Gino Curry Powder

Curry powder is a British convenience that Nigerian cooks made their own

Curry powder is not a spice but a blend, and it did not come from a traditional Indian kitchen. Food writers describe it as a British shortcut for approximating the flavors of South Asian cooking, with the first commercial version sold in London in 1784. Cooks in Britain and its colonies then used a single jar in place of several freshly ground spices. Nigerian kitchens adopted the jar and gave it a role of their own. In Nigerian recipes curry powder is rarely the star. It sits in the background, usually next to dried thyme, in the pot that boils the meat, in the stew base and in rice.

What is in the jar

There is no standard formula. Typical curry powders combine turmeric, which supplies the yellow color, with spices such as coriander, cumin, ginger, black pepper and chili, and the mix changes from brand to brand. A Nigerian retailer's listing for Gino Curry Powder names turmeric, sweet basil and cardamom and describes spices gathered from several regions, but that is marketing copy and not a full ingredient list. The pack is where the complete list lives, along with any salt or chili. If you are cooking for someone who avoids a particular ingredient, that list is the only thing worth trusting.

The three places curry powder enters a Nigerian pot

• The boiling water. Nigerian chicken and beef are usually seasoned and boiled before anything else. One chicken stew recipe puts a tablespoon of curry powder and a teaspoon of thyme into that stage, along with onion, stock cubes and salt. A beef stew recipe also puts curry powder into the seasoning for its meat.
• The stew base. The same beef stew adds curry powder a second time, together with thyme and bouillon, once the reserved stock goes back into the fried pepper base. Seasoning in two passes tends to build more depth than one large dose.
• The rice pot. A party jollof recipe for about four cups of raw rice uses a teaspoon each of curry powder, thyme and white pepper, which shows how small the amount can be in a big pot.

Curry plus thyme: the Nigerian pairing

Read enough Nigerian recipes and one habit stands out. Curry powder and dried thyme are named together almost every time, sometimes on one line as if they were a single ingredient. Rosemary and bay leaf join in some stews. Think of the pairing as a base layer, then add stock cubes, ginger, garlic and pepper on top of it. If you are short on either one, the boiling stage is a sensible place to spend it, since that seasoned stock goes on to flavor the stew.

Wake the spice up without scorching it

Curry powder needs warmth and moisture to release its aroma, so it should meet oil or liquid soon after it leaves the jar. Ground spices are fine and burn quickly in a hot dry pan, and burned spice turns bitter. Two safe approaches work. Stir it into warm, not smoking, oil with the onions for a few seconds before the base goes in, or mix it into the stock or marinade so it disperses evenly. Whichever you choose, start with a small spoonful and taste the pot a few minutes later, since strengths differ between jars. With a new jar, warm a pinch in a spoonful of oil and smell it first. A jar that smells flat will need a bigger spoon, and a pungent one needs less. If your usual jar comes from a US supermarket, expect a different balance from one made for West African cooking and adjust accordingly.

Curry powder, curry leaves and curry sauce are different things

The names collide. Curry powder is the ground blend in the jar. Curry leaves are a separate herb, and one Nigerian chicken stew fries them with the onions at the start, which has nothing to do with the powder. Food Network's description of curry powder, for one, does not list curry leaves among its usual ingredients. A curry sauce, meanwhile, is a finished dish. When a recipe says curry, check which of the three it means before you reach for the jar.

Choosing a jar and keeping it fresh

Store-bought curry powder can sit on shelves for a long time, so freshness matters more than the price. When you open the jar, the smell should be warm and spicy, and the color should look lively, not dull or dusty. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension puts ground spices at two to four years of best quality and blends at one to three, with aroma, flavor and color as the tests of whether a jar is still doing its job. Keep the lid tight and the jar away from heat. Spoon the powder out instead of shaking it over a steaming pot, because steam gets into the jar and causes clumps. Check the best-before date and the label for salt, chili and allergens.

Where it fits with the rest of the seasoning shelf

Curry powder rarely works alone. It teams with chicken spice on poultry, with ginger garlic paste in the marinade, and with Maggi cubes or another stock cube in the pot. A small pinch can also go into the base for Gino Party Jollof, though the mix may already carry seasoning of its own, so taste first. The whole spices and seasoning range shows how these pieces connect.

Gino Curry Powder at Afri Foods Basket

Gino Curry Powder is not available yet. Add your email to the Notify me form on this page to hear when it is added. Ingredient lists differ from one maker and market to the next, so the jar or sachet in your hand is the reference, and Gino is the property of its owner, as are the other brands named on this page.