Where to buy good curry (spices) in Ottawa? [General]
2010 Oct 29
In my opinion buying whole spices is always better. We buy the whole spices, toast and grind them ourselves. It makes the spice mix more fragrant (the house smells amazing) and we usually use much of it the same day. Whatever is left over gets jarred (or vac sealed as we now have the machine). Even when jarred and left for a month or two, it still seems more fragrant than most of the pre-made commercial stuff.
2010 Oct 29
live4food - thanks for the suggestion to make you own. Q
Follow-up questions on that:
- Would you share any recipes / mixtures for curries?
- You mentioned you toast them - do you need "raw" versions of any herbs/spices/seeds, or are bulk spices (from health food stores, for example) suitable for this toasting
- Would you also provide toasting tips / instructions?
- And finally, for grinding: are those cheap blade-type coffee grinders suitable to this?
Yum... the smell of freshly made curry at home...
Follow-up questions on that:
- Would you share any recipes / mixtures for curries?
- You mentioned you toast them - do you need "raw" versions of any herbs/spices/seeds, or are bulk spices (from health food stores, for example) suitable for this toasting
- Would you also provide toasting tips / instructions?
- And finally, for grinding: are those cheap blade-type coffee grinders suitable to this?
Yum... the smell of freshly made curry at home...
2010 Oct 30
Abstractflight - Camellia Panjabi's _50 Great Curries of India_ is a fantastic cookbook. It's British, but available on Amazon.ca right now. The introduction has a comprehensive, illustrated overview of the different spices and chiles that go into different curries in the introduction and the recipes themselves (veg and non-veg) are superb. It's also a beautiful book.
2010 Oct 30
Natural Food Pantry in the Billings Bridge Mall has some very spicy and flavorful curry in bulk. They have two, I liked the very hot one.
Curcumin / tumeric is soluble in oil. When I make curry I mix the powder into a paste with olive oil first. Also don't use too high a heat just kind of melt the paste into more hot oil and let it liquefy slowly.
Curcumin / tumeric is soluble in oil. When I make curry I mix the powder into a paste with olive oil first. Also don't use too high a heat just kind of melt the paste into more hot oil and let it liquefy slowly.
2010 Oct 31
Agree with cumberland that 50 Great Curries of India is an excellent book for an introduction to Indian cooking.
Now, as to the principle of spice blends: If you want to get into Indian cooking, looking for a bunch of different commercial spice blends is probably not the best way to go for several reasons:
1) One of the things that makes a true Indian curry excellent is the balance of spices--using a single fixed mixture (or even a limited number of different ones) is a reliable route to having everything taste more of less the same.
2) Another thing that makes a good curry is in what form the spices are used (whole, coarsely ground, finely ground) and how they are cooked. Whole cumin seeds cooked in hot oil have a significantly different flavour and impact from dry roasted and ground cumin seeds, which in turn is different from cumin powder from a jar.
3) Roasting the spices fresh and grinding them (as noted above) makes an important difference in the result.
4) Unless you cook Indian every day and rely on a very limited number of mixtures, you won't use it up quickly enough to keep it fresh.
5) Most commercial spice mixtures are decidedly inferior to their homemade counterparts. They tend to be largely cheap spices (coriander seed, cumin, turmeric) and skimp on the expensive ones (clove, cardamom).
That said, I do find a use for a few mixtures:
1) A good curry powder--I use this to make Western-style curry dishes (e.g., an English chicken curry). I use Bolt's, which I think is one of the best ones--I have fooled around myself to make my own, but I haven't liked my own any better.
2) Garam masala--this is used pretty widely in enough recipes in the same fixed combination that I think it is worth having around. However, I make my own every six months or so rather than using a commercial blend.
3) Sambar powder--I make a lot of sambar (southern Indian lentil soup)--it is something of a staple in our house. Again, I make my own since I have never found a commercial version that I really liked.
I am most definitely not a "you must make it yourself" snob--I don't hesitate to use a good commercial product when the results are good (and sometimes better than I could achieve myself).
Cheers!
Now, as to the principle of spice blends: If you want to get into Indian cooking, looking for a bunch of different commercial spice blends is probably not the best way to go for several reasons:
1) One of the things that makes a true Indian curry excellent is the balance of spices--using a single fixed mixture (or even a limited number of different ones) is a reliable route to having everything taste more of less the same.
2) Another thing that makes a good curry is in what form the spices are used (whole, coarsely ground, finely ground) and how they are cooked. Whole cumin seeds cooked in hot oil have a significantly different flavour and impact from dry roasted and ground cumin seeds, which in turn is different from cumin powder from a jar.
3) Roasting the spices fresh and grinding them (as noted above) makes an important difference in the result.
4) Unless you cook Indian every day and rely on a very limited number of mixtures, you won't use it up quickly enough to keep it fresh.
5) Most commercial spice mixtures are decidedly inferior to their homemade counterparts. They tend to be largely cheap spices (coriander seed, cumin, turmeric) and skimp on the expensive ones (clove, cardamom).
That said, I do find a use for a few mixtures:
1) A good curry powder--I use this to make Western-style curry dishes (e.g., an English chicken curry). I use Bolt's, which I think is one of the best ones--I have fooled around myself to make my own, but I haven't liked my own any better.
2) Garam masala--this is used pretty widely in enough recipes in the same fixed combination that I think it is worth having around. However, I make my own every six months or so rather than using a commercial blend.
3) Sambar powder--I make a lot of sambar (southern Indian lentil soup)--it is something of a staple in our house. Again, I make my own since I have never found a commercial version that I really liked.
I am most definitely not a "you must make it yourself" snob--I don't hesitate to use a good commercial product when the results are good (and sometimes better than I could achieve myself).
Cheers!
2010 Oct 31
One more comment: I buy most of my spices at Vaishali's--they have a large selection, prices are great, and the staff is very helpful and knowledgeable.
However, the quality of the goods at any of the Indian stores is admittedly not ideal. I note a huge difference using premium spices (e.g., those from www.epicesdecru.com, or even Penzey's or Kalustyans) when I am using them as a single spice (e.g., cinnamon rolls, cardamom ice cream). I have to believe that this would translate into a better result if used in curries, but I have not bothered to procure the full range and test out that theory.
However, the quality of the goods at any of the Indian stores is admittedly not ideal. I note a huge difference using premium spices (e.g., those from www.epicesdecru.com, or even Penzey's or Kalustyans) when I am using them as a single spice (e.g., cinnamon rolls, cardamom ice cream). I have to believe that this would translate into a better result if used in curries, but I have not bothered to procure the full range and test out that theory.
2010 Oct 31
As for toasting spices. Just put the whole spice in a dry pan over medium high heat. stir every once in awhile, you will know when they are toasted when they either start to pop (mustard seed) or they give off a strong scent. usually takes 1-3 minutes depending on gas or electric stove top.
Another good cookbook is Vij's Probably one of the most popular indian restaurants in Vancouver.
Another good cookbook is Vij's Probably one of the most popular indian restaurants in Vancouver.
2010 Nov 1
I always thought that "curry powder" was just repackaged garam masala. Is there a difference between the two?
One thing that we use quite a lot of at home is jeera meera masala (cumin and peppercorn). It goes great with vegetables, but it definitely should be made fresh.
Other than that, we use sambar masala for all sorts of meat and bean dishes. I think it goes in our oxtail curries, too. Should probably check.
One thing that we use quite a lot of at home is jeera meera masala (cumin and peppercorn). It goes great with vegetables, but it definitely should be made fresh.
Other than that, we use sambar masala for all sorts of meat and bean dishes. I think it goes in our oxtail curries, too. Should probably check.
2010 Nov 2
Garam masala and curry powder are both spice mixtures but they are quite different in composition. Garam masala centers on the sweeter spices--cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, black cardamom, and green cardamom, though there are many others included in some recipes and there are some regional differences in the habitual spices as well. Cheaper commercial versions are "cut" with coriander, which really serves mainly as a bulking agent, since the in the amounts used, the coriander flavour does not really come through. Curry powder centers on coriander, cumin, turmeric and (notably) fenugreek--it is the latter that gives it such a characteristic smell and taste, I think.
AbstractFlight
I specified "curry (spices)" because I'm not looking for a restaurant dish called curry, but one of the multitudes of varieties of blends of spices called curry.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Dan