The formula for making Japanese curry powder
posted on 9 Feb 2007 by maki ::
6 comments
As I wrote in the Beef Curry recipe, I don’t make my own curry powder. Lomo asked in the comments 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 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.
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Cool Curry
This is great! I’m definitely going to formulate my own powder based on this post next time I make Japanese curry. I usually use the curry roux, which I’m sure is really bad to a purist.
Thanks!
using the roux
Using the roux is not necessarily bad…as long as you know what you’re getting in there. Only the big brands tend to make it onto the shelves of groceries outside of Japan, except for the really big Japanese supermarkets like Mitsuwa, so you only get the lower end of the curry roux spectrum. In Japan there are low to high end roux mixes…even some famous curry or yohshoku restaurants sell mixes. And, I should say that most Japanese people only cook curry with the roux. (I use roux sometimes myself too…)
Curry roux
Absolutely, most people here use roux. Like you say, there are some really good ones out there if you poke around. CoCo Ichi even makes a decent roux, though they only sell it in their curry shops.
I’m definitely going to try this, though I’m not sure if I can wait the month for it to be ready…now I’m feeling hungry!
Curry Powder
Maki,
I was a bit surprised that my last question prompted a full post, but then curry powders are serious business. In fact, it would appear they are a multi-million dollar business in Japan (every grocery has an entire aisle dedicated to the stuff). Thank you for your help and pointing me in the right direction.
I felt at the very least, obligated to give the curry powder a try. So I did! And, I would have earlier but this project involved a bit of math.
Where to start? The recipe as given to us by the S & B boys is a little vague. Knowing nothing about blending my own Japanese curry powder (I do know a little of Indian curry powder, but then I have also been told, on good authority, that there is no such thing as an Indian curry powder), I went down the middle with all the spices.
For the ‘basic four’: Turmeric 35%, Coriander 25%, Cumin 15%, and Cardamon 10%. For the ‘spicy’ spices: Black Pepper 5% and Chili Pepper 1.25%. For the ‘aromatic’ spices: Clove 4% and Fennel 1.5%. And finally with the ‘spices of distinction’: Cinnamon 0.75%, Star Anise 0.75%, Allspice 0.75%, and Nutmeg 0.75%. My feeling here with the ‘spices of distinction’, is that the Cinnamon, Star Anise, Allspice, and Nutmeg might add up to be something like a Chinese Five Spice but then there are only four of them. As far as the herbs (Sage, Oregano, etc… ) are concerned, the have no place in curry. The bay leaf (it is technically an herb, isn’t it?) goes in the stew pot and coffee is what the Japanese drink with their curry (at least they used to). That brings us to a grand total of 99.75%. The other 0.25% remain secret. On to the curry…
I followed your recipe with a few substitutions. I used my curry powder, I substituted katsuobushi dashi for the bullion cube (it was in the fridge), and I used a persimmon rather than an apple.
And as I sit here now, enjoying a large bowl of ‘authentic’ Japanese curry (with rakkyo and a bottle of Traminer Aromatico)… this is better than the stuff from the box. There is a tremendous depth of flavor and a polite burning sensation on my lips and tongue. It took a little longer than the stuff from the box, but my curry powder will only get better as it ages over the next month (apparently).
Next time… I channel my inner Cajun and take the roux to shades of brown only previously imagined.
Thanks for the help,
Lomo
wow
Thanks for that account Lomo! Now you’ve made me want to mix up my own curry powder…
curry joy
I have been intending to comment on this for quite some time- I can’t tell you how happy I am to see this recipe. Because I can’t have wheat, I have never had proper Japanese curry due to the roux part of it- and now I can finally try it! DH is also very fond of Japanese curry, so I know he will be ecstatic as well. :D
Thanks for coming up with this recipe!!!
Gratefully,
Sea
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