Take your curries to the next level with homemade hot Madras curry powder
You can use this homemade Madras curry powder in any recipe that calls for curry powder. You can use it in any of my Indian restaurant style curries instead of the mixed powder that is called for.
It's really good and you'll be amazed at how much flavour you can add to a dish when your roast and grind your own spices.
So next time your planning a curry house feast with all those delicious curries, samosas, naans and chapatis and chutneys, don't forget to make your own roasted curry powder. Read on to see how it's done!

What is Madras curry powder?
A Madras curry powder is a spice blend like any curry powder that also has dried chillies in it to give it a spicy kick. So you could make this Madras curry powder recipe without the chillies and you would still have a great curry powder.
Why should you make your own curry powder?
The answer to that is quality! The flavour and aroma you get with this Madras curry powder is nothing short of amazing.
When you purchase curry powders, the spices are rarely if ever roasted as this would be too expensive for most producers. Add this to your curries or other recipes that call for curry powder and you will most definitely understand why shop bought blends just aren't good enough!
What is the history of curry powders like this?
Commercially prepared mixtures of curry powder date back to the 18th century when spice blends were prepared by Indian merchants to sell to returning British army and government officials at the end of the British Raj.
Madras curry powder is still one of the most popular spice blends available in shops here in the UK.
Back then, returning British citizens wanted to be able to recreate the Indian dishes they had enjoyed so much while in India. In fact, the first UK curry restaurant chefs used imported curry powders to create their dishes as many of the whole spices used in the curry powders just weren't available in the shops of the day.
What is the difference between curry powder and garam masala?
Garam masala translates as warming blend of spices. In a garam masala, there are only warming spices in the blend such as cumin, coriander, cinnamon, mace and black peppercorns. There are countless recipes for garam masala as the spice blends change depending on the recipe that is being prepared.
Curry powders, on the other hand, include other complimentary ingredients such as dried chillies, dried garlic, ginger and onions. They were developed so that you could literally add them to a stew and get yourself a curry.
In the Indian Subcontinent, curry powders are rarely used as they add fresh garlic, ginger and onions to their curries as we do now in the west too.
How long can you keep Madras curry powder?
Whole spices keep for years but once they are toasted and ground, their flavour begins to weaken quickly.
You can keep your homemade Madras curry powder for at least three months with little loss of flavour. Store it in an air-tight container in a dark location.
Think about how long those shop-bought curry powders sit in warehouses and shop shelves before making their way to your cupboard! You just can't get fresh madras curry powder like this unless you make it yourself.
Step by step photographs.
These photos are really just to show you what goes into a good Madras curry powder. At expensive restaurants, these spices are toasted separately as whole spices all have different smoking points.
For the home cook, you could just toast the spices together in the pan. Heat them until fragrant and warm to the touch but not yet smoking. You will get a delicious Madras curry powder that can be used in so many dishes.









Homemade Hot Madras Curry Powder

Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons coriander seeds
- 6 tablespoons cumin seeds
- 4 tablespoons black peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 2 tablespoons black mustard seeds
- 1 x 5" piece of cinnamon or cassia bark
- 4 x Indian bay leaves (leaves from the cassia tree)
- 3 tablespoons fenugreek seeds
- 3 star anise
- 20 curry leaves
- 15 cardamom pods
- 2 tablespoons turmeric powder
- 8 Kashmiri dried chillies
- 2 tablespoons hot chilli powder (optional)
Instructions
- Roast each of the different whole spice types individually as different spices roast faster than others.
- In a dry frying pan, roast each spice until they become fragrant. The curry leaves need to dry out and become lightly browned.
- Transfer the spices to a bowl to cool.
- When cool, grind them together into a fine powder in a spice grinder. You can also use a pestle and mortar but spice grinders make things a lot easier.
- Add the turmeric powder and chilli powder to the blend and stir to combine.
- Store in a dark location in an airtight container and use as required.
- Use within three months.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
20Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 40Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 30mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 2g
Jennie says
The picture shows you toasting fennel, but I don't see it listed in the recipe. How much should we add? Thanks!
Dan Toombs says
Oops. Thanks for letting me know. About two or three tablespoons should do the trick.
Dan
minnie@thelady8home says
Some of my South Indian friends have this made from India and store it till their next visit. I always envy them but never thought to try my hand at it. This looks like a great recipe. I didn't know they added star anise, that's new to me.
Dan Toombs says
Hi Minnie
Lots of garam masalas have star anise in them. Not many curry powders do but I like to throw it in. 🙂 Hope you like the recipe.
Dan
Kevin | Keviniscooking says
This is one I am definitely going to try out. I love Indian and your site has so many good recipes. I try to make all my own blends so I'm excited to check this one out. It's been tough to find fresh curry leaves, but a new Indian market opened nearby... so off I go!
Ian Vardy says
Hi Dan,
I cannot find fresh curry leaves anywhere so was wondering how dried leaf compares as i have these in my store cupboard. Would i use less or more of the dried type or about the same.
Thanks in advance
Ian
Dinesh says
Hi Dan
There are unroasted and roasted curry powder in the market. Which one is this? if this is roasted how to make un-roasted curry powder
Dan Toombs says
Hi Dinesh
Mine is roasted but you don't have to roast the spices. Roasting adds to the flavour but you could simply grind the spices unroasted.
Dan
tommy callan says
Hi Dan I just love all your curries,I've made quite a few.I never realised that Indian restaurant's used a base curry,how easy now to prepare fantastic curries.now getting back to the curry leaves I went to my local Indian store and they informed me that they cannot import them into the country.can I substitute the leaves with anything else.thanks for sharing your beautiful curry recipes.Tommy.
Dan Toombs says
Hi Tommy
Most Asian shops supply them. There was a problem about six months ago but I haven't had any trouble purchasing curry leaves since then. Thank you very much for your kind words.
Dan
Dave says
Hi Dan. Once made how may tablespoons to make a chicken curry for two please? Thanks
Dan Toombs says
Hi Dave
Depends on the curry but one tablespoon should do. You can always add more to taste.
Cheers,
Dan
Paul B says
Hi Master Dan, I was just concerned about the 3 tbps fenugreek; can you confirm that this is the proper proportion? I ask because I know fenugreek has a very strong aroma/taste and I didn’t want to get fenugreek overdose… lol
Dan Toombs says
Hi Paul
It's good you asked. It is only 2 tablespoons fenugreek seeds. When they are ground, it is about a tablespoon of powder. By all means, use less or add it at the end to taste. It can be quite bitter and strong.
Thanks,
Dan
howtocookrice says
brilliant recipe!! I will def be trying this, my mum used to make her own curry powder.
Dan Toombs says
Great. Thank you.
Dan
Caroline says
Just made this last night for a chicken madras . Followed your recipe and it tastes absolutely incredible ! Can't wait to serve it to friends later
Dan Toombs says
Thank you Caroline. Really glad you liked it. 🙂
Dan
Rich Moss says
Not too sure if you answered this already, but how long do the ground spices last for, if properly stored?
Love the website and twtr feed btw. Thanks
Dan Toombs says
Hi Rich
Thanks for the question. The ground spices should last for about two months. The spices will lose flavour once ground though. Also, the aroma goes much quicker. When possible, I make it just before using but this usually is not the case. I make large batches and use them as needed and try to use within a month or two.
Cheers,
Dan
Rob Rich says
Not sure this is still open but asking anyway.
Can I replace the fenugreek seeds with leaves (dried), if so
how much?
Dan Toombs says
Hi Rob
Thanks for your question. Fenugreek leaves are quite a lot weaker in flavour than the powder. I would suggest trying the same amount and then adding more to taste. It should be fine.
Thanks,
Dan
Kenneth says
Want to thank you for a great recipe. Have tried it a few times and like it a lot. However, in the beginning I learned to make the Madras including nutmeg and ground cloves. They both add a pleasing aroma to the mix. Do you exclude them for some special reason?
Thanks again.
Dan Toombs says
Hi Kenneth
Thanks for that. I have made lots of spice blends with cloves and nutmeg. This recipe doesn't have them in but there isn't any reason why they shouldn't be. Perhaps I'll add them next time. I'm always experimenting with my recipes.
All the best,
Dan
Tina Rowe says
Hi Dan, I made your base sauce at the weekend but I didnt put lid on while it was simmering. Consequently the sauce has the consistency of a ver thick Dhal. Can I water this down with anything when making my madras please?.
Dan Toombs says
Hi Tina
Yes! Water it down with water or unsalted stock until it is the consistency of full fat milk. It will cook down quickly when making the curry.
Thanks,
Dan
Daniel thompson says
Hi dan,
I have made a few of your recipes and they are fantastic. I was going to make a vindaloo and need to make the curry powder how much powder will this recipe make as i dont want to make too much and have it go to waste.
Many thanks
Dan
Dan Toombs says
Hi Daniel
The recipe makes 27 generous tablespoons or about 2 1/2 cups. It will keep in an airtight container in a dark location for about 3 months. The flavour and aroma will be much stronger when first made though. You could halve or quarter the recipe.
Thanks,
Dan
Caroline says
Hi Dan,
I love your work and have been cooking your curries for a couple of years. Fantastic. I will be making your Hot Madras powder this weekend and am wondering about turning it into a paste.. would that work and if so how to do it? and how long will it last?
Many thanks
Caroline
Dan Toombs says
Hi Caroline
Thank you very much. I often turn spice blends into a paste. It is a good way of preserving them. Place the powder in a frying pan over medium heat. Add a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water until it becomes a paste. Scoop it into a sterile glass jar and keep in the fridge.
Thank you
Dan
Ade says
Hi Dan,
I've tried this (and some of the other spice blends from your book), but seem to be doing something wrong. I roasted all the whole spices (only about 30 seconds,) and they smelt great. I then put them into the grinder and after grinding, the combination smelt really bitter and a bit unpleasant. This was the second attempt at this (the last time was when making a curry from your book, which tasted bitter - presumably because I used these spices). I did wonder whether there was a typo of the amount of fenugreek seeds in the kindle version of your book (as they are quite bitter), but I can see from this page, that 3 tbsp is correct..
I made half proportions compared to the recipe above and roasted the spices all together - could that have caused a problem?
If not, are you able to suggest any reason for this? My tandoori masala, mixed spice and garam masala didn't seem to have a particuliarly great fragrance either, but the curry powder was the worst for me.
Thanks very much in advance for your help!
Dan Toombs says
Hi Ade
Roasting spices can be a bit troublesome for people who haven't done it before. We'll get you there though.
You mentioned that you roasted the spices for 30 seconds. If the pan was too hot during this time, some or all of your spices will burn. Different spices get to smoking point and different times. Once the spices are smoking, they are burning and you may as well start over.
I make spice blends all the time and tend to roast them just until they are warm to the touch and fragrant. Then I get them off the heat. For best results, you should roast each of the different spices separately but I rarely do this.
Burnt spices taste bitter! Especially cumin, coriander, cloves and fenugreek.
If you don't think that burning the spices was the problem, then it will be down to the flavour of the spices. As you mentioned, fenugreek is bitter. So is turmeric which is in that blend. Taste them and consider reducing the amount used or omitting them all together. I quite like the bitter flavour of these spices but we all have our own taste preferences so adjust the recipe to your tastes!
When I was learning to cook Indian food, I tried the different spices all the time in order to have a better understanding of how they would affect the flavour of the dish. Making spice blends is the perfect time to do this. Taste and taste often and you will be able to use spices better for your taste preferences.
I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any further queries. Happy to help.
Ade says
Thanks so much for taking the time to respond Dan.
Makes perfect sense. I’ll experiment a bit, perhaps blending a small amount without roasting at all just to confirm that it is over-roasting that is spoiling it and then experiment with various short roasting periods.
Thanks so much for investing in the curry-making community!
Ade
Dan Toombs says
Hi Ade
No problem at all, happy to help.
Dan
Ade says
Hi Dan - a bit of feedback.
I tried your CTM recipe with spices that I'd blended but not roasted. Tasted amazing and the family loved it! Looks like you were right about me burning the spices before which gave it the bitter flavour. Will now experiment with roasting spices for v short periods.
On a different note, is there a reason that with the base curry sauce, the small batch has most ingredients at about 40% of the amount in the large batch, except for carrot and cabbage, which are 10%? Would it not taste so good with more carrot/cabbage?
Thanks again
Ade
Dan Toombs says
Hi Ade
With the base sauce the ingredients are all approximate. If you have more carrot and cabbage and want to use it go ahead as it won't make much difference. I woulds really suggest using what you have, especially in these times and if you feel like putting more of the vegetables in that the recipe suggests go for it!
Thanks
Dan
Aaron says
In September 2016, a commenter asked about the correct amount of fenugreek seeds. You replied that 2 Tbsp is correct, not 3 Tbsp. I just made this with 3 Tbsp because the recipe didn’t get updated. I like fenugreek seed flavor plenty, so this will be fine, but thought you might want to know! Thanks for the recipe!
Dan Toombs says
Hi Aaron
Thank you for letting me know and I am really glad theextra fenugreek worked for you.
Dan
Sonja Menzi says
Hi Dan
If I only take green cardamom seeds, how many tablespoons do I need for that. Greetings Sonja Menzi
Dan Toombs says
Hi Sonja
If you use 1 teaspoon of cardamom seeds that should be fine.
Thanks
Dan
Eugene says
I've had madras a bunch of times. I'm also avery experienced cook that has made many Idian & Thai curries. Despite all my experience, I never tackled making my own madras curry. I tried 4 different recipes to see which one fit my palate the best. I thought it would be this one but I find on overpowering bitterness to this. I've even added salt & sugar, but it's still bitter. I have nothing but fresh ingredients & like I said, I have over 20 years experience. With so many 5 stars I was expecting better...
Dan Toombs says
Hi Eugene
I am sorry my recipe wasn't to your liking. Hopefully you will enjoy some of my others more.
Dan
Anjali says
Thank you so much for this simple and fragrant recipe. It was easy to follow; it was my first time making a spice mix, and I am now encouraged to try making more spice mixes at home.
I made this mix for a Jamaican Curry Goat recipe that I came across.
What other recipes may I use this curry powder for?
Dan Toombs says
Hi
You can use it for a lot of the curries on my web site. You could even replace garam masala that is used in a lot of my recipes with this curry powder if you enjoy this one so much.
Thanks
Dan
Tom Stanley says
Hi, I like your hot madras Cury powder recipe for myself. Can you please tell me how I can make a similar powder but in a mild version which will suit my partner. We have tried the brand 'East End' mild madras curry powder and she finds that about right but I'm sure your recipe will be much better. Thanks, Tom.
Dan Toombs says
Hi
If you want a milder version just use a very mild chilli powder instead of a hot one and reduce it a bit. Kashmiri chilli powder is quite mild. Put in fewer dried chillies too although they aren't too hot but try doing that too.
Thanks
Dan
Erik says
Thanks for all the recipes. The curry base sauce was a revelation! I could not get my hands on whole Kashmiri chillies only powder. Could you add how much tablespoons 8 whole chillies would approx be? Could not find anything on the net how much a Kashmiri chilli weights on overage.
Dan Toombs says
It’s really hard to say about how much chilli powder to add. I would add it gradually to taste so you get the desired heat.
I am really glad you’re enjoying the base sauce recipe.
Thanks
Dan
Shakil says
Hello. Great looking recipe. Can you confirm that once the cardamom pods have been roasted- I need to take the seed out before crushing? Thanks.
Dan Toombs says
You don’t have to but there is no flavour in the pods. Take the seeds out if you feel like it but it’s not imperative.
Dan
Jason says
Hi Dan,
just purchased your book and looking forward to making some good old British curries (expat living in Aus where the standard of curry is very poor).
I have some Roasted Sri Lankan curry powder from a recent trip there, do you think it would be ok to use this in some of the dishes (ie. Jalfrezi) or is the blend too different to affect the outcomes.
Cheers
Dan Toombs says
Thanks for buying my book. I think that curry powder should work but maybe add it gradually to taste.
Dan
Leone says
Is the recipe using fresh curry leaves? Can dried also be used>
Dan Toombs says
Don’t use dry ones as they have no taste. Just leave them out if you can’t get fresh ones.
Thanks
Dan
Chris says
Hi Dan
Great recipe, thanks!
Two questions:
1. Are curry leaves and Indian bay leaves the same thing?
2. Do you use green or black cardamom pods?
3. The recipe here and in the book still calls for 3tsbp of fenugreek seeds. Is this still meant to be 2nd o based on previous comments?
Dan Toombs says
Great you enjoyed the recipe and thank you for letting me know.
Curry leaves are not the same as Indian bay leaves. you can get fresh curry leaves in most Asian shops, don’t bother with dried ones as they are tasteless.
You can use dried Indian bay leaves, also available in Asian shops or on line.
Dan
Allana says
Hey Dan,
Thanks for this recipe. I haven't tried it as of yet. I have been using another recipe I found on YouTube and made another batch yesterday.
I just read this post and every comment! I've never done that before, lol. I see that you mentioned a few times to taste it..... you mean after we blended it all up? Like before we cook with it?
I've never done that. Maybe thats why my vegan curries are tasting yucky. And I learned about fenugreek in here can be bitter, or maybe I roasted them to long or that "burnt spices taste bitter! Especially cumin, coriander, cloves and fenugreek".
I've only been experimenting with all these new spices since Jan 1, 2024. I dunno what I'm asking here, lol... maybe I'm just mumbling away... trying to get it perfect.
I think I tried to many new spices all at once and now I don't know really which ones I do like and how to start at the beginning again.
Any suggestions? Yeah... I have no idea what I'm asking!
Thanks!
Dan Toombs says
Thanks for the message. Yes, always taste as you go, just a little bit on the end of a small spoon.
Make sure you only ever use fresh spices so not more than 6 months old and definitely be sure not to burn them or you will get a bitter taste.
Thanks again.
Dan
Allana says
omg... sorry I should have looked at the books better! I see you have a vegetarian one. I would delete these last two comments if I could, lol. sorry bout that!
EstherA says
Made this curry powder today. I was then too tired to make the Malaysian Curry Ayam. Hoping this will be a great curry powder for many recipes. It will replace my store bought Madras Curry Powder for sure. I will let you know when I make the chicken curry.
Dan Toombs says
Yes, it should take your curries to another level.
Thanks
Dan
EstherA says
@Dan Toombs, I came back to update you. I used this curry powder to make the Malaysian Curry Ayam. It definitely took it to another level. I did not have white rice, and it was way too spicy for 1.5 lbs chicken with 4 tbsp of this and 1 tbsp of chilli powder. I will add less next time. In terms of taste, I was blown away as my #1 favorite dish is Roti Canai, and this chicken curry was so close in taste to that curry. My advice for anyone else making this curry powder is: try making half these quantities, in case it burns or tastes bitter. Mine was very good but I'm used to roasting spices on low. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Dan: which other recipes of yours have this curry powder as an ingredient? Is there a way to search by this?
Dan Toombs says
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. There isn’t a way of searching by ingredient but you can use this mix in any recipe that calls for curry powder
Thanks very much.
Dan