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
The book says “a cool oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C).
Place all ingredients in the oven and leave them overnight.
Grind and store
The next morning, pound the ingredients in a marble mortar.
Rub the mixture through a fine sieve.
Store the curry powder in a well-stopped 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).
-
Turmeric + cardamomtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together667 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Turmeric + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,776 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Coriander + cardamomtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together872 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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 body of the spice blend's flavour.
- Turmeric
- Adds earthy flavour and the powder's characteristic yellow colour.
- Black pepper
- Adds sharp, pungent heat that gives the blend its bite.
- Ginger
- Adds warm, aromatic pungency to the blend.
- Cumin seeds
- Contribute a warm, earthy aroma typical of curry blends.
- Mustard
- Adds a sharp, pungent note to the blend.
The step that matters
Drying in the oven overnight. Low, slow heat dries the spices so they grind into a powder and keep well in storage. Moisture left in the spices can cause clumping and spoilage, so the spices should be fully dry before pounding and sieving.
Swap the mustard
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (coriander, turmeric, pepper, ginger, allspice, cardamom, cumin):
- Carrotfits better
- Capsicumfits better
- Parsnipfits better
- Mustardthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against coriander, turmeric, pepper, ginger, allspice, cardamom, 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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