Published on Just Hungry (http://www.justhungry.com)

The formula for making Japanese curry powder
By maki
Created 2007-02-09 17:08

As I wrote in the Beef Curry [1] recipe, I don’t make my own curry powder. Lomo 
asked in the comments [2] about the “secret” 15 to 20 spices that make up curry 
powder. After poking around a bit on Japanese web sites, I came up with this 
page [3] that describes what goes into S & B curry powders, the most popular 
brand by far in Japan. It’s an official S & B page, so should be accurate, 
though as you can see the percentages given have a pretty wide range. I guess 
it’s because the actual formulas are ‘secret’. In any case it gives a starting 
point for any experimentation I think.

I’ve also included a recipe for making garam masala. 
Note that I make no claims whatsoever that these are authentic mixes for Indian 
or other curries, but I’m talking here about Japanese curry.

The following is a rough summary/translation of the Japanese article.
Japanese curry powder

These basic four spices make up 80 to 90% of the mix:

    * Turmeric (20-50%)
    * Coriander (20-30%)
    * Cumin (5-25%)
    * Cardamon (5-15%)

Then the following ‘hot’ spices make up about 5% of the blend. If you want to 
increase the amount of hot spices, decrease the turmeric accordingly.

    * Black pepper (2-8%)
    * Chili (cayenne) pepper (0.5 - 2%)

The remaining 5-15% is taken up with aromatic spices. Adjusting these spices 
makes the powder distinctive.

    * Clove (3-5%)
    * Fennel (1-2%

All of the above are the basic spices (that go into all the powders, I assume).

Other spices, herbs and so on are added to give distinction to each blend, such 
as:

    * Cinnamon
    * Star anise
    * Allspice
    * Nutmeg
    * Fenugreek
    * Bay leaf
    * Sage
    * Oregano (“and other herbs”, not specified)
    * Cocoa powder
    * Coffee powder

They say to limit the amount of ‘other’ ingredients to about 1-2% of the total.

To make up the curry powder, roast the spices (I think they assume you are 
starting out with ground spices) in a dry frying pan for about 2-3 minutes. 
Cool the spices, and if possible let them mature in a cool, dark place for 
about a month before using.

Note that a good garam masala mix will contain the aromatic spices like cloves 
and fennel too. Here’s a standard garam masala mixture from an old Japanese 
curry cookbook I have, if you’d like to make up your own, starting from whole 
spices:
Garam Masala (a la Japonaise?)

    * 4 sticks of cinnamon
    * 1/2 cup cardamon pods
    * 1/3 cup cloves
    * 1/3 cumin
    * 1/4 cup coriander
    * 1/3 cup black pepper
    * 1/3 cup white pepper

Put all of the above onto a baking sheet, and roast in a 90°C / 195°F oven. 
Roast for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Take the cardamon out of the pods. Grind it all up in a mixer, dividing up if 
necessary, until ground to a fine powder. (Note: nowadays I would use an 
electric coffee mill reserved for spices.) Store in an airtight jar.

    * recipe
    * curry
    * ingredients
    * japanese
    * spices

Source URL: http://www.justhungry.com/formula-making-japanese-curry-powder

Links:
[1] http://www.justhungry.com/japanese-beef-curry
[2] http://www.justhungry.com/japanese-beef-curry#comment
[3] http://www.rakuten.co.jp/e-sbfoods/154598/157156/