Preferred curry spice format, or preparation method poll.

[Greebozz]

After a fascinating discussion on another thread, I thought it be interesting to find out the popularity of the different methods of applying curry spice to one's cooking. Thank you.

You can vote for a maximum of two options.

 

[pinkmonkey]

Not enough options! I do a bit of everything. I make blends of unground spices and store in spice grinders, I usually have panch phoran in one and chinese five spice in another. Thai curries I usually just use Mae Ploy pastes as they are great, but it depends what kind of thai dish. I would make my own sauce up for pad thai. Indian curries, again it depends. I might use a pre made curry powder but then add a bit more flavour with some crushed cloves crushed in a pestle and mortar. I experiement a lot.

 

[Greebozz]

Not enough options! I do a bit of everything. I make blends of unground spices and store in spice grinders, I usually have panch phoran in one and chinese five spice in another. Thai curries I usually just use Mae Ploy pastes as they are great, but it depends what kind of thai dish. I would make my own sauce up for pad thai. Indian curries, again it depends. I might use a pre made curry powder but then add a bit more flavour with some crushed cloves crushed in a pestle and mortar. I experiement a lot.

Sounds like you're really into your curries when you talk about spice grinders, do you mean storing spice in pepper grinders.

I didn't specify Thai curry spices because I don't know much about them, but I know they use a lot of fantastic fresh spices.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Indian I cook with powders and gently fry them with the onions. Thai I cheat and buy paste.

 

[pinkmonkey]

Sounds like you're really into your curries when you talk about spice grinders, do you mean storing spice in pepper grinders.

I didn't specify Thai curry spices because I don't know much about them, but I know they use a lot of fantastic fresh spices.

Yes, thats what I do, it saves time. Just means you can always have fresh. You just can't beat fresh, its the depth of flavour. Yes, Im curry obsessed, even to the point of experimenting with flavoured rice, not just pilau, but steamed with lemon juice and fresh turmeric, that kind of thing. The mae ploy makes great fried rice dishes, too.

 

[moose]

I don't even try to cook curries myself, I let people from Bangladesh cook them for me.

 

[pogofish]

Probably 2 and three for me. Either use a paste or mix of spices and some garam masala.

About the only thing I use curry powder for is if I get a sudden yearning for currywurst - then some curry powder, whizzed-up with some tomato sauce makes for a passable impression of the real German thing.

 

[UrbaneFox]

I rarely roast and grind spices, but I have bags and tins of turmeric etc.

Poll fail, although I ticked the roasting and grinding box.

Will I be banned from Suburban?

 

[Greebozz]

I rarely roast and grind spices, but I have bags and tins of turmeric etc.

Poll fail, although I ticked the roasting and grinding box.

Will I be banned from Suburban?

At least I kept the poll anonymous otherwise it would be a hundred percent roasting and grinding one's own spices. I forgot how competitive cooking can be, I blame the TV shows.
A question for the roasting and grinding posse, how do you grind coriander seeds to powder? To me they are tough woody spheres that kind of break apart and there worse than popcorn kernels for getting stuck in one's teeth.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

At least I kept the poll anonymous otherwise it would be a hundred percent roasting and grinding one's own spices. I forgot how competitive cooking can be, I blame the TV shows.
A question for the roasting and grinding posse, how do you grind coriander seeds to powder? To me they are tough woody spheres that kind of break apart and there worse than popcorn kernels for getting stuck in one's teeth.

I just use a coffee grinder. Seems to do the trick.

I wouldn't call grinding your own spices or just using individual pre-ground spices rather then curry powder or pastes as "competitive". You get much better flavours from using individual spices and for me, it's an enjoyable part of cooking rather than a competitive thing. I like finding out how the different spices make up the whole flavour. It's a kind of alchemy and I enjoy it a lot. I also love finding spices I've never heard of before - like amchoor for instance - which is dried mango powder and gives a delicious sweet/tart/zingy flavour. It's absolutely fascinating.

And once you have your spice arsenal in the cupboard and at your fingertips, the world is at your feet!

 

[Addy]

Freshly roasted and ground spices are always the best, but that doesn't mean you can't make a good curry with packets of pre ground spices.

I do make my own 'mix powder' though

For me, I always use a 'base gravy' for curry, but if I were not to use a base then it would go something like:

Cook down an onion on low heat until it is nearly turning to puree, then add ginger & garlic paste (fresh but blended with a little water)
Fry ut for a couple of minutes then add spices : Turmeric, chilli powder, ground corriander, ground cumin, whole cardomans crushed, cassia bark, methi.
Fry quite hot until they really release their aroma, almost singe them.
Then add tomatoes and simmer for 6-8 minutes, then add pre cooked meat or veg.
Add garam massala for last 2 minutes of cooking.

 

[pinkmonkey]

I just use a coffee grinder. Seems to do the trick.

I wouldn't call grinding your own spices or just using individual pre-ground spices rather then curry powder or pastes as "competitive". You get much better flavours from using individual spices and for me, it's an enjoyable part of cooking rather than a competitive thing. I like finding out how the different spices make up the whole flavour. It's a kind of alchemy and I enjoy it a lot. I also love finding spices I've never heard of before - like amchoor for instance - which is dried mango powder and gives a delicious sweet/tart/zingy flavour. It's absolutely fascinating.

And once you have your spice arsenal in the cupboard and at your fingertips, the world is at your feet!

Exactly. It means you can make any curry. As Im permanently skint, I often buy meat marked down and don't know what I'll make with it til I get home. Just go on Google and find recipes uploaded from various countries. But last night we had keralan fish and tomato curry made with basa frozen fish fillets from Aldi. Cost barely anything to make, the curry paste took about five mins to do and it tasted amazing (another reason I could live on curry.) I want Amchoor now (goes to Google) .

 

[alex_]

I just use a coffee grinder. Seems to do the trick.

I wouldn't call grinding your own spices or just using individual pre-ground spices rather then curry powder or pastes as "competitive". You get much better flavours from using individual spices and for me, it's an enjoyable part of cooking rather than a competitive thing. I like finding out how the different spices make up the whole flavour. It's a kind of alchemy and I enjoy it a lot. I also love finding spices I've never heard of before - like amchoor for instance - which is dried mango powder and gives a delicious sweet/tart/zingy flavour. It's absolutely fascinating.

And once you have your spice arsenal in the cupboard and at your fingertips, the world is at your feet!

Yes powdered ones are fine, but whole keep better and can be roasted - I use a 20
Quid electric coffee grinder.

 

[Greebozz]

I just use a coffee grinder. Seems to do the trick.

I wouldn't call grinding your own spices or just using individual pre-ground spices rather then curry powder or pastes as "competitive". You get much better flavours from using individual spices and for me, it's an enjoyable part of cooking rather than a competitive thing. I like finding out how the different spices make up the whole flavour. It's a kind of alchemy and I enjoy it a lot. I also love finding spices I've never heard of before - like amchoor for instance - which is dried mango powder and gives a delicious sweet/tart/zingy flavour. It's absolutely fascinating.

And once you have your spice arsenal in the cupboard and at your fingertips, the world is at your feet!

I'm so pumped up about this approach I'm going to be leaving Indian grocery with a hundred different packets of spices. As someone who never follows recipes I love the idea of creating alchemy as you say. My comment about keeping up with the Joneses was basically tongue in cheek, like oh the shame of admitting using prepacked curry powder.

 

[Mrs Miggins]

I'm so pumped up about this approach I'm going to be leaving Indian grocery with a hundred different packets of spices. As someone who never follows recipes I love the idea of creating alchemy as you say. My comment about keeping up with the Joneses was basically tongue in cheek, like oh the shame of admitting using prepacked curry powder.

Steady on though! I do follow recipes and perhaps tweak to my taste - like I don't like too much turmeric but i will always add lots of cumin.

But I'm very happy to have inspired you!

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I'm so pumped up about this approach I'm going to be leaving Indian grocery with a hundred different packets of spices. As someone who never follows recipes I love the idea of creating alchemy as you say. My comment about keeping up with the Joneses was basically tongue in cheek, like oh the shame of admitting using prepacked curry powder.

Maybe stick to say 8, so you get a feel for the ones you have and add extra?

I love a trip to my grocers. Not just spices, but pickles, different flat breads, big bags of dry goods, a butchery counter and loads of fresh veg including stuff I've had to Google.

 

[nogojones]

At least I kept the poll anonymous otherwise it would be a hundred percent roasting and grinding one's own spices. I forgot how competitive cooking can be, I blame the TV shows.
A question for the roasting and grinding posse, how do you grind coriander seeds to powder? To me they are tough woody spheres that kind of break apart and there worse than popcorn kernels for getting stuck in one's teeth.

I used to find them a pain in the arse, but I bought a spare pestle and mortar from Lidl as my other one was always full of pepper (my pepper grinder died). Anyway the new P&M was a big coarse stone fucker that grinds coriander and other seemingly rock-like seeds really easily. Maybe this might work for you?

 

[nogojones]

However I tend to use a combo of freshly ground and bags of pre-ground depending on what I'm cooking

 

[ViolentPanda]

I just use a coffee grinder. Seems to do the trick.

I wouldn't call grinding your own spices or just using individual pre-ground spices rather then curry powder or pastes as "competitive". You get much better flavours from using individual spices and for me, it's an enjoyable part of cooking rather than a competitive thing. I like finding out how the different spices make up the whole flavour. It's a kind of alchemy and I enjoy it a lot. I also love finding spices I've never heard of before - like amchoor for instance - which is dried mango powder and gives a delicious sweet/tart/zingy flavour. It's absolutely fascinating.

And once you have your spice arsenal in the cupboard and at your fingertips, the world is at your feet!

I've used a coffee grinder before, and that works fine, but currently I use a cast iron pestle and mortar (last coffee grinder wore out) which does a similarly good job, but requires a little bit more elbow grease.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I used to find them a pain in the arse, but I bought a spare pestle and mortar from Lidl as my other one was always full of pepper (my pepper grinder died). Anyway the new P&M was a big coarse stone fucker that grinds coriander and other seemingly rock-like seeds really easily. Maybe this might work for you?

One of the best p & ms I've ever had was a Japanese one bought from a catering supplies place about 30 years ago. The surface of the mortar was similar to a grindstone, with cross-cut abrasive grooves that made really short work of anything. Wish I could find another like that!

 

[alex_]

Maybe stick to say 8, so you get a feel for the ones you have and add extra?

I love a trip to my grocers. Not just spices, but pickles, different flat breads, big bags of dry goods, a butchery counter and loads of fresh veg including stuff I've had to Google.

Yes I tend to mostly grind cumin, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, fennel

 

[Pickman's model]

After a fascinating discussion on another thread, I thought it be interesting to find out the popularity of the different methods of applying curry spice to one's cooking. Thank you.

You can vote for a maximum of two options.

Why isn't the poll public?

 

[UrbaneFox]

I bought some onion bhajis the other day, which were v good, and contained fenugreek, which I don't use, for some reason. I had some seeds around the place, but think that they used fresh fenugreek leaf.

Definitely time for a trip to Drummond Street, to stock up with fresh spices. And dine at the Ravi Shankar, of course.

 

[Espresso]

I do all of the things in the poll, so I couldn't really vote. Depends what I'm making, who's going to be eating it, how much time I've got, how adventurous or not I'm feeling; all sorts.

I have a recommendation for any of you who've got a Home Bargains within shouting distance and are open to suggestions from strangers on the internet. They do pouches of various ready made curry sauces, Indi Grand is the brand. I picked up the Vindaloo one. It is excellent. 59p a bag. Bargain is right.

 

[Cheesypoof]

I have ground my own spices in the past but currently have a tin of really good tandoori spices my mate got for me as a present. Its a bit old now but still really good. If I'm cooking something Indian-style I would always fry onions, garlic and probably ginger with the spices first before adding anything else though, as that is what I was shown how to do it by two Indian girls when I was at college. They would also add mustard seeds. But as far as the spices are concerned, there is no right or wrong, so long as it tastes good.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I have ground my own spices in the past but currently have a tin of really good tandoori spices my mate got for me as a present. Its a bit old now but still really good. If I'm cooking something Indian-style I would always fry onions, garlic and probably ginger with the spices first before adding anything else though, as that is what I was shown how to do it by two Indian girls when I was at college. They would also add mustard seeds. But as far as the spices are concerned, there is no right or wrong, so long as it tastes good.

And there I was thinking it was me being lazy throwing the spices in with the frying onions and not doing it seperately.

Does anyone else do that thing where you start to build up the spice collection, so feel you must put a bit of everything in when making a curry?

 

[Cheesypoof]

And there I was thinking it was me being lazy throwing the spices in with the frying onions and not doing it seperately.

Nah you are doing it the right way

 

[Greebozz]

And there I was thinking it was me being lazy throwing the spices in with the frying onions and not doing it seperately.

Does anyone else do that thing where you start to build up the spice collection, so feel you must put a bit of everything in when making a curry?

I have definitely seen the light from reading people are written here. I got my first batch of individual spices. I feel like I'm creating a Pollock dashing random individual components into the oil. I realised I've been eating the same tasting curry for years.

 

[alex_]

I have definitely seen the light from reading people are written here. I got my first batch of individual spices. I feel like I'm creating a Pollock dashing random individual components into the oil. I realised I've been eating the same tasting curry for years.

If you want recipes I'd recommend Madhur jaffrey there are loads online.

 

[Tankus]

Rather partial to patak pastes myself ......

And if lve got the odd jar half empty...I top it with oil give it a stir and leave it in the cupboard for an age ..very useful