A true flavour booster... give this Kashmiri curry paste a try soon!
There are so many uses for this Kashmiri curry paste. Commercial versions of the paste are used a lot at curry houses at the end of cooking. Although the chefs might add their spices individually to each curry, they often add a good spoonful of Kashmiri spice paste at the end of cooking to give the curry a good kick.
About this recipe.
Do you like a bit of spice? Here’s a nice curry paste for you that keeps for months in the fridge. You might not see Kashmiri masala spice paste called for in many recipes but I think that when you try it, you find some good uses for it.
I’ve tasted quite a few commercial brands of Kashmiri masala spice paste and came up with this. It's a real flavour booster!
How do you use the Kashmiri curry paste?
If you look at the ingredients, you'll find that it is a blend of spices that are found in many curries. If you are following a recipe that serves 4, you could use half a batch of this paste instead of adding the spices in the recipe. Yes, the recipe will taste different but it will be very good. You'll be adding roasted and ground spices so it might even be better.
So if you find a recipe such as chicken changezi where you are meant to measure out and add spices individually, you could leave those spices out and add this paste instead. It will taste different but equally as delicious.
You can also use this Kashmiri curry paste in recipes that serve 2. Just use a couple of tablespoons of the paste to taste.
It is worth noting that many restaurant curry chefs top up their normal recipes by stirring a spoonful of this in at the end of cooking. As the spices have all been roasted, ground and then fried in oil, the Kashmiri paste is ready to simply be stirred in to taste.
How long can your store this paste?
Storing the spices in oil and vinegar like this helps preserve the spices and it retains their flavour for longer than a simple spice curry powder would.
It will keep in an air-tight preserve jar for months in your fridge and you can also freeze it in convenient sized portions. If doing this, be sure to date and label it so you know what it is.
Can this Kashmiri curry paste be amended to taste?
Yes. This is only my interpretation of Kashmiri curry paste which I think is much better than those I have purchased to try. If you want to make a phaal curry, you could increase the amount of chillies and/or chilli powder. If milder curries are your thing, tone the chillies down or just use paprika.
The most important part of this paste is that you roast and grind the spices. This will give you so much more depth of flavour. So feel free to amend in any way you like.
What is the difference between this paste and shop bought?
To my knowledge, major curry paste producer roasts the spices before grinding. This would be too labour intensive. So it is better if only for that reason.
If you try commercially produced curry pastes, they also tend to have a lot of acetic acid in them, probably in the form of citric acid. This is the overpowering tart flavour you find at some bad quality curry houses.
When you taste your homemade version and test it against one from the major brands, you will see how much better it is.
Step by step photographs.









Kashmiri Curry Paste

You can add about half a batch of this paste to any curry instead of adding the spices called for in the recipe. It will be different to the original recipe but still very good. You might also like to use it as a flavour booster by adding a tablespoon or so to any curry at the end of cooking.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 4 tablespoons cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 10 dried Kashmiri red chillies (more or less to taste)
- 1 x 3cm cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger powder
- 70ml (1/4 cup) white wine vinegar
- 125ml (1/2 cup) rapeseed (canola) oil
- Salt to taste (I usually leave it out and add salt when cooking)
Instructions
- Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Pour the whole spices into the pan and roast until warm to the touch and fragrant but don’t let them smoke.
- Remove the spices from the heat to cool on a plate and then place the spices in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and blend to a fine powder.
- Stir in the paprika and ground turmeric, garlic, ginger and salt if using.
- In a frying pan, mix this powder with about 125ml (1/2 cup) of water and stir into a paste. Pour the oil into the pan, and turn your burner on to medium high.
- Stir continuously until the spices begin to sizzle a bit and the oil all rises to the top. 30 seconds to a minute should be enough as you have already roasted the spices.
- Turn off the heat and add the vinegar and stir it all up nicely. Spoon the spice mixture into a very clean preserve jar with an air-tight lid. This will keep in the fridge for at least three months.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 52Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 82mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 2g
LESLIE DAVID says
Thank you for this fantastic recipe! I use it as a 24 hour marinade for skinless chicken breasts.
Dan Toombs says
Great to hear. It works really well as a marinade. 🙂
Dan
Andy B says
I have made this paste from the recipe in your book but cannot find any recipes that actually use it?
I am vegan and love your recipes as easy to adapt slightly and understand that you will shortly be publishing a vegetarian book. When do you expect this to be available?
Dan Toombs says
Hi Andy
Thanks for getting in touch. My veggie book comes out in April 2019. Working on it right now! With regard to the Kashmiri curry paste, you can use it whenever you think it sounds good. It is a good way of giving a curry a bit more punch!
Thanks,
Dan
nitin patel says
Hey dan will any vinegar do? Or does it have to be white wine vinegar.
Dan Toombs says
Hi Nitin
I've tried other vinegars too. Go for it. They all seem good.
Dan
bob ferris-pike says
hi,what do you mean by sort on the vinegar,thanks.
Dan Toombs says
Any strong vinegar will do Bob. I usually just use white or red wine vinegar though.
Dan
Neil Beckett says
Hi Dan,
So your saying we don't actually need to "roast" these spices, just warm them through?
Thanks,
Neil.
Dan Toombs says
Hi Neil
I learned this a couple of years ago. Roasting is fine but most chefs just warm them through. This is enough to release the oils within the spices.
Dan
Nokudos says
Can you use kashmiri chilli powder instead of whole chillies and if so how much?
Dan Toombs says
Hi Nokudos
You can but it is really a personal thing. If you like spicy food, use a lot, if not use less. Just experiment and you'll get there in the end.
Dan
Andy says
What happens to the bay leaves? Do you roast and grind those too?
Dan Toombs says
Hi Andy
I must have left that out. Sorry. Just grind them. No need to roast.
Thanks,
Dan
Gary alderson says
Just made the curry paste, seems to taste nice already ! 👍 downloaded your app too. Look forward to using the paste and your recipes. Thanks Gary
Dan Toombs says
Thanks very much, Gary
Dan
Angela says
I’m giving this recipe a try thank you very much for posting it. I had to substitute Feruigreek leaves for Feruigreek seeds. I don’t know if that’s allowable, good thing I won’t know the difference since this is the first time I have tried this curry.
Dan Toombs says
I hope it worked, it is fine to use the leaves instead of the seeds.
Thanks
Dan