
Curry powder and garam masala are two different Indian spice blends used for different purposes. If you are confused about them, then stop and read this first.
How Does Garam Masala And Curry Powder Taste? ‘Garam Masala‘ is a Hindi word, which literally translates to ‘Hot Spice’. Referring to the table above, you will notice that Garam Masala use spices that are sharp and robust, that is cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and in some recipes even nutmeg and peppercorn. All these spices together give Garam Masala powder a very strong flavour with a slightly warming, sweet, pungent taste. Curry powder, on the other hand, is made of milder spices. One of the main ingredients being Turmeric powder. Turmeric powder in itself does not have much taste or flavour although very high in nutritional value. Turmeric a mild spice. It is used in curry powder recipes to give a yellow tint to the dish without the need to add any additional spices. The other spices used in larger quantity when compared to Garam Masala are fenugreek powder, cumin powder, coriander powder which is all sweet mild spices. This makes curry powder milder to taste and not as overpowering as Garam Masala. The Uses Of Curry Powder And Garam Masala In Cooking An awareness of the flavour profiles of the two spices will help us better understand the use of Curry powder and Garam Masala in cooking. The answer to your question of ‘is Garam Masala the same as Curry powder?’ is NO! They are two separate spice blends. Garam Masala can be used both during the cooking process or at the end to give the dish a finishing touch. Adding and stirring Garam Masala at the end of cooking retains and enhances the flavour of the dish. The key to using Garam Masala is that it should be sparingly used. Too much of it may be an overkill of flavours! Since Curry powder is used as an Indian curry spice blend, it is used during the cooking process and added while you make the base sauce. It’s also important to cook out the raw flavours of the pre-blended curry mix to avoid an unpleasant taste. What Are The Similarities Between Curry Powder And Garam Masala Powder If the two spices are so different, then why is it that so many people get confused about them? The reason could be that both these spices have become synonymous to Indian food. It is treated almost like Chinese 5 spice when you cook Chinese at home or like Cajun spice if its Spanish or Cajun-style cooking. The classification of Curry powder and Garam Masala powder as an Indian spice blend confuses many. This confusion causes them to use the spices in the wrong way while cooking. The striking similarity between the two is that they are both spice blends and use almost the same spices, however, the quantity of mild spices such as turmeric, cumin and coriander is more in one than the other. The content of spices in Garam Masala is more strong while Curry powder is made with milder spices. Apart from this, there is no other relatable similarity. Source: spiceitupp.com