Made Indian food—house and clothes smell like curry now

[Anonymous]

Run the overhead exhaust while you're sautéing the onions, garlic, and spices. Using an Intsapot make actually make the smell more potent than if you just took on the stovetop. I find the Instapot makes everything (enchilada sauce, ginger) smell more strongly. It might be the steam seeping out and traveling more easily given that it's a fine steam.

Then just keep a window ajar and change clothes.

[Anonymous]

When I make Thai curry, it isn't as strong. Maybe they don't cook it the whole day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think if Indian people are saying it's offensive, we need to take their word for it and find another way to state things. Why is this so hard?

That's been been my "go to" and it's worked out well so far -- if someone says they find a word or term offensive, I don't try to tell them why they shouldn't be offended, I just don't say it.

Thank you. I’m not one of the Indian PPs but SM of Pakistani descent and it is extremely offensive. Try being made fun of as a kid for “smelling like curry”. Also BTW I have no idea what spice “curry” is either.

[Anonymous]

*am, not SM

[Anonymous]

NP but seriously, you guys, there's a difference between someone saying "it smells like curry" which is offensive and "I made a curry" which is a term some people use when referring to a dish cooked in a rich sauce.

Several people have explained on this thread, yet people keep referring to the smell of curry. There's no such thing.

Furthermore, I'm from a region in India where very few dishes have that rich sauce and yeah, to refer to the food I make as "a curry" is inaccurate and offensive.

[Anonymous]

I made Tikka Masala 4 days ago, without a problem, yesterday I too made butter chicken and you can smell it all the way through the house. I don't mind it at all but I know it doesn't appeal to everyone, and it can drown out other cooking smells. I've found boiling lemons and vinegar helps a lot, also baking cookies helps. Airing out the room doesn't help with butter chicken for some reason, it's probably oil based.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I made Butter Chicken in my Instant Pot. Came out great! But now my house, my clothes, my hair smells like curry. How do I get the smell out. I even changed my clothes and I still smell it.

I mean, what do you do when you cook onions or garlic or another strong smelling food? Open the windows and air your house out. Put your clothes in the laundry and if you have long hair, take a shower and wash your hair or spray some perfume. It's not hard.

Nailed it. OP is trolling.

[Anonymous]

I don't do Indian restaurants for this reason , though I must add the food isn't really appealing to me . But, the overpowering smell of the spice(s) is something I find repulsive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Using "curry" to describe Indian food is offensive, FYI.

Don’t bother. There were several posts yesterday that stated it’s a common slur but they were deleted. I even sent a comment over with the report button about the posters that were offended were getting deleted but apparently that’s how it works here.

Maybe he thinks we’re ‘too sensitive’. Whatever. Pretty much every Indian kid growing up in America has had to deal with “smell like curry” comments, and it’s hurtful.

If smell like curry is the main problem Indian kids have ha d to deal with growing up in America, then consider yourself lucky .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't do Indian restaurants for this reason , though I must add the food isn't really appealing to me . But, the overpowering smell of the spice(s) is something I find repulsive.

Same- there are some small restaurants with bad ventilation - bagel places are usually guilty! And I smell like fryolator. Hair, clothes, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain to me what ‘curry’ spice is? I’m of Indian origin and never heard of it. I cook with chillie powder, cumin, coriander, cardomom, ginger, garlic etc. What is ‘curry spice’ that Americans talk about?

Go to the Whole Foods spice aisle or Penzeys. You will see one or two bottles labeled “Curry Powder.”

Indians don’t cook with that. We don’t use anything called “curry.”

I'm Indian and I find the "we don't know what curry is" stuff pretty disingenuous. I have plenty of powders packaged by 777, Priya, and the other major brands labelled as "Curry" that I bought in Indian grocery stores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't do Indian restaurants for this reason , though I must add the food isn't really appealing to me . But, the overpowering smell of the spice(s) is something I find repulsive.

Curious on why you chose to post? How are you helping OP or furthering the conversation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s no secret that some foods and the way the language is used with them are used as slurs or stereotypes against non- white people.

Why not just be sensitive to that, does it harm you in some way to do so? Just like seemingly to you harmless statements with regard to black people and watermelon can be a cause for feelings to be hurt or offended, same with Indians and saying ‘smells like curry’. Like the smell of Indian food is inherently bad. Food that has been part of their culture for millennia. It creates a stigma.

It’s fine to say you’ve got strong food odors you’re trying to get out or just hey, it smells like butter chicken. Or it smells like turmeric. But what people are trying to convey is that ‘smells like curry’ has been used as a common slur and used to discriminate against too, so maybe choose less offensive language.

+1. Posts like this remind me why I spend less time on DCUM. Too many clickbait posts disparaging ethnic groups posing as “curiosity.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I made Butter Chicken in my Instant Pot. Came out great! But now my house, my clothes, my hair smells like curry. How do I get the smell out. I even changed my clothes and I still smell it.

I mean, what do you do when you cook onions or garlic or another strong smelling food? Open the windows and air your house out. Put your clothes in the laundry and if you have long hair, take a shower and wash your hair or spray some perfume. It's not hard.

Nailed it. OP is trolling.

+1 DCUM has so many anti-Indian posts…people with too much time on their hands and unkind hearts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I made Butter Chicken in my Instant Pot. Came out great! But now my house, my clothes, my hair smells like curry. How do I get the smell out. I even changed my clothes and I still smell it.

Do it at your office next time.