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Madras Curry Powder

A spice blend of cayenne pepper, black pepper, turmeric, coriander seed, fenugreek, and cumin.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 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 ↓

Madras Curry Powder

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Pound together the cayenne pepper, black pepper, turmeric, coriander seed, fenugreek, and cumin very finely.

  2. Sift the powder carefully.

  3. If you dislike the flavor of turmeric, you may substitute saffron.

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. Coriander + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,866 recipes

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

  3. Turmeric + fenugreektop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together229 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  4. Fenugreek + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together178 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

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

Cayenne pepper
Supplies the heat that gives the blend its main kick.
Black pepper
Adds a sharp, pungent bite that rounds out the heat.
Turmeric
Gives the powder its yellow colour and earthy, warm flavour.
Coriander seed
Forms the base of the blend, contributing citrusy, floral aroma.
Fenugreek
Adds a bitter, maple-like aroma characteristic of curry spices.
Cumin
Contributes a warm, earthy aroma that deepens the blend.

The step that matters

Pound the spices very finely. Fine, uniform particles let the flavour, aroma and heat distribute evenly through the powder. Coarse pieces leave pockets that taste harsh or flat, and whole seeds release their aromas slowly.

Swap the fenugreek

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

  1. Cardamomfits better
  2. Oreganofits better
  3. Fennelfits about as well
  4. Fenugreekthe original

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