Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder

This Roasted Curry Powder is a staple in every Sri Lankan kitchen. We use it for so many curries (especially with meat), stir-fries, and other dishes. Roasted curry powder is dark in color, has a nice smoky aroma, and makes every curry delicious and aromatic when you cook with it.

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Sri Lankan Roasted vs Unroasted Curry Powder

Unroasted curry powder is made with dried seeds and spices. It is mild in aroma and flavor compared to roasted curry powder. It has a khaki color. Usually use for creamy, mild curries such as creamy potato curry, green bean curry, and creamy fish curry. You only use a little bit of unroasted curry powder because you need the delicate flavors of the other ingredients to shine.

Roasted curry powder, on the other hand, is dark brown in color. Smoky and aromatic. Use it especially for meat, fish, seafood, meat alternatives such as soymeat curry and vegetables that can cook with strong flavors such as young jackfruit curry and mango curry. You can also use this curry powder for stir-fries as well. When we use dark roasted curry powder, we use quite a lot. If you see a Sri Lankan curry that looks dark brown in color, it probably was made using Sri Lankan roasted curry powder.

Different variations of Roasted curry powder

Many people who make it at home have their own versions of roasted curry powder. If you want to make the basic roasted curry powder, you only need coriander, cumin, and fennel seeds. That’s what you usually find in store-bought roasted curry powders. The good thing about making roasted curry powder at home is that you can elevate it with a few more additions. These additions help to make the curries even better.

To my roasted curry powder, I like to add a few whole spices such as cardamom and cinnamon. And some roasted grains to help thicken the curry, and also a few more flavorings that add complexity to the flavor of the curry powder. It’s okay if you don’t have all of the ingredients I’ve listed. Use whatever you have along with coriander, cumin, and fennel seeds.

Substitutes:

Coriander, cumin, and fennel seeds are a must for Sri Lankan roasted curry powder. So there are no substitutes for them. But as I said earlier, if you don’t have the other ingredients I’ve listed, simply make it with what you have. The curry powder will still turn out aromatic and delicious.

That being said, you can substitute red lentils with mung beans, split lentils, split chickpeas, or rice of any kind. This helps to thicken the curry. Black mustard seeds can be substituted with brown mustard seeds or yellow mustard seeds.

If you don’t have Ceylon cinnamon, use 1/4 the amount of cassia instead. Cassia is extremely strong and bolder than true Ceylon cinnamon, so a little goes a long way.

Roasting ingredients

There are a few things to keep in mind when you roast these ingredients.

1. All these ingredients take different times to roast. So make sure to roast them separately.
2. Keep the heat at medium. You don’t want to burn the seeds and spices.
3. Make sure to stir/flip everything continuously to ensure that all the seeds/spices roast evenly throughout.
4. Do not burn the seeds and spices. This can add some bitterness to the roasted curry powder. It’s okay if all the seeds are not browned equally. Take them off the heat when the majority of the seeds achieve the desired color.

Curries to make with Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder

• Sri Lankan Chicken Curry
• Sri Lankan beef curry
• Black pork curry
• Sri Lankan mango curry
• Young jackfruit curry

Print Recipe

Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder

Author: Roshani Wickramasinghe Cooking Method: Dry Roasting Cuisine: Sri Lankan Courses: Spices/Pastes/Curry powders Recipe Keys: Dairy Free Gluten Free L low fodmap Vegan

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 10 mins Cook Time 10 mins Total Time 20 mins

Description

Roasted Curry Powder is a staple in every Sri Lankan kitchen. We use it for so many curries (especially with meat), stir-fries, and other dishes. Roasted curry powder is potent, has a nice smoky aroma, and makes every curry delicious and aromatic when you cook with it. This recipe gives roughly 150g of roasted curry powder.

Ingredients

Servings

• 50 g Coriander seeds (3/4 cup)

• 35 g Cumin seeds (1/3 cup)

• 25 g Fennel seeds (1/4 cup)

• 1 tbsp Black mustard seeds

• 1 tbsp Black peppercorns

• 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds

• 1 tbsp Red lentils or green mung beans

• 6 Cardamom pods

• 6 Cloves

• 4 inch Piece of Ceylon Cinnamon, broken into pieces

• 4 Spring of curry leaves (use just the leaves)

• 1 Small pandan leaf broken into 1-inch pieces

• 1 tbsp Grated fresh coconut or unsweetened desiccated coconut

Instructions

1. Dry roast each dry ingredient separately until dark brown and transfer to a plate:

   Heat a pan to medium. Dry roast coriander, cumin, and fennel seeds separately until seeds are deep brown (but not burnt). Keep stirring continuously to roast the seeds evenly.

   Roast mustard seeds and black peppercorns for 30 seconds.

   Also roast fenugreek seeds and lentils separately until dark-golden brown.

   Roast cardamom, cloves and cinnamon together for about 2 minutes or until aromatic.

   
   the reason why you need to roast everything separately is that they all take different amounts of times to roast.

2. Dry roast fresh stuff separately until dehydrated and brown then transfer to a plate:

   Roast curry leaves and pandan leaves separately until they are dehydrated, dry, and breakable with your fingers.

   Dry roast coconut until dark brown. (Make sure the coconut is uniformly grated; otherwise, it won't roast evenly)

   

3. Grind and store

   Wait until everything you roasted comes to room temperature. And then grind them all together in a spice grinder or coffee grinder (I use this grinder). Store in an airtight spice jar.