How to Build a Curry From Scratch (Without a Jar of Sauce)

A curry isn't a recipe. It's a sequence. Once you understand the order things go into the pan and roughly how much of each, you can cook a hundred different curries without looking anything up — and you'll never buy a jar of sauce again. This is that sequence, with real quantities for four people.

The sequence, start to finish

Almost every Indian-style curry follows these seven stages. The order isn't stylistic — it's dictated by how much heat each ingredient can take before it burns.

  1. Fat, then whole spices. 2–3 tbsp of oil or ghee, hot. Whole spices go in first because they need the most heat and the longest time.
  2. Onions. Properly cooked — 8–10 minutes, not two. This is the stage most people rush and it's the difference between a thin curry and a deep one.
  3. Ginger and garlic. They burn faster than onion, so they go in after. 60–90 seconds until the raw smell disappears.
  4. Ground spices. 30–60 seconds in the fat before any liquid. This is the step that separates home curries from restaurant ones.
  5. The base. Tomato, coconut milk, yoghurt or stock — this is what decides what kind of curry you're making.
  6. Protein or vegetables, then simmer. Timing depends on what you've added.
  7. The finish. Garam masala, acid, fresh herbs — last two minutes, off the heat.

The underlying principle: base spices at the start, finishing spices at the end. Get that one thing right and everything else is detail.

Quantities that actually work

For a curry serving four, using roughly 600 g of protein or vegetables:

Stage What How much
Whole spices Cumin seeds, cardamom, bay, cloves 1 tsp cumin, 3 pods, 2 leaves, 3 cloves
Aromatics Onion, garlic, ginger 2 medium onions, 4 cloves, 3 cm ginger
Ground spices Coriander 2 tsp — the bulk of the blend
Cumin 1 tsp
Turmeric ½ tsp — more turns it bitter
Kashmiri chilli 1 tsp for colour, mild
Base Tomato / coconut / yoghurt 400 g tin, or 400 ml, or 200 g
Finish Garam masala 1 tsp, last 2 minutes
Salt + acid 1–1½ tsp salt, squeeze of lemon

Note the ratio: coriander is roughly double the cumin, and turmeric is the smallest of the three. That's the backbone of most North Indian curries. If you'd rather not measure four separate jars, a mild curry powder covers the same ground in one — use about 1½ tablespoons.

Four bases, four completely different curries

Same sequence, same spices. Change what goes in at stage five and you change cuisine.

  • Tomato-based (North Indian). A tin of tomatoes, cooked down hard until the oil separates out at the edges — that separation is the signal it's ready. Robust, tangy, the base for most curries you'd recognise. Cook it longer than feels necessary.
  • Coconut (South Indian, Sri Lankan). Coconut milk in, then keep it at a gentle simmer — hard boiling splits it. Sweeter and rounder. Pairs naturally with mustard seed and curry leaf.
  • Yoghurt (korma, pasanda). Take the pan off the heat, whisk the yoghurt smooth, and stir it in a spoonful at a time. Add it straight from the fridge into a hot pan and it will split. Rich and mild.
  • Dry (bhuna, sukha). Barely any liquid — just the onions, spices and whatever moisture the vegetables release. Intense and clingy rather than saucy. The most forgiving for a beginner because there's no sauce to break.

Timings by ingredient

  • Chicken thigh — add at stage six, simmer 20–25 minutes. Thigh over breast, always; breast dries out before the sauce has developed.
  • Lamb — brown first, then 60–90 minutes covered on low. There's no shortcut.
  • Chickpeas or lentils — tinned chickpeas need 15 minutes; dried lentils 25–40 depending on type.
  • Firm vegetables (kumara, pumpkin, cauliflower) — 20–25 minutes.
  • Soft vegetables (courgette, capsicum, spinach) — last 5–8 minutes, or they turn to mush.
  • Paneer or tofu — fry separately and fold in at the very end.

The six mistakes

  • Under-cooking the onions. The single most common one. Eight to ten minutes minimum, until genuinely soft and golden. Every minute here is depth you can't add later.
  • Adding ground spices to liquid. They need fat and direct heat to release. Tip them into a simmering pot and most of the flavour stays locked in the powder. Our guide to blooming and tempering covers the why.
  • Too much turmeric. It's for colour and earthiness, not bulk. Past about a teaspoon it turns bitter and dusty.
  • Garam masala at the start. It's a finishing blend. Cooking it hard destroys exactly the delicate top notes you're paying for.
  • Not enough salt. A flat curry is under-salted far more often than it's under-spiced. Season, taste, season again.
  • Skipping the acid. A squeeze of lemon at the end lifts everything and makes the spices read as distinct rather than muddy. Non-negotiable.

How to rescue a curry

Problem Likely cause Fix
Tastes flat Salt or acid, not spice Salt, then lemon. Reassess before adding more spice
Bitter Burnt spices or too much turmeric A little sugar and cream help; badly burnt means start again
Too hot Too much chilli Yoghurt, coconut milk or cream. Dairy works, water doesn't
Raw, sharp taste Undercooked spices or tomato Simmer another 15 minutes — usually fixes itself
Too thin Too much liquid Uncovered simmer, or blend a ladleful and stir back in
Split or grainy Yoghurt or coconut boiled too hard Off the heat, whisk in a spoon of cream or yoghurt
Greasy Too much oil for the volume Spoon it off the top, or stir in a little more base

Curry powder vs garam masala vs making your own

These get confused constantly, and they do genuinely different jobs.

  • Curry powder is a British-invented all-purpose blend, turmeric-heavy and yellow. It goes in early, with the other base spices. Perfectly good as a shortcut.
  • Garam masala is an Indian finishing blend — brown, aromatic, no turmeric, no chilli. It goes in at the end. They aren't interchangeable and using one as the other is why some homemade curries taste slightly off.
  • Building your own from individual ground spices gives you control over the balance. It's the same four or five jars every time.

If you want the biggest single upgrade available, grind your own garam masala — fifteen minutes, and the difference against a jar that's been open a year is not subtle. For something more specific, our tandoori masala is a house blend built for marinades and grilling.

Frequently asked questions

What's the correct order to add spices to a curry?

Whole spices into hot oil first, then onions, then garlic and ginger, then ground spices for under a minute, then your liquid. Finishing blends like garam masala go in during the last two minutes.

How much spice for a curry for four?

Roughly 4–5 teaspoons of ground spice in total — typically 2 tsp coriander, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp turmeric and 1 tsp chilli — plus a teaspoon of garam masala at the end.

Why does my curry taste bitter?

Almost always burnt spices or too much turmeric. Ground spices go from fragrant to burnt in seconds, and turmeric turns harsh past about a teaspoon per four servings.

Do I need whole spices, or will ground do?

Ground alone makes a perfectly good curry. Whole spices add an aromatic layer ground can't, because they release slowly across the whole cook. Start with ground, add whole once the sequence feels natural.

Why is my curry watery?

Usually too much liquid too early, or a tomato base that wasn't cooked down. Simmer uncovered to reduce, and next time cook the tomato until you see oil separating at the edge of the pan.

Can I make a curry without onion or garlic?

Yes — many Jain and some regional Indian dishes do exactly that. Compensate with more whole spices, a tempering of mustard seed and cumin, and a tomato or coconut base doing more of the work.

Does curry really taste better the next day?

It genuinely does. Time lets the spices distribute and mellow. Cook a day ahead when you can — and it's another reason curry is such a good thing to batch.

What you'll need

The sequence above needs about eight spices. Build from individual jars for control, or start with a blend and add to it.

Browse Indian spices or the full spice range.

Related guides

Back to blog