Black Curry Powder
This complex curry powder has a special place in my heart. It has all the types of heat from the pepper, mustard and chilli, it’s bursting with sweet spices and is toasted to the point of being almost burnt, adding a bitter edge to balance out the flavours.
A word of advice before you start: when you toast the chilli powder and flakes, things can get a little intense, so open a window. Make sure you stick to the specified toasting times, especially with the chilli powder and flakes; you need to take everything right to the edge of darkness, but not too far or you will end up with a bitter mess.
Makes approximately 130g.
Ingredients 14
16 g coriander seeds
16 g cumin seeds
16 g nigella seeds
8 g fennel seeds
16 g black peppercorns
20 g mustard seeds
8 g curry leaves
1 g pandan leaf, cut into 5 mm pieces
5 g cardamom seeds
5 g cloves
3 g cinnamon quill, roughly crushed
16 g chilli powder
16 g chilli flakes
1 g freshly grated nutmeg
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Method 6
Place a wide, shallow frying pan over medium–high heat. Add the , , , and , and toast gently, tossing regularly for even cooking. After about 2 minutes, the spices will start popping and releasing their aromas. Reduce the heat and keep toasting for another 6–7 minutes until the spices start to darken and the aroma becomes stronger and sweeter. Tip them into a bowl.
Add the , , , and to the pan and toast over medium–high heat for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat and toast for another 4–5 minutes until the pepper smell is pronounced, the mustard seeds are popping and grey in colour, and the fresh leaves are dark and dry. Tip them into the bowl with the seed mix.
Next, toast the , and over a medium–low heat for 4–5 minutes, then add to the bowl with the other spices.
Reduce the heat to low, add the to the pan, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon to keep the powder moving as it will turn very quickly. Toast for 4–5 minutes until the powder is dark with a strong chilli aroma. Add to the bowl of spices.
Toast the in the same way, though they will take a little longer, 8–9 minutes. They are ready when they release an acrid aroma and the flakes are so dark they are almost black. Add to the bowl of spices and allow to cool completely.
Grind all the toasted spices to a fine powder, then mix through the . Store in an airtight container.
O Tama Carey's tips
When you toast the chilli powder and flakes, things can get a little intense, so open a window.
Make sure you stick to the specified toasting times, especially with the chilli powder and flakes; you need to take everything right to the edge of darkness, but not too far or you will end up with a bitter mess.
