The curry secrets, part 1

A curry prepared in a proper way is one of the most exhilarating culinary experiences around. With its rich colors and a literal poetry of numerous spices no wonder some people talk about the danger of developing a strong addiction to curries. Although you can find them in various Asian cuisines curry originates from India.

There are three really important secrets to a beautiful curry: the spices (curry powder or as Indians call it a masala) btw. as you see there are quite some differences in naming curry and its ingredients between India and the West obviously connected with colonialism, but that is another story) The cooking time and the maturing a curry and believe it or not tomatoes.

Curry powder

Basically curry is vegetables and/or meat cooked with a selected mixture of spices (in some curryes you can find even more than ten) therefore it is logical that spices are the most important thing. You can either buy an already prepared mixture or buy separate spices and make it or you own which is the harder but also the superior option. More on making your own curry powder is coming soon in one of the next parts for starters let’s stay on some tips on the bought ones.Depending on the main ingredients you want to use there are different already made curry powders (for example fish curry powder, vegatable curry powder, chicken curry powder etc.). Of course nobody is going to die from using vegetable curry powder with let’s say lamb but still for optimum results it is best to use a spice mix suited for the ingredients you are using.

Another important thing with the curry powder is its origin. The generic curry powders in western supermarkets it is best to avoid unless you want to make a pathetic excuse of a curry. If you decide on buying an already mixed curry powder try to get it from a specialized Asian/Indian proprietor that are not so hard to find even on the West.

Get your spices directly from the East

Because even them you can’t always trust the best way is to get them directly from the East. If you travel around India be sure to get a good stack of them, the one the locals buy of course. Or get your friends to get them for you. Another very good option is to have an reliable connection back East that can send you the real stuff. We are lucky to have a Pakistani friend getting the best Pakistani hot curries for us.

Next time more on the cooking process itself and perhaps also something on the tomato mystery in curries.