Mother Would Know

Home Cooking Beats Take-Out

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • About
    • About Laura / Mother Would Know
    • Privacy Policy
    • Websites I Love
  • Recipes
    • Browse All Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Beef & Lamb
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Sweets
    • Fish & Seafood
    • Grains
    • Pasta & Noodles
    • Pork
    • Potatoes
    • Poultry
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches
    • Sauces & Condiments
    • Soups & Stews
    • Vegetables
  • Kernels of Wisdom
    • Browse All Kernels
    • Cooking Equipment
    • Definitions
    • Ingredients
    • Techniques
  • Archives
  • In The News
  • Work With Me
    • For Companies, Brands, & Trade Associations
    • For Individuals
  • Contact

Curry Powder Curiousity

January 24, 2013 by Laura 5 Comments

Sharing is caring!

0 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

I’m all for adventurous cooking, so I was intrigued when Wok Wednesdays included a curry dish from Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge . After stir-frying (correctly) for only about 6 months, I’ve realized how versatile a wok can be. And now my curry powder curiosity has led me to understand much more about what I’m stir frying.  

stir-fried beef curry in bowl

This spring I bought and seasoned a proper carbon steel wok. Since then, I’ve made spinach, broccoli, chicken, shrimp and beef dishes, and even hot and sour soup from scratch.  (Because the soup was not with Wok Wednesdays and was directly from another book, I haven’t blogged about it.)  With Grace’s guidance, I’ve moved beyond traditional Chinese recipes to recipes from Trinidad and Jamaica as well as a fusion recipe with Burmese and Indian influences.

So it should come as no surprise that we have moved on to stir-frying curried beef.  

setting up to cook in a wok

The recipe itself is pretty simple.  First you stir-fry red onions and garlic.

stir frying onions and garlic for beef curry

Then you sear thin strips of flank steak steeped in a small amount of liquid and cornstarch. 

searing flank steak in a wok

After that you sprinkle curry powder on the meat and mix it as the meat continues to cook. Finally you add tomatoes, peas and a bit of broth to create a sauce.  

adding curry powder to wok

adding vegetables to curried beef

The end result was delicious, although not as spicy as I would have liked.  

In my spice drawer, I had Sharwood’s mild and hot, which I mixed in equal parts for my stir-fried beef curry.

Sharwood's curry powder

With a lingering suspicion that my curry powders are not authentic, I did a bit of curry powder research to satisfy my curry powder curiosity.

Yes, I know I shouldn’t be using such old spices. I’ve written about keeping spices past their prime and if I followed my own advice I should have already have pitched these containers. But that’s a conversation for another day.

Here’s what I found out:

Satisfying My Curry Powder Curiosity 

What is curry powder?

Curry powder is a combination of spices.  There is no single, universally accepted mixture or recipe. Traditional Indian cooking does use the spices that make up curry powder. However, which spices are in any particular recipe vary by individual cook, the dish involved, region, caste and custom.  The commercially available versions of curry powder are a European invention.  (The Larousse Gastronomique Culinary Encyclopedia says that the Dutch and British began making and selling curry according to “formulas” in the 19th Century.)  Prepared curry powders vary in spiciness and can range from mild to extremely hot.

Can you make curry powder at home?

Yes, it is easy to make your own curry powder.  Depending on the recipe, you may need to roast the spices and grinding them yourself in a spice grinder (coffee grinder reserved for this purpose works fine) or a mortar and pestle.  Typical ingredients include cardamom, cinnamon, mustard, cumin, cloves, coriander, cayenne pepper, black pepper, bay leaves, ginger, fenugreek, fennel, and turmeric.  Here is an interesting collection of homemade curry powder recipes.

Are curry leaves the same ingredient as curry powder?

No.  As Monica Bhide points out, curry leaves may be used in curry powder, as one of many ingredients, but the leaves themselves are a separate herb used in southern Indian cuisine.

What is garam masala?

Garam masala is another combination of spices used in Indian cooking.  Curry powder (or the spices that combine to make what Westerners call curry powder), is cooked with vegetable and meat ingredients. By contrast, typically the cook stirs or sprinkles garam masala into the dish in the final stage of preparation.  Indian cooks often roast or cook garam masala spices in hot oil to release their aroma.  (Have you noticed that spices are stronger when they are roasted than when they are ground uncooked?)  Here is the garam masala version that Monica Bhide likes best. 

It’s a few weeks past New Year’s, but I’ve just resolved to throw out my containers of commercially produced curry powder and make my own.  And when I do,  I’ll use fresh spices to make my mixture.

how to make homemade curry powder

Filed Under: Archives, Poultry Tagged With: beef curry, spices, wok, WokWednesdays

« Onion Alternatives
Which Measuring Cups to Use for Liquids vs Solids? »

Comments

  1. Betty Ann @Mango_Queen says

    January 25, 2013 at 3:44 pm

    What a great post! Enjoyed your info on how to make curry at home. This is helpful because my son loves to cook with curry. And this stir fry beef looks amazing. Must get my hands on the wok to do this soon. Thanks for sharing, Laura!

    Reply
  2. motherwouldknow says

    January 25, 2013 at 4:00 pm

    Does your son make his own curry mix? If so, I hope he'll share it with me/us – I'm collecting recipes before I decide exactly what to put in mine. Thanks for stopping by.

    Reply
  3. kitchens of india says

    April 16, 2013 at 8:46 am

    Very tasteful and delicious. The item mentioned is great…………….

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Welcome!

Join me for cooking adventures. You’ll gain confidence in your cooking abilities, find new ways to save time and money when preparing meals, and discover recipes and tips. Plus, we’ll enjoy ourselves.

Get 5 easy tips for home cooking success, checklists & recipes.

We never share your information.

Search

Follow Laura Kumin-MotherWouldKnow's board MotherWouldKnow Recipes & Tips on Pinterest.

Copyright © 2010-2025 Laura Kumin · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy · Implemented by WPopt

0 shares
MENU & SEARCH
  • About
    • About Laura / Mother Would Know
    • Privacy Policy
    • Websites I Love
  • Recipes
    • Browse All Recipes
    • Appetizers & Snacks
    • Beef & Lamb
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Sweets
    • Fish & Seafood
    • Grains
    • Pasta & Noodles
    • Pork
    • Potatoes
    • Poultry
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches
    • Sauces & Condiments
    • Soups & Stews
    • Vegetables
  • Kernels of Wisdom
    • Browse All Kernels
    • Cooking Equipment
    • Definitions
    • Ingredients
    • Techniques
  • Archives
  • In The News
  • Work With Me
    • For Companies, Brands, & Trade Associations
    • For Individuals
  • Contact