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Delhi Curry-powder

A spice blend of turmeric, chili, cumin, coriander, and cassia leaves.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 5 ingredients
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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 ↓

Delhi Curry-powder

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Combine turmeric, pounded chilis or cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander-seed, and dried cassia-leaves in a bowl, then mix well until all ingredients are evenly distributed.

  2. Store the mixture in a dry, airtight container.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Turmeric + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,698 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  2. Cumin + coriandertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,866 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  3. Turmeric + coriandertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,253 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  4. Cumin + cassiatop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together101 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  5. Turmeric + peppertop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,478 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Turmeric
Gives the blend its yellow colour and earthy, bitter flavour.
Chilis or cayenne pepper
Adds heat and sharpness to the blend.
Cumin
Contributes warm, earthy aroma that defines the curry flavour.
Coriander-seed
Adds citrusy, floral aroma and a mild sweetness.
Cassia-leaves
Adds a sweet, cinnamon-like aroma to the blend.

The step that matters

Mix until evenly distributed. Spices vary in density and colour, so uneven mixing leaves pockets that are much hotter or stronger in some spoonfuls than others. Thorough mixing gives a consistent flavour throughout the powder.

Swap the cassia

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (turmeric, pepper, cumin, coriander):

  1. Cardamomfits better
  2. Oreganofits better
  3. Fennelfits better
  4. Cassiathe original

Fit is the average pairing score against turmeric, pepper, cumin, coriander. 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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