Name: Curry Powder
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons coriander seeds; 1 tablespoon turmeric; 1 tablespoon cumin seeds; 1 tablespoon fenugreek; 1 tablespoon mustard seeds; 1 tablespoon dried ginger; 1 tablespoon black pepper; 2 dried chillies; 1 tablespoon poppy seeds; 2 cloves garlic; 1 teaspoon cardamom; 1 teaspoon cinnamon

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 ↓

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.

Turmeric + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,698 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Coriander + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,866 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Turmeric + fenugreektop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together229 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
Turmeric + gingertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,776 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Cumin + fenugreektop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together178 recipes

Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

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

What each ingredient does

Coriander seeds: Provide the main citrusy, warm base flavour of the blend.
Turmeric: Adds earthy flavour and a deep yellow colour to the powder.
Cumin seeds: Contribute a warm, earthy aroma that deepens when toasted.
Mustard seeds: Add a sharp, pungent note that mellows during cooking.
Black pepper: Adds mild heat and sharp aroma to the blend.
Fenugreek: Contributes a bittersweet, maple-like aroma to the blend.

The step that matters

Toast the spices until fragrant. Dry toasting releases volatile aromatic oils, deepening flavour. Over-toasting scorches the spices and makes the powder bitter, so watch them closely and stop as soon as they smell fragrant.

Swap the poppy seed

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

Cardamomfits better
Fennelfits better
Cinnamonfits better
Poppy seedthe original

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

Curry Powder

Curry Powder

Ingredients

Directions

Make the powder

Store and use