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West African Curry Powder

West African Curry Powder is a traditional West African recipe for a classic curry powder that's a mix of chillies, West African spices and French-inspired herbs, representing the spice history of West African. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic West African version of: West African Curry Powder.

prep time

5 minutes

cook time

5 minutes

Total Time:

10 minutes

Makes:

1 small jar

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : CurryChilli RecipesSpice RecipesWest-africa Recipes


Ingredients:

This is a rather unusual and very hot curry powder that was introduced to me by a Senegalese friend. It's a mix of classic West African spices with a few more traditional Indian curry spices and French-influenced herbs. Use for any West African dish that calls for 'curry powder'.
20 dried piri-piri chillies
1 tsp hot chilli powder
3 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp grains of paradise
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp allspice (quatre epices)
6 whole cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp freshly-grated nutmeg
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp caraway seeds
2 tsp cubeb pepper
2 tsp dried ginger
1 tsp smoked Sénégal Pepper
1 tbsp dried Njangsa
1 tbsp paprika

Method:

Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat and add the coriander seeds, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, grains of paradise, cumin seeds, allspice, cloves, caraway seeds and cubeb pepper to this and dry-fry until fragrant and aromatic (about 6 minutes). Take off the heat at this point and allow to cool. Place in a spice blender or coffee grinder, add all the remaining ingredients and reduce to a fine powder.

Place in an air-tight container and store in a cool cupboard. This spice blend will keep for several months and can be used in any West African recipe that calls for 'curry powder'. Because of the addition of Njangsa it also has thickening properties. The cinnamon is there to partially counteract the bitterness of the Sénégal pepper.