Learn how to make the most amazing roasted curry powder, which is the base for many of my flavor-packed curry recipes! This Sri Lankan roasted curry powder is deeply aromatic and has very robust and complex flavors.
The ingredient ratios are easy to remember (4:3:2:1 and 3:2:1), so go ahead and make a big batch and use it any way you like to make flavorful curry dishes! Here’s how to make AUTHENTIC Sri Lankan Curry Powder!
Sri Lankan roasted curry powder
Everyone (or at least most people) has their go-to recipe, their go-to meal, the one that they love to make, the one that’s a breeze to make, the one that they use the word comfort to describe.
For me, that would be a curry. A Sri Lankan curry to be exact. I have lived most of my life outside of Sri Lanka, but my childhood is inextricably linked to everything that is Sri Lanka. Especially Sri Lankan food. Oh, the food! Nothing hits the spot for me quite like a Sri Lankan curry, and that doesn’t come as a surprise, considering the staggering amount of flavor one could coax out of a well-made curry. Everything else pales in comparison.
And at the heart of all that is the roasted curry powder.
I’ve never had a shortage of authentic Sri Lankan curry powder (including the store-bought variety), until we moved to where we live now. Since then I’ve taken matters into my own hands, and if you’d like to smell and taste the magnificent aromas and flavors of a straight-up, authentic Sri Lankan roasted curry powder, then you should truly make it yourself.
It’s easy, the spices and flavors are more pronounced, and the aromas will make you swoon (quite literally – I do recommend that you crack open the window or door, or have some decent ventilation, because for someone not used to these aromas they can be both incredible and a little overwhelming).
And here’s why my roasted curry powder is different from any other recipe out there – the recipe is super easy to remember! The ratios are easy to remember – 4:3:2:1 and 3:2:1.
That’s 4:3:2:1 in tablespoons and 3:2:1 in teaspoons.
Coriander seeds are the main spice in Sri Lankan roasted curry powder. Another is black pepper (as opposed to chili powder). Black pepper is what gives this roasted curry powder its heat. However, most people also use a lot of chili powder when they make curries which obviously adds to the heat. So here are the ingredients and the ratios.
Tablespoons (15mL tablespoons)
4 Coriander
3 Cumin
2 Black Peppercorns and 2 Uncooked Rice
1 Cardamom pods (you will only use the seeds – about 12 – 15 pods)
Teaspoons (5 ml teaspoons)
3 Cloves
2 Mustard seeds
1 Fennel Seeds (heaped)
Some curry powders also include curry leaves, but I prefer to add them straight into the curry!
As you can see, a good curry isn’t all fire and brimstone – it’s got a lot of subtle, fragrant yet robust spices that add a lot of delicate and nuanced flavors.
This Sri Lankan roasted curry powder is first roasted till it’s nice and toasty, and then ground to a find powder. Dry roasting spices can transform an otherwise not especially exciting spice into something a lot more intense and complex with great depth of flavor. Such roasted curry powder is typically used in meaty dishes – where the meat can withstand that robust curry flavor.
With more delicate meat like fish or seafood, you would use UNROASTED curry powder (which has a more delicate flavor), with the addition of a little more fennel and an acidic component like tamarind or lemon/lime. For example, I use the unroasted version of this curry powder to make amazing fish curry and prawn curry (shrimp curry).
With a curry powder this simple to make, you can easily make bigger batches too. And once made, you store it in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place.
Here I have used US tablespoons which measure 15 mL, but you can use the UK version of tablespoons too which are sometimes measured at 20 mL. This would lead to slightly different spice ratios, but that’s OK, because that’s the beauty of a curry powder – there’s no one magic ratio that has to be followed as a rule. Each person, each family can have their own version that suits their preferences better with a little more of this and a little less of that and so on. This is my Sri Lankan roasted curry powder and it’s the base for a lot of my favorite curries (like this Spicy Green Apple Curry). And it’ll soon be yours too! 🙂
Also note, that I used green cardamoms as seen in the photos. Black cardamom is much larger than green cardamoms and have a different taste. They are not interchangeable in this recipe.
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Sri Lankan Roasted Curry powder
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp coriander seeds
- 3 tbsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp basmati rice
- 2 tsp cardamom pods you will only use the seeds from the pods, about 12 – 15 pods
- 2 tsp whole cloves about 10 -15 cloves (see notes)
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
Instructions:
- Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods and discard the husks.2 tsp cardamom pods
- Place the rice on a dry non stick pan. Heat over medium heat until the rice starts to turn light brown.2 tbsp basmati rice
- Add the rest of the spices and the cardamom seeds to the rice, and pan roast for a further 3 – 5 minutes until the spices start to brown, toast and become aromatic.4 tbsp coriander seeds, 3 tbsp cumin seeds, 2 tbsp black peppercorns, 2 tsp whole cloves, 2 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- Keep moving the pan to prevent the spices from burning. Also adjust the cook times according to your stove and pan, to avoid burning the spices. Or your curry powder will be bitter.
- Remove from the heat and let the spices cool down.
- Once the spices cool down – use a spice grinder (or a mortar and pestle) to grind the spice mix into a powder in batches and mix well. Store in an air tight container.
- Use as needed.
Tips & Tricks
Unroasted curry powder
Unroasted curry powder is the same as this, but the spices are not toasted in the pan. They are simply placed in a spice grinder and pulsed until finely ground.Notes about cloves
The ingredient ratio here is more of a guideline. If you don’t like cloves, please feel free to leave them out or add less. The cloves I typically use are large, and I can only fit a few in 1 teaspoon. If your cloves are smaller in size, reduce the amount accordingly. The same goes for other spices as well.Which spices are the most important?
Coriander, cumin, black pepper, cardamom. Other ingredients can be left out if you don’t have them, or reduced to your liking. You can also use yellow mustard instead of black/brown mustard, if that is all you have.What is my curry powder is bitter?
If you find the curry powder to be bitter, it’s most likely because you toasted the spices for too long and burned them. It can also be bitter if your spices have gone rancid (especially mustard).How long can I keep this?
Ground spices don’t retain their freshness as well as whole spices. This is why I prefer making batches of this when needed. Every time I make the curry powder, the longest it has lasted in my kitchen is 2 weeks before I need a new batch, but usually I make this once a week. I make a double batch because we make a lot of curries at home. I personally prefer making small batches every time to keep each batch fresh.Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
If you’re a fan of flavor-packed curries and Sri Lankan food, then you may love these recipes too!
Tracy says
Just so I’m understanding…you grind the rice, too? I’m excited to try your recipe, but haven’t ever done it this way. Thanks!
Dini says
Hi Tracy
Yes I do grind the rice too.
It can act as a thickener for curries, although it doesn’t thicken it a lot – just adds some body to some curries.
While I do add rice to my curry powder more often than not, there are times that I don’t add it if I’m in a hurry.
Colin says
Lookink forward to making Sri Lanken Roasted cury powder, just a note here in England (UK) our normal measuring amounts are 5ml = a teaspoon and 3x teaspoons = 15ml (tablespoon) never known anything else. Best Regards
Dini says
Hi Colin
Thank you for letting me know!
The 20 mL tbsp is mostly used in Australia then 🙂 I will definitely correct that!
Judy Mata says
I cannot wait to try this recipe. I love Indian mixed spices. Recently my husband has been told that he has tor educe his potassium intake significantly. Indian curry recipes are at the top of our list to make. To find a recipe without turmeric is excellent. With lots of options to provide variety. Turmeric has one of the highest potassium contents in it of just about everything we eat (over 2000mg in 100mg). I have all the spices on hand and use them regularly anyway. So this is on my to try this week. Thank you again. Now to figure out how to make recipes without much coconut milk or yogurt, also high in potassium.
Dini says
Hi Judy!
I’m glad that you will be making this curry! I hope you enjoy it!
As for the coconut milk, you can make this without it too. I would decrease the chili if you do leave out the coconut milk though. Add extra water to your preference instead.
I have also hear that carton coconut milk has less potassium than the canned coconut milk, but I would check to make sure! I have had some readers who used oat milk in curries, so you could use a low potassium plant based milk like soy or rice too. The curry won’t be as creamy, but it will still work for your dietary needs!
I hope that helps!
Paula says
This is the loveliest curry powder I’ve ever tried. And the smell in my house is amazing. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Sarah Ibrahim says
I love your website, I haven’t tried the recipe yet.
Chira says
This is the best SL curry powder recipe. Found it during the pandemic and have stuck to it since. Figured out how to make it work for meats, fish and veggies too. All the best!
Azlina D says
This recipe was a hit, simple & easy enough to find ingredients & to make. The aroma of the roasted spices was just devine. I used the curry powder for the polos curry.
Sofia says
Hello Dini!
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I’ve just finished grinding the spices, using a regular coffee mill grinder. The smell is amazing! The result is not as fine as the store bought curry powder (it is slightly coarse/grainy iyswim) even though I ground them for a long time. Is this okay? I am making your fabulous shrimp curry using this curry powder (not roasted version).
Dini says
Hi Sofia
That is ok!
As long as the spices are not super chunky in the mix, you are fine.
My older spice grinder doesn’t grind spices as fine as my newer one, but I still use it in a pinch and the results are just as good 🙂
I hope that helps!
Sofia says
Thank you for the reply, Dini.
I am happy with the result.
Michael D’Ambrosie says
Very tasty. However the curry powder gives a clove dominant taste which was not subtle. I recommend reducing the cloves in the spice mix.
Dini says
Hi Michael
10 – 15 cloves shouldn’t be too overpowering at all. But you absolutely can adjust the ratios to your taste! I find cloves too strong, which is why I only add 10 – 15 per batch.
I hope that helps!
Martina says
Very earthy and authentic, make it ahot or not as you like
Andy. C says
I am going to make this because it looks so good, but how much roasted, ground spice would you need for 1kg of chicken? (as sometimes I batch- cook to freeze).
Thank you!
Dini says
Hi Andy
It depends on your spice tolerance for sure. However, I use about 2 1/2 tbsp of curry powder in my recipe for chicken curry, where I use 2lbs of chicken.
I hope that helps!
Rosemonde josee Samy says
Can I use this for Beef curry
Dini says
Hi Rosemonde
Yes you can make beef curry with this curry powder. I have a recipe for my Sri Lankan beef curry here!
Hope that helps!
Rhonda says
How important is the rice? I want to make a keto version
Dini says
Hi Rhonda
You can leave out the rice to keep it Keto without an issue.
Rice is more like a thickener but its not essential to the powder.
Hope that helps!
Marlene says
I’m looking for easy curried red lentil recipe please.
Kevin in Montana says
Finally the recipe for roast curry powder Ive been looking for. Yum!