The Grand Table of the Andrianavalonas Flavours of Madagascar and the world

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Malagasy Carry (Kary)

Madagascar's iconic spice blend: mild, golden and fragrant, no chili — the base of poulet nahandro gasy and so many other dishes.

Prep: 10 min 0

Malagasy kary is a mild curry: no chili at all, pure fragrance 😌

Ingredients

  • 45 g ground turmeric (the base, gives the golden-orange color)
  • 17 g ground coriander (lemony, woody note)
  • 10 g ground ginger (warmth and freshness)
  • 9 g ground cumin (depth)
  • 6 g ground black pepper
  • 4 g ground cloves (warm, woody note)
  • 3 g ground cinnamon
  • 2 g ground cardamom
  • 2 g ground fenugreek
  • 2 g ground nutmeg

Method

  1. Weigh each spice separately — precision matters, turmeric makes up almost half the blend.
  2. Pour all the spices into a large bowl and mix thoroughly until perfectly homogeneous (uniform color, no darker streaks).
  3. Sift if needed to remove any small cardamom or clove clumps.
  4. Store in an airtight jar, away from light, heat and humidity. The blend keeps its full fragrance for about 6 months.

💡 Tips:

  • For maximum fragrance, grind the seeds yourself (coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves) just before mixing.
  • This is the carry that goes into poulet nahandro gasy — 1 tbsp at the end of cooking, after the tsiperifery.
  • Want some heat? Kary is deliberately mild: add chili directly to the dish, not to the blend.

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