I never made it to Puducherry on my 32-day Indian train trip. I wish I had. Puducherry — formerly Pondicherry — sits on the southeastern coast of India along the Bay of Bengal, about 150 km south of Chennai, tucked into Tamil Nadu like a quiet anomaly. It was a French colony until the mid-20th century, and that history is still visible today in the architecture, the street names, the cafés, and the food. It's where this vadouvan spice blend comes from – a fragrant, aromatic blend born from the collision of French and South Indian culinary traditions.

I've been noticing vadouvan turning up everywhere lately. Restaurant menus, food magazines, and the kind of recipes that celebrity chefs reach for when they want something that sounds exotic but behaves beautifully. It's often described as a French curry spice blend — milder, sweeter, and more aromatic than most Indian curry powders. I decided to make my own version at Casa Adora, and I haven't looked back.

What Makes This Vadouvan Spice Blend Different?

The thing that sets vadouvan apart from a standard curry powder is the base. Dried shallots, garlic granules, and crushed curry leaves give it a distinctive savoury sweetness that you don't get from straight spice blends. The result is warm and aromatic, slightly sweet, earthy, and mildly spicy rather than hot. There are notes of onion and garlic running through everything, softened by fennel and cardamom, with the curry leaves adding something you can't quite put your finger on but would immediately miss.

What You'll Need

This makes a small jar – about 100 g – which is enough to season a good number of dishes before you need to make another batch.

• 30 g shallot flakes (or dried onion flakes) — about ½ cup
• 15 g garlic granules — about 2 tbsp
• 10 g dried curry leaves, crushed — about ½ cup loosely packed
• 15 g coriander seeds — 2 tbsp
• 10 g cumin seeds — 1 tbsp
• 10 g fennel seeds — 1 tbsp
• 5 g mustard seeds — 1 tsp
• 3 g fenugreek seeds — ½ tsp
• 5 g turmeric powder — 2 tsp
• 5 g black peppercorns — 1 tsp
• 2 g green cardamom seeds — ½ tsp

How to Make It

1. Toast the coriander, cumin, fennel, mustard, fenugreek, peppercorns, and cardamom in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant — about 2–3 minutes. Watch them carefully; they turn quickly.
2. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely.
3. Grind to a coarse or fine powder depending on your preference. I go coarse — it gives the blend more texture.
4. Mix thoroughly with the dried shallot flakes, garlic granules, crushed curry leaves, and turmeric.
5. Transfer to an airtight jar and store away from light. It keeps well for several months.

A note on the traditional method: many authentic vadouvan recipes use fresh onions, shallots, garlic, and curry leaves, which are mixed with the spices, fermented briefly, then dried before grinding. It's wonderful if you have the time. This dried-spice version is considerably easier to make at home and keeps far better in a warm Andalucían kitchen.

How Much Does It Make?

A 100 g jar will season roughly:

• 8–10 trays of roasted vegetables
• 10–12 chicken portions
• 15–20 servings of soup, lentils, or curry-style dishes

What to Do With It

Vadouvan works especially well with roasted vegetables, chicken, seafood — particularly scallops, prawns, and white fish — lentils, chickpeas, soups, and butter or cream sauces. A popular technique, and one I'd recommend, is to bloom it in butter or oil before adding other ingredients. The heat wakes up the aromatics and transforms the blend entirely.

As it happens, my neighbour Antonio Pavo – whose olive groves back onto the house here at Casa Adora – turned up this morning with a kilogram of freshly dug new potatoes from his allotment. There's only one thing to do with potatoes that fresh. Toss them in olive oil, scatter over a generous teaspoon or two of vadouvan spice blend per 450 g of potatoes, and roast at 200°C until golden. That's lunch sorted.

I've also used this vadouvan spice blend as the base for a creamy coconut sauce for prawns.

This vadouvan spice blend is part of my Spice Blends & Condiments collection.
This vadouvan spice blend is also featured in my French Recipes, a collection of French recipes from a former Limousin restaurateur — confit, braises, fish, gratins, and van life French cooking from Casa Adora and the road.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef