Mild Curry Favours

[david44]

Curry a word redolent of exotiic spices firey sauces and numb tongues.

Howver the original Tamil sauce kari was a mild sambal or sauce

This much loved dish has as many variants as fans

Spicing food was used to disguise poor or rancid meat

Later the Portuguese in Bom Jesus da Goa developed Vinh d'alho wine plus garlic our Vindaloo

In Dutch Indies the legend of Curry Kapitan, basically a stew of what you could find

Here in LOS the American origin chilli is seen as the sina qua non, I like Massaman and all the others but think of them as spicey Thai food as opposed to the Tamil cuisine of my youth and the late night Bengal Stars meals in Burslem and Liverpool

The British national dish was largely invented using bottled sauces by Sylheti Bengalis is Chicken Tikka Masala

My favourite is the Tamil vegetarian

Veggievariety belved of the Thali a selection of contrarting flavours, Alays a dahl a smabl, a patatoe dish , often okra, mango chutney, coconut, minty dahi with curd or yoghurt to cool the palate and the crsipy pappad or poppodums used to scoop the lushiuos sauces/gravies.All is served on white rice often the largest and cheapest ingredient with endless refills in the usual banana leaf "NASI" eateries of th Malabar coast.Similar dishes are available in KL, Bangkok (rare KSR and Madras off Slim 24) a few Indian veg places around Soi 13 Suk and up market Woodlands

Muslim style Tandoor oven

Also a fave is the tandoori food where marinated ingredients usually lamb,chicken or fish is marinated then cooked at high temparatures in the cermaic furnace which today is supercharged by gas bottles.

These are also ideal for Pitta and Naan breads the standard fare along the silk rd from Eastern Turkmenistan in China through the Stands to Iran and the Caspian where great fusion wiyh Med Lebanese slads of Auebrgine olive, Labneh and cucumber to assuage the heat


Thai and Khmer styles always add Chillis often so fiery I can hardly tatse anthing else,cocnunt, fish sauce, tmarind and all the lovely southern fruits and spices

Taiwan and Japan have developed a swet yellow sauce with sultanas and mild spices similar to UK chip sauce curry sauce

Indonesua has its own padang style suaces served with variety of dishes esp good with rendang


Uk and Irleand have a history of raucous late night curry house, due to the fact that in many small towns it was the place to continue supping chilled lager when the bars had closed, in fact in Kent and Shropshire that I visit regularly some village pubs have been rpelaced by curry houses which ae veryhwere in wealthy South East


Keys to preparation fresh aromatics are ground in a mortar and may include all or any of

Clove
Cumin
Coriander
Fennel
Fenugreek use sparingly
Green red and Black Peppercorns
Asafoetida stinky but helpful in Tandoor
Mace and Nutmeg the two parts of the same pod
Mustard Seeds
Vanilla

The Curry leaf may or may not be used
There is no proscrptive list but most Indian chefs will use as many as 20 distinct ingredients in varying amounts to yield uniqye curries like 69 , Malabar coast and Sri Lanka have sone very nice sweet sour dishes but havinbg lived in S India a year that is my curry of choice and readily available througout Tamil areas of Malaysia and amongst the diaspora in LA Tooting S LLondon and parts of Sydney the best here

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...uth_Wales.html

INGREDIENTS

LAMB OR SLOW COOKED MUTTON
BEEF
CHICKEN/ TURKEY AND DUCK ARE ALSO SURPRISINGLY GOOD
PORK IS NOT USUAL BUT FINE
FIRM WHITE FISH LIKE HADDOCK OR SALTED COD POSSIBLE
PULSES AND TOFU
I had frog curry in China and pretty sure dog was on the menu in nam

Today excellent ready made powders are available where the dried ground ingredients are found. the selection in Makro is not bad if no access to authentic Dravidian ingredients

Also do not ignore the ready made sauces in UK Pataks is the gold standard .
https://www.pataks.co.uk/

Website includes recipes for the British palette


Other equally good brands from the sub continent can be obtained in bangkok a visit to any Indian or Pakistani place in Suk theres one with small range next to the Sportsman behind Ambassador Hotel and Pahurat

Whatever you choose a marinade left overnight pays dividends
As we all know the left over curry often evne more delicious after another night in the pot

Clove and Cassia are often chosen but they ae not to my taste the same for star anis, chacun a son gout

11 Essential Spices for Indian Cooking | Kitchn


Fruit
Almost any dried fruit is a good addition esp Hunza apricot large yellow sultanas and shards of peeled from Granny smith they all give a zing, Mango and soft fruit best left for the chutney on the side.

Vitamin C

I add a small tsps squeze of fresh Lime from the garden or when in UK/OZ Lemon and in fact made the famous lemon curry often as a student. Failing this a dash of Apple or Balsamic vinegar just half a teaspoon is enough in a pot for 4.Thai or Viet fish sauces I find grate , while they fit with Thai dishes I find they detract from Indian styel curry , I do use cocounut, milk,powder block or best fresh flesh and water or sticky rice

RICE AND BREADS
Hard to beat Homli Thai or basmati

I prefer naan /Pitta breads to scoop the dahl and chutney of course both, Lotus Tesco now sell pretty ordinary Naans around 100 baht a pack

Wine in or with, If its not good enough to drink , don't cook with it, but I find half a glass of red plonk helos up to you don't worry about teetotal guest(as if) the alcohol will cook off

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Curds and whey, while tofu paneer have the advocates I prefer lamb or just vegetable curry but all fiery dishes benefit from a dollop of Bio Actifudus Greek style Yoghurt , failing that even Dutchie plain remember its sweetness, I never add cheeses to curry but I know some who use cottage cheese to cream if no coconut paste

I like a few sides Mango Chutney or a good string Ahmeds of Karachi lemon Lime chutney the cure for all constipation, a light cucumber and red onion dip and bit of yogurt with garden mint

So over to you what is your favorite? I'll post some recipes later

I hope our friend with the trumpet butts in with some pwopa Bozlem curry recipes
27 recipes here
27 Vegetarian Curry Recipes | Easy Vegetable Curry Ideas - olive magazine

History

Curry History

11 Essential Spices for Indian Cooking | Kitchn

The Origins of Curry | Raghavan Iyer