Did you know curry is a blend of spices, and not a spice on its own? The word curry is gotten from the word ‘kari’ which means a blend of spices. The curry spice is Asian (mostly India) in origin, and contrary to what I thought before I found out, the curry powder is not even made from what we know here in Nigeria as curry leaves (the tender, tiny lemon green leaves).
Some of the ingredients that make up the curry include turmeric, chilli pepper, fenugreek, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, nutmeg, mustard, ginger, garlic black and green cardamoms, cinnamon, caraway and a whole lot of other spices.
There is no singular formula for preparing the curry powder as there are different recipes one could use, depending on taste. But as a rule, all spices must be dried, ground, and in a reasonable proportion. The popular Ducros brand curry, for example, is made up of turmeric, coriander, fenugreek, fennel, salt, paprika, onion, garlic, cumin, caraway, chilli pepper and black pepper (no proportions specified).
Though they might not all be available in local Nigerian markets, ingredients are available in large grocery stores.
A collection of various recipes from across the web include:
Deliciousobsessions.com 4 parts ground coriander 2 parts ground turmeric 2 parts ground yellow mustard powder 2 parts chilli powder 1 parts cayenne powder 1 parts ground cumin 1/2 parts ground cardamom
Allrecipes.com 2 tablespoons ground cumin 2 tablespoons ground coriander 2 teaspoons ground turmeric 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Food.com 4 1⁄2teaspoons ground coriander 2teaspoons turmeric 1 1⁄2teaspoons cumin seeds 1⁄2teaspoon whole black peppercorn (1/2 to 1) 1⁄2teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (1/2 to 1) 1⁄2teaspoon cardamom, whole,without pods 1⁄2inch cinnamon stick 1⁄4teaspoon whole cloves 1⁄4teaspoon ground ginger