My take on Cape Malay curry powder; I devised this when I finally finished my precious box of this type of curry powder, that had been sent to me in a Herbs and Spices swap by Zurie! I checked the ingredients list and finally after a little trial and error, I came up with this, and it is a pretty close match! Influenced by Malay cuisine, Cape/Malay curry powder/masala is a blend of sweet and pungent spices to include cloves, cardamon, fennel, mustard, coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, a little chilli and black pepper. A curry powder/masala of a mild heat yet full of the flavours you expect in Indian curry. This curry spice mix is wonderful in all types of curries, but especially authentic Cape Malay style cuisine, and of course curries.
Got this from a friend of mine in South Africa. I usually use Chicken breasts cut into 1 in. pieces as it cuts down on cooking time.
This distinctive and tasty authentic curry relies heavily on the special blend of spices, known as Cape Malay curry powder. Cape Malay curries are famous for their fruity and full-bodied flavours, making good use of local colourful vegetables or meat and fish, they are not as hot as the curries used in the Indian kitchen. This “secret” recipe hails from one of the steamy kitchens in the vibrant Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town; it was on a recipe sheet given to my mum from a spice shop in that wonderful area, in the 1950’s. The Bo-Kaap area is a treat; the houses are painted gorgeous bright colours that won’t fail to make you smile, there are always children playing in the streets and the haunting call of the muezzin will remind you of exotic destinations such as Istanbul and Cairo. And then there’s the smell of spices that wafts through open doorways and comes rushing out at you as you walk past Atlas Trading, the local spice emporium. You might be just minutes from the centre of elegant and sophisticated Cape Town, but you’ll feel as though you’re in a different country. Serve this curry with yellow rice and a variety of sambals and atjars.
Make and share this Hot Madras Curry Powder recipe from Food.com.
This recipe is from one of my new favorite cookbooks, Extending the Table. The notes on this recipe say that this Swahili dish is served by a restaurant in the heart of Nairobi. I have only modified it to make the recipe fit into Zaar format, to preserve the authenticity of the recipe. This is a very mild, very easy to make curry.
