Jamaican curry powder

Jamaican curry powder recipe – learn how to make your very own fragrant curry powder using a mixture of ground and whole spices within a matter of minutes.

I’m so excited to share this wonderful Jamaican curry powder recipe with you all. It’s aromatic, fragrant and can be made with either whole spices or alternatively you can use ground spices to yield the same results. All you need is a skillet and coffee/spice grinder (pestle and mortar works too!!) and you’re good to go!!

What is Jamaican curry powder?

In short Jamaican curry powder is an admixture of spices which pertain to Caribbean flavours. A good example of what I am referring to includes thyme, nutmeg, culantro, cinnamon, mace, pimento (all spice) and cloves. You will find that these herbs and spices tend to be frequently used in island cooking which what distinguishes Caribbean curry from other corners of the world.

Many people ask what the difference is between Jamaican and Indian curry and the answers is very simple. Jamaican/Caribbean people use pre-blended spices. On the other hand, Indians don’t use “curry powder” this is British concept, rather they build their cuisines using individual spices.

Nevertheless, Curry powder is an integral part of the Caribbean culture. It used to season so many dishes and is now a regarded a staple.

It was brought to the islands by the indented Indians. A large population of Indian nationals came to the Caribbean as labourers where they ended up making the islands their place of residence as well as importing exotic spices, curries, chutney’s and roti.

What is in Jamaican curry powder?

My Jamaican curry powder is an assortment of spices that are common place in island cuisines;

• Turmeric
• Cumin seeds
• Coriander seeds
• Pimento berries (all spice)
• Black peppercorns
• Ginger
• Mustard seeds
• Fenugreek seeds
• Thyme
• Nutmeg
• Cinnamon
• Chilli

Reasons to make your own curry powder

• It’s cost effective and works out cheaper especially if you cook curries dishes often and buy the spices in bulk
• Complete control over what ingredients go into the blend
• The curry powder can be double or tripled at your leisure
• It take less than 15 minutes to prepare the curry powder
• The curry powder can be stored in your pantry for several months
• There are NO fillers, additives, enhancers or preservatives included making it a which more healthier choice than store brought curry

How to make Jamaican curry powder

It’s very very easy to make this curry powder from scratch. If you haven’t stepped foot in the kitchen before, I promise you won’t be intimated by this recipe. Instead you will reap the benefits of making endless curry cuisines with your own spice blend!!

The spices – I used a mixture of whole and ground spices. The depth of flavour from whole spices is far more superior to its ground counterpart especially when toasted. However, if you cannot obtain whole spices then that’s okay you can still make the recipe without whole the spices

Toasting the spices – If you’re using whole spices then you should toast them before putting them to grind. Toasting helps to really bring out that depth of flavour to no end.

Grinding the spices – This is the finally step to making your curry powder. I pulverise mine in a grinder, you can also use a dry container (vitamix) or pestle and mortar to achieve the same results.

How to use Jamaican curry powder

Use this curry powder to make your favourite meat based or vegan style recipes.

Such as – Jamaican curry shrimp

Caribbean pumpkin curry

How to make Jamaican curry powder in steps (using pictures)

Place all of the whole spices in a skillet and proceed to toast them until aromatic

Allow the spices to cool before pouring them into a spice grinder with the ground spices.

Mill both the ground and whole spices into a fine powder consistency

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