Malaysian curry powder

I made the Malay lamb korma from BBC Food (by Atul Kochhar).  It was awesome!  However, preparing the Malaysian curry powder already took a significant amount of my time, so I’m posting it here separately.  Also, the recipe yielded  est. 30g of curry powder, (which can be used for several more dishes), so it deserves a post of its own.

What can I say–while I was grinding the spices–I felt like a cat in catnip heaven!  Reminds me of the whiff we get when we pass that posh, organic soap store, but no–your dish won’t smell or taste like soap.

Ingredients:
cloves (10)
black peppercorns (10)
cardamom pods (4) –> I used the green ones
cinnamon stick (1)
dried red chillies (4)
coriander seeds (4 tbsp)
cumin seeds (2 tbsp)
fennel seeds (1 tsp)
star anise (1)
1 tsp turmeric powder

Procedure:
1. Except for the turmeric powder, toast all the spices (Atul says for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until they become fragrant).
2. Let cool.
3. Grind to a powder using a pestle and mortar, and mix in the turmeric.
4. Transfer to an airtight container and use within 2 months.

Note: Because my cinnamon stick was curled, I had to break it flat and toast it again–then it was easier to grind with the rest of the ingredients.