"mroo philpott-smythe" > wrote in message
...
> "Wazza" > wrote in
> :
> > "mroo philpott-smythe" > wrote in message
> > ...
>
> > Nigella is the seed from a flowering plant called 'love-in-a-mist'.
>
> That's Nigella damascena, which I grow in my garden. %^)
>
> The Nigella from which the kalonji comes is Nigella sativa, which is
native
> to India, I believe.

yes, you are correst, the nigella seed is a relative of the garden plant.
>
> > is called wild black onion seed because it looks similar to it, but
> > not botanically or presumably taste. Buy black cumin from an
> > Indian/Pakistani grocers, it is often called kala jeera or shah jeera.
>
> Thanks, I got some. I remember my dad used to cook with it.
>
> > I would use cassia in place of cinnamon and mace for nutmeg.
> > The original recipe called for roasting the spices, I would not.
>
> Thanks very much for the recipe.
>
> >> Cassia, not cinnamon? I've been using cassia up to now, but recently
> >> bought some excellent high quality cinnamon and was going to make a
> >> little garam masala using that.
>
> >> Your recommendation?
>
> > I find cassia has a darker savory note, which goes with other spices
> > well. I also grind my own spics, and find that cinnamon can produce
> > sharp shards when ground. I do not grind my spices too finely, to
> > reduce the possibility of burning when fried in oil.
>
> I also grind my own spices in a coffee-grinder (which is never used for
> anything else). However, I find that that type of grinding causes some
> problems, On the other hand, I really don't want to go back to the old
> days, when one had to grind on those huge granite blocks, even if that
does
> create the best texture and quality!

what problems do you encounter? I use a lab type blender, made by Waring US.
It is VERY powerful, but I never let it grind to a powder. This reduces the
likelyhood of burning when extracting into hot oil, and leaves little
'taste-bombs' of spice to savour! I prefer this to an overall smooth
flavour, I like to taste the individual ingredients.
>
> >> > I would agree about the sour cream, obviously a western
> >> > interpretation. I think the paprika, if used, should not be added
> >> > until after the yoghurt, its only for colour.
>
> >> But one can buy a less-hot mirch powder to use, no? I really do not
> >> like the way paprika's flavour clashes with the spices used in this
> >> dish.
>
> > Ideally, I would agree. As this dish (should) have originated in NW
> > India or even Pakistan, the use of Kashmiri chillies is likely, which
> > are much milder.
>
> Would you believe the Indian grocery store where I bought the kala jira is
> now carrying bags of paprika right next to the mirch!

well, they are closely related, same genus. The quality of the paprika
matters, I think Hungarian is better than Spanish but any paprika seems to
deteriorate very quickly. I much prefer to use either fresh chilli, of buy
fresh red, and let them dry, that way I know the provenance, and there is no
chance of adulteration (of the chilli at least!!!). I have dried large
capsicums (bell peppers) but not tried grinding them yet, they look too
good!
>
> I used to get my mirch ground fresh at the local spice shop, but that is
> not possible in the U.S.A. For one thing, they don't even carry all those
> varieties of mirch that I'm used to.

Care to expand, which ones are you lacking?
>
> I'll try the online spice dealers to see if I can find Kashmiri chillies.

I am of the opinion that (probably due to the conflicts in Kashmir) the
export of their chilli has all but dried-up, maybe it's same for saffron
(mine comes from Spain).

> Thanks for the tip.

you're welcome
cheers
Wazza