On Mar 21, 3:54*am, Janet > wrote:
> In article >, says...
>
>
>
> > On 20-Mar-2012, (z z) wrote:
>
> > > I always thought "a curry" was a noun for a particular dish made from a
> > > particular recipe. Curry powder to me is an adjective describing a
> > > certain yellowish spice.
>
> > My local (STL) supermarket has 9 different powders labelled curry; the
> > colors range from yellow to redish brown and three different "heat" levels.
> > We also have an international grocer nearby, it has even more curry
> > "powders"; three varieties (Madras, Medium and Hot) of Rajah brand in just
> > the England aisle.
>
> Curry powder is to curry, as a bouillon cube is to stock. It's an instant
> "convenience" short cut. The real thing is far more subtle and variable.
> *India *used to be part of the British Empire; many colonialists acquired
> a taste for curries which they brought back home to Britain. Ready-mix
> curry powders came with them for their home cooks to use. But it's not,
> what people in India use.
>
> * Indian cooks don't use a *single curry powder; every housewife and cook
> has *a masala collection of different spices/seeds etc and grinds and
> prepares different combinations for different tastes according to what
> she's cooking.Just like any other huge continent, Indian cookery varies
> hugely by region and culture so depending which region *the cook comes
> from, curry *dishes might be very mild and delicate or fiercely hot.
>
> * *If you want to make a start on cooking real curry, I recommend getting
> yourself a basic masala set like this.
>
> * *http://www.ppk.me.uk/bina/dabba.htm

Some people want to date before they marry. Before investing in spices
before you even know if you like the taste of the end product, start
with a good proprietary mixture.

Personally I'm shocked at the idea of buying turmeric powder -- I go
in the back yard, cut off a bit of root, and pound it in the mortar
along with the garlic. (I pound the seeds first, then pour them out.
Seeds keep much better than do ground spices, obviously.)