What can I make with curry powder?
Wondering what to make with curry powder? Below are recipes from our library that use it, followed by practical cooking, storage, and substitution notes for curry powder.
12 recipes with curry powder
Thai Green Curry
Coconut-rich green curry with chicken, bamboo shoots, and Thai basil.
Thai30m4Currywurst
A popular German fast food dish made from a grilled sausage smeared with a spicy tomato-based sauce, curry powder, and onions.
German50m4Jollof Rice
One-pot tomato-simmered rice with a smoky crust.
West African60m6
Massaman Curry
Rich, mildly spiced curry with beef, potatoes, and peanuts.
Thai105m6
Thai drumsticks
step 1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking tray with foil.
Thai4
Thai coconut & veg broth
step 1 Place the curry paste in a large saucepan or wok with the oil.
Thai4
Thai pork & peanut curry
step 1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole.
Thai4
Thai curry noodle soup
step 1 Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and cook the curry paste for 1 min before adding the stir-fry veg and prawns.
Thai4
Red curry chicken kebabs
step 1 Fire up the barbecue or heat a griddle pan to high.
Thai4
Thai-style fish broth with greens
step 1 Cook the noodles following pack instructions.
Thai4
Salmon noodle soup
step 1 Pour the stock into a large pan, bring to the boil, then stir in the curry paste.
Vietnamese4
Thai pumpkin soup
step 1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Thai4
How to cook with curry powder
- 1Start with aromatics - onion, garlic, or ginger softened in fat - then add the curry powder.
- 2Season early and taste as you go rather than salting only at the end.
- 3Give it enough heat and enough space; a crowded pan steams instead of browning.
- 4Finish with acid and fresh herbs, the two things that make a simple dish taste deliberate.
What goes well with curry powder
Curry Powder is at its best with onion, garlic, olive oil, lemon, herbs and black pepper. Any two or three of those, plus curry powder, is already a dinner rather than an ingredient list.
Storing curry powder
Store curry powder sealed and cool, and use the oldest stock first. If it is close to turning, cook it rather than throwing it out - roasting, soup, and a quick sauce all forgive slightly past-peak ingredients.
Substituting curry powder
If you are out of curry powder, look for something that behaves the same way in the pan rather than something that tastes the same. Match the moisture level, the cooking time, and the richness, and adjust the liquid slightly if your substitute releases more water. When in doubt, describe what you actually have in the chat and Mr. Chef will rewrite the recipe around it.
Curry Powder recipes: common questions
- What can I make with curry powder and not much else?
- Plenty. With curry powder plus an onion, garlic, oil, and salt you already have the base of a skillet dinner, a soup, or a simple sauce. Add a starch - rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes - and it becomes a full meal. The recipes above are ordered so the ones needing the fewest extra items come first.
- What is the quickest curry powder recipe?
- Look for the entries above marked 20 minutes or less. As a rule, anything cut small and cooked in a hot pan beats anything roasted whole, and one-pan recipes save more time in cleanup than in cooking.
- Can I substitute curry powder?
- In most recipes yes, as long as the replacement plays a similar role - similar moisture, similar cooking time, similar richness. Swapping across roles (a watery vegetable for a starchy one, for instance) usually needs a change in liquid or cooking time too.
- How do I use up leftover curry powder?
- Fried rice, a frittata, a grain bowl, a soup, or a quesadilla will absorb almost any leftover curry powder without a recipe. If you want something specific, tell Mr. Chef exactly what is in the fridge and it will build a recipe around it.