[Sca-cooks] Indian food questions

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

-----Original Message-----
From: Christiane <christianetrue at earthlink.net>


> So what is anise in Indian, 

There are many Indian languages, but Hindi is one of the most widely-spoken.  The Hindi word for anise is "saunf".  My experience, in eating and cooking Indian food, is that fennel is more commonly used.


> and curry 

Curry is a spice mixture that is more of a Western phenomenon.  If an Indian grocery store carries it, it's likely to be labelled in English.  OTOH, if you mean curry LEAVES, the Hindi name is "Meetha neem"

> and fenugreek? 

Methi (in Hindi)

> What is in garam masala anyway?

This is a spice blend that varies from region to region and from cook to cook.  If you Google "garam masala recipe", you'll get tons of hits.

Much of the info above came from that invaluable website, Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages.
http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/

You might also look for the book, "The Indian Grocery Store Demystified" by linda Bladholm.  She has written several other excellent volumes on shopping in ethnic markets.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1580631436/qid=1127418350

Brighid ni Chiarain
Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom