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?

thanking you for any advice. yours john west

"john west++++" > wrote in message
...
> 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?
>
> thanking you for any advice. yours john west

I don't use much oil, but I do use onions. I get the oil to temperature,
put in the spices and stir well for a few minutes, taking care not to burn,
then when the aroma from the spices has been released, add chopped onions.
This helps to absorb the spices and also reduces the temperature slightly so
the mixture doesn't burn. I then cook very gently for about ten minutes
before continuing with the recipe. Hope this helps!
Deb

john west++++ wrote:

> 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?

I usually dissolve the powder in coconut milk. Bring the milk just to a
boil, stir in the powder, and let it simmer for a few minutes until it
thickens up.

--
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It's gone, daddy, gone, to reply.

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.

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.

Mix the ground spices with just enough water to form a stiff paste,
and leave for 10 minutes before adding to the pan. This keeps the
spices from burning and so lets you cook them long enough to get the
rawness out.

Kake