Curry, in itself, is not a separate spice or dish. Curry, from the Tamil word kari, simply means sauce. The British, during their colonial rule of India, wanted to take the taste of Indian food home with them and developed curry powder. As a result curry powder in the Western world has a fairly standardized taste, but there are many varieties of curry flavors in South Asia with widely varying compositions. Most Indians don’t use prepackaged curry powder, preferring to make their own blends, although it is starting to gain fans among hurried home cooks. I recommend making your own blend for the recipes in this book—this is one of the most popular variations. —Vikas Khanna

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup coriander seeds
1/3 cup cumin seeds
2 tablespoons turmeric
2 tablespoons green cardamom pods
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon whole cloves
8 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves

Preparation

Put all the ingredients in a spice grinder in batches and process at high speed until the spices are ground to a very fine powder. Store in a nonreactive (stainless steel or glass) container, covered tightly, for up to 3 months.

From “Flavors First: An Indian Chef’s Culinary Journey” by Vikas Khanna, Lake Isle Press, 2011

Curry Powder