very fine. Fine grinding exposes more surface area so aromatic oils release evenly and the blend tastes uniform. Coarse pieces leave gritty texture and uneven flavor, so the mixture should be as finely pounded as possible before sifting.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (ginger, pepper, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin):
- Carrotfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Sweet potatofits better
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against ginger, pepper, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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