This Indian restaurant spice mix is a blend of key Indian spices that gives restaurant curries that big blast of flavour. It’s one of the ways restaurants are able to crank out curries in no time.
This is about easy. Easy and fast. No measuring a ton of spices every time you make a curry. This is the baseline. The signature blend.
Indian restaurant spice mix is about speed
Indian homestyle cooking takes a lot of effort. Just look at the wonderful curry recipes all over the internet. Complicated. Many steps. They take a long time. They’re worth it. No doubt. But they’re real work.
Indian restaurants can’t do it the same way. You would be waiting for hours to eat. Restaurant curries take 10 minutes to cook. There’s a few tricks to make that happen. Indian restaurant spice mix is one of those tricks.
They all do it. First they figure out what base flavour profile is right for the restaurant. Then they figure out what’s common. The stuff in pretty much every recipe. That’s Indian restaurant spice mix.
They then use that spice mix as a starting point. And layer flavours on top to create their masterpieces. Pretty clever.
Every restaurant has their own mix. This is the one used on this blog. And it’s used a lot. If you’re getting into Indian restaurant style cooking this mix is going to be your friend.
There are other secrets in Indian restaurant style cooking
Curry base is the other big secret. That’s how restaurants get around cooking onions forever for each curry. It’s all pre-cooked and ready to go.
So is the meat. Simmering it in the curry briefly warms it up. Prep is key in all restaurants. Indian restaurants are no different.
If you are interested in learning about Indian restaurant style cooking this primer on Indian restaurant techniques is a great place to start. It goes through pretty much everything you need to know.
Took me years to figure all this out. You can learn it in half an hour if you take the time to read a bit.
Seven ingredients in one mix
This particular Indian restaurant spice mix takes seven of the usual suspects and knocks it down to one. That’s seven ingredients you no longer have to measure out. Probably saves two or three minutes per curry. That adds up.
It’s actually more than seven. Using a pre-made curry powder and garam masala adds in some trace spices. I know. Cumin, coriander and turmeric figure highly in most curry powders. Sure.
But there are a few others mixed in. And those trace elements all add a little something. It builds complexity.
Pre-fab curry powders are all a bit different. So the end result depends on the curry powder you choose.
But this is cooking. This isn’t running a lab. A little variation is not the end of the world. Once you have a made a few curries try making up your own spice mix. Define your own style.
Or if you want to make things exactly as I do whip up some of this homemade curry powder and garam masala. I reverse engineered the curry powder from one I like.
This is the spice mix used in all the Indian restaurant curries on this blog. It may seem crazy to you to mix up so much. But if you are going to get into restaurant style cooking you will use it up. So make lots. You’ll need it.
indian restaurant spice mix
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp coriander powder
- 2 Tbsp cumin powder
- 4 Tbsp turmeric powder
- 3 Tbsp paprika
- 2 Tbsp mild curry powder
- 1-2 tsp kashmiri chili powder – I like a little extra zing
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp butcher’s grind black pepper – optional but nice if you cook mostly South Indian
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and mix.
- Store in a cool place along with all your other spices.
Notes
Nutrition
Love this mix!
Can you tell me if “curry masala” and “curry powder” are the same thing? “Masala” means “mix”?
Masala is a blend of spices but usually specific. Curry powder is a blend of spices as well. I guess you could could call it curry masala. But I’ve also seen masala refer to the mix of onions, spices and often tomatoes cooking together. So that might be the real curry masala. All very confusing:-)
I’m a bit confused about measurements, as this only serves 2 (lamb saag recipe), which means for 4 people, id be using 8 tablespoons each of tumeric and corriander, 6 of paprika etc. That just seems like a LOT of spices for 1 dish? All other recipes ive read, use less than a quarter of this amount?
This is a master recipe and it makes enough for many, many curries. The actual amounts needed are specified in the the recipes (typically two teaspoons or thereabouts) plus additional spices as called for.
Would be very appreciative if you could add the weight in parenthesis next to the volume. It’s funny because your other spice recipes use weight, and you even lectured a commenter on how spices should always be measured in weight.
I use weights where I see a benefit to a higher level of precision (baking/cures/brines/reverse engineering commercial blends) but while I appreciate your dedication to precision I just don’t cook that way. I am pretty sure I never lectured anyone on how spices should always be measured by weight FWIW. Specific applications yes. Across the board. Not so much.
Very good
Delighted to hear that.
Hello Romain
Could I use the Sri Lankan curry powder in the spice mix or would this change the outcome to much. The Sri Lankan curry powder in your Ceylon recipe gives amazing depth of flavor and colour. In fact having mentioned the Ceylon curry powder I shall now have to make the chicken Ceylon tonight it’s a fabulous recipe bursting with flavor. I am tempted to try some of the restaurant curry recipes but can’t get to it as the hotel recipes are amazing thanks a lot for all your recipes.
Regards
Paul H
Manchester UK
I’m loving the hotel style series a lot too!
It is a pretty distinctive mix so I wouldn’t add a lot o the Sri Lankan powder to the basic spice mix. A couple of teaspoons maybe to add some flavour notes? Alternately you could just add a bit to the recipes you think would benefit (maybe deduct 1/2 tsp from the specified amount of mix powder and replace it with the Sri Lankan curry powder?
Thanks for sharing! I will definitely try this out!
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I have made some of your curry recipes many times now, it had become a norm in our home now! But I would want to have the spices ready like this spice mix recipe for fast and easy cooking, so, would this then be the only mix I add to my future curries other than my curry base? Do I still need to add garam masala or any other spice to finish the cooking?
This spice mix is a blend that is used in recipes on glebekitchen to get some foundational spices into the dish quickly. Each recipe using spice mix will have other spices. If you only used it alone everything would taste the same and that would be no fun at all. See the Indian restaurant recipes to understand what I mean.
Hi I love all of your recipes I’ve tried so far but I’m in France and cannot buy Kashmiri chilis. I adore your chicken vindaloo recipe, is there a substitute I can use for the Kashmiri chilis in the vindaloo paste? Thank you.
Thank you so much for saying!
I don’t really know of another chili that I can guarantee would work. I did a little looking around and it sounds like your best bet would be dried paprika chilies plus a little cayenne pepper to bring back a touch of heat. Note I have never tried this so it is a guess at best.
Hi,
unless buying online is not an option for you, why not buy your hard to get spices online? Amazon (other online stores are available!) has loads of options, and even if you end up paying delivery etc, the cost spread over the number of delicious meals you will prepare shouldn’t be too hard to swallow.
Hi! So to make up mybspice mix I’ve ordered decent qties of cumin, coriander, tumeric and paprika powders, ths spices needed by the tbsp rather than tsp qty. Other items which require tsp amounts I already have which leaves the mild curry powder. Bit confused here because the mild curry powder already includes cumin, corriander, tumeric etc etc. Do I take it that you take into account the components of the curry powder mix when specifying the main base ingredient quantities?
Silly question maybe but bear with me!!
Regards Graham
The curry powder is in addition to the other ingredients. It is there to add a few trace spices.
Just made my curry gravy and Indian spice mix. Tomorrow is the tester. I too have never been able to get a decent Indian curry to my table so am looking forward to trying my first madras tomorrow. I’ve watched your videos so I’m good to go. Thank you for all the tips. I’ve learned so much 👍👍
You are going to totally rock it! I can’t wait to hear about it.
What system of units does the site use. Is it an American cup or some other size of cup?
US standard. 237 ml to a cup.
I have made the base gravy this morning,and mixed up the spices. Cannot Wait to give it a try now. Thank you.
Can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
Romain,
As a desi, what Paprika are you suggesting my friend? Paprika is pretty alien to Indian cuisine unless you are referencing Kashmiri Chili, which in effect is a Paprika sort of substitute. Much milder than cayenne and often times dyed red to impart that color to curries. Most smoked paprikas (Spanish, Hungarian) would be overwhelming no? By the way, you’re a wizard and I want test this out against the way I conventionally make my curries. Can you address what Paprika please? Thank you.
Smoked paprika is definitely not right. I use a fair bit of Kashmiri chili powder in my cooking but this is a milder version. It’s just labeled paprika. I get it at my local Indian grocers. I think my current batch is Desi brand. You would be fine substituting Kashmiri chili powder though. I love Kashmiri chili powder!
Thank you for your quick response Romain! Great website.
Thank you. I do work hard on my little corner of the internet so it’s very nice to hear:-)
ok wheni mix the ingredients do you add coconut milk aswell
Not sure I understand the question. Were you thinking of a different recipe?
These recipes along with curry base and restaurant spice mix are a revelation……family are loving Friday Curry Night.
Happy Friday curry night!
The basis of making a great curry. I always use proper Kashmiri chilli powder rather than generic stuff for this – It adds so much more taste (and colour) without adding lots of heat – Better to have a mild base curry powder and add more heat to each individual dish as required.
Wholeheartedly agreed! I love kashmiri chili powder.
This looks so good. Two questions, what is the mild curry powder you use? And whaT butchers grind for the black pepper? Thanks! Can’t wait to try!
I use my copycat of Bolst’s curry powder. There’s a link in the text of this post. Butchers grind a coarse ground pepper. Somewhere between finely ground and cracked. If you live in a country with Costco their coarse ground pepper is about the size I go for.
Once mixed how long would this spice mix last, how best to store it.
Seems very authentic, and with the curry base I am sure it would make some great meals
I hope you do try a few recipes. Once you get the whole restaurant methodology down you can do anything.
You should store it as you do your other spices – in a cool, dark place. It will keep as long as spices do. Indefinitely, but with decreasing flavour through time.
Thanks for posting this – and for the curry base recipe. I’ve enjoyed cooking Indian food for years, but tend to slip into a comfort zone where I make the same things over and over. This recipe worked out beautifully. I’ll definitely try some of the others here. Thanks again.
Great to hear. Please do let me know how some of the other recipes work out for you!
What a quick way to get all the spices you need in one hit. I’m trying to create a Chicken Tikka Pathia but struggling to get anywhere close to the taste te BIR had back in the Midlands…..can you help with the recipe pleeeeeeease? 🙂
Have you tried making this https://glebekitchen.com/restaurant-style-pathia-curry/ with chicken tikka? There’s a chicken tikka recipe on this site as well…
Hi, I’m wondering if you can add fenugreek to this spice mix as well?
You can change it to your taste certainly. Note that the recipes that use it on glebe kitchen rely on it as written so your results will be different if you try to make those.
hi just wondered how much of the restaurant spice mix do you use per curry all of it or 2 table spoons
This is a batch recipe that is used in many of the recipes on glebekitchen. The amount used is specific to the recipe you are making and is typically in addition to other spices (chili powder, kasoor methi etc). Pick most any recipe labelled as Indian restaurant here to see what I mean.
Hi
Thank you for the receipe,
I just wondered which garam masala you use as there are so many.
Many thanks
Kay
You are very welcome. I make my own garam masala. The recipe is here.
The proportion of garam masala in this recipe is quite low so you are safe with just about any garam masala. Fresh is better of course.
Brilliant spice mix, lovely blend of flavours and I’d say a builder with a beautiful aftertaste. Never used as much turmeric before and this ratio works amazingly. Thank you
So glad you like it. It took me a while to work up to that much turmeric in fact…
Our go to spice mix, fabulous! My wife bought me some smoked paprika recently, I wondered what effect that would have on this recipe?
May just have to do two batches and let you know!
I’ve never even thought of trying that. Let me know what you discover.
I’m thinking a bit of smoked paprika in a jalfrezi would go well. A little extra smokey flavour!
Just a quick question. I am looking to give this a go tomorrow. I love the sound of doing the tikka masala from scratch but for some reason I ended up getting black cardamom, which maybe from a similar spice mix recipe.
Would adding in 2 Tbsp black cardamom give it a little more smokier flavour? and would it make much difference to the balance of the flavour?
Also, is this recipe based on a 2 person portion?
Two tablespoons of black cardamom would completely change this mix. I would think it would completely over-power everything else but I can’t say that with certainty as I have never tried it. Really doesn’t sound like a great idea to me though…
If you want a hint of smoky flavour why not add one or two black cardamom pods into a portion of curry as you make it. Whole spices go in before anything except the oil. Heat the oil, toss them in and cook them until they crackle a bit. Then proceed with the recipe as written.
This recipe makes far more than is needed in any of the curries on this blog. Typically you only put one or two tsp of spice mix in a portion of curry.
This is funny! I have never seen curry powder being added to n authentic curry spice mix! As a matter of fact native experienced Indian restaurant cooks view it as sacrilegious.
It’s a simple way to get the trace spices into the mix without having to purchase/store/measure them out. Home cooks don’t cook in the same volume as restaurant cooks so it’s hard to get the minute quantities measured out. Indian stores are full of masala mixtures or pre-mixed spices. Some of them are simply labeled curry powder. Madras curry powder is an example of that. And Indian restaurant kitchens rely on all kinds of shortcuts so I find it hard to believe a bit of curry powder is sacrilege…
Hi
I am so excited n happy to have found your web page.
Your recipes are so easy n flavoursome
Will try the spice mix
Thanks for sharing your ideas
Thanks so much for this spice mix and your curry base…they are very helpful.
My pleasure. I’m working on a restaurant curry technique post that should be out soon. Once I have that up I’ll start posting restaurant style curry recipes.
I love cooking Indian food, and it makes my whole house smell wonderful. But it is always so many ingredients, so I like the idea of having this around ahead of time! I’m thinking it would be good in a yogurt marinade for grilled chicken, too. I’m sure it will be a new staple in my house!
I like your deep delve into the world of curries and curry powder mixes! Keep ’em coming….
I’m thinking this would be fantastic on popcorn! Bring on the curry recipes, I can’t wait!
Haha. I don’t know that the raw spice flavour would work that well on popcorn but that would be a fun experiment for sure.
I love Indian food and this spice mix looks incredible!! I’m so excited to try this out! Thanks for sharing!
Looking forward to your curry series! I love Indian food!
It’s coming! I was working on it last night. Had to clean curry off my camera lens…
yay yay yay!! So excited to try this out with your curry base! Finally I can make my own awesome indian food at home!! and I LOVE how you wrote the ingredients down in the photograph! Such a personal and nice touch!
Thanks! I’ll try and get the technique blog up soon!
I LOVE this! I am not the best at Indian cooking but I really love curry, this will definitely help me create an awesome starting point. Thank you so much for sharing, pinning for later!
This, combined with the curry base and a few soon to be posted tips will have you cooking curry like a pro!
Yessss! Indian food is a joy I did not experience until I was an adult and now I’m obsessed! I would eat it every night if I could. I am definitely emptying out the spice cabinet to make room for this gem!
The next post will be the techniques used to cook Indian restaurant curries then I will start posting recipes.
How many onions are 2 cups please?
Depends on the size of the onions so best to measure.
Have loved India’s food for decades, I’m considered a good cook but am lacking here. This spice mixture is a great learning experience for being free to experiment with more. So thrilled to have found your blog. Thank you so much in advance
Can’t wait to hear how it works out for you! Hope you find inspiration here. Any questions – please just ask!
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What quantity of mixed powder do you use say making a madras ?
It varies from recipe to recipe. There are many restaurant and hotel style recipes (including more than one madras) here on glebekitchen.