Curry powder
Spice
Top 10 pairings
Curry powder is a ready-mixed, turmeric-forward spice blend — a British-Indian invention rather than a single Indian spice — built to give a warm, golden, savoury "curry" flavour from one tin. Earthy and aromatic with a mustardy, faintly bitter base and a mild-to-hot finish, it leans on turmeric for colour, coriander and cumin for body, and fenugreek for its characteristic sweetish, maple-curry note.
Picking a good onedrag
Just milled, golden and oilyFaded and dusty, smells of nothing
Sealed tinEveryday jarStill the blend you want. Keep it airtight, dark and off the stove-top, and rub a pinch before each use to check it still speaks.
Crush and smellClearly warm and curry-scented, but you rub a pinch between your fingers to raise it
Ground to order, or off the shelfA sealed tin from a shop that sells through it, the spices named before any salt
ColourStill golden, a shade duller, the darker flecks there to find
Feel and flowLoose still, with a few soft lumps that collapse under a fingertip