What to use instead of curry powder
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Pre-blended spice base bloomed in fat
It is coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek and chile already mixed, so it does the work of six jars at once. A minute in hot fat is what stops it tasting raw and dusty.
Garam masala plus turmericRan out
2 tsp garam masala + 1 tsp turmeric per 1 tbsp curry powder
Warmer and sweeter, with cinnamon and clove leading. It misses the fenugreek that makes curry powder smell like curry powder.
Ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and cayenneRan out
1 1/2 tsp coriander + 1 tsp cumin + 1 tsp turmeric + 1/4 tsp cayenne per 1 tbsp curry powder
Cleaner and brighter, and you control the heat. Add 1/8 tsp ground fenugreek if you have it and the gap closes.
Madras curry powderRan out
3/4 the volume
Hotter and more chile-forward, so scale back any cayenne elsewhere in the dish.
Thai yellow curry pasteRan out
1 tbsp paste per 2 tsp curry powder, and cut the salt
Brings lemongrass, galangal and shrimp paste along with a lot of moisture. The dish stops being Caribbean or British and becomes Thai.
What doesn't work: Garam masala on its own at 1:1. It has no turmeric, so the dish stays brown instead of going yellow, and no fenugreek, so it tastes like warm spice cake poured over meat.
Yellow colour and mild spice through rice, sauce or dressing
Turmeric in the blend dyes everything yellow within seconds of hitting fat or liquid, and the rest of the blend is what keeps that colour from tasting bare.
Turmeric plus garam masalaRan out
3/4 tsp turmeric + 1 1/4 tsp garam masala per 2 tsp curry powder
Same yellow, warmer flavour. Bloom the turmeric in oil for 30 seconds or it tastes chalky in a cold dressing.
Jamaican curry powderRan out
1:1
Far more turmeric and allspice, so it is brighter yellow and more aromatic. The right one for goat and chicken.
Japanese curry roux cubeRan out
1 cube per 2 tsp curry powder, and skip the flour in the recipe
Brings fat, flour and salt with it, so the sauce thickens itself and tastes sweeter and glossier.
What doesn't work: Turmeric alone for the colour. It dyes the pot yellow in seconds and tastes raw and chalky with nothing behind it, so the dish looks like curry and tastes like turmeric.
Curry powder is a category rather than a recipe. Jamaican, Madras and British tins are three different blends, and swapping one for another changes the dish more than most people expect.