On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 09:34:58 GMT, "john west++++"
wrote:

hi, when i'm making curries i fry some onion and then try to fry in the
powder which i read i should do to release the flavour from the powder and
get rid of the powder taste.

however to actually dissolve all the powder in oil to fry it well takes a
massive amount of oil, far more than i prefer to use. is there another
method that would be better?

Curry 'powder' is a combination of ground spices, not a dehydrated
mixture that needs to be disolved in anything. Often, when the
individual spices (tumeric, chile, fenugreek, cumin, mustard, etc.)
are combined for curry, they are fried briefly in a little oil to
enhance their flavors.

You may be confusing this with the process of making a flour-based
sauce, where the fat and flour are cooked for a few minutes before
adding liquid to reduce the floury taste in the finished sauce.

If you think your curry powder tastes "powdery," you may be using an
old product. Alternatively, you could look up some recipes that use
individual spices and cook these to suit your tastes.