This is a super easy recipe for making Sri Lankan Basic Curry Powder (Thunapaha). It uses 3 ground spices: coriander, cumin, and fennel. This is the curry powder to use if you love mild Sri Lankan curries.
Sri Lankan Basic Curry Powder
(Thunapaha made With Ground Spices)
Do You Love Sri Lankan Curries? The secret to awesome Sri Lankan curries is in the Sri Lankan curry powders. I highly recommend you make curry powders yourself to get the real flavor of Sri Lankan curries. Once you made them, you can prepare all your favorite Sri Lankan-style curries in no time!
Curry powders are one of the household staples in Sri Lanka. But, as with many other local dishes, there is no standard recipe for making curry powders. Each family has its own spice blends that are often personalized according to their preferences. So, every household in Sri Lanka will claim that theirs is the best.
In this post, I’ll show you how to make Sri Lankan Basic Curry Powder the easy way with ground spices in less than 5 minutes.
You need only 3 ground spices; coriander, cumin, and fennel. You can use homemade ground spices or you can buy them at the grocery store or online. Just measure the ground spices with a tablespoon or teaspoon, as required, and then mix them.
You can also make it with whole spices. Click here Sri Lankan Basic Curry Powder (Thunapaha Made With Whole Spices)
It is a mild spice mix. So it is mainly used in mild Sri Lankan curries like vegetable curries, white egg curry, or white fish curry. Because you do not want the spices to be too strong when you make mild curries.
What is Thunapaha
(Sri Lankan Basic Curry Powder)?
Thunapaha (තුනපහ) or Thuna Paha (තුන පහ) is the generic term used in Sri Lanka for the curry powders or spice mixes.
This basic Sri Lankan curry powder is also called Thunapaha (or Thuna Paha). It is also known as 3-spice curry powder as it is made with 3 spices (Coriander, Cumin, and Fennel).
But, some Sri Lankan Basic Curry Powder recipes call for more spices like turmeric other than these 3 main spices.
You can make the curry powders either with ground spices or whole spices.
Here is a recipe for making Basic Curry Powder with Ground Spices
What are ground spices?
Ground spices are whole spices that have been finely crushed or powdered.
There are spices ground up singly like Turmeric, Coriander, or Cumin. Such powders are used either singly or in combination with other ground spices. There is also a mix of spices. These are ground together to form a spice powder like Garam Masala or Roasted Curry Powder.
Using ground spices is convenient. However, they can lose their flavor and aroma more quickly after grinding due to exposure to air.
More About Sri Lankan Curry Powder
Thunapaha (තුනපහ) or Thuna Paha (තුන පහ) refers to the curry powders (spice mixes) used in everyday cooking. You can make these spice mixes using whole spices or ground spices.
There are mainly three types of curry powders that are widely used in Sri Lanka. But, you’ll also find some other variations of curry powders across the country.
- Basic Spice Mix (Thunapaha)
- Roasted Spice Mix (Badapu Thunapaha)
- Unroasted Spice Mix (Amu Thunapaha)
More Sri Lankan Curry Powder
Recipes to Try!
Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder (Badapu Thunapaha)
Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder (Badapu Thunapaha)-made with whole spices
Sri Lankan Unroasted Curry Powder (Amu Thunapaha)
Sri Lankan Unroasted Curry Powder (Amu Thunapaha)-made with ground spices
Ingredients
You need only 3 ground spices to make this mild spice mix.
- Coriander Powder
- Cumin Powder
- Fennel Powder
The ground spices used in Sri Lankan Basic Curry Powder
How About Trying these Mild Curries?
If you love mild Sri Lankan curries, this is the curry powder to use. It is mainly used in curries where you do not want the spices to be too strong. For example, vegetable curry, white egg curry, or white fish curry.
For making Sri Lankan mild curries, I also use a cinnamon stick, roasted fenugreek seeds and turmeric powder apart from this basic curry powder.
Click here for More Sri Lankan Recipes!
Sri Lankan Basic Curry Powder (Thunapaha made With Ground Spices) Step-by-Step Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Equipment
A small glass bottle with an air-tight lid
Ingredients
4 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground fennel
NOTE: You need about 2 teaspoons of curry powder for making a curry for 2 to 4 people (as a guideline)
Instruction
Measure the spices.
Put measured spices in the bottle.
Cover with the lid and then shake a few times. Store it in a cool, dry, and dark place to keep flavor and shelf life.
Sri Lankan Basic Curry Powder (Thunapaha) with Ground Spices
Equipment
- Small glass bottle with an airtight lid
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons of ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of ground fennel
Instructions
- Measure the spices.
- Put measured spices in the bottle. Cover with the lid and then shake a few times.
- Store it in a cool, dry, dark place to maintain flavor and shelf life.
Notes
More Sri Lankan Recipes To Try
Click Here for More Sri Lankan Recipes!
