Discussions about 'curry'

[Yorky]

Being from a rural area, curry was a bottle of dried up yellow powder in my mother's spice rack that never got used..Then, when I moved out I started to actually experiment with it..now, I never use a "curry powder" although I still see recipes that call for it specifically. I guess I could make my own but most dishes I make are with the individual, assorted spices and herbs that go into it, so it would probably sit there and become a bottle of dried up yellow powder in my spice cupboard..

My basic "curry powder" recipe is turmeric, coriander, cumin and dried red chillis ground to a fine powder.

To that I may add other spices and/or alter the proportions for different flavours.

 

[Rocklobster]

I’ve often though that I should make a curry powder for fun as I am constantly making other kinds of blends. But, I just don’t see the point, as every different Indian dish I normally prepare has it’s own variation and combinations of spices. They would all start to taste the same.

 

[TastyReuben]

An interesting side conversation springing from this (possible new topic? Not sure, we’ll see):

It’s been mentioned that “curry” is such a broad variety of dishes/flavors, that’s it’s difficult to say something like, “I don’t like curry!”

With something that is so broad, at what point can a person say they don’t like a particular style or even an entire cuisine and not be challenged?

I want to be clear: in no way am I saying that in a argumentative way. It’s a somewhat subtle change in tone that’s hard to impart over a forum, so just trust me.

With all this variety, a person can’t truly be expected to try every single permutation of every single ingredient or spice blend or version of a dish - there just isn’t enough time to do so, even with dishes that are fairly decided upon in a basic for (such as what’s being discussed in the macaroni and cheese topic).

So…if there’s something you’ve decided that you don’t like, how much sampling of its variations was sufficient for you to make that determination? Or, do you try and never make that determination, always holding out hope that there’s that one Indian dish (or whatever thing it may be) that you just haven’t tried yet that you’ll stumble upon and enjoy?

Hopefully, that’s a clear enough question.

 

[karadekoolaid]

Like Yorky, I was brought up on "Curry Inn" curries. A quick fix on a Saturday night after a skinful with the lads.
In 1977, my girlfriend bought me a book called "Indian Vegetarian Cookery", by Jack Santa Maria. Still got it - but that changed my perspective of "Curries" for ever. It was then that it dawned on me that Indian food was nothing to do with Korma, Madras and Vindaloo, or Jalfrezi or Dhansak.
I haven´t used curry powder for about 40 years. I make my own, BUT, I sell it to others. My Indian food uses individual spices every single time, in multiple combinations. Sometimes it´s only 2 or 3 , sometimes it can be as many as 10 or 12.
The only "ready made" mixtures I prepare and use are :
Garam Masala
Panch Puran
Sambhar powder
Bese Bele powder
It´s a real shame that Indian food is described as "Curry"; in the same sense as Mexican food is supposedly tacos and burritos, Italian is all pizza and pasta, Chinese is chow mein and chop suey and Japanese is sushi and Terry Yaki.
I can perfectly understand why CD doesn´t like Indian spices. A lot of people don´t like them, and hey, everyone´s entitled to like and dislike what they want! I don´t like French Food; my bro (who was a career chef) doesn´t like pizza

 

[NailBat]

It´s a real shame that Indian food is described as "Curry"; in the same sense as Mexican food is supposedly tacos and burritos, Italian is all pizza and pasta, Chinese is chow mein and chop suey and Japanese is sushi and Terry Yaki.

I've said this before, but there's two versions of every world cuisine. There's the version you get at restaurants named after the region, and then there's the food actually eaten in that part of the world.

The former is easy to understand, widely understood, and easy to copy. Go into any Mexican restaurant in America, and you know you're getting tacos, burritos, and nachoes. But the food actually eaten in the world is complex, changes from place to place, person to person, and time to time. It doesn't fit into neat little easy identified categories. How can you possibly distill the eating habits of an entire country? You can't, and that's why mexican food is tacos, Italian food is pasta, etc etc etc.

 

[Rocklobster]

I think I like all world cuisines. Or, at least am willing to try. . It’s usually ingredients like offal, larvae, and/or certain vegetables, I tend to dislike. I would eat something like chicken a thousand ways, but never eat lung no matter how you cooked it. (Well, I would to be courteous )

 

[Yorky]

I think I like all world cuisines.

I am 90% the same. However, back in 90s we were treated to "Mediterranean" cuisine at a "classy" restaurant in Chester. It wasn't that I didn't like it, to me it was tasteless. Maybe I ordered the wrong dish or maybe the restaurant wasn't as "classy" as it was made out to be.

 

[caseydog]

That's interesting because you say 'blends'. There are dozens and dozens of spices used in Indian cooking. Some dishes will only use one or two (and one of those might be fresh chillies). In fact, India is such a huge country with different cuisines in different regions, that almost any spice you can think of will be used in some shape or form. There are a few I can think of which aren't (to my knowledge) used such as achiote but almost any spice is used somewhere.

So I suppose I'm asking if it is literally all spices which disagree with you?

I didn't mean "blends" that literally. More like, "spices used in Indian cuisine." At least all the Indian cuisine I have eaten.

As for spices in general, there are ones from all over the world that I like, and the same is true for one's I dislike. The ones I dislike do often tend to turn up in a certain style of cooking.

CD

 

[caseydog]

My basic "curry powder" recipe is turmeric, coriander, cumin and dried red chillis ground to a fine powder.

View attachment 84670

To that I may add other spices and/or alter the proportions for different flavours.

Right there I see two spices that would bother me if used in anything more than small amounts... turmeric and cumin. I don't use turmeric at all at home, and use cumin (AKA: comino in Mexico and Texas) sparingly in my Texican cooking.

CD

 

[caseydog]

An interesting side conversation springing from this (possible new topic? Not sure, we’ll see):

It’s been mentioned that “curry” is such a broad variety of dishes/flavors, that’s it’s difficult to say something like, “I don’t like curry!”

With something that is so broad, at what point can a person say they don’t like a particular style or even an entire cuisine and not be challenged?

I want to be clear: in no way am I saying that in a argumentative way. It’s a somewhat subtle change in tone that’s hard to impart over a forum, so just trust me.

With all this variety, a person can’t truly be expected to try every single permutation of every single ingredient or spice blend or version of a dish - there just isn’t enough time to do so, even with dishes that are fairly decided upon in a basic for (such as what’s being discussed in the macaroni and cheese topic).

So…if there’s something you’ve decided that you don’t like, how much sampling of its variations was sufficient for you to make that determination? Or, do you try and never make that determination, always holding out hope that there’s that one Indian dish (or whatever thing it may be) that you just haven’t tried yet that you’ll stumble upon and enjoy?

Hopefully, that’s a clear enough question.

Oh yeah?!!! Meet me in the tall grass. We got bidness to handle.

Actually, I understand exactly what you mean. The only way I can say for sure that I don't like Indian food in general, or curries in particular, is if I go to a different Indian restaurant every day, and buy plane tickets to India. That would be unreasonable.

In the case of Indian food and sushi, for me, after my family and friends took me to a half dozen places to eat them, and I didn't find anything I really liked, I kind of gave up on it. And, I still have people tell me," Oh, you just haven't had the good stuff."

CD

 

[caseydog]

I am 90% the same. However, back in 90s we were treated to "Mediterranean" cuisine at a "classy" restaurant in Chester. It wasn't that I didn't like it, to me it was tasteless. Maybe I ordered the wrong dish or maybe the restaurant wasn't as "classy" as it was made out to be.

Now, I would classify you as a "pepperhead." Does your love for hot peppers guide your tastes in different cuisines?

CD

 

[Yorky]

Now, I would classify you as a "pepperhead." Does your love for hot peppers guide your tastes in different cuisines?

CD

I do love chilli peppers and the quantities that I add to dishes has increased over the years even more so since I came to Asia. However, I don't put chillis in everything. They have their place. I wouldn't add any form of spicy heat to a stew, for example, and I do not like spicy sausages. I may eat a few spicy pickled onions with fish and chips or bubble and squeak.

I don't know if you've ever eaten in Norway but their food also tastes pretty bland to me, although I haven't sampled reindeer.

 

[caseydog]

I do love chilli peppers and the quantities that I add to dishes has increased over the years even more so since I came to Asia. However, I don't put chillis in everything. They have their place. I wouldn't add any form of spicy heat to a stew, for example, and I do not like spicy sausages. I may eat a few spicy pickled onions with fish and chips or bubble and squeak.

I don't know if you've ever eaten in Norway but their food also tastes pretty bland to me, although I haven't sampled reindeer.

Going back to your reference to that Mediterranean restaurant, I had a next-door-neighbor for about ten years who was Persian. He introduced me to a lot of Middle-Eastern foods. Some, I loved, some I hated. Some seemed to have very little flavor. It wasn't a matter of no heat, it was just that they were bland. So, I think I know what you are saying.

CD

 

[Mountain Cat]

I won’t be making two batches. We don’t do that in this house.

I will make two batches of things if doing so is not too complicated. Dad always had his separate batch of "Five Alarm Chili" while the rest of us liked "Two, perhaps Three Alarm". Then, there are the cases when other people can make their own dish - when I had housemates and I wanted lamb, or tongue, or seafood - they made something else. Mom had done that with a few of Dad's dishes. Sides might thereby be shared in common. But in their case, both parents loved to cook.

My brother learned to cook because he couldn't stand his first wife's "cooking". I suspect when he started cooking, she didn't enjoy all of it, either. (Her idea of a dinner - a can of Chef Boy-ar-Dee in the microwave. She was a stay at home mom who'd rather do laundry excessively than cook. Towels were laundered Every Day, no matter what...)

An interesting side conversation springing from this (possible new topic? Not sure, we’ll see):

It’s been mentioned that “curry” is such a broad variety of dishes/flavors, that’s it’s difficult to say something like, “I don’t like curry!”

With something that is so broad, at what point can a person say they don’t like a particular style or even an entire cuisine and not be challenged?

I want to be clear: in no way am I saying that in a argumentative way. It’s a somewhat subtle change in tone that’s hard to impart over a forum, so just trust me.

With all this variety, a person can’t truly be expected to try every single permutation of every single ingredient or spice blend or version of a dish - there just isn’t enough time to do so, even with dishes that are fairly decided upon in a basic for (such as what’s being discussed in the macaroni and cheese topic).

So…if there’s something you’ve decided that you don’t like, how much sampling of its variations was sufficient for you to make that determination? Or, do you try and never make that determination, always holding out hope that there’s that one Indian dish (or whatever thing it may be) that you just haven’t tried yet that you’ll stumble upon and enjoy?

Hopefully, that’s a clear enough question.

TR, I agree with the perspective behind this question, but the fact is that India is an extremely large continent with cuisines in the south that bear no resemblance to cuisines in the north. It would be like saying one disliked American cuisne and won't try Boston baked beans due to an aversion to jambalaya from New Orleans.

 

[vernplum]

If anybody has any time or desire, I recommend this series by Rick Stein..He travels India in search of the perfect curry..it explains a lot about the origins of curry and the different spices and traditions used in making them throughout the vastly different regions of India..there are six, one hour episodes on Daily Motion..I have watched them all more than once..He also has a book of the same name that I bought and love to use..good stuff..

View: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2tb7ju

I've watched that series and have the book (I've even cooked one or two of the recipes!). I love Rick Stein - I know he's not to everyone's tastes, but I just find it relaxing to watch him in situ round the world just being himself. I'd love to eat in one of his restaurants - haven't had the chance so far..