Please recommend me a Curry powder

[maxman]

I love curry. The last few curry powders I've purchased have been not so good.
I'm willing to pay for the best I can find.
Sharwoods made a nice powder, but now I can't find it anywhere.
Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[ouch]

I'd suggest making your own from whole spices. You can tinker with them until you get the perfect blend, the whole spices will last much longer, and it will be fresher than any pre-ground mix. Mixes such as these benefit greatly from dry-roasting the whole spices then sautéing the freshly ground mix in some hot fat.

 

[maxman]

I made my own Garam Masala that wasn't too bad.
I can't find the recipe now. Good thing I made a bunch of it.

 

[Alacrity59]

Sometimes for mid week meals I do use curry paste. Here in Southern Ontario there is a fairly good turn over of Patak's. I like the paste because it blends in quickly.

I can't believe how blessed we are with spice. When I was a kid in the 60's I think we (mom and dad) had maybe 8 spices . . . 2 of which were salt and pepper . . . no hot pepper, cayenne. We had cloves . . for roast pork, Ginger. . . for cookies, chives . . .good with tined salmon and mayo, cream of tarter . . . for royal icing, and a few bottles of stuff that were kept around for years that were purchased for making one experimental dish.

These days . . . basil, sage, oregano, chives, dill overrun my garden. Healthy doses of cumin, turmeric, cardamom have found their way into meals. Blends help for ease of use . . herbs de province, Montreal steak spice, Italian seasoning and on and on.

Oriental . . . well you need Oyster sauce, black bean sauce, Sriracha (chili garlic).

Ah . . . went off on a tangent . . . I try not to have things sit unused and there are many things I get fresh from my garden. Some spices I use are probably past an ideal age.

 

[SUNA]

I love curry. The last few curry powders I've purchased have been not so good.
I'm willing to pay for the best I can find.
Sharwoods made a nice powder, but now I can't find it anywhere.
Does anyone have any suggestions?

Head on down to Loblaw's...they have a decent selection here. I've used their no-name with good results. We also have T&T Market...which Loblaw's actually just bought.

 

[_JP_]

I totally agree with pounding out your own curry powder, that's how they do it in India. There are recipes online to get you started. A mortar and pestle will do the job.

 

[jwhite]

I do recommend using a mortar and pestle to do your own for the greatest depth in flavor. But I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the curries I've received from Penzey's Spices.

 

[KaiserKrebs]

+ 1 on the Patak's Curry paste, great to use if your in a pinch for time. It's very good, made in Great Britain, the Brits should know good curry.If you have the time, making it from scratch is great, and rewarding as well.

 

[maxman]

Thanks for the suggestions.
For Christmas last year, SWMBO's grandfather gave us a bunch of cookbooks.
one is an Indian cookbook, but it's very authentic and lots of the stuff I can't get here.
I can get Patak's and I do use it in a variety of dishes. The Vindaloo is my favourite.
I'll try making my own. I should be able to get a variety of spices to make a basic one.

Thanks again gents.

 

[TulsaLhorn]

That's like asking here "What's the best blade?"

First question..what type of curry?

There are many, many types like Indian, Malaysian, Indonesian, Singaporean, etc.

Each have their own nuances, flavors and ingredients. And can vary significantly. Come in a variety of forms such as powders, pastes, etc.

+1

I like Thai curry the most so its easy for me. I use just about any paste from Maesri or Mae Ploy, some coconut milk, nam pla (3 crabs), and palm sugar. And of course whatever meat, tofu and veggies are going in it.

 

[Suzuki]

For the best flavour, Ouch is right on the money - there's no substitute for a home-made blend made with fresh, whole spices and ground to use.

For weeknights and when I'm in a rush, I like the Patak's - I also use this for dishes when I want a bit of extra flavour - such as curried squash soups or curried chicken salad, etc.

 

[ouch]

If you have any of the cheap, ~$10 blade grinders that your coffee geek friends scoff at, you'll find that they're perfect for grinding spices.

Try this experiment-
Toast a tablespoon of cumin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for a few minutes, tossing frequently, until very fragrant and just beginner to smoke. Grind in cheapo coffee grinder.

Compare to preground, bottled cumin. You'll never go back.

 

[DFrancis]

i have not tried it yet but I have a recipe from Vicram Vij for Garam Masala.

1 heaping tsp whole cloves
1.5 tsp black cardamom seeds
6 heaping Tbsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp pounded cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp ground mace
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

in a heavy frying pan heat everything except the mace and nutmeg in medium high stirring constantly for about 20 minutes. Along with the mace and nutmeg put in a coffee grinder and mix until it's the consistency of ground black pepper.

 

[Blue58]

are you trying to find Indian curry or Thai curry, S.E. Asian type curries?? they are quite different and used very differently too.

 

[beyboo]

I am enjoying this thread !!

 

[malocchio]

if you don't want to make your own,go into an indian market and ask for bulk curry...the turnover is so rapid,you always get freshly ground curry

 

[Neurotopia]

I make my own on the fly. Toasting spices on a hot skillet or frying a homemade spice paste will change how you look at things. Namely, that nothing out of a can or jar is worth buying. The most I'll pay for is a high-quality garam masala jar because it's a base and I add to it anyway.

 

[The Nid Hog]

I heard a program on The Splendid Table early this year that included tips about brands of pre-mixed spices to keep around the house. Unfortunately I can't remember exactly which they were--maybe MDH's Chana Masala? Of course it's better to make things from scratch, but sometimes it's nice to just reach into the cupboard when you're in a rush. Better than eating out anyway.

 

[jag613]

i'm actually indian myself and we never use curry powder, we just blend our spices as we cook and i guess you could call that blend curry powder. curry powder is a simple mix of spices with a turmeric base, theres cumin, coriander and a bunch more spices. i would try to find an indian grocer and look there and talk to the people who work there