Curry is ubiquitous in Indian cooking, and like most people, store-bought curry powder is one of those spices we keep at the back of our panty indefinitely. I use to think curry was a spice on its own like ginger and may have used it once a year for an obscure recipe. But as a rule, it wasn’t a go-to condiment. That all change when I blended up my first batch. It was as if I had discovered gold. Now I use it almost as much as salt & pepper. Perfect for oven-roasted vegetables like cauliflower and potatoes.

Toasting the seeds releases the oils and brings out the fragrant aroma. Blend up a batch in your spice grinder. I guarantee you’ll never go back to store-bought again.

Recipe notes: What you will need: Mixing bowl spoon/whisk, skillet, and airtight container for storage. Active prep time:10-minutes. Difficulty level: Very easy

Ingredients:

• 2-Tbsp whole cumin seeds
• 2-Tbsp whole cardamom pods
• 2-Tbsp whole coriander seeds
• 1-Tbsp dry mustard, or mustard seed
• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
• ¼- cup ground turmeric
• 1-tsp cayenne pepper

Preparation:

1. Place the first four ingredients in a dry skillet, [if using dry mustard, add to other powdered ingredients] and lightly toast spices for about 2 minutes, or till they begin to smell fragrant and nutty. DO NOT brown spices, they will become bitter.
2. Transfer to spice mill and grind to a fine powder.
3. Place the next two ingredients in a mixing bowl, add freshly ground spices, and stir well to combine.
4. Store in an air-tight container.