# Hi! New here, with a question about curry



## Fuzzy (Feb 9, 2011)

Hello, everybody!

I've got a friend who loaned me a great middle-eastern cookbook, but it doesn't have anything about making your own curry.

I've been looking around at recipes for yellow curry (that's my favorite) and have come up with something different every time, but not quite what I'm looking for, so I want to mix my own. I wrote down what seem to be integral ingredients of yellow curry, but I found none that have the ingredient that I really want to try out.........chocolate! Yes, chocolate. Could you help me narrow down my ingredients to ones that would taste good with chocolate and still make a pretty spicy curry? Have any suggestions for adding ingredients?

Garlic
Lemongrass
Turmeric
Ginger
Cumin
Coriander
Red Chili Powder
Coconut Milk
Cloves
Nutmeg
Cinnamon


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## FincaPerlitas (Feb 9, 2011)

I never make curries so, obviously, I've never tried using chocolate in them but I frequently use unsweetened chocolate in Mexican dishes and find that it adds an earthiness to them which I like.  You don't taste the chocolate but it seems to bring out the flavor of the chilis and other seasonings.


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## Andy M. (Feb 9, 2011)

I don't usually equate curries with Middle Eastern cooking.  

There isn't one standard recipe for a curry.  Every cook makes it differently.  Find a recipe and make it.  Then use that as a baseline for modifications, changing amounts of ingredients, eliminating some and adding others.


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## Fuzzy (Feb 9, 2011)

Cool. Thanks all! I'll remember that.


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## Josie1945 (Feb 9, 2011)

Hi Fuzzy, Welcome to DC.

Josie


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## Fuzzy (Feb 9, 2011)

Josie1945 said:


> Hi Fuzzy, Welcome to DC.
> 
> Josie


Thanks! Good to be here!


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## NoraC (Feb 9, 2011)

Fuzzy said:


> Hello, everybody!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



For a basic curry pantry, I would add fenugreek, mustard, cardamom, black pepper and cilantro.  That said, if I were going to try to devise a curry that used chocolate, I would buy a commercial paste or powder, so that I could get a uniform taste while experimenting over time.  I would use about half as much unsweetened chocolate as I did paste as a starting point.  That seems to be about the tipping point for the Hispanic use of chocolate in savory dishes.  Play with the flavors a while.

Once you have the basic curry/chocolate ratio to your liking, deconstruct the commercial product you have been using and acquire only the necessary spices for that.


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## Fuzzy (Feb 9, 2011)

Those are some others that came up in most of them--fenugreek, cardamom and black pepper.

That's a good idea for starters! I take it you make curry? Have you ever tried one with chocolate? I got the idea from an anime I recently finished--Black Butler--and I decided I had to try it since curry is one of my favorite Asian/Middle Eastern dishes.


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## jennyema (Feb 9, 2011)

I also don't associate curry at all with middle eastern food. 

But if it's southeast asian style curry you are after, you might want to follow Nora's suggestion and buy some curry paste and add cocoa powder to it and see where it gets you.








Mae Ploy yellow curry paste contains garlic, lemongrass, shallot, dried red chile, salt, galanga, cumin, cinnamon, star anise, turmeric, kaffir lime peel, coriander seed.


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## NoraC (Feb 9, 2011)

I make curry all the time, usually starting with whole spices, roasting, grinding and frying them from scratch. That said, I always have a few pastes in the fridge or freezer for times that dinner needs to be ready in 20 minutes.

Chocolate is not an ingredient that I have tried. Some Japanese curries use it, but their curries are very much migration curries, riffs and fusions.   I hadn't thought about it until you mentioned anime, but I think I have seen a Japanese curry paste cube that includes chocolate at the international market in Nashville.  When I tried to google for it a minute ago, I got a ton of links commenting that the cubes "look like chocolate", which was not helpful to efforts to find the actual product.


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## jennyema (Feb 9, 2011)

I should have said in my previous post that to my palate, chocolate might pair better with a *red* curry.


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## NoraC (Feb 9, 2011)

Jenny, red would be my initial thought, but there's no harm in playing with one's food, LOL.


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## jennyema (Feb 9, 2011)

norac said:


> jenny, red would be my initial thought, but there's no harm in playing with one's food, lol.


 
how true!


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## Fuzzy (Feb 9, 2011)

Red curry and chocolate... Hm. I'm not terribly familiar with the taste  of red curry (I can't think of how it tastes right offhand, like I can  with yellow curry) but I'll try both.

@Jenny That looks like a great powder to start with. Where can I get it?


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## jennyema (Feb 9, 2011)

Fuzzy

That is a paste not powder and you can find it in any Asian market and some well stocked supermarkets.  It also comes in smaller cans, like this.






Most Asian markets carry a wide variety of SE Asian curry pastes -- red, green, yellow, panang, masaman, choo chee, etc.


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## Fuzzy (Feb 9, 2011)

Awesometastic!


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## jennyema (Feb 9, 2011)

Good luck with your experiment!

Let us know how it turns out, ok?


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## NoraC (Feb 9, 2011)

Fuzzy said:


> Red curry and chocolate... Hm. I'm not terribly familiar with the taste  of red curry



Fuzzy, think Thai or Sri Lankan flavors rather than Middle Eastern or Indian when you think of red curries.


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## jennyema (Feb 9, 2011)

Here are the ingredients in red curry paste:  Ingredients: Dried red chili, garlic, lemon grass, salt, shallot, galanga, shrimp paste, kaffir lime peel, pepper. 

Red curry paste is very versatile.


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## Fuzzy (Feb 10, 2011)

What is galanga? I've heard that used fairly interchangeably with ginger.

Sure, I'll post the results of the experiments when I get the chance to make it  Right now, I just got the ingredients to make vegetarian miso ramen, so that's my next project.


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## jennyema (Feb 10, 2011)

Fuzzy said:


> What is galanga? I've heard that used fairly interchangeably with ginger.
> 
> Sure, I'll post the results of the experiments when I get the chance to make it  Right now, I just got the ingredients to make vegetarian miso ramen, so that's my next project.



Galangal is a southeast Asian herb that looks and tastes much like Ginger.  Obviously it tastes different, fruitier or more aromatic maybe.

You can buy it fresh at many Asian markets and dried from places like Penzeys.

Good luck with the miso soup.  It's really simple but perfect for cold weather!


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## NoraC (Feb 10, 2011)

I had to have curry today after all the talk!  I  posted the recipe:
http://http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f13/dry-coconut-curry-70112.html#post967780

...which I think is how this is supposed to work, LOL....


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## Fuzzy (Feb 11, 2011)

NoraC said:


> I had to have curry today after all the talk!  I  posted the recipe:
> http://http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f13/dry-coconut-curry-70112.html#post967780
> 
> ...which I think is how this is supposed to work, LOL....


The link is broken, but I'm very interested in hearing how YOU did it!


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## Fuzzy (Feb 11, 2011)

Oh, One quick question about the the miso--the recipe calls for kelp, but I'm wondering if there's a substitute. Here's how they use it: Boil kelp and ginger to make the broth, then remove both ingredients and pour over noodles. I'm wondering if I can use consomme of some sort. Fish paste, bouillon, vegetable broth... something? Nothing with chicken though. One of my family members is allergic.


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## Bolas De Fraile (Feb 11, 2011)

I dont want to sound pompous but there is no such word as Curry in the various Indian dialects the rearest is Kari, one story is that when the Indian people kicked the brits out a Colonel got his manservant to grind every spice they had to make a as he called it Curry Powder.
I learned to cook spiced dishes at Veeraswamy London which is Puka, my family supplied them with spice, veg and rice. The spicing must be balanced to the flavor of the main ingredient. Sea food light spice, chicken light to medium, Pork strong ie Portugese(christian) Vindalo. 
An old aquaintance Pat Chapman of the Curry Club wrote the best book about non puka cooking in Indian restaurants in the UK, its called batch cooking, if you want me to explain this method just ask.


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## NoraC (Feb 11, 2011)

Fuzzy said:


> The link is broken, but I'm very interested in hearing how YOU did it!


Let me try linking again, sorry!  Recipe is here:
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f13/dry-coconut-curry-70112.html#post967780


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## cmarchibald (Feb 11, 2011)

Andy M. said:


> I don't usually equate curries with Middle Eastern cooking.


Me either....more of an Indian / Thai thing.

Red Curry is my absolute fave.  And the key to a spicy curry is: fresh chilis.


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## cmarchibald (Feb 11, 2011)

Fuzzy said:


> Those are some others that came up in most of them--fenugreek, cardamom and black pepper.
> 
> That's a good idea for starters! I take it you make curry? Have you ever tried one with chocolate? I got the idea from an anime I recently finished--Black Butler--and I decided I had to try it since curry is one of my favorite Asian/Middle Eastern dishes.


Curry and anime....if you build custom motorcycles you might be my husband's twin.


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## jennyema (Feb 11, 2011)

Fuzzy said:


> Oh, One quick question about the the miso--the recipe calls for kelp, but I'm wondering if there's a substitute. Here's how they use it: Boil kelp and ginger to make the broth, then remove both ingredients and pour over noodles. I'm wondering if I can use consomme of some sort. Fish paste, bouillon, vegetable broth... something? Nothing with chicken though. One of my family members is allergic.



Not really, sorry.

Miso soup contains three key ingredients:  miso, seaweed (kelp) and bonito fish.  You can make "vegetarian" miso soup without the fish but the seaweed is  essential to miso soup's flavor.

The combination of seaweed and bonito is called Dashi.  You can make it from scratch or buy it in powdered form in an Asian market.

I take it that you have miso paste.  You can go ahead and make a vegetable soup and enhance it with the miso paste.  It will probably taste good but it won't be miso soup.


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## Fuzzy (Feb 11, 2011)

Bolas De Fraile said:


> I dont want to sound pompous but there is no such word as Curry in the various Indian dialects the rearest is Kari, one story is that when the Indian people kicked the brits out a Colonel got his manservant to grind every spice they had to make a as he called it Curry Powder.
> I learned to cook spiced dishes at Veeraswamy London which is Puka, my family supplied them with spice, veg and rice. The spicing must be balanced to the flavor of the main ingredient. Sea food light spice, chicken light to medium, Pork strong ie Portugese(christian) Vindalo.
> An old aquaintance Pat Chapman of the Curry Club wrote the best book about non puka cooking in Indian restaurants in the UK, its called batch cooking, if you want me to explain this method just ask.


 You don't sound pompous at all, and in fact I'm intrigued. I'm always looking for ways to make my cooking better, so I would love it if you could give me some more pointers.



cmarchibald said:


> Curry and anime....if you build custom motorcycles you might be my husband's twin.


  No, no custom motorcycles for me.



jennyema said:


> Not really, sorry.
> 
> Miso soup contains three key ingredients:  miso, seaweed (kelp) and bonito fish.  You can make "vegetarian" miso soup without the fish but the seaweed is  essential to miso soup's flavor.
> 
> The combination of seaweed and bonito is called Dashi.  You can make it from scratch or buy it in powdered form in an Asian market.



You mention kelp and seaweed interchangeably... would Nori work?


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## jennyema (Feb 11, 2011)

Fuzzy said:


> You mention kelp and seaweed interchangeably... would Nori work?


 
Yes.  Nori works well.

Miso soup is "supposed" to be made with Kombu (a type of kelp) but many people make it with Nori because its easier to get.

Shredded Nori is often used as a garnish for miso soup as well.

Nori is lighter and sweeter but will definitely give you the taste of authentic miso soup.


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## Bolas De Fraile (Feb 11, 2011)

Okay fuzzy, take an authentic lamb, beef or pork recipe and they would take a minimum of 60 mins to cook this does not work in your average "curry house" in the UK so the meat is pre-cooked  in large batches in a pot with water flavored with a ground spice mix called Masala. The meat is then left to go cold. A base mix of pureed onion, garlic and ginger is fried in a wok, then they add the relevant spices and liquids from the authentic recipe, cook out for 5 mins then add the tender meat cook out for another 5 mins, tender lamb kurma in 12 mins.
Fuzzy if you go into an Indian Restaurant that offers a "Curry"using the same main ingredient  hot, medium, or mild  its non puka batch cooking.

The most popular national dish in the UK is Chicken Tikka Masala, a UK invention like General Tso's chicken was invented in the US.


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## NoraC (Feb 11, 2011)

Interesting, BDF.  Part of why I haven't wandered into the Middle Eastern curry implicit inquiry is that good food has a way of making itself at home no matter on what shore it finds itself.


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## Fuzzy (Feb 11, 2011)

Bolas De Fraile said:


> Okay fuzzy, take an authentic lamb, beef or pork recipe and they would take a minimum of 60 mins to cook this does not work in your average "curry house" in the UK so the meat is pre-cooked  in large batches in a pot with water flavored with a ground spice mix called Masala. The meat is then left to go cold. A base mix of pureed onion, garlic and ginger is fried in a wok, then they add the relevant spices and liquids from the authentic recipe, cook out for 5 mins then add the tender meat cook out for another 5 mins, tender lamb kurma in 12 mins.
> Fuzzy if you go into an Indian Restaurant that offers a "Curry"using the same main ingredient  hot, medium, or mild  its non puka batch cooking.
> 
> The most popular national dish in the UK is Chicken Tikka Masala, a UK invention like General Tso's chicken was invented in the US.


Awesome! That's making my mouth water just thinking about it. Why is the meat left to go cold, though? I'm very new to cooking on my own, so I'll probably have a lot of dumb questions...

I'll make sure to look out for that.


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## Bolas De Fraile (Feb 12, 2011)

Fuzzy the reason the tender meat is cold is because you can handle it without it breaking up to much.
Cheats Chicken Tikka Masala.
Cube chicken breast, marinade overnight in a mix of tandoori powder and yoghurt, thread the meat on metal skewers and cook under a very hot grill or on the bbq, take the meat off the skewers and cool.
Heat some veg oil in the wok and add a tsp of cummin seeds fry for 30 seconds, add 1tbls of garlic puree fry for 60 sec, add 6 tbls of onion puree and fry fo 2 to 3 mins, add 2tbls of shop bought medium curry paste, Itbls of tom ketchup, 1tbls of brown sugar, I tbls of tom chutney, 1 tbls of ground almonds, fry a bit then add the meat 7 fl oz of cream, 3 fl of coconut milk mix and heat through.


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## Bolas De Fraile (Feb 12, 2011)

I forgot to add this blog Mamata is a legend among Curryholics in the UK so I hope this link works if it does click on search tick indian then put which meat or fish into the search box.
http://www.mamtaskitchen.com


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## Fuzzy (Feb 12, 2011)

Bolas De Fraile said:


> I forgot to add this blog Mamata is a legend among Curryholics in the UK so I hope this link works if it does click on search tick indian then put which meat or fish into the search box.
> Mamta's Kitchen


*favorites* Thanks for the info!


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## Fuzzy (Feb 13, 2011)

The miso ramen was a success! The only criticism I had with it was I had to extend the recipe to serve six so it turned out a bit weak, because I guess it's not just tripling the recipe, you have to triple it PLUS some. For next time, I'll add more ginger and miso. And probably some more sake.

I got some curries to experiment with, now I just need some pork or something to fix with it.


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## Bolas De Fraile (Feb 14, 2011)

Fuzzy mate you said you were new to cooking so my best tip, never serve anything without tasting it first.
Seasoning is everything, I will fry a little of my hamburger , meatloaf or ball, sausage, stuffing mix ect before using. 
Patisserie is Alchemi so stick to the recipe, again I dont want to sound pompous but with baking I can smell when things are cooked, with certain cakes I can even hear when they are ready.
Touch is also a skill you will learn for fish or steak cooking.
Form an 0 by resting the tip of your first finger on the tip of your thumb, feel the flesh below, prod your steak with your finger and if it feels the same the steak is rare, do the same with the second finger for medium, the third finger for well done.


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## Fuzzy (Feb 14, 2011)

Bolas De Fraile said:


> Fuzzy mate you said you were new to cooking so my best tip, never serve anything without tasting it first.
> Seasoning is everything, I will fry a little of my hamburger , meatloaf or ball, sausage, stuffing mix ect before using.
> Patisserie is Alchemi so stick to the recipe, again I dont want to sound pompous but with baking I can smell when things are cooked, with certain cakes I can even hear when they are ready.
> Touch is also a skill you will learn for fish or steak cooking.
> Form an 0 by resting the tip of your first finger on the tip of your thumb, feel the flesh below, prod your steak with your finger and if it feels the same the steak is rare, do the same with the second finger for medium, the third finger for well done.



Ooooh, that's really interesting!

I did taste it, and I added more miso and tasted it again. I don't quite know why it tasted okay then, but a little weak in a bowl.


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## CWS4322 (Feb 14, 2011)

A friend makes an awesome curry blend. She always uses "curry leaves" in it, and Fenugreek. I need to ask her again for the recipe--I misplaced mine. This is actually not a curry leaf (sweet neem leaves), but the leaves are sold in Indian markets as curry leaves. 

K.


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