curry powder

Tracy wrote:
> If a recipe, say for Thai Pineapple Fried rice, included curry powder-
> what exactly do I need? I have green and yellow curry paste, but I have
> never used just plain old curry powder. I do have access to a large
> Asian grocery - I just need to know what to look for.
>
>
>
> The recipe I want to try is here:
>
> http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/thaifriedrice.htm
>
> Tracy

Curry powder is a blend of spices that can be anything you want it to be
and there are lots of variations. Many people just make it as required
because it has a much fresher taste. So one possibility is to make it
yourself (you may already have the spices you need).

I don't think either of those pastes would work well with fruit. If you
like using pastes then you might try Massaman (a type not a brand) curry
paste because it has cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg which go well with fruit.

Tracy wrote:

> If a recipe, say for Thai Pineapple Fried rice, included curry powder-
> what exactly do I need? I have green and yellow curry paste, but I have
> never used just plain old curry powder. I do have access to a large
> Asian grocery - I just need to know what to look for.
>
> The recipe I want to try is here:
>

Curry covers a wide range of spice mixtures, an varies according to the
region and the type of food it is being used for; fish, chicken, beef,
pork, vegetables or fruit. There is a generic sort of curry powder
available in most grocery store spice shelves. You could go to the local
Asian grocery store in your area you could probably get a particular curry
mix more suitable for that dish.

Tracy <[email protected]> wrote in news:g5vh76$6rn$1
@registered.motzarella.org:

> If a recipe, say for Thai Pineapple Fried rice, included curry powder-
> what exactly do I need? I have green and yellow curry paste, but I have
> never used just plain old curry powder. I do have access to a large
> Asian grocery - I just need to know what to look for.
>
>
>
> The recipe I want to try is here:
>
> http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/thaifriedrice.htm
>
> Tracy

Curry powder...go to the penzey site and look at the differring curry
powders if you want a clue to make one. Or buy some from a good source. In
the case of this recipe I'm thinking it calls for a sweet curry.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

hahabogus wrote:
> Tracy <[email protected]> wrote in news:g5vh76$6rn$1
> @registered.motzarella.org:
>
>> If a recipe, say for Thai Pineapple Fried rice, included curry powder-
>> what exactly do I need? I have green and yellow curry paste, but I have
>> never used just plain old curry powder. I do have access to a large
>> Asian grocery - I just need to know what to look for.
>>
>>
>>
>> The recipe I want to try is here:
>>
>> http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/thaifriedrice.htm
>>
>> Tracy
>
> Curry powder...go to the penzey site and look at the differring curry
> powders if you want a clue to make one. Or buy some from a good source. In
> the case of this recipe I'm thinking it calls for a sweet curry.
>
Penzey's has (or had) a nice sweet curry powder. I am confused
because the small container and the large container listed
different ingredients. I need to go back and compare. It might
be because I got the larger container later. I hope not, because
the other ingredients produced a nicer blend, IMHO. I don't like
their "Maharajah" type curry powder. It tastes musty to me.

Now back to the OP... Yes, I have problems with THAI recipes that
call for curry powder. Recipes for the pastes abound, but I am
never sure what type of curry powder would be appropriate.

--
Jean B.

On 2008-07-20, Tracy <[email protected]> wrote:

> never used just plain old curry powder. I do have access to a large
> Asian grocery - I just need to know what to look for.

> The recipe I want to try is here:
>
> http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/thaifriedrice.htm

The about.com domain is a crapshoot at best. It's primary goal is to
generate revenue, not provide the best information. Curry "powder" is about
as low as you can go on the spice hierarchy. Like about.com, it's about
marketing rather than authenticity.

A curry is a method of cooking, not a spice. Yes, a curry requires a lot of
spices, but a spice "powder" calling itself a curry is most likely the worst
option available. Your Thai pastes are undoubetedly a better choice. Try
one or the other. I make my own curry spices from scratch or buy whole
spice masalas and grind when needed. Just about any alternative is better
than using something calling itself "curry powder".

nb

notbob wrote:
> On 2008-07-20, Tracy <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> never used just plain old curry powder. I do have access to a large
>> Asian grocery - I just need to know what to look for.
>
>> The recipe I want to try is here:
>>
>> http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/thaifriedrice.htm
>
> The about.com domain is a crapshoot at best. It's primary goal is to
> generate revenue, not provide the best information. Curry "powder" is about
> as low as you can go on the spice hierarchy. Like about.com, it's about
> marketing rather than authenticity.
>
> A curry is a method of cooking, not a spice. Yes, a curry requires a lot of
> spices, but a spice "powder" calling itself a curry is most likely the worst
> option available. Your Thai pastes are undoubetedly a better choice. Try
> one or the other. I make my own curry spices from scratch or buy whole
> spice masalas and grind when needed. Just about any alternative is better
> than using something calling itself "curry powder".
>
> nb


I agree - the about.com site is not too great. I do like the looks of
the recipe though. Whenever I see curry powder as an ingredient I am
wary because there are so many different types - Indian, Thai, Japanese.
I am not a huge fan of Indian curries - but I will admit to not having
tried many either.

I might just try it out with the yellow - the green would be totally
wrong. I also have a lot of dried spices (whole and ground) and probably
most of what would be needed for this dish - if only I had a recipe....


Thanks.

Tracy

Tracy wrote:
> notbob wrote:
>> On 2008-07-20, Tracy <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> never used just plain old curry powder. I do have access to a large
>>> Asian grocery - I just need to know what to look for.
>>
>>> The recipe I want to try is here:
>>>
>>> http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/thaifriedrice.htm
>>
>> The about.com domain is a crapshoot at best. It's primary goal is to
>> generate revenue, not provide the best information. Curry "powder" is
>> about
>> as low as you can go on the spice hierarchy. Like about.com, it's about
>> marketing rather than authenticity.
>> A curry is a method of cooking, not a spice. Yes, a curry requires a
>> lot of
>> spices, but a spice "powder" calling itself a curry is most likely the
>> worst
>> option available. Your Thai pastes are undoubetedly a better choice.
>> Try
>> one or the other. I make my own curry spices from scratch or buy whole
>> spice masalas and grind when needed. Just about any alternative is
>> better
>> than using something calling itself "curry powder".
>>
>> nb
>
>
> I agree - the about.com site is not too great. I do like the looks of
> the recipe though. Whenever I see curry powder as an ingredient I am
> wary because there are so many different types - Indian, Thai, Japanese.
> I am not a huge fan of Indian curries - but I will admit to not having
> tried many either.
>
> I might just try it out with the yellow - the green would be totally
> wrong. I also have a lot of dried spices (whole and ground) and probably
> most of what would be needed for this dish - if only I had a recipe....
>
>
> Thanks.
>
> Tracy

Re Indian curries--have you tried them with curry powder, or have
you used a combination of spices? The results are very dissimilar.

--
Jean B.