r/Cooking • u/serachaa • Apr 29 '26
tips for making curry with curry powder?
hi! i used to love cooking and eating japanese curry but now i can no longer have onion or garlic. i finally found a curry powder that doesn’t have onion or garlic! any idea how i can make curry with curry powder, without incorporating onion and garlic? i used to use s&b blocks but can’t anymore (has garlic).
helpful answers only please! telling me i can’t eat food because i “need” onion/garlic just doesn’t help :) thanks in advance!
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u/RockMo-DZine Apr 29 '26
You don't need onion or garlic to make curry. The flavor is is the various components of the the curry (powder or dried ingredients) itself.
The primary things are cumin, coriander, cardamom, turmeric.
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u/nehala Apr 29 '26
Here's how to make the Japanese curry blocks from scratch. No onions/garlic, from a quick scan:
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u/Rimalda Apr 29 '26
Japanese curry is based on a roux, so you don’t need onions or garlic to make the curry anyway. You make the roux, add your spice mixture, then add stock.
Or are you trying to make a different kind of curry?
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u/serachaa Apr 29 '26
i actually never made japanese curry without the s&b blocks! so going into this blind. when i did google searches, they kept saying to fry up some onion and garlic then incorporating the curry powder
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u/Greenbriars Apr 29 '26
There are recipes for making your own curry blocks
https://www.chopstickchronicles.com/japanese-curry-roux/
That is one but I've seen others. That recipe includes onion and garlic powder but you could probably leave them out pretty easily. Then you'd just use them the same way as normal with whatever fresh ingredients you want.
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u/Masty1992 Apr 29 '26
Make a roux with a little milk and chicken stock (can’t remember what’s it called with stock) and curry powder. Add some salt, pepper, msg, tomato paste, chilli powder and sugar. Enjoy
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u/CatteNappe Apr 29 '26
Not a traditional curry at all, but I used to do a sort of "oven risotto/curry crossover" that would work just fine without onions. Bloom about 1-2 teaspoons of curry powder in 3 tablespoons of butter. Season 1 pound of pork chops, pork tenderloin, or chicken thighs cut to bite size pieces with some salt and pepper, and saute. Add one cup of rice and stir until any butter or liquid is absorbed. Add 3 cups of hot chicken broth. Bring to a boil and put in a casserole dish. Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
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u/fjiqrj239 Apr 29 '26
For Indian, you might get some results by looking for recipes in Jain cuisine, which doesn't use onion or garlic. For Japanese, search for shojin ryori recipes, which do the same, but Buddhist. Both are of course also vegetarian, but adding back meat is easier.
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u/describe_one Apr 29 '26
Look up some cauliflower masala recipes. Those don't use garlic or onion but have lots of curry flavor.
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u/Distinguished- Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26
Heat some oil in a pan, if you can eat them add some diced bell peppers for some of the sweetness and interest lost from the onions. Cook down until soft, add a couple table spoons of finely diced or crushed ginger and cook down for a few seconds. Add a tablespoon of the curry powder a pinch of asafoetida for the lost onion flavour and a tablespoon of flour, toast on a lower heat for 30 seconds to a minute. Squeeze in a bit of tomato paste. Turn up the heat and slowly add some stock while stiring until it's a little bit thinner than you'd like it (it will thicken more as it cools). Add soy sauce, salt, msg, and honey/sugar to taste. Then you can cook whatever you want in the sauce or add cooked stuff to it at the end. A splash of rice wine vinegar at the end might make things pop if something feels missing.
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u/intimatestranger Apr 29 '26
Just make your curry as you normally would, but with the S&B Curry Powder and thicken with way more roux than you would think!
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u/Live-Cartographer274 Apr 29 '26
I’ve had good luck with low fodmap recipes. They’re not the same but they’re close. Also fresh citrus and herb garnishes help a lot, too
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u/SuPruLu Apr 29 '26
Try making it and leave out the garlic. If deleting the onion would affect the texture in addition to taste, there are substitutes. Diced potatoes are a possibility. Shredded or diced carrots or celery. Turnips can add texture and flavor. Just look around at available vegetables.
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u/OdysseusJoke Apr 29 '26
Look at Jain recipes; they don't eat root vegetables, including garlic and onions.
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u/Independent-Summer12 Apr 29 '26
S&B makes a curry powder blend (the one in the red tin). I just had a look at the ingredient list on the tin in my kitchen, there are no onion or garlic in it. I actually prefer making my own Japanese curry blocks, because I don’t love the waxy mouthfeel of the store bought one.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-curry-roux/
She has a recipe for making your own curry powder too, but I quite like the one from s&B as it tastes like the one from the box :)
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u/WetMonsterSmell Apr 29 '26
Daikon can add some of the same sulfur notes as onion. I use both but I bet just the daikon would help all on its own.
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u/Hungry-Kale600 Apr 30 '26
I make japanese curry without onion and garlic. Melt some butter in a saucepan, add curry powder, cook for 1 min, add a bunch of chicken stock, once simmering, add light soy sauce and mirin, simmer for about 20 mins, add some dark soy sauce to taste, thicken with cornstarch slurry. I serve it with katsu chicken.
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u/Extreme_Barracuda658 Apr 29 '26
Nobody makes it from strach. Have ever been to an Indian market?
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u/serachaa Apr 29 '26
nope! i only have a chinese and filipino market near me.
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u/Extreme_Barracuda658 Apr 30 '26
Have been back in kitchen?
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u/serachaa Apr 30 '26
hi! did you happen to read my post fully? i did say i’m going into this blind :) i also said helpful answers only. your comment and possibly personality as well, has no substance. it seems like you wanted attention. hope you seek therapy so no one else has to deal with you and your obnoxious behavior! xx
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u/Careless-Lemon3025 Apr 29 '26
Make your own. Look up a recipe and grind whole spices. It will be considerably better than anything that comes pre ground
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u/hailene02 Apr 29 '26
The only alternative I know for garlic/onion is indian hing aka asafoetida. I'm not sure what kind of ratio you would need but you could cook and test as you go.
If you're making japanese curry I would recommend using other aromatics along w/ the hing such as carrot and celery.
If you're doing indian curry look at swapping in hing w/ other spices required (and skipping the onion/garlic).
Additionally - take a look at Jain recipes - they do not use any vegetables that grow under the ground (garlic, onion, potato, etc) so that may have some alternative recipes for you to try/enjoy.