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

[Saint Phlip]

Personally, if you don't like hot spices, I'd suggest you look at
something other than curry for flavoring. Go ahead and experiment with
the spices you like, and come up with something you like- no reason
you need to call it curry, any more than you need to eat a hamburger
and try to justify it in terms of bits and pieces of medieval recipes
taken out of context to pretend you're eating medieval food. Make your
spice blend, or eat your hamburger, enjoy it and be done with it.

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.

OTOH, I have run across a "curry" powder with no heat that is very
good. Some years ago, Master El of the Two Knives inspired a curry
powder with no heat, and Auntie Arwen decided to compound it and
Market it at Pennsic, and other events where she sells.

This is from her website:

http://www.auntiearwenspices.com/detail.php?prod_id=404

Name:  Two Knives Special Curry Blend
Form:  Blend
Size:  110 ml jar
Price: $  5.00
Ethnicity:  Indian / Pakistani
Category[1]: Curries, Masalas, & Vindaloos
Category[2]: Salt-Free Blends
Type:  Custom Blend
Shipping Weight:  0.41

Ingredients:[turmeric, coriander, foenugreek, cinnamon, cumin,
galangal, ginger, green cardamom, saffron, cloves]

Description:Once upon a time, an old friend asked me to design a
hearty, aromatic curry blend that wasn't too hot for him. This is the
result. It has rapidly turned into one of my favorite blends; you
should taste leftover chicken curried in this!

Recipe:Here's my recipe: put about 3 tbsp of Decent olive oil in a
heavy-bottomed deep skillet, and then add one coarsly-chopped medium
onion. Stir so that it doesn't burn; when the onion is transparent
(but not brown), toss a tablespoon of this blend into the hot oil.
Cook (while stirring) for about a half second; then add a cup of
chicken broth, any leftover chicken gravy, and diced leftover chicken
meat. Stir to coat the meat with the curry oil, and then scatter a
cored, coarsely-chopped apple on top. Cover and simmer. Serve with
steamed rice (Basmati, if you can get it), a green veggie, and some
Major Grey mango chutney on the side. I tell you, this is one
delicious curry!

Hope this helps a bit- noodling through the rest of her site might
give you some other ideas.

On 11/18/06, Celia des Archier <celiadesarchier at cox.net> wrote:
> Speaking of Indian food (or not ;-) since it's apparently a British addition
> to Indian food.) I've learned that I *do* like many curries, where I
> originally had problems with curry the first few times I had it (it actually
> made me ill), and I'm trying to learn to make my own curry.  I've been doing
> research and find that it's a combination of spices, up to as many as 30
> different spices, and it now makes sense why I love some curry and hate
> others, so I've decided to try and make my own.  I do not tolerate *hot*
> anything, so I'll be leaving out peppers and such (I may add some mild chili
> powder, but haven't decided), but love coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger,
> mace, and a whole range of other spices on the list(s) of spices commonly
> used (have never used tumeric  before, so I'll have to see about that one,
> and I've never used fenugreek, but I've had food which contained it.)
>
> Now, I *know* that there are some cooks on this list who make their own
> curry powder (and probably their own garam masala as well), so I thought I'd
> ask folks to share their favorite curry powder recipes, so I'd have some
> places to start from... or what you might recommend by way of proportions
> for someone who enjoys the sweet spices more than the hot spices.
>
> Celia

-- 
Saint Phlip, who likes things hotter than Hel just like any good
blacksmith does...

Heat it up
Hit it hard
Repent as necessary.

Has anyone seen my temper?
I seem to have misplaced it at Stalag XXXV....