Do you hurry for Curry?
By Dr. Ann
@drannhh (15219)
United States
May 10, 2008 3:06pm CST
Growing up in the midwestern USA at a time when most people did not used many spices in their cooking, we really only had access to a few flavorings--black pepper, the then ubiquitous celery salt, bland paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg, and something with sage in it that they called poultry seasoning...and curry powder.
Hubby was much more of a herb and spice person than I was when we first married, but curry was one herb he simply did not do. So I got out of the habit of using it, finding it easier to just make and eat whatever he wanted. Recently, however, he has become more adventurous, so I decided to try again.
Guess what? There was not a single store in our little desert town that carried curry! We went to Safeway, Smith's, Wal-Mart, and, of course, all the dollars stores. Nothing! I considered ordering some online, but as we were going to be in San Francisco Bay area, which is much more cosmopolitan, I waited to buy some here. First we went to the 99 Cents Only store and bingo. Theirs is delicious. Hubby even liked it. He ate some and asked for more. Then we bought a bottle at Whole Foods, but that did not taste as good.
Do you like curry? If not why not, and if you do, how do you use it? I am most familiar with putting it in or on rice dishes. However, I mistakenly though you had to cook it in the dish. Dunno why. I could have been making rice hubby's way and then sprinkling curry powder on mine after it was on the plate all these years. Duh!!
I also could have made my own:
http://tumerica.blogspot.com/2005/11/you-can-make-your-own-curry-powderand.html
Do you make your own? I can learn something here from my myLot friends!
7 people like this
12 responses
@meiteoh (416)
• Switzerland
10 May 08
I LOVE curry but in Malaysia, curry carries a different meaning altogether - it's made with fresh ingredients like chilli, onions, tumeric, galangal, lemongrass, and garlic as well as a few other stuff (can't remember off the top of my head) - you blend all this together in a paste and then fry it, add meat and coconut milk, let it simmer and after an hour, it's ready to eat with rice as well as other stuff.
Later on when my in-laws (my hubby is French) cooked up curry (and I moved to Switzerland), well, the curries taste more like tumeric ALONE and that was when I realized that this is what Europeans mean by curry. When I cooked the curry that I'm used to, everyone found it too spicy... :S
Have you considered checking out Chinatown or any Asian or Indian stores? They do stock curry powders and such...
4 people like this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
10 May 08
Sounds wonderful. I love coconut milk. Turmeric is not enough! But I have never had Asian curry, only Indian.
I sure did consider checking out Asian stores, but guess what? At our winter home, there are none for over a hundred miles. Here we do have them, though, I will stock up before we return in the fall and definitely take some back to enjoy the rest of the year. Thanks much for your nice response.
2 people like this
@zweeb82 (5653)
• Malaysia
11 May 08
Hey Mei, have you heard of A1 ( Action One ) curry? It comes in a packet which cost only around RM3 for a pack. You just dump everything in & just heat it up, it's that easy & it's so nice. Oh, I'm Malaysian too
& I do agree with the spicy part - taht's the best part, yummy!~
& I do agree with the spicy part - taht's the best part, yummy!~2 people like this
@meiteoh (416)
• Switzerland
11 May 08
Drannh, what I do is if I do see one, I check out what they store and I buy as much as I can. There is a Hong Kong store here in Neuchatel but I still prefer the curry mixes that I get from home (Malaysia) so I either get my mum to help buy me some and carry it here when she visits or I stock up when I go back.
Zweeb, I have heard of this brand but I prefer Babas OR the curry mix I get from the morning market near my house in Petaling Jaya.
2 people like this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
11 May 08
I usually put some kind of meat in the rice, but I never had meat alone with the curry and in truth I have never had Asian Curry. The next time we go to a Chinese Restaurant I will look for it on the menu because it will be easier to make it at home if I know exactly how it is supposed to look and taste.
Welcome to myLot!
@lexus54 (3572)
• Singapore
12 May 08
You can try going to the Chinese Restaurants where you live to order curry dish, but you can never get the authentic curry the way it is supposed to taste unless you hop over to South-East Asia, in countries like Malaysia, Singapore or Indonesia. You can also get Indian curry in these places - the curry is spicier because the Indian type of curry powder contain more varieties of spices I believe. Curry is also eaten in Thailand, but theirs is the green curry which is not so spicy.
@robert19ph (4577)
• Philippines
10 May 08
Sorry drannhh, but I can't be much of help here. I love chicken curry. I don't know how to cooked it but it like it. It has chicken, potatoes and red pepper. I think it's simple to cook. You might want to try and look at it at the internet, for sure there are a lot of recipes about curry. Curry originated in India where they like spicy food. Have a good day.
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
10 May 08
I took your advice and found this really interesting article:
http://www.menumagazine.co.uk/book/curryhistory.html
They say there, though, that the first curry may have come from Western Asia instead of India. Wait a minute, I thought India was in West Asia. Back to the atlas, lol.
1 person likes this
@amirev777 (4117)
• India
11 May 08
Hi!
i m from Goa in India and our staple diet is fish curry-rice,we have curry daily-we cant do without it-we use lot of spices-but the type and quantity varies from place to place.newayz i found out that all the spices that we use have some medicinal properties or other besides anti oxidant properties-hence there is nothing bad with moderate spicy food.
2 people like this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
11 May 08
We like highly spiced foods agree there is nothing wrong with moderately spicy food either. Some of the seasonings that we consider quite mild seem hot to some of our friends. We like both hot spices such as Jalapeno and Habanero peppers as well as the sweet spices such as cardamom.
Yes, turmeric is one of the many spices with medicinal properties. I also love fennugreek.
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
11 May 08
Don't care for curry but LOVE the Dollar stores! As I was reading your post I was going to comment to try looking at the dollar stores as I know the one I go to has curry power and check Walgreens as they always have it 99ยข and often 2/$1.00. Glad you found it!
2 people like this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
11 May 08
Walgreens? Holy Cow! I sure didn't think to look there! After we left, I realized we should have looked at Smart & Final as they have a lot of herbs, but the packages are rather large and I need to decide which kind I like best. So far it is the 99 cent only one, but none of our other dollar stores had it, or fennel either! We will definitely check Walgreens!
1 person likes this
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
11 May 08
I'm not a huge curry fan and don't use it very often. It seems so weird that nobody sells it near where you live - we have tons of places here that sell it because I do see it quite a bit even when I'm not looking for it. I guess that's the trade-off for small town life though. Where I am now used to be that way but over the past 20 years they've built so many housing plans and shopping centers it's hard to escape it!
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
11 May 08
Our shopping opportunities are increasing at a rapid rate, too, since we have many new people moving into the area every month. In fact the size of our little town has doubled in the last few years and now we have a SuperWal-Mart, Lowe's Hardware and just recently a Target. But CoffeeBreak said that Walgreen's carries the cury powder, and that we have not tried yet. Just in case, though, we are buying up a few packages of the powder here and taking it back.
@GardenGerty (161221)
• United States
12 May 08
I do not make curry. I am not aware that I have eaten it much, either. A few years back, however, after learning the health benefits of tumeric, I began using it quite a bit. I understand that that is one of the basic ingredients in most curry powders. What else is in it? Cumin, perhaps? I know that when I make homemade hummus I use both tumeric and cumin, and it would be simpler to just use a curry powder. I think I am getting hungry for hummus. I shall have to try curry.
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
12 May 08
Yes, I think curry powder would be very good in hummus. I will add some next time I put chick peas in the Magic Bullet. The fact that nice and healthy turmeric is one of the spices used in curry powder was what helped me persuade hubby to try it again. Yes, for the Indian kind I understand cumin is one of the ingredients and coriander seeds, mustard seeds, fennugreek, ginger, and red chili peppers, although that will vary from one region to another and according to taste, presumably. I have heard of putting cardamom in it, too. Cardamom is the spice that gives Chai its distinctive taste.
Unknown to most western cooks, though, there is actually a curry tree, the leaves of which are used in curry:
http://www.asiafood.org/glossary_2.cfm?wordid=3260
I love the Sri Lanka name for this plant: karapincha
Do you remember when the cookbooks used to use cumin seed and coriander interchangeably? It was not, in fact, until I first visited Mexico that I learned they are not the same. Of course, coriander seed are round and cumin seeds look more like fennel, but at one time is was a little hard to find cumin seed in some areas of the US, so many of the "experts" were confused.
@coffeeshot (3783)
• Australia
3 Jun 08
Mmmm..curry. I think you're talking about curry powder which is great for making dishes like curried prawns and curried sausages (plus a myriad of other recipes).
Personally, I like to buy premade curry sauces in the jar to make Indian chicken or beef curries with. I could eat takeaway Indian every day of the week!
It is really weird that youc ouldn't find curry powder anywhere in your town! It's not as though it's a rare spice or anything... I suggest you stock up whenever you visit out of town, unless you want to make your own! It's not that expensive, I'd just buy some personally.
I love the flavour of all curry, it's so warm and tasty!
1 person likes this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
3 Jun 08
Well, as the young lady in a popular Disney movie said, "It is a small provincial town"--lol--but yes we are in the San Francisco Bay area again for the summer and here it is widely available. In fact I found very good tasting curry powder at a dollar store here and did indeed stock up!
I cannot buy and use the sauces in a jar because hubby does not like it as much as I do, so I know it is a poor substitute but I just season my own food with that afterwards. He puts jalapeno/tomatillo sauce on all of his food.
@aseretdd (13730)
• Philippines
12 May 08
Curry is quite yummy... but i can't eat it like 2 or 3 days in a row... i don't like spicy food that much... but i welcome a chicken curry once in a while... it is strange that the curry powder is not that accessible in your area... since it is quite a popular seasoning... we have it in almost all grocery stores...
I never though of adding curry powde to my rice... i might just experiment... try chicken curry... it is very delicious...
1 person likes this
@joshua_w (501)
• Malaysia
13 May 08
Hey, it is quite rare for a person from your country to like spicy food such as curry.
As you would have guessed, we Asians and especially in my country, practically grow up on this dish. We have so many varieties here. From dry curry to dishes with curry sauce, there are so many food here that uses curry as a base.
As you know, the curry powder that came in packets consists of a variety of spices like chillies, peppercorns, coriander, cinnamon, blended in different amounts.
My favourite has to be my mum's very 'moist' chicken curry that uses generous amount of coconut milk. I used to add it to my rice until it "floods", so to speak, haha. Too bad she doesn't make those in ages.
Anyway, enough of my blabber. Here are two recipes for you to try. I'd source it from a local newspaper.
Please visit this link for the recipes: http://kuali.com/articles/review.asp?file=wolfgang/2007/4/11/365spice&sec=wolfgang
Hope you like them. Ciao.
1 person likes this
@joshua_w (501)
• Malaysia
15 May 08
Hmm Drannhh, i have not heard of apples in curry either. Would it not taste strange?
I think he could meant that cooks in Asia never buy those curry powder that is packaged in a can or jar, preferring to make their own which was then stored in a jar itself.
But you do have your point in saying that new packaging technology has made buying fresh curry powder a convenience. For the busy working people, it is really a convenience we take for granted. And most of the packets are fresh too, at least that's the case here.
Fresh ginger in my country is quite cheap. Never heard of Mexican Chicken Mole but it's akin to chicken curry right? Only the sauce is different perhaps? Peanut butter and chocolate, and bananas too in the sauce? Wow, can't imagine the taste, haha. But i'm no curry connoisseur.
1 person likes this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
15 May 08
I grew some ginger in a flower pot last winter. It was delicious and made a fun houseplant up to the point of harvest. Well, Wolfgang Puck said he cooked apples and onions together and then added the curry powder and used that for curry chicken and that his guests "ate it up" but that was in Austria, and now he does it differently.
I'm sure anything that Mr. Puck cooked was delicious, however.
1 person likes this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
13 May 08
Thanks for those recipes! Despite being a westerner, I never heard of apples in the curry! I like Wolfgang Puck and can identify with some of what he says. There is a little blip on his logic radar, however, when he combines statement about the necessity to grind your own powder with the remark that the newly ground spices will stay fresh "stored in an airtight jar in your pantry." With our modern practice of manufacturers dating the products and with new packaging techniques, I cannot quite see why it would not be possible to buy the spices pre-ground and still have them fresh and tasty. But maybe that is just a matter of time.
The paste, on the other hand, would seem to be something that has to be made fresh! Fresh ginger is expensive in our local stores, so even with the gas prices high, we saved money yesterday by driving a few towns over to shop at a store where they sell 2 or 3 huge roots for $1 USD. The only ingredient I forgot to buy was the coriander seeds! But those, I think we can get anywhere.
Have you ever had Mexican Chicken Mole? Here are a couple of mole links, the first having nice photos:
http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/moles.asp
http://www.restmex.com/recipes/0405.shtml
Although quite different from the gravies we have been discussion here, in fact, I think the world curry does pretty much mean gravy, and mole is the most curry-like gravy indigenous to my continent, with some of the same spices used, but also with peanut butter and chocolate and pecans and even banana added.
1 person likes this
@zed_k4 (17589)
• Singapore
13 May 08
I love curries very much, and that's awesome that you love it too. There is nothing amazing and delicious than a home-made curry and a spicy one at that. I think all things considered, I love chicken curry and fish-head curry the most. Of course, I don't know how to make them; only my mom and it will be a criteria for my wife-to-be to know how to cook these dishes, LOL.
1 person likes this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
13 May 08
I guess that would be a criteria, lol. Especially the fish head curry. That sounds really good! When I first had my then future husband over for dinner, I didn't know that what I was making for him was going to turn out to be his favorite food--it was a home made pizza long ago before they had pizza parlours in the region where we lived. Although the first pizza places in the US were opened in New York around 1900, none existed in the Chicago area until a little before 1950 and they were not be found out in the countryside for another 10 years after that.
I didn't know that he had worked in New York for a while and eaten it there, but when I baked it for him, he thought that I was quite Cosmopolitan.
