On 3/22/2012 11:31 AM, Dan Abel wrote:
> In article
> >,
> Helpful > wrote:
>
>
>> Curry is actually plant whose leaves are used as a spice. However,
>> the term has come to mean any dish that uses a combination of spices.
>> As someone else mentioned, your term "curry" is too vague, like asking
>> for a good soup or meat recipe. I would suggest checking out some of
>> the books by Madhur Jaffrey.
>
> The name "curry" means "soup or sauce" in India. When the English left
> India, they wanted to be able to reproduce some of the dishes they had
> enjoyed, so they invented curry powder.
>
> http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Murr_koe.html
>

There are a number of dishes that are quite different but many people
would call curries. Here are a few chicken ones: Chicken Korma, Chicken
Balti, Chicken Madras, Chicken Dhansak, Chicken Masala, Chicken Pasanda.


I agree that the best "curries" don't use curry powder and, in addition
to Madhur Jaffrey, I'd suggest Julie Sahni. If there is a *good* Indian
buffet available, that might allow a sampling of different Indian
dishes. I am fortunate that the Minerva buffet is just a few miles away.
I'd also add to what others have said about "curry leaves"; they don't
make a curry but there are are a number of Indian recipes using them
that are very good.

I have mentioned before that I have seen very large cans of Bolst's
Curry powder in my favorite Indian supermarket. I can't imagine a
Westerner ever using a pound can.

Here's David Smith's recipe for a basic curry sauce without "curry
powder". I think he misses out one thing; a characteristic flavor is
given by fenugreek seeds.

Ingredients

* 3 tab vegetable oil or ghee (can be reduced)
* 1 medium onion - finely chopped
* 4 cloves garlic - peeled and sliced
* 1.5 inch piece root ginger - peeled and thinly sliced (it should look
about the same volume as the garlic)
* (optional) 2 mild fleshy green chilies, jalapenos, say,
- de-seeded and veined then chopped
* 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
* 1/2 tsp ground cumin seed
* 1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
* 5 tab tomato purée or 1 tab concentrated paste mixed with 4 tab water

Method
1. Heat the oil in a heavy pan then add the chopped onion and stir for a
few minutes with the heat on high.
2. Add the ginger, garlic and green chili (if using). Stir for 30
seconds then put the heat down to very low.
3. Cook for 15 minutes stirring from time to time making sure nothing
browns or burns.
4. Add the turmeric, cumin and coriander and cook, still very gently,
for a further 5 minutes. Don't burn the spices or the sauce will taste
horrid - sprinkle on a few drops of water if you're worried.
5. Take off the heat and cool a little. Put 4 fl oz cold water in a
blender, add the contents of the pan and whiz until very smooth. Add the
tomato puree and stir.
6. Put the puréed mixture back into the pan and cook for 20 - 30 minutes
(the longer the better) over very low heat stirring occasionally. You
can add a little hot water if it starts to catch on the pan but the idea
is to gently "fry" the sauce, which will darken in colour to an orangy
brown. The final texture should be something like good tomato ketchup.
Warning - it WILL gloop occasionally and splatter over your cooker, it's
the price you have to pay!





--
Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)

Extraneous "not" in Reply To.