# Yogurt to the rescue, overdid my curry spice



## Caslon (Apr 22, 2009)

I don't make lamb curry that often, but have done so over the decades.
I always end up using Curry powder that has weakened in intensity.
I used a freshly opened McCormicks regular curry powder.
Natch, I used too much because the curry powder I usually store gets weak.
The difference between a freshly opened jar of curry powder and an older one is real.
As I'm sure the difference between homemade curry powder and McCormick's is.

2.5 lbs of meticulously de-fatted lamb chunks for stew.
Everything went fine, but my adding the new curry powder gave my curry stew sauce quite a "bite" at the back of my throat.

I was about to just toss it, but came upon on site that mentioned a curry recipe where he adds in a little yogurt at the end to "cut the heat" off the curry powder a little.  Wow...it made all the difference in the world.

I just happened to have a small container of Yoplait Wild Berry yogurt.
I added in 4 very heaping teaspoons.
Worked fine to lessen the "bite" because of my using too much freshly opened curry powder.

Ah, so that's why Mexican food joints add toppings like sour cream to their spicy foods. It's for us gringos.  Yogurt worked on the same principal for my too hot over "curried" lamb stew.


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## Caslon (Apr 22, 2009)

There are many ways to make lamb curry.  Mine is the stew type.  

After the onions, curry powder and a few more ingrediants, I don't just pour in the quart of water or stock for a 2 hour simmer.  I pour in the lamb and rotate it under a bit of heat to wake up the curry powder.  Then, I add water or stock.

Here's what's been missing in my lamb curry...infused curry flavor into the lamb.  I may have figured out how to.  Over spice the liquid stew with curry powder.  This gets curry flavor deep into the lamb, but the curried stew sauce is then too strong.  Mellow out the overly powerful stewed curried stew sauce. Yogurt or cream keeps the "stew gravy" from being too strong.

That overly powered curried stew liquid got curry flavor into the lamb nicely.
Mellowing out the stew liquid with some yogurt kept it from biting.


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