Madras curry powder is a hotter, usually redder style of curry powder, with more chilli than a standard mild or medium blend. "Madras" is a trade style name used mainly outside India, not a protected origin or a fixed recipe.
Every curry powder is built on a similar base. The differences lie in heat, colour and the supporting spices.
What a curry powder usually contains
- Coriander, which usually forms the bulk.
- Turmeric, for the yellow colour and earthy note.
- Cumin.
- Fenugreek, which gives much of the familiar curry aroma.
- Chilli, in varying amounts.
- Supporting spices such as black pepper, ginger, mustard, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, curry leaves or garlic.
How the styles differ
- Mild curry powder: higher in turmeric and coriander, with little chilli. Bright yellow.
- Medium: more chilli and pepper, with a deeper colour.
- Hot or Madras: a larger share of chilli, often a redder tone, and sometimes more black pepper and mustard.
- Caribbean-style curry powder: often heavier in turmeric, and sometimes includes allspice. Recipes vary by island and by maker.
- Japanese-style curry powder: usually milder and very aromatic, used as the base for curry roux.
- Inside India: home cooks rarely use a single curry powder. They use dish-specific masalas instead, which is why curry powder is largely an export product.
What to put in your specification
Because Madras is not standardised, two suppliers' Madras powders can differ a lot. Your specification is what makes the product consistent.
- Ingredient list with percentage bands for each spice.
- Heat: a chilli share or a pungency target, with the test method named.
- Colour: a target range, and a clear statement that no added colour is allowed unless agreed. Chilli-based blends should be tested for illegal dyes, as covered in Sudan dye risk in Indian chilli.
- Salt: included or not.
- Allergens: mustard and celery, whether as ingredients or through cross-contact.
- Mesh size, moisture, ash and acid-insoluble ash.
- Microbiological limits and whether the spices must be sterilised.
- An approved reference sample, kept by both sides.
Choosing between samples
Ask two or three grinding units for their mild, medium and Madras styles. Cook each in the same simple dish and taste them side by side. Then send the preferred samples for lab testing before you commit to a contract.
If you sell under your own brand, check the label wording too. "Madras" on the pack is a style descriptor, so it should not suggest a geographic claim your market's rules would not support. See labelling rules for spice blends.
How Creston & Co handles this
We collect matched samples of each curry powder style, have them tested at an NABL-accredited lab and turn your chosen sample into a written specification. If you are building a curry powder range, ask for a free sourcing review.