Thai Curry Powder
A Thai-style curry powder: turmeric, coriander, cumin, fennel and chilli with a touch of cinnamon and star anise.
Overview
I always have some of this homemade curry powder to hand. It’s slightly different to the curry powder I featured in my Indian cookbooks and it’s a good all-rounder. Thai food has many influences, including Indian, so a few of the recipes in this book call for curry powder. If you want to make your own, you’ll get great results with this.
Ingredients
Whole spices
- 3 tbsp coriander seeds
- 3 tbsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 6cm (2 ½in) piece of cinnamon stick or cassia bark
- 2 Indian bay leaves (cassia leaves)
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 2 star anise
- 7 cardamom pods, lightly bruised
- 4 Kashmiri dried red chillies (optional)
Ground spices
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp hot chilli powder (optional)
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried onion powder
Method
Stage 1 - Roast spices
- Roast all the whole spices, including the dried red chillies (if using), in a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat until warm to the touch and fragrant but not yet smoking.
- Move the spices around in the pan so that they roast evenly.
- Be very careful not to burn the spices or they will turn bitter.
Stage 2 - Grind and combine
- Tip the warm spices onto a plate and leave to cool.
- Grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.
- Add the turmeric, chilli powder (if using), garlic powder and onion powder and stir to combine.
Notes
- Use within 2 months for best flavor.
Serving
- Use in Thai curries or as a general spice mix.
Storage
- Store in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place.
More like this
Bombay Potatoes
Bombay Potatoes is comfort food at its finest. Small potatoes are partially cooked, then coated in a richly spiced oil infused with seeds and aromatics. Some potatoes are mashed to create a creamy base, while others remain whole for texture. The result is a warm, golden, deeply spiced side dish that's utterly satisfying. This is a vegetarian staple of Indian home cooking.
Coconut Chutney
Fresh coconut is ground with green chilli, ginger, roasted gram and a small splash of water into a smooth paste. The chutney is finished with a tempering of mustard seeds, dried red chilli, curry leaves and asafoetida in hot oil, poured over the white chutney for a striking visual and aromatic contrast.
Lemon Rice
A temper of mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, peanuts, dried red chilli and curry leaves is bloomed in sesame oil. Turmeric is stirred in for colour. Cooked, cooled rice is tossed through off the heat, then lemon juice is added at the end so the heat doesn't dull the acidity. Bright lunchbox classic; the dish should taste fresh and tart, not muddled.
Prawn and Pork Pad Thai
This classic Thai dish of noodles is both aromatic and lightly spicy, serving well as either a main course or a starter. Pad Thai combines stir-fried rice noodles with tender chicken, pork, and prawns in a balanced sauce of curry paste, oyster sauce, and fish sauce. Fresh herbs, crushed peanuts, and a squeeze of lime complete this iconic Thai street food favourite.