# Curry Paste vs. Curry Powder



## markv

Dear Friends:

Does anybody know whether curry powder can be substituted in equal amounts for curry paste in a recipe? If not, what would the ratio be?

I have a recipe calling for 3 tablespoons of curry paste and I want to use curry powder.

Thanks,

Mark


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## phatch

They're rather different animals in my opinion. Curry Powder is more Indian and Paste more Thai. Come to think of it, does curry paste even have cumin in it like the powder does?

To me, they're not interchangeable or substitutable.

Phil


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## pete

I have to agree with Phil on this. They really are not interchangeable. 2 totally different sets of ingredients in each one. I guess you could sub one for the other, but the final dish would be totally different than what the original intent was.


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## markv

Yes, the recipes I have for red and for green curry paste, each have cumin in them. The recipes are from my cooking school.

Mark


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## keeperofthegood

Hey oh

I guess the short answer is no.

The long answer is better though.

Curry powder is usually a mix of:

Tumeric
Cloves
Chillies
Corriander sead

plus a variety of variouse other spices, some less, some more, and some powders have so much tumeric to almost be tumeric.

Here, give this a read

http://www.lionsgrip.com/curingredients.html

Curry paste, on the other hand, is an entirly different flavour, and usually has no tumeric in it, can have tomatoes in it, uses fresh corriander and fresh garlic, and fresh chillies...

NOT TO MENTION, powders are almost always Indian in essence, and pasts can be Thai or Indian, and Thai is real popular right now.

Thai currys have lemon grass, ****** lime leaves, chillies, tamarinds, and more in them.

Hmmm

Ok, I will give this as a list of links, all on the same site, the html is a bit buggy otherwise

http://www.10thaidish.athailand.com/...ste_Jungle.htm
http://www.10thaidish.athailand.com/...aste_Green.htm
http://www.10thaidish.athailand.com/...ste_Indian.htm
http://www.10thaidish.athailand.com/...yPaste_Red.htm
http://www.10thaidish.athailand.com/...e_Phanaeng.htm


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## kerryclan

The powder is definately different than the paste. I've made the same dish with both and actually liked the powder better. If you want a typical Indian type curry flavor, use powder. Even Indian curry paste does not have the same flavor.


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## markv

Yes, I'm aware that they are not identical. Moreover there are a myriad of curry powders and pastes. Some pastes are made with curry powder and some are not.

I'm doing an article for my column with a recipe that calls for curry paste. Because this is for the general public, I try to offer substitutions for more obscure ingredients that may be more readily available or better known.

In my experience, people, (non-chefs), are more familiar with curry powder than paste. You can always find curry powder in the McCormick section of the spice aisle of most supermarkets but paste often requires a trip to an Asian market.

Thus, I wanted to offer an amount of curry powder that would be comparable to the paste. I know they will taste differently. I'm thinking more in terms of heat and general spiciness. (And again, I know that varies from powder to powder and paste to paste). For example, the owner of the Asian market that I patronize reccomends 2-1, powder to paste. But I wanted to get your opinions.

Mark


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## pete

I really think that this is an instance where you can't suggest a subsitition between the paste and powder. They are just two totally different animals. Sure they both might taste all right in the dish, but powder will give you more of an Indian flavor and essence while the paste is more Southeast Asian. Instead of offering a subsitition, in this case, offer your subscribers some internet or mail order sources if they can't find what they need locally.


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## kuan

Let's narrow it down. What kind of curry are you making? The only authentic curry which uses a paste is Thai curry and that's only because it's considered a base. The other "pastes" you see in the aisles are short cut versions.

All curries use onions or shallots as a base and these need to be cooked long and slow. If you're doing this already then why not use whole spices anyway? Dry ground spices do not do very well at the beginning stages of curry making.


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## markv

Pete:

Yes, I guess you're right. My recipe is a Thai dish and using curry powder would not be culinarily accurate.

I'll just stick to the paste in the recipe and maybe offer the website of Kalustyan's, the famous spice store in New York City.

Thank you everyone for your input.

Mark


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## kuan

Since the technique starts with a wet paste first why don't you just use all the ingredients which go into the paste in the first place?  For example, instead of curry paste, try this:

Step 1

Puree shallots, garlic, fresh red chiles, whole cumin seed, lemongrass and galangal.

Lightly saute in about 2T of vegetable oil until aromas release.


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## markv

Kuan:

Well that's another option. If the reader doesn't have an Asian market in their area, I can offer them a website source or a recipe to make their own paste.

Thanks.

Mark


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## kuan

I think these days you can get dried lemongrass and powdered galangal from most spice houses. I'm wondering if the powdered galangal (kha) would rehydrate properly so you could use it in a "reconstituted" spice paste? 

Since the ingredients used in spice paste are considered wet ingredients anyways, and the galangal isn't roasted or precooked beforehand, why not try it first? Same thing with the lemongrass.

So basically:

Fresh shallot, garlic, ginger, chiles.

Dried powdered galangal, dried lemongrass.

Add a little water and puree in blender.

Fry it up in a wok until the the aromas start to come out and the fumes start stinging your eyes! 

Add chicken, add chicken stock, add lime leaf, stir in coconut milk.

Finish with a squeeze of lime for a little extra zest.

Of course, fish sauce and salt/soy sauce to taste!


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## mudbug

Besides the uncomparable difference between the paste vs powder, even within the powder, the content of the individual spices within any given "curry powder is regionally specific.

Since you're looking for a substitue for "curry paste" consider including a recipe (as MarkV mentioned) to make a batch from scratch the ingredients of which would be determined by the type of cuisine it will accompany and it's region of origin.

*Curry powder is an essential ingredient of curry paste.* So it is misleading to be told to use 2-1, powder to paste only, but they may not really know the true difference in order to be able to tell you correctly.

Curry paste is tends to be a combination of ghee, vinegar, curry powder , vinegar, and other seasonings - again depending on region.


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## indygal

Thank you for this!!!!

I have one of my favorite cold weather dishes on the stove, curried cream of chicken soup. And horrors I had ZERO curry powder.

I usually buy it, nice and fresh, in little baggies from the healthfood store. But it is closed today. I think I have all those ingredients but cloves, and I have fresh chilis still coming out of the garden. You've saved my soup!

DD



KeeperOfTheGood said:


> Hey oh
> 
> I guess the short answer is no.
> 
> The long answer is better though.
> 
> Curry powder is usually a mix of:
> 
> Tumeric
> Cloves
> Chillies
> Corriander sead
> 
> plus a variety of variouse other spices, some less, some more, and some powders have so much tumeric to almost be tumeric.
> 
> Here, give this a read
> 
> http://www.lionsgrip.com/curingredients.html


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## easycook

just buy a curry powder that you like. add the type of spices you,e,g. if you like hot stuff add chilli powder if like onion add onion powder and so on. bascially curry powder consist mainly corrinder powder,smaller portion of tumeric , cumin,fennel powder,chilli powders.depending on types of curry powder e.g. indian indonesia, malaysia,thia, and of course nonya.check some receipt books and you will find the different.You add in salt, oil and it become curry paste.


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## chefedb

Worlds apart, 2 different things. Most Indian families I know use a powdered curry which they mix themselves.

Each family has different ratio combo's.  You can make your own custom curry powder home with spices you already have in your cabinet.

Paste on the other hand became popular with Thai Cuisine or Southeastern Asiatic   (usually red curry paste) is normally made hotter to the taste Has to my knowlege no tummeric, and litte cummin or coriander. Both are distinct and used differently.


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## cheflayne

My eastern (or western depending upon which direction around the globe you go) mentors taught me that curry pastes are made with water or chile soaking (if using dried) liquid in order to achieve paste consistency; as opposed using to oil. They also taught me to use coriander and cumin in Thai curry pastes including red, green, yellow, penang, and mussaman. Turmeric was used in the yellow and mussaman pastes.

Needless to say there is no curry police and no one will come to your house to arrest you if you do it differently. This is just the way my mentors showed me.


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## roselyn

After reading this blog last night, I ade my own curry powder by using equal teaspoons of spices I had on hand, which were 
Coriander
Turmeric
Dry mustard
Cumin
One dried red chili
Garlic, dried
Fennel
Salt and pepper

Put it all in my bullet blender and pulverized it.

It was the best tasting curry powder I ever tasted. !


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## margcata

Mark,

T.U. for the very informative thread and to the contributors.

1) Here is an interesting link:<edit-link error>

2) On the above website, they provide this information and recipe for curry powder:

*** In the book The Naked Chef to the Rescue,

Chef Jaime Oliver lists the following Curry Powder Recipe:

2 Tblsps. fennel seeds

2 tblsps. cumin

2 tblsps.coriander seeds

o.5 tblsps. fenugreek seeds

1/2 stick cinammon

2 Cardamom Pods

salt and black pepper

1 clove

Have lovely Labor Day.

Marge.


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## kippers

In the UK we can buy both  wet and dry Masala for Indian dishes, I presume you all know the supposed origins of "curry powder" which is a bit like the debate over the origins of Tikka Masala.

Ps The vast majority of UK "Indian" restaurant dishes bare little resemblance to the authentic style of say Madhur Jaffrey.


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## topsy husband

I know people who use both curry paste and curry powder together with good results. I want to try a combination of Thai red curry paste and Madras curry powder in a chicken curry to see how the different flavours blend.


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## rusn

Pete said:


> I really think that this is an instance where you can't suggest a subsitition between the paste and powder. They are just two totally different animals. Sure they both might taste all right in the dish, but powder will give you more of an Indian flavor and essence while the paste is more Southeast Asian. Instead of offering a subsitition, in this case, offer your subscribers some internet or mail order sources if they can't find what they need locally.


Dont do this. For some reason people writing often tend to think that sources are just as good as substitutions. They are not. I no longer live in the US and paste is not available in this country. Yes I can find it by mail from another country for the great shipping cost of $120 and 2 weeks to wait for it to arrive. Or I can buy the powder which is at any market for .50 a packet. So something to keep in mind when people are making recipes. I make them for the bodybuilding and fitness and use this in a chicken recipe. Tho it taste better in curry paste it is unreasonable to order it to my country to make a single dish.


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## teamfat

Wow, another revival of a thread nearly a decade old.  I'm hoping I get the mortar and pestle I hinted about for Christmas, so I can start pounding my own pastes.

And the curry powder a friend brought back from a street market in Nairobi is nothing at all like the typical USA yellow, mass market powder.

mjb.


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## rusn

Yeah just because people dont post on it doesnt mean they dont search and look for things. This thread was on of top 3 on google when i searched my question lol. 

I would love to make my own paste. But I make things simple and fast for fitness and dieting.


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## cheflayne

Quote:


Rusn said:


> This thread was on of top 3 on google when i searched my question lol.


What was your question?

Curry paste has a good shelf life and is easy to make, so might consider that route.


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## pete

Rusn, you miss the entire point of my posts.  Basically, other than the name, curry powder (as known in the US) is in no way the same thing as curry paste.  While using either interchangeably might taste fine, the end dishes will, in no way, be similar to each other.  They might contain a couple of ingredients in common but they diverge completely from there, yielding two completely different flavor profiles.  If purchasing, and shipping, is prohibitive then find recipes for each and make them yourself, but they are not interchangeable.


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## rusn

Pete said:


> Rusn, you miss the entire point of my posts. Basically, other than the name, curry powder (as known in the US) is in no way the same thing as curry paste. While using either interchangeably might taste fine, the end dishes will, in no way, be similar to each other. They might contain a couple of ingredients in common but they diverge completely from there, yielding two completely different flavor profiles. If purchasing, and shipping, is prohibitive then find recipes for each and make them yourself, but they are not interchangeable.


I understand they are different. However attempting a closer substitution was the question. Even a recipe to create curry paste is useful but not as you said to just give them a place to purchase online. As another stated they heard one on a 3:1 ratio of powder to paste substitute. This will taste different, yes. But maybe not taste bad and the only option for some as my current living conditions. When my friends from US come over they can bring me some things but this is not always the case. Im making my simple recipe today with powder instead of paste on the 3:1 ratio to see how I like the flavor being I dont have enough paste left and as I stated not spending over $100usd to bring in paste here.

Im a bodybuilder and teach clients how to cook fast and healthy meals. As you take time away from people with full time jobs and a family to train and exercise, they need fast flavorful recipes. Unfortunately most "healthy" recipes out there are not healthy when you have macro requirements and sometimes need to avoid carbs all together. I always look for new flavors to add and minimal to zero carbs for weight loss and same recipe adding healthy carbs for adding weight. 


cheflayne said:


> Quote:
> 
> What was your question?
> 
> Curry paste has a good shelf life and is easy to make, so might consider that route.


I was googling for curry paste curry powder substitutions. If I could make a similar sort of paste that is easy with local ingredients then I would try that route too.


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## cheflayne

Rusn said:


> I was googling for curry paste curry powder substitutions. If I could make a similar sort of paste that is easy with local ingredients then I would try that route too.


What is a general idea of your location so that we could possibly help?


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## rusn

cheflayne said:


> What is a general idea of your location so that we could possibly help?


Thanks. Im in Kiev Ukraine. The problem here is some items may say available in the country but they're available everywhere. Markets vary. For example I often need to travel and go to multiple markets to get the ingredients for one item. Just for the curry packs it took awhile to find and I need to travel by bus and subway for 40 mins to an hour to get those and then back. Sometimes people say an item is available here but no one can say where and can not find it at just any market.


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## jollyholly07

http://pinchofyum.com/easy-homemade-yellow-curry-paste

Here is a yellow curry paste recipe that looks pretty good. I plan to try it soon and will post an update on how it went.


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