Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder

As far as I know, Sri Lanka only has two curry powders. There is the coriander-rich, lemongrass-scented roasted curry powder, which is used for meat dishes. And there is the coconut-and-rice-based untoasted blend, which is used for vegetable dishes. There are, of course, local/familial variations on each of these, but all the variants are generally recognizable as being a take on one of the two core blends: toasted or untoasted.

I had to make a few adjustments to this recipe. Mainly because I didn't have any lemongrass stalks on hand. I was working with frozen minced lemongrass. I did my best to estimate equivalents, but I think it would have worked better to just use a stalk of lemongrass as called for. That said, having the minced stuff on hand did make it easier to grind the finished spice mix to a powder!

Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder (for Meat)

Slightly adapted from Sri Lankan Flavours by Channa Dassanayaka

Ingredients

• 3cm piece of lemongrass (white part)
• 1 small (3-4cm) stick of cinnamon
• 1 dried Thai, cayenne, or arbol chili (optional)
• 1/4 c. coriander seeds
• 5-6 fresh curry leaves
• 5-6cm piece of pandanus (rampe/screwpine) leaf, torn into pieces
• 1 green cardamom pod
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 Tbsp. cumin seeds
• 2 Tbsp. fennel seeds

Directions

1. Toast lemongrass, cinnamon, and chili (if using) over medium heat until lightly browned (2-3 minutes).
2. Add coriander, curry leaves, pandanus leaf, cardamom, and cloves and toast for another minute or so.
3. Add cumin and fennel and remove from heat.
4. Allow to sit in hot pan for 30-60 seconds to allow cumin and fennel to lightly toast.
5. Transfer mixture to plate to cool.
6. Once cool, transfer to spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.