Curry Powder

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm interested in this as well. I'm Indian-American, and my entire life, no one Indian has ever used "curry powder," as found in the grocery store, in any dish - either here or family in India. I've recently found a number of British Indian recipes, and they all seem to use curry powder. It's really interesting.

After colonization the British mixed the different species that they got used to India and called it curry.

Yeah, that's true. I was just surprised that all these ethnically Indian British chefs have incorporated it into their recipes. I've used it a couple times in some restaurant-style curries and it does work well.

It's convenient. And can taste pretty good.

Even had there been no British Raj introducing curry powder to Britain and thus the rest of the world, the Indians would have eventually introduced curry powders as they modernized and busy families don't have time for extensive cooking every day. All cuisines evolve and learn and borrow from others.

This evolution doesn't seem to be that strange to me. Sometimes you make and sometimes you buy. As we all get busier we find ways to enjoy what our families like without as much labour if we are pressed for time. A pre-ground blend of spices seems palatable to me if you find one you like. If you don't have time to do it yourself and make your own blend it's better than salt and pepper.

Indian people use lots of curry powders, distinct from what is at the grocery store, and have for ages. There just isn't a generic "curry" powder and what is sold as that doesn't taste like what is in Indian kitchens. Obviously, Indian cooking is modernizing, and there are multiple Indian-American fusion cookbooks around that are great. I just did not previously know of any Indian person who used "curry" powder. As I said, it worked well when I tried it. It's just an interesting back and forth - British put together some spices and called it curry powder, but Indian people weren't using it, but now Indian British people are using it in their Indian food, along with more traditional Indian spice blends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm interested in this as well. I'm Indian-American, and my entire life, no one Indian has ever used "curry powder," as found in the grocery store, in any dish - either here or family in India. I've recently found a number of British Indian recipes, and they all seem to use curry powder. It's really interesting.

After colonization the British mixed the different species that they got used to India and called it curry.

Yeah, that's true. I was just surprised that all these ethnically Indian British chefs have incorporated it into their recipes. I've used it a couple times in some restaurant-style curries and it does work well.

It's convenient. And can taste pretty good.

Even had there been no British Raj introducing curry powder to Britain and thus the rest of the world, the Indians would have eventually introduced curry powders as they modernized and busy families don't have time for extensive cooking every day. All cuisines evolve and learn and borrow from others.

Indian people use lots of curry powders, distinct from what is at the grocery store, and have for ages. There just isn't a generic "curry" powder and what is sold as that doesn't taste like what is in Indian kitchens. Obviously, Indian cooking is modernizing, and there are multiple Indian-American fusion cookbooks around that are great. I just did not previously know of any Indian person who used "curry" powder. As I said, it worked well when I tried it. It's just an interesting back and forth - British put together some spices and called it curry powder, but Indian people weren't using it, but now Indian British people are using it in their Indian food, along with more traditional Indian spice blends.

This evolution doesn't seem to be that strange to me. Sometimes you make and sometimes you buy. As we all get busier we find ways to enjoy what our families like without as much labour if we are pressed for time. A pre-ground blend of spices seems palatable to me if you find one you like. If you don't have time to do it yourself and make your own blend it's better than salt and pepper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm interested in this as well. I'm Indian-American, and my entire life, no one Indian has ever used "curry powder," as found in the grocery store, in any dish - either here or family in India. I've recently found a number of British Indian recipes, and they all seem to use curry powder. It's really interesting.

Curry is just a spice blend. I never use a blend because I like altering the mix with different dishes, so it’s easier to just take out the spice tin and make the blend on the fly. Being stuck with a pre-mixed blend limits what I can do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm interested in this as well. I'm Indian-American, and my entire life, no one Indian has ever used "curry powder," as found in the grocery store, in any dish - either here or family in India. I've recently found a number of British Indian recipes, and they all seem to use curry powder. It's really interesting.

Curry is just a spice blend. I never use a blend because I like altering the mix with different dishes, so it’s easier to just take out the spice tin and make the blend on the fly. Being stuck with a pre-mixed blend limits what I can do.

+1. Which spices are used and how they are layered is what makes Indian dishes really sing. A blend cuts a lot of that out. Once you know this it’s unlikely that you will use a blend, but it does take the initial investment of time to learn about all the different spices and how best to use them.

[Anonymous]

People in this thread are really confusing concepts. There is "curry powder" which is what you find in the American spice aisle. That is not traditionally used in Indian dishes, although it uses a number of spices that are individually used in Indian dishes.

The general concept of spice powders is different and certainly one used in Indian dishes and do, as a PP said, make Indian dishes really sing. However, no Indian person calls that a curry powder. They have more specific names for it (e.g., garam masala, chaat masala, saambaar pudi). "Curry powder" is not a generic term for any spice blend in Indian cuisine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have never seen curry paste in the grocery store and didn’t realize it existed. I’ve only ever used curry powder

I use and love Thai curry paste (https://hot-thai-kitchen.com/curry-paste-review/ ). I generally dislike Madras curry powder as I find the fenugreek overwhelming.

I think those tiny jarred Thai curry pastes at the grocery store are disgusting. We get canned curry paste from Amazon. A world of difference. It's the real thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm interested in this as well. I'm Indian-American, and my entire life, no one Indian has ever used "curry powder," as found in the grocery store, in any dish - either here or family in India. I've recently found a number of British Indian recipes, and they all seem to use curry powder. It's really interesting.

After colonization the British mixed the different species that they got used to India and called it curry.

Yeah, that's true. I was just surprised that all these ethnically Indian British chefs have incorporated it into their recipes. I've used it a couple times in some restaurant-style curries and it does work well.

It's convenient. And can taste pretty good.

Even had there been no British Raj introducing curry powder to Britain and thus the rest of the world, the Indians would have eventually introduced curry powders as they modernized and busy families don't have time for extensive cooking every day. All cuisines evolve and learn and borrow from others.

I love you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm interested in this as well. I'm Indian-American, and my entire life, no one Indian has ever used "curry powder," as found in the grocery store, in any dish - either here or family in India. I've recently found a number of British Indian recipes, and they all seem to use curry powder. It's really interesting.

After colonization the British mixed the different species that they got used to India and called it curry.

Yeah, that's true. I was just surprised that all these ethnically Indian British chefs have incorporated it into their recipes. I've used it a couple times in some restaurant-style curries and it does work well.

It's convenient. And can taste pretty good.

Even had there been no British Raj introducing curry powder to Britain and thus the rest of the world, the Indians would have eventually introduced curry powders as they modernized and busy families don't have time for extensive cooking every day. All cuisines evolve and learn and borrow from others.

Indian people use lots of curry powders, distinct from what is at the grocery store, and have for ages. There just isn't a generic "curry" powder and what is sold as that doesn't taste like what is in Indian kitchens. Obviously, Indian cooking is modernizing, and there are multiple Indian-American fusion cookbooks around that are great. I just did not previously know of any Indian person who used "curry" powder. As I said, it worked well when I tried it. It's just an interesting back and forth - British put together some spices and called it curry powder, but Indian people weren't using it, but now Indian British people are using it in their Indian food, along with more traditional Indian spice blends.

I really like Nisha Katona, which is why I posted. (OP)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curry powder is gross. I would never use it if I had whole spices around. I prefer to blend my own spices and roast and grind it fpr different preparations.

Can you give some examples?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People in this thread are really confusing concepts. There is "curry powder" which is what you find in the American spice aisle. That is not traditionally used in Indian dishes, although it uses a number of spices that are individually used in Indian dishes.

The general concept of spice powders is different and certainly one used in Indian dishes and do, as a PP said, make Indian dishes really sing. However, no Indian person calls that a curry powder. They have more specific names for it (e.g., garam masala, chaat masala, saambaar pudi). "Curry powder" is not a generic term for any spice blend in Indian cuisine.

Thank you. Can you give some examples of dishes you make with these different types of curry? (If you go to Safeway or Giant you will indeed be able to buy "curry powder." It's an orange-tan color and has a distinct flavor.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in this thread are really confusing concepts. There is "curry powder" which is what you find in the American spice aisle. That is not traditionally used in Indian dishes, although it uses a number of spices that are individually used in Indian dishes.

The general concept of spice powders is different and certainly one used in Indian dishes and do, as a PP said, make Indian dishes really sing. However, no Indian person calls that a curry powder. They have more specific names for it (e.g., garam masala, chaat masala, saambaar pudi). "Curry powder" is not a generic term for any spice blend in Indian cuisine.

Thank you. Can you give some examples of dishes you make with these different types of curry? (If you go to Safeway or Giant you will indeed be able to buy "curry powder." It's an orange-tan color and has a distinct flavor.)

I don’t think you’re following the PP. Curry is english word for a stewed/sauce dish. To make Indian dishes you use a variety of spices. These dishes all have their own name, but are not called a “curry” in India. Brits/Americans created a combo spice powder containing many of the common spices used to make Indian dishes. They named this combo spice, curry powder. But using curry powder is not synonymous with making a traditional Indian dish.

Following a native recipe would call for the usage of the individual spices. You can definitely find many recipes for non-Traditional versions of Indian dishes that will call for “curry powder” because authors have adapted recipes to fit the Rachel Ray 30-minute meal crowd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in this thread are really confusing concepts. There is "curry powder" which is what you find in the American spice aisle. That is not traditionally used in Indian dishes, although it uses a number of spices that are individually used in Indian dishes.

The general concept of spice powders is different and certainly one used in Indian dishes and do, as a PP said, make Indian dishes really sing. However, no Indian person calls that a curry powder. They have more specific names for it (e.g., garam masala, chaat masala, saambaar pudi). "Curry powder" is not a generic term for any spice blend in Indian cuisine.

Thank you. Can you give some examples of dishes you make with these different types of curry? (If you go to Safeway or Giant you will indeed be able to buy "curry powder." It's an orange-tan color and has a distinct flavor.)

I don’t think you’re following the PP. Curry is english word for a stewed/sauce dish. To make Indian dishes you use a variety of spices. These dishes all have their own name, but are not called a “curry” in India. Brits/Americans created a combo spice powder containing many of the common spices used to make Indian dishes. They named this combo spice, curry powder. But using curry powder is not synonymous with making a traditional Indian dish.

Following a native recipe would call for the usage of the individual spices. You can definitely find many recipes for non-Traditional versions of Indian dishes that will call for “curry powder” because authors have adapted recipes to fit the Rachel Ray 30-minute meal crowd.

The PP listed several different names of curry. I'm asking for examples of what they make with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in this thread are really confusing concepts. There is "curry powder" which is what you find in the American spice aisle. That is not traditionally used in Indian dishes, although it uses a number of spices that are individually used in Indian dishes.

The general concept of spice powders is different and certainly one used in Indian dishes and do, as a PP said, make Indian dishes really sing. However, no Indian person calls that a curry powder. They have more specific names for it (e.g., garam masala, chaat masala, saambaar pudi). "Curry powder" is not a generic term for any spice blend in Indian cuisine.

Thank you. Can you give some examples of dishes you make with these different types of curry? (If you go to Safeway or Giant you will indeed be able to buy "curry powder." It's an orange-tan color and has a distinct flavor.)

I don’t think you’re following the PP. Curry is english word for a stewed/sauce dish. To make Indian dishes you use a variety of spices. These dishes all have their own name, but are not called a “curry” in India. Brits/Americans created a combo spice powder containing many of the common spices used to make Indian dishes. They named this combo spice, curry powder. But using curry powder is not synonymous with making a traditional Indian dish.

Following a native recipe would call for the usage of the individual spices. You can definitely find many recipes for non-Traditional versions of Indian dishes that will call for “curry powder” because authors have adapted recipes to fit the Rachel Ray 30-minute meal crowd.

The PP listed several different names of curry. I'm asking for examples of what they make with them.

It would take an encyclopedia to describe what we do with all the different types of Indian masala blends (“curry powders”). If you want to use the supermarket curry powder try something like this:
https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-curry/#h-what-you-need-for-everyday-chicken-curry

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in this thread are really confusing concepts. There is "curry powder" which is what you find in the American spice aisle. That is not traditionally used in Indian dishes, although it uses a number of spices that are individually used in Indian dishes.

The general concept of spice powders is different and certainly one used in Indian dishes and do, as a PP said, make Indian dishes really sing. However, no Indian person calls that a curry powder. They have more specific names for it (e.g., garam masala, chaat masala, saambaar pudi). "Curry powder" is not a generic term for any spice blend in Indian cuisine.

Thank you. Can you give some examples of dishes you make with these different types of curry? (If you go to Safeway or Giant you will indeed be able to buy "curry powder." It's an orange-tan color and has a distinct flavor.)

I don’t think you’re following the PP. Curry is english word for a stewed/sauce dish. To make Indian dishes you use a variety of spices. These dishes all have their own name, but are not called a “curry” in India. Brits/Americans created a combo spice powder containing many of the common spices used to make Indian dishes. They named this combo spice, curry powder. But using curry powder is not synonymous with making a traditional Indian dish.

Following a native recipe would call for the usage of the individual spices. You can definitely find many recipes for non-Traditional versions of Indian dishes that will call for “curry powder” because authors have adapted recipes to fit the Rachel Ray 30-minute meal crowd.

The PP listed several different names of curry. I'm asking for examples of what they make with them.

It would take an encyclopedia to describe what we do with all the different types of Indian masala blends (“curry powders”). If you want to use the supermarket curry powder try something like this:
https://www.recipetineats.com/chicken-curry/#h-what-you-need-for-everyday-chicken-curry

Who's "we"? You must be cooking for an army. I asked for examples from real cooks about how to use curry powder blends. If you don't use them them please step out of the way or contribute some suggestions for how you do it instead.