What is the difference between curry powder and garam masala? If I had grown up cooking and eating Indian food, this would probably be a silly question. However, I’ve only come to enjoy Indian food as an adult. So I have to learn as I begin to cook Indian recipes.
When I grew up in the mid-Atlantic US in the 1960s, groceries had curry powder in the spice aisle. No designation as to whether it was hot or mild. Just plain old curry powder. And there was no garam masala anywhere in sight.
At the time, I didn’t realize that our curry-but-no-garam-masala existence was a remnant of colonialism. Since then, I’ve learned that curry powder was a British invention. By contrast, garam masala is a true Indian spice mixture.
About five years ago, I discovered there was a difference between curry powder and garam masala when I stir-fried beef with curry sauce. However, I can’t remember now why or how I discovered it.
The question dropped off my culinary radar screen until recently when I went searching in my spice drawer for curry powder. I came upon (too many) containers of another spice blend, garam masala, and wondered again about the difference between them.
I did online research and found several tidbits that provided a good start on answering my question. But it wasn’t until I checked out my well-worn copy of Madhur Jaffrey’s first cookbook, the 1973 classic, An Invitation to Indian Cooking, that I really got inspired to write this post.
An Invitation to Indian Cooking has always been one of my favorite sources for Indian recipes. However, I hadn’t read the introduction – until now.
It turns out that’s where I found Jaffrey’s explanation of how to achieve true Indian flavors.
Let me start negatively by saying that what you don’t need is curry powder. …
To me the word ‘curry’ is as degrading to India’s great cuisine as the term ‘chop suey’ was to China’s. …
If ‘curry’ is an oversimplified name for an ancient cuisine, then ‘curry powder’ attempts to oversimplify (and destroy) the cuisine itself. Curry powders are standard blends of several spices, including cumin, coriander, fenugreek, red peppers, and turmeric – standard blends which Indians themselves never use.
… The point is that no Indian ever uses curry powder in his cooking. Nor do we mix our own, because if we did we would end up with our own blend of collective spices. Cooking again and again with the same blend of spices would make all dishes taste alike. It would be the same as taking a tablespoon each of dried thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon, bay leaves, and allspice, putting them in a jar, shaking the jar, labeling it ‘French spices’ and then using a portion of this mixture for every French dish one made, from soup to salad. Also, since ‘curry powder’ is a blend of ground spices, it tends to get stale very quickly and lose its flavor. So one ends up with something that has the negative aspects of being standardized and somewhat rancid at the same time.
Ouch!!!
OK, so curry powder isn’t authentically Indian. But I’ve seen it in Southeast Asian recipes. For example, my wok-master, Grace Young, calls for curry powder in three recipes in Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge. Another of my favorite Southeast Asian cookbook authors, Patricia Tanumihardja, not only uses it in recipes in The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook, she also describes it in the section of the book entitled “An Asian Pantry, a Glossary of Ingredients” and refers to Madras (Indian) curry powder as well as the Vietnamese variety.
What does Madhur Jaffrey have to say about those uses of commercially prepared curry powder?
Back to “An Invitation to Indian Cooking”, we pick up where we left off.
And it isn’t just Britishers and Americans who are misguided. The Chinese, who insist on the freshest herbs and vegetables for all their own food, use some of the stalest curried powder for the curried dumplings they serve in Hong Kong’s best tea rooms. The Japanese, who are probably the world’s greatest culinary aesthetes, don’t hesitate to serve a greenish-yellow glutinous mess over their rice and label it ‘curry,’ and the Frenchman, who insists on a perfect velouté, also eats the most ghastly ‘shrimp Indienne’ in a curry-tinted cream sauce.
Don’t forget that Jaffrey wrote those harsh words in 1973. Also, she noted that things were changing even then, in that other cultures, especially Americans, were beginning to desire authenticity.
What’s the Difference Between Curry Powder and Garam Masala?
- So we already know that curry powder is a British invention and garam masala is traditionally Indian. But there is a curry powder that at least some Indians do not look down upon – Madras curry.
- Michelle Peters-Jones’ family recipe for Madras curry uses nine different spices. It includes coriander, cumin, and fennel seeds, cassia bark (a cousin of cinnamon sticks), green cardamom pods, black peppercorns, dried mild Kashmiri chilies, curry leaves and turmeric. Garam masala recipes (see below) also use quite a few spices. However, they do not typically include turmeric or curry leaves.
- Most recipes that call for curry powder add it at an early stage of cooking. By contrast, Indian cooks typcially add garam masala at the end. An exception is Nik Sharma’s Aloo Gobi Mater or Potatoes, Cauliflower and Peas. Nik adds the garam masala at an early stage, even before adding the main vegetables (potatoes, cauliflower, and peas) to the dish.
What is Garam Masala?
- Garam masala is a spice blend that translates as “hot spices.” (Not spicy hot, but hot as in having a warming effect on your body.)
- There is no single recipe for garam masala nor even consensus as to what spices to include.
- In An Invitation to Indian Cooking, Jaffrey’s garam masala includes cardamom pods, black peppercorns, cumin and coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. She grinds them together.
- Spice expert Lior Lev Sercarz’s recipe in The Spice Companion uses black peppercorns, ground ginger, mace and cloves, toasted black cardamom pods and dried bay leaves.
- The version on Indiapile uses cumin and coriander seeds, black seeds from green cardamom pods, black peppercorns, cloves, dried red chiles, a cinnamon stick, bay leaves, star anise, fennel seeds and nutmeg.
- Monica Bhide says her favorite is from Julie Sahni’s book Indian Regional Classics: Fast, Fresh, and Healthy Home Cooking. It calls for cumin, coriander, and cardamom seeds, black peppercorns, a cinnamon stick, grated nutmeg and (optional) ground saffron.
- Some recipes call for dry roasting the whole spices before grinding them, while others do not.
- I have seen recipes that allow for significant variation in the amounts of each ingredient depending on taste.
While curry powder (except for Madras curry powder) isn’t truly Indian in origin, it is still an ingredient I will use. Of course, as with all spices, a spice blend such as curry powder should be fresh. (It remains an ingredient in my recipes for Apple & Caramelized Onion Chutney and Healthy Yogurt Curry Dip.)
But at least now I know what it is – and what it isn’t. And when I call for curry powder I won’t designate the recipe as Indian.
vampire says
Thanks darling!
Laura says
My pleasure.
Stheere says
I have heard of this book but I never knew that Ms. Jaffrey actually stated outright that “‘curry’ is an oversimplified name for an ancient cuisine”! That was amazingly gratifying to read as a second generation Indian…
I try to avoid using “curry” in connection to Indian food, but people just don’t understand…
People say “lamb curry” but if you translate it directly from our language, we literally just say “meat and its stock/gravy”.
In fact, the recipe for “lamb curry” is very similar to stroganoff, just with garam masala instead of sour cream stirred in at the end (what a Russian thing to do hahaha), and potatoes and carrots instead of mushroom. I really hate that there is a perception that one kind of food is inherently worth more than another — for example, if I order braised lamb in wine at a restaurant serving “continental” food, it would cost me about $35, but if I order lamb curry, it would cost me half that, even though the ingredients and preparation is almost the same (the former uses cheap red wine, the latter uses various spices and canned tomato instead).
Phew, sorry for the rant, I guess I got carried away, happy that someone who’s not Indian finally understood that “curry” isn’t even a real thing in India!
All this aside, I do have to admit that even I have the occasional craving for curry made with curry powder… but only if it is authentically Japanese 😉
Laura says
Stheere, No need to apologize – not a rant at all. I do think that what people call the food they make isn’t nearly as important as how it tastes. Like you, I do enjoy food labelled as “curry” even if I know that’s a misnomer.
s pfeil says
I know this is an old comment but my ex is a Chinese American and just started working in a “casual fine” authentic Chinese restaurant in a city. The city is kind of perfect for this because we have a growing “foodie” culture who like authentic dishes from around the world. Their menu is probably slightly cheaper than “American” places I’ve worked with comparable quality food… under $20 for nearly every entree. Even though people could clearly tell “this was not your typical whole in the wall family style american-chinese place” they still complained about the prices in yelp reviews! It’s like not only do americans expect asian food to be super cheap, they refuse to except you could make the cuisine with lower or higher level/cost ingredients- they both want it to be “elevated” but still cost $10 for two servings. I saw a video where a pho resturant owner was saying the same thing- he buys super high quality cuts of beef and people love it but still expect it to be $5 a bowl- lol. It’s kind of messed up.
Laura says
It’s sad that people don’t want to pay for good ingredients, and well executed dishes.
Patricia Ribeiro says
Thank you for setting me straight. I never liked curry powder, even though my English grandmother cooked with it , as well as my mom. Now that i have been married to my Goan husband I have leaned to appreciate the variations of garam masala ingredients. My brother-in-law gave me a few packets of his garam masala mix and I thought it was a xacuti powder. When I made chicken xacuti my husband raved about it. Found it difficult to tell him I used the wrong powder. I love experimenting with Indian cooking appreciating the science behind blending fresh spices.
Laura says
Patricia, What a wonderful, adventurous attitude you have. And probably a fun time experimenting. Glad if I could help clear up this question.
VLC Spices says
Now I got cleared with curry powder and garam masala. It was worth reading it. Thanks for sharing this informational blog. Keep Sharing!
Rey says
As a Filipino living in The Maldives, I started to cook different Asian recipes. It’s enlightening to know the difference of curry and masala. Back in our country we know curry powder as Indian.
Thanks for this information.
Laura says
Rey, Thanks for stopping by. I am not surprised that in your country curry powder is known as Indian, although it is really an invention of the English in India. I’d love to know what recipes you consider to be “yours” in terms of culture.
Dam says
As an Englishman, I should point out the reason for British ‘curry powder’ was too feed the troops with meat that wasn’t entirely fresh…
Laura says
Dam, That sounds logical. There were many ways to disguise meat that wasn’t entirely fresh and masking the flavor with curry powder would certainly have been one.
Dave Big Chief says
I live in East London and shop at the best Indian cash-and-carry in the city. 90% of the customers are aunties buying food to cook for their family. There is a 10 foot shelf of curry powders, and 5 to 6 cabinets of different spice blends and mixes. These are from India and not made for the British market. So the idea that “standard blends which Indians themselves never use” is utter BS. In the 70s every indian family had their own family recipes for masalas (spice blends), whether they made them up each time they cooked or made jars of them mixed with oil (kind of like the Pataks brand you can buy now).
Laura says
Certainly Southeast Asians make their own family recipe for masalas. And as to curry powders made for the Indian market, that doesn’t surprise me.
Rey says
I’m not an expert chef or anything, I just like to learn and try to create relatively authentic tasting foods from different parts of the world. I have learned and made a few that I really like, but I’m far from knowing all spices and how to use them. I found this post after typing in Google that I’m sick of recipes calling for curry powder hehe. I am actually sick of recipes calling for curry powder, as there is no standardized curry powder. The “curry powder” in an Indian curry is probably quite different from the “curry powder” in a Singapore noodle dish. I love all kinds of foods (that don’t cause harm to animals of course), from all over the world. I love that adding a little Cumin to some mixed vegetable gives it what I consider a Mexican flavor. I love the coconut milk, lemongrass and lime juice that gives a Thai green curry what I consider an authentic flavor.
I learned an Indian spice blend that perfectly replicated my favorite curry sauce from an Indian restaurant, which is Garam Masala, Turmeric and Chilli Powder, in quantity ratio of 2:1:1/2 respectively. That is added to some garlic, ginger, chilli paste, tomato paste, and onions, with maybe a touch of sugar. A can of tomatoes. Blending it all together is optional, but nice. Some soy yogurt or something at the end, with some fresh cilantro and dried fenugreek leaves to finish it off. I think that’s everything if I remember correctly, and that is nice with some potatoes, broccoli, etc. and rice.
When you mentioned about the French “spices” version of curry powder blend, that actually exists as Herbes de Provence. There’s also the Chinese 5 spice. I have quite a nice collection of spices, but there are still some I never bought or tried, that are quite important and I should probably get them and experiment with them, like star anise, saffron, etc. I just really dislike the term curry powder, because it doesn’t tell me anything about the actual dish the person is making, because it will taste so different depending on what spice blend you use.
Laura says
Rey, Sounds like you enjoy cooking dishes from many different cultures and have learned quite a lot about them, as well as the spices that go into them. Like you, I prefer to know which specific spices to use rather than use a generic name like curry powder.