I love spices! Here’s how to make your own homemade curry powder that’s easy on the digestion. Curry powder is a mix of Asian spices. Years ago every Indian household had their own special spice mixture, giving their family cuisine a unique characteristic flavor. Nowadays we buy curry powder in little jars from mega grocery corporations. It’s still wonderful and can be used in so many dishes!
Commercial curry powders almost always contain nightshades like red pepper and cayenne. Many people ae allergic to nightshades, and don’t even know why they feel digestive discomfort. That’s because nightshades are a recent addition to the American diet, and because nightshades have seed coatings that can cause heartburn, inflammation, and joint pain – not good. See my detailed article: Beware of Nightshades. Common nightshade vegetables are: peppers (red, green, yellow, orange, jalapeno, chili, cayenne, pimento, paprika), tomatoes, (all varieties including tomatillos), potatoes (all varieties including potato starch, except sweet potatoes and yams), and eggplant. Black pepper is not a nightshade. (Whew! That’s a relief.)
You can design your own curry powder! Look through your spices and be creative with this recipe. Make it mild, pungent, tart or hot. I’ll bet you can create an amazing spice blend in 2 minutes with what’s in your pantry. The most common ingredients in curry powder are listed first in the recipe below, so I’d start there. It will be fabulicious!
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric root
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander (cilantro)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger root
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard seed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom seed
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon any of these: ground fenugreek, curry leaf, clove, anise, mace, star anise, caraway, nutmeg, garlic powder
- Red pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, chipotle, chili pepper.
Instructions
- If any of your spices are whole, first dry them and then grind them in a handheld electric grinder or a mortar and pestle.
- When your spices are ground, place all desired ingredients into a small bowl or jar. Stir or shake to combine. Store in an airtight jar. Yummy!
8 Replies to "Make Your Own Curry Powder - Nightshade-free!"
SL May 5, 2023 (12:28 am)
This spice mix is excellent. I have used it to make curries for a friend with rheumatoid arthritis.
Jane Barthelemy May 12, 2023 (6:09 pm)
Hello Sylvia, thank you for your comment. Yes, it’s a delicious spice mix, and completely free of nightshades. Thanks again! Jane
Maude September 14, 2022 (11:41 am)
Garlic is also a nightshade and should NOT be included in the ingredients.
Jane Barthelemy September 15, 2022 (10:28 pm)
Hi Maude, thank you for your response. My understanding is that nightshades are foods such as tomatoes, potatoes (but not sweet potatoes), eggplant, bell peppers, paprika, chili, and goji berries, etc. I understand that garlic and onions are from the ALIUM family, which is different. My digestive sensitivity tests on clients indicates about 30% are allergic to nightshades, which is quite high. But less than 5% are allergic to the alium family. I’m personally very happy about this, because I love garlic, onions, scapes, chives, leeks etc. I use them freely in my recipes and have no allergic reaction to them. Check it out with the food experts and let us know if you have information that’s different from this. We want everybody to be allergy-free. Thanks again and best wishes for your delicious health! Jane
Jennifer April 3, 2022 (2:12 am)
1 teaspoon cilantro? What’s that?
Jane Barthelemy April 11, 2022 (4:57 am)
Hi Jennifer, Thanks for pointing out this mistake. Cilantro is the Spanish for coriander, but I had listed them BOTH. This recipe means the ground coriander SEED. I corrected my error in the recipe. Thanks for your sharp eyes! Jane
Mel January 30, 2022 (6:45 am)
Thank you for this! Looking forward to trying it. Nightshades are a no go for my daughter, so this is great ?
Jane Barthelemy February 25, 2022 (9:18 pm)
Thanks for your comment, Mel! Yes, spice mixes are fun to play with. Let us know how yours turns out! Best wishes! Jane