Curry powder is a spice made up of a collection of spices (including coriander, cumin, Cloves, fenugreek, Cayenne Pepper, cinnamon, and turmeric) that is similar to garam masala. However, it is said to be closer to a derived spice, sambar powder (sambar podi in Hindi) that may contain raw rice and roasted mustard. It is considered the universal (all-purpose) powder for making curry, despite the strong opposition against the existence of universal curry powder. Note that when making curry powder from scratch, its level of spiciness and pungent flavor may differ depending on the type of blend and vender.

Nutrition Facts Highlights

Curry powder is relatively high calorie, getting most of its calories from carbohydrates with a good balance of protein and fat. However, in practice due the amount that is actually used in cooking, calories in attributed to curry powder isn't something you should have to worry about, even if you are trying to cut back on calories. The good news is that it acts as good source of iron with almost 2 mg of iron per tablespoon of curry powder. This is advantageous to know if you are on a vegetarian diet recommended to get up to 33 mg of iron per day to make up for the low bioavailability of iron from plant foods.

Uses for curry powder

Curry Roux

Curry powder can be used to make curry roux by mixing with Unsalted Butter, All-Purpose Flour, and other spices including garam masala and cayenne pepper for extra spice.

Curry Mayonnaise

Mix curry powder with Mayonnaise for salad dressing curry mayonnaise dressing, dipping sauce curry mayonnaise dip, or to make curried mayonnaise marinade.

Curry powder on French fries

Curry powder makes an excellent seasoning for French fries. Mix olive oil and other spices to coat French fries before baking them in the oven.