Curry Powder Is The Seasoning Your Egg Salad Deserves

Egg salad is an American staple. It's bright, creamy, and a great filling for sandwiches. However, egg salad isn't exactly exciting. The salad usually consists of chopped hard-boiled eggs combined with mayonnaise, salt, and black pepper and is, like most mayonnaise-based salads, a bit old school. A diagonally cut egg salad sandwich simply belongs in a lunch box.

However, if you look beyond the dollops of mayonnaise, you can see that egg salad is bursting with potential. And one way to "spice up" your egg salad is to look beyond the basic cracked black pepper. One spice blend that makes for a surprisingly wonderful addition to your basic egg salad recipe is curry powder.

Curry powder adds spice and warmth to the, well, bland base of egg salad. And the fat and protein-rich eggs and mayonnaise serve as a delicious base that lets the curry flavors really sing. The spice blend also adds depth to the salad, which tends to lean on the creamy, zingy mayonnaise to haul most of its flavor. Adding curry powder can take your egg salad from a middle-of-the-road sandwich filling to being a standout dish all on its own.

Of course, curry powder is just one way of spicing up your egg salad. If you want to bring the flavors of curry out in your egg salad, you could incorporate yogurt and (or instead of) mayonnaise in your salad. Yogurt delivers a sharp zing of flavor that pairs well with curry powder. Yogurt is often added to curries in order to add brightness to the spiced sauce. And pairing the two in egg salad could bring your dish to another level. 

However, if yogurt and curry aren't your thing, plenty of warm spices can bring life to your egg salad. Red pepper flakes can add a good amount of spice and a pop of red color. Additionally, chili pepper and paprika can also add some spice and a red color to your egg salad. Paprika in particular, which is traditionally used to top a delicious batch of deviled eggs, would make a fantastic mix-in for a deviled egg salad, so to speak. But if you're looking to really elevate your dish, saffron might just be the spice you're after. Saffron offers a sweet and complex flavor that can complement the flavors of egg salad. However, you'll want to watch out for imitation saffron, which can be bitter. Regardless of what spice you choose to add to your egg salad, the dish is the perfect base for a whole world of flavors, and curry might just be the perfect place to start.

What makes curry powder so special? For one, it's a potent mix of spices perfectly blended to create a complex and delicious base for many dishes. Usually, curry powder is used as the base for curries, which are seasoned sauce-based dishes that incorporate vegetables and proteins. From the gravy-like Japanese curry, to coconut milk-based Thai yellow curry, there are no limits when it comes to what curry can be. The dish is thought to have originated in India but has spread all over the globe and been customized by many different cultures.

The spice blend consists of several spices including turmeric, bay leaves, coriander, onion, and cumin. Different brands and recipes for curry powder contain varying amounts of these spices and can even vary in the spices included. However, most contain turmeric, coriander, and cumin, which serve as the core flavors of curry powder.

Curry powder is now a staple in the spice section of many grocery stores. However, if you're simply using curry powder as the base for curry sauces, you're missing out on its potential. Beyond being a delicious addition to egg salad, curry powder can be added to dishes such as chicken noodle soup and beef stew. It also makes a great base for salad dressings. The magic of curry powder comes in its versatility, as it pairs well with a variety of different flavor profiles, from fresh to hearty. The only limit is your level of creativity in the kitchen.