Which spice gives brown colour to Indian curry?

I've seen a lot of different curry recipes with varying levels of authenticity, but the most common ingredients I see in curries that might impart that colour are:

• Garam masala (brown)
• Chili powder (red)
• Cumin (brown)
• Paprika (red)
• Tandoori powder (usually a mix of masala, cumin, ground red pepper, fenugreek, and others - very red)
• Saffron (red)

Still, it's all kind of a moot point, because, in Indian restaurants the most common source of red is actually red food colouring. Don't kid yourself; Indian restaurants use plenty of "artificial" ingredients - they also usually use food colouring in the saffron rice, which is how they get those few vibrant red grains to mix in with the yellowish rice.

I actually have two slightly Zen comments about this, in that they don't answer your question though they may solve your quandary.

First, you might have the right spices but get the ratios wrong. In my exeprience, the ration of cumin to turmeric is about 4 to 1, sometimes more. Turmeric is to be used sparingly, half a teaspoon is usually plenty in a big dish. This may be why things are a little too yellow.

Second, colour doesn't only come from spices. A source of a lot of redness, at least in the Indian food that I know how to make, is tomatoes. I once learned from an Indian chef that a lot of dahls and curries have onions and tomatoes in them, usually grated to pulp.

The brown colour that seems to predominate many 'curry' dishes comes mostly from the largish (in proportion to other ingredients) quantities of cumin and coriander used as the main basis for most indian curries. The addition of garam masala towards the end of cooking will also impart a brownish colour.

The red colour you refer to can come from any number of different sources, which is why it's unwise to use 'colour' as a basis for what the dish my actually taste like, or trying to replicate the taste of a dish based on its colour.

The red colouring can come from: artificial colouring, tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato puree, red chilli's, chilli powder, paprika and so on.

If you're trying to replicate the 'flavour' or taste of a specific dish it's far better to try and do so with spice combinations and ingredients and cooking techniques than worrying about the final colour.

This story reminds me of the famous Indian story of an Elephant and blind men describing the elephant. Firstly, not all Indians curries are brown. Mostly, the meat curries are brown. And, to get that brown color, Indian cooks do not use any color.

They first create what is called as 'Bhuna Masala' by frying onions and/or grated dry coconut along with garlic, ginger, whole spices and powdered spices. This roasted mixture is brown in color and that is what gives the curry a brown color. The more you roast, the darker will be the color, but you have to be careful because more roasting can burn your spices and will make your curries bitter. Only experience can teach you when to stop roasting and add water to the mixture to make the final curry.

Other than red chili powder (not the spice blend you use to make chili, but just ground chili peppers) and cumin mentioned above, another ingredient I was introduced to by an Indian friend is tamarind. Adds some brown to curries, but also a wonderful sweet and sour flavor.

I second the comments about making sure you've thoroughly browned your onions... should take a good 30 minutes, and not overdoing the turmeric.

On the tomato front, you also want to make sure that after adding tomatoes - typically after browning the onions and frying the spices - that you cook down the resulting mixture until the oil starts to separate from the tomato mixture.

All of this and you should definitely not end up with a yellow curry.

The Indian curries get their color usually from the spices used (red chilly powder, turmeric, garam masala... etc.)
My family personally likes dark red / brown colored spicy curries.... and to achieve that I usually use fresh tomato puree and paste of fried onions.
I slice large onions and deep fry them till crisp and then store them in the refrigerator in an air-tight container (they stay good for 8-10 days).
And then when I'm required to use them in my curries, i just grind them in my mixer grinder by adding a spoon of water to make nice thick paste... and use it in my curry..... And from there my curries get a lovely dark red color...!!!

I too notice that curry pastes are less yellowy than curry powders. Maybe the oil-base dissolves the pigments better or the oil itself is rather dark? Could there also be tamarind in the paste? That certainly darkens a dish.

Usually Indian curries have a spice base that has a ratio like this- (say for 1 kg of meat) 1/4 to 1/2tsp turmeric : 1tsp red chili powder(Kashmiri mirch or Degi mirch) : 1TBS coriander powder

The red of the chili powder with the yellow turmeric & green/brown of the coriander with browned onions in suspension give the reddish brown hues many Indian curries have.

It's probably cinnamon, even in small quantities, it disperses very well in liquids and has a lot of color, and it's commonly found in garam masala blends. I'm guessing it's pretty likely to be cinnamon because adding a very small amount of ground cinnamon to a light colored food like oatmeal or white flour dough turns them from white/beige to brown.

Turmeric was already mentioned, it's the main colorant used in yellow curries and a very small amount of that turns things bright yellow, but combined with other common curry it might turn brownish as well (anise, cumin, coriander) esp with something like lentils.

To add red color and spicy taste, try Kashmiri red chili (whole) and Byadgi chili (whole)...