HOME MADE CURRY POWDERS USED IN ANGLO-INDIAN COOKING
Here are a few recipes to make your own Homemade Curry Powders at home. Homemade powders always give a better taste to curries than store bought curry powders. Make small quantities and store in air tight bottles or jars for future use. These Curry Powders will save you a lot of time while cooking and your Curry, Pepper Water and Vindaloo will taste so different.
1. BASIC CHILLIE POWDER
½ kg Red Chilies (long or round variety for pungency)
½ kg Kashmiri Chilies or any other non spicy chillies (for adding colour)
Roast the two types of chilies in a pan or in a microwave oven for a few minutes. Powder them at home in the dry blender or get it done at the mill.
A teaspoon or two of this chillie powder could be used for any type of dish that calls for chillie powder. It can be stored for more than a year.
2. ANGLO-INDIAN CURRY POWDER
250 grams Red Chillies for pungency
200 grams Kashmiri Chillies or any other chillies for colour
100 coriander seeds
100 grams cumin seeds
Roast all the above ingredients separately then mix altogether and grind to a fine powder either in a blender or mixer at home or get it ground in a mill.
A teaspoon or two of this powder can be used for almost all curries both vegetarian and non- vegetarian. It can be stored and used for more than a year.
3. PEPPER WATER POWDER
250 grams Red Chilies
50 grams pepper corns
50 grams cumin seeds
50 grams coriander seeds
20 grams turmeric powder
Roast all the above ingredients and then grind together to a powder.
2 teaspoons of this powder should be added to 2 cups of water, juice of 2 tomatoes, a lump of tamarind and a little salt and cooked for 5 minutes to make instant pepper water. This pepper water should be seasoned with mustard, garlic and curry leaves.
4. VINDALOO CURRY POWDER / PASTE
25 grams mustard seeds
250 grams red chilies for pungency
50 grams cumin seeds
10 grams pepper corns
Roast all the above ingredients together for a few minutes then powder in a mill or dry grind in a blender.
Use 2 teaspoons of this powder for every ½ kg of meat when cooking Vindaloo along with the other ingredients as per the recipe. If this powder is stored in an airtight bottle it will stay fresh for more than a year. The same mixture can also be made into a paste if ground in vinegar but it should be stored in the fridge.
