Name: How to Make Madras Curry Powder
Ingredients: 3 pounds coriander seed; ¾ pound saffron; ¾ pound dry chillies; ¾ pound black pepper; ¾ pound mustard seed; 6 ounces dry ginger; 4 ounces vendium; ¾ pound salt; ¾ pound sugar; 6 ounces cummin seed; ¼ pound poppy seed; ¼ pound mixed spices; 1 pound dried pea flour

Why it works: Coriander and ginger match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,505 recipes. Both carry trans-2-decenal, which smells waxy, orange. 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.

Coriander + gingertop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together3,505 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).
Coriander + saffrontop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together381 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Coriander + peppertop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,949 recipes

Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
Saffron + peppertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together781 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Saffron + gingertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together418 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

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 spice blend.
Dry chillies: Supply heat, which gives the curry powder its characteristic bite.
Mustard seed: Adds a sharp, pungent note that stands out when the blend is toasted or fried.
Dried pea flour: Adds bulk and body to the powder, helping it thicken dishes it is stirred into.

Swap the poppy seed

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (coriander, saffron, pepper, mustard, ginger, sugar, flour):

Cardamomfits better
Turmericfits better
Cuminfits better
Poppy seedthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against coriander, saffron, pepper, mustard, ginger, sugar, flour. 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.