We cook and eat Indian at least once a week for that I make my own spices usually enough for 4/6 curries it also means I have a good rotation of dried spices which in the humidity here do not have such a long shelf life…

It also means I get to use some of my curry leaves…I have been making these two mixes for years and we love them…one has the addition of coconut the other has no coconut or star anise but has mace and cardamon …they are quite forgiving mixes as sometimes I may be a bit short on an ingredient but it still makes for a nice spice mix I suppose I have learnt to tweak it over the years and we have our taste buds as well..don’t we?

This is my recipe for a Masala Spice Mix…I don’t profess to be an expert but we love our curries and I use as many authentic ingredients as I can…

• 16 dried red chillies
• 4 tsp of black pepper
• 3 tbsp cumin seeds
• 3 tbsp dried unsweetened coconut
• 4 tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 4-star anise
• 8 cloves
• 4 x 1-inch sticks of cinnamon
• 4 tbsp fennel seeds
• 20 fresh/dried curry leaves

Dry roast all the ingredients separately until fragrant …  be careful not to burn the spices.

Transfer to a plate or dish and allow to cool down before grinding to a powder.

Store in a sealed container in a  cool dry place and use as required.

When making a curry we use 2/3 tbsp of the spice mix I recommend starting with one tbsp then taste and adjust…

Spice Mix Two:

• 6 tbsp Coriander seeds
• 6 tbsp cumin seeds
• 12 whole cloves
• 20 green cardamom pods
• 5 bay leaves
• 3 large dried chillies
• 3-inch piece cinnamon
• 2 pieces mace
• 5 tsp  black pepper
• 4 tbsp Fennel seeds
• 2 sprigs curry leave(optional)

I add curry leaves because I can but I was making this spice before I had my trees and it is fine without.

My beautiful curry tree is much bigger now but just as pretty …it is blooming again it will then get lots of little red berries…

Let’s make a spice mix…

Roast each spice in a non-stick pan until warm and fragrant. Cool completely and then grind to a fine powder.

Keep in an airtight container it should keep for about 2 months before it starts to lose its flavour mine however only lasts about 3 weeks as we regularly make curries.

Again we use about 3 tbs but I suggest you start with less and taste and then adjust.

To make my curries I sweat onions, garlic and ginger maybe some fresh turmeric or turmeric powder in ghee and then add my spice mix and fresh tomatoes…Stir to combine and then add the chicken normally I use chicken thighs as the meat is tastier although sometimes I use pork it depends…Breast meat cut into cubes is also fine as long as you don’t overcook the meat…

We prefer our curries with just tomatoes and no yoghurt although I do sometimes for a change marinate the meat in yoghurt and the spices and use fewer tomatoes…curry is a choice and we all differ in how we like our curries some prefer drier curries others more juice..some a creamier curry others a more tomato-based curry sauce…some a nice cauliflower curry…

Next week I will share my curry recipes…cooked from scratch…

That’s all for today...another easy to make at home curry powder…it saves you money and cuts the chemicals and fillers.

Thank you for reading this post I hope you enjoy this new series…if you cook from scratch and have some tips to share please leave a comment I would love to hear from you…Love Carol x