On Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:00:13 -0700, sf > wrote:

>On Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:17:00 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:
>
>>
>> My experiences with Indian food have only been a few but I disliked the
>> flavors so much, I haven't wanted to try any more. Indian restaurants are
>> getting more common here but I don't know anyone who makes curry at home.
>>
>I don't particularly like Indian style curry, which is what I think of
>by default when someone says the word "curry" without qualifying it.
>I don't know anyone who cooks (Indian style) curry at home. My
>daughter is the only one I know who even likes it enough to suggest
>going to an Indian restaurant. I do not have Indian friends, so even
>that possibility for knowing someone who cooks it at home is out. I
>worked with someone from Pakistan once, but she never brought ethnic
>food to work and I didn't know her well enough to be invited to eat in
>her home.


Curry basically means gravy. Curry powder is an English creation which
several Indian companies gladly manufacture for export. It is a masala
and does impart a distinctive flavor.

Masala is what Indians call their spice blends. Every region of India
has distinctive blends and most dishes have traditional blends
associated with them. For the most part masalas are made at home at the
last minute. For certain spice mixes pre-packaged brands are popular.
Either because a small amount is used often, like Garam Masala, or it
include a large number of spices, so making it at home is cumbersome,
or the particular brand has a good reputation and distinctive flavor
profile, certain chaat masalas would fall into this category.

FYI, Garam Masala is a "finishing" spice mixture put into the dish
during the last minutes of cooking. Garam means hot as in tempurature
hot not chili hot. There are many recipes for it, but the core almost
always includes cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom, which are warming
spices.