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Curry Vovoka (Malagasy Curry Powder)

Curry Vovoka (Malagasy Curry Powder) is a traditional Malagasy (from Madagascar) for the classic blend of spices used ubiquitously on the island as a flavouring base. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Malagasy version of: Malagasy Curry Powder (Curry Vovoka).

prep time

10 minutes

cook time

10 minutes

Total Time:

20 minutes

Serves:

8

Rating:

Tags : CurryVegetarian RecipesSpice RecipesMadagascar Recipes

The unique feature of Malagasy curry powder is the use of Voatsiperifery, Wild Black Pepper (Piper barbonense). It is a true member of the black pepper Piper family. A close relative of black pepper, its berries are used as a spice known as voatsiperifery, which comes from voa, the Malagasy word for fruit, and tsiperifery, the local name of the plant. Only the youn, new growth of the vine produces flowers and fruits, thus this is an exceedingly rare pepper. It has an extraordinary fragrance with woody notes of citrus and wild flowers and this is what makes Malagasy curry powder unique. It is available on the internet and currently retails for about €10 per 100g.

Ingredients:

6 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
1 tsp mace
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp voatsiperifery pepper
1 tbsp dried garlic
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp powdered ginger
12 whole cloves
4 tsp hot chilli powder

Method:

Place a small non-stick pan over medium heat. Use to individually toast all the whole spices for between 90 seconds and 2 minutes, until lightly browned and aromatic. As you finish toasting each spice turn out onto a plate to cool.

For the spice blend, combine the whole toasted spices, the ground spices and the vanilla in a spice grinder (or coffee grinder) and render to a powder.

Store in an air-tight jar in a cool, dark, place until needed. It will keep for 3-4 months

For a slightly more up-market (and expensive) version of the curry powder add 1/2 a vanilla pod (bean) to the mixture when processing.