I have always been a lover of spices, ever since I discovered them that is - my parents were not into spices, except for pepper. That yellow supermarket curry powder was as far as they went - for curried sausages. I looked down on that stuff for a long time after discovering real spices, but later came to realise it has its place.
Just be aware that in India the word 'curry' only means gravy. There are endless varieties of ingredients in different curry dishes.
The spice that stands for India is cardamom. Cardamom is the queen of all spices in India, and is such a wonderful spice. It is the principle ingredient in masala chai, which is often simply called cardamom tea.
Curry's principle spices are coriander and cumin (although some varieties do not use cumin, which I find amazing). You should never buy ground spices, except pre-prepared curry mixes. Once ground, spices very quickly lose their flavour. Always grind your own seeds.
I used to always make my curries from scratch, which I recommend, and to do that you have to explore each spice in isolation and then in combinations. It is a very long process, but is highly rewarding to palate development. Eventually I found I could never match the flavours of good quality curry mixes from Asia, so now I accept defeat, and use them. But I really don't have the time to explore and learn the vast array of curry cooking. So much has to do with when you put the various ingredients into the pot - the sequence and the heating are critical for the outcome. Then it is different for all types of meat or vegetables. Vegetable curries are a much finer art, and in the end I prefer them.
I want to tell of a new discovery. Once in our local shop which stocks this stuff, I found a thing called Black Salt from India. I took it home but soon threw it out as it tasted like a Madras sewer - I kid you not, it was exactly the same!
Well now I realise how it should be used, as it is a recognisable ingredient in this new discovery. We bought this packet of spice mix some time ago, thinking it was Chat, as it's called Chat Masala. Chat is a word I am not sure of the exact meaning but is usually the name of spiced snacks which India is a gold mine of. Well it wasn't Chat, it was a spice mix powder to add to Chat or salads or anything.
Finally we cracked it to see what it was, and wow! what a flavour!
Here are the ingredients:
Black Salt, dry mango powder, pomegranate, cumin, mint, coriander, Bishop Weeds, black pepper, caraway, nutmeg, mace, ginger, chillies, citric acid and asafoetida.
I must tell you that asafoetida is a interesting spice - but it has to be added at the right time - I think it goes in with the onions in a curry.
Also, this mix is produced by a man called M. Masalawala - I like that.
