Curry Powder Substitute: Planning to cook up some Indian Curry and ran out of Curry Powder and wondering what to use instead of it. Here comes our article to your rescue as we have given great curry powder alternatives. Here are some of the best choices you can make and replace curry powder with these items. Refer to our entire article on substitutes for curry powder and make replacements easily include them in your dishes if the recipe calls for it.
- What Is Curry Powder Made Of?
- Best Substitutes For Curry Powder To Try
- Are curry powder and chili powder the same?
- FAQs on What Can I Substitute For Curry Powder
What Is Curry Powder Made Of?
Do you know curry powder is a blend of spices in your spice rack? Curry Powder in general is an Indian Spice Blend that includes Turmeric Powder, Coriander, Salt, Fenugreek, Cumin Seeds, Onion Powder, Black Pepper, Chilli, Allspice, Celery and curry leaf. It varies from region to region and the base is toasted coriander and cumin seeds. East Indian Spice Curry Powder can be a perfect addition to all your soups, stews, and sauces that pairs well with meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables.
In certain places, curry powders even contain caraway, ground ginger, nutmeg, black cardamom, garlic, curry leaves, fennel seeds, and white turmeric. All these spice blends will give a complex flavor and taste thus it is too difficult to find these flavors if you need any substitute.
Best Substitutes For Curry Powder To Try
Replacing Curry Powder can be overwhelming if you don’t have one. You might be wondering is it possible to get an equivalent to authentic curry powder. This is where we did our research and found some excellent alternatives you can add to your Indian Dishes. Below is a list of some quick yet good curry powder substitute to try next time.
Garam Masala
Garam Masala is a great blend of Spices often used in Indian Cuisine. Having used the spices like cloves, ground cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, cumin, and cardamom it is much closer to curry powder. It has a pungent aroma, a slightly bitter taste, and an intense flavor compared to regular curry powder. Unlike curry powder, it is added at the end of the cooking process to reveal its flavors. You can add this to your vegetarian as well as meat dishes.
Own Curry Powder
If you don’t want a store-bought curry powder then you can try something on your own at home. This way you can eliminate the chili powder if you want and include the spices such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, and black pepper. Adding chili powder to this powder is up to you and your individual choice.
Ground Cumin
Ground Cumin is the best alternative you can go for instead of curry powder. You can use this ground cumin as it will give you some zesty and intense flavors. If you want to obtain that flavor make sure to add some black pepper and chili flakes. Make sure to roast the cumin seeds in advance to make the flavors to stand out.
Curry Paste
Curry Paste resembles almost the same in terms of name. However, the picture is entirely different and both of them aren’t the same. Curry Paste is added in place of Curry Powder in most Thai Dishes to give a distinct flavor. combining mixing chili, garlic, shrimp paste, turmeric, lemongrass, and sea salt will add flavor to the dish. You can give tanginess to your stews and curries by adding this curry paste instead of curry powders.
Chaat Masala
If you don’t have curry powder with you and thinking for a replacement then you can try the chaat masala for sure. Usually, chaat masala is prepared from many aromatic plants, herbs and other spices like cumin, coriander, Amchoor, black pepper, ginger, fennel, asafoetida, Kala Namak, tamarind, red chili, and green mango powder.
This spice mix gives tanginess and savory flavor to your dish. If you are new begin with small and if you like it you can it to your Indian Cooking recipes.
Refer Similar:
Tandoori Masala
If you are someone who loves preparing Tandoori Chicken then you might have had Tandoori Masala with you for sure. You might get surprised to hear the news you can substitute curry powder with Tandoori Masala. As the spices mentioned in the Tandoori Masala are a bit savory you might not need much as curry powder. If you add a teaspoon of curry powder then you can add 1/2 teaspoon of tandoori masala.
Coriander Seeds
Ground Coriander Seeds are just like turmeric in curry powder. You can get subtle sweetness, minty and fresh flavor to the recipe. You can add toasted and ground coriander seed in place of curry powder. However, adding all these spices toasted ground cumin seeds, and chili powder to coriander seeds will give a flavor similar to authentic curry powder.
Sambar Powder
If you love preparing Indian Cuisine then you might have Sambar Powder in your spice rack for sure. Most of the south Indian Recipes call for Sambar Powder and it comes with same spices cayenne pepper, ground coriander seeds, ground ginger, garlic powder, fenugreek, black mustard seeds, and clove powder. With this one spice blend you can understand it works as a great substitute for most curry powder based dishes.
AllSpice
Allspice is a great replacement spice derived from the dried berries of the West Indian Allspice tree. It resembles dried peppercorn in terms of both appearance and flavor. You can replace this with almost every recipe you prepare using curry powder.
If you are looking for some other substitutes like flank steak substitute you can go through our articles and know the options with which you can replace flank steak with.
Are curry powder and chili powder the same?
No curry powder and chili powder aren’t the same. Curry Powder is a blend of many spices whereas chili powder on the other hand is a blend of chili peppers.
FAQs on What Can I Substitute For Curry Powder
1. Can I use paprika instead of curry powder?
Yes, you can replace paprika with curry powder if you are someone who loves a milder curry powder blend.
2. Is garam masala the same as 5 spice?
Indian Spice Blend Garam Masala is the same as Chinese 5 spice and can be used easily in place of it.
3. Is turmeric and curry powder the same thing and can I substitute turmeric with curry powder?
Turmeric is a blend of mixed spices whereas curry powder blends spices and turmeric as key ingredient. If you don’t have curry powder at your disposal then you can replace turmeric with it.
Final Words
Hope the information existing here on Curry Powder Substitutes has shed some light on you. If you need any equivalents to replace curry powder in your dishes then you can look for the above options. For more details on substitutes to add to your Indian Curries you can always look up to us. Bookmark our site for more articles like gochugaru substitute and many more.