Essential Spice Blends for British Indian Restaurant (BIR) Cooking

Essential Spice Blends for Curry House Cooking

In many British Indian Restaurant (BIR) kitchens, spice blends play an important role in the cooking system. Instead of measuring individual spices every time a curry is made, chefs often prepare balanced spice mixes in advance. These blends allow cooks to build flavour quickly while maintaining consistency across many different dishes.

During our curry nights and delivery service, preparation was always the key to keeping things running smoothly. Alongside our curry base gravy and madras base gravy pre-prepared ingredients, we kept jars of carefully measured spice blends ready to go. This meant that when an order came in, we could quickly create the flavour profile needed for dishes like bhuna, madras, korma, or vindaloo.

The spice blends listed below are simple examples that can be prepared in advance and stored in jars at home. Having them ready makes it much easier to cook restaurant-style curries whenever inspiration strikes.

Daily prep was essential for our operation, and we created specific spice mixes to streamline the process of making large batches of curry gravies. These mixes typically included a base of turmeric, cumin, coriander, and garam masala, along with customizable ingredients like paprika and chili powder for heat. By having these blends prepared in advance, we could efficiently create rich, flavourful gravies that served as the foundation for a variety of curry dishes, ensuring consistency and saving valuable time during delivery service.

Curry Masala Spice Mixtures

Many recipes call for curry base gravy below is a fantastic spice blend that I used for my bulk curries I would keep this To make larger batches use tablespoons instead

5 grams equals 1 teaspoon

Curry Gravy Masala

All spices are ground

15 spices total

12 tsp coriander

6 tsp cumin

4 tsp fenugreek

5 tsp gram flour

5 tsp garlic powder

4 tsp paprika

4 tsp turmeric

4 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground bay leaf

1 tsp asafoetida

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp yellow English mustard powder

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix all together and store

Essential Spice Blends for British Indian Restaurant (BIR) Cooking

During our delivery service, preparation was key. Alongside our curry gravies and both cooked and par-cooked ingredients, having our spice blends ready was essential. I ensured the jars were prepared in advance for quick access when an order came in. These jars contained the basic spice blends, which I could easily modify by adding extra chili if a customer requested a spicier curry. This streamlined approach allowed us to efficiently cater to individual preferences while maintaining consistent quality.

This strategy can be incredibly useful at home, especially if you're inspired spontaneously, as I often am, to whip up a Friday night meal with just a handful of ingredients. Having pre - measured spice blends on hand allows you to quickly elevate simple dishes, making it easy to create something delicious without a lot of prep time. Whether it's a curry, stir-fry, or any other dish, these ready-to-use spices can turn an ordinary collection of items into a flavorful feast!

What we do here is make slightly larger batches by taking the measurements of the spice list and multiply them, so for example where it says tsp (teaspoon) you could double the quantity or use a tablespoon, I will then measure this into a labeled jar you then have the correct spice ratios.

Then where it says 3 tsp per person/portion you will multiply it by the amount of people you are making it for, it's a great way for scaling up an down obviously you need to scale your other ingredients too.

the next seven spice blends are worth making up we used these for our curry nights:

Classic Curry Spice Blends

Vindaloo

Use 3 teaspoons for a single meal portion

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp cumin

1tsp black pepper

1tsp chilli powder

Korma

Use 5 teaspoons for a single meal portion  

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp ground coriander

½ tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

½ tsp black pepper

Dopiaza

Use 3½ teaspoons for a single meal portion

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp chilli powder

Tikka Masala

Use 5 teaspoons for a single meal portion

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

½ tsp black pepper

Bhuna

Use 6½ teaspoons for a single meal portion

1 tsp turmeric

3 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp chilli powder

Rogan Gosht

Use 6 ½ teaspoons for a single meal portion  

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

Madras

Use 7 teaspoons for a single meal portion

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp ground coriander

3 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chilli powder

What is a Garam Masala?

Garam masala is a traditional Indian spice blend known for its warm, aromatic, and complex flavour. The name roughly translates to "warm spices" and typically includes ingredients such as cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper.

Unlike many curry spice blends that are cooked early in the dish, garam masala is often added towards the end of cooking. This helps preserve its fragrant oils and gives curries their distinctive finishing aroma.

In many British Indian Restaurant (BIR) kitchens, garam masala is used as a finishing spice to lift the flavour of dishes such as bhuna, madras, jalfrezi, and many other curry house favourites.

Because it plays such an important role in curry cooking, it’s well worth preparing a fresh batch at home.

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon cardamom seeds

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon (broken pieces)

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Toast the spices gently in a dry pan until fragrant. Allow them to cool, then grind to a fine powder using a spice grinder or pestle and mortar. Store in an airtight container and use as needed.

 I'll be covering garam masala in more detail in a future post, including how it fits into the British Indian Restaurant cooking system.

Conclusion

Having a selection of prepared spice blends ready in your kitchen is one of the simplest ways to recreate the flavours of British Indian Restaurant (BIR) cooking at home. In many curry houses, carefully balanced spice mixes are used alongside base gravy and fresh ingredients to build the distinctive sauces found in classic dishes such as bhuna, madras, korma, and vindaloo.

By preparing these blends in advance, you make it much easier to cook restaurant-style curries quickly while maintaining the rich, layered flavours that make curry house food so popular. With a few jars of spice mixes ready in your pantry, you can bring together a wide range of authentic curry dishes whenever inspiration strikes.

So stock your spice rack, keep your blends ready, and enjoy the process of creating bold, aromatic BIR curries in your own kitchen.

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Please leave a comment below to share your own experience in preparing this recipe.

Cheers Steve.