[Sca-cooks] OOP: Your favorite Curry Powder Recipe (was RE:Simple Indian dishes)

[Celia des Archier]

Saint Phlip shared:

<<Personally, if you don't like hot spices, I'd suggest you look at
something other than curry for flavoring. >>

That's what I used to think.  I had actually been avoiding curries because
of my first couple of experiences with them (the first time I loved the
flavor but became ill after about 3 bites... the second and third I didn't
even make it that far because the curries were too "hot"), but I'm the type
who tends to try things again and again, and I've recently had several
"curry" dishes that I enjoyed, and while one of them had a little bite
underneath (sort of like a good chili, from the cumin), neither was hot
enough to overwhelm things.  That encouraged me to research curries, and I
found out that the "hot" spices I tend to shy away from aren't actually
"required" in a curry and that most of the spices used in curries are ones
I'm familiar with and enjoy.  Two of the spices - Turmeric, which is one of
the base spices and fenugreek, which shows up a lot (and which I bought
tonight and has the smell I associate with a curry) are spices I'm
unfamiliar with, so I'm unsure of volumes. 

<<Indian folks don't use curry powder- that's a Brit invention. What
your average Indian cook does is toast the spices freshly, then mix
and match for whatever they're cooking, with different blends varying
by their culinary tradition, regional preferences, foodstuffs used,
and family/caste all being part of this.>>

I'm actually not shooting for something "authentic" as much as something
that will come close to the couple of dishes I've had (a "minced meat curry"
and a chicken tikki masala) that I enjoyed.  So resources such as the one
you shared is precisely what I'm looking for... thanks!  I'm sure it will be
very helpful.  Auntie Arwen's blend sounds pretty much where I'm trying to
go, except that I'm also not familiar with galangal.  But I may give hers a
try if I can't figure out my own blend, and see how it works out.

Beyond that I just wanted to hear other people's experiences so that I'd
know what other people enjoy and what proportions they use. 

I did buy fenugreek tonight and turmeric, and I made my first try at my own
curry powder using a couple of recipes combined and just leaving out the
peppers (but leaving in the cumin, which I do have a tolerance for.)  It
came out pretty well for a first try, but I think I will be playing with it
a little bit.  I also bought premixed Garam Masala just for the heck of it,
as it didn't feature the hot spices prominently, so I thought I'd give it a
try.  

Thanks again for sharing!
Celia