Spice tasting trials

[JerryM]

ave started this and hit difficulty and need some thoughts on what going wrong

I can add detail if needed.

in short have used onion, salt, oil, water to give a "base" to add spice 1 off at a time.

all goes well adding turmeric, cumin, coriander, chef masala, paprika. 

at this point the curry tastes pretty good. not BIR but the makings of.

it goes downhill very fast on adding curry powder. I'm using rajah hot madras which on it's own I'd thought tastes pretty good.

taking the ratio cumin:curry powder to 1:10 really demonstrates how bad a curry can get.

immediate thoughts:
1) curry powder is wrong type
2) perception of lot of curry powder in mix powder is wrong

any guidance appreciated

[Naga]

What is the "chef masala", Jerry?

I use Abdul  Mohed's 8-Spice mix powder as my standard and that calls for 20g mild madras powder per 145g mix powder.

[JerryM]

Naga,

I'm not keen on bought garam masala. Tgad2007 post put me onto roasting and making your own ie chef garam.

Thanks for info on Abdul 8 mix. I did think of it as it's 1 of the few mix powders that I've not compared. The mild madras pwdr could well be the key. Will buy packet. Am sure I've used it in past but knew a lot less then.  Ratio sits well too

[Naga]

Ah! Got it now. I don't use garam masala much, so making it fresh in small quantities makes perfect sense.

I've tried a good few mix powders from this forum (and some from other blogs etc for specialist recipes), and Moded's mix suits my palate best for general curry making.

I'm a fan of chaat masala and I do add the odd sprinkle when I make curries for myself, rather then for the family.

[LouP]

I have used a few mix powders but I find Abdul's 8 spice suits my taste the best.

Also Naga which Chaat masala do you use. I have some in (Shan is the brand I have) I want to have a go at Chicken Chaat and wondered how else I could use the mix and what flavour it adds. I haven't opened the box yet
Cheers!

[Naga]

Hi LouP,

I'm currently using Laziza Chaat Masala, but I've got an unbroken box of Everest I bought in Oz that I'll be trying next.

I only use a good pinch or so just before serving a Jalfrezi or Jalandhari and it gives the curry a bit of a fizz on the tastebuds.

I can't help with the Chicken Chaat as it's something I've never made (yet!).

[haldi]

it goes downhill very fast on adding curry powder. I'm using rajah hot madras which on it's own I'd thought tastes pretty good.

taking the ratio cumin:curry powder to 1:10 really demonstrates how bad a curry can get.

any guidance appreciated

I think it's how you cook the spices too
I know it's controversial, but one takeaway I like, doesn't fry the spices but boils them with the curry gravy for about ten minutes
They use Pataks Balti Paste in their curries a lot, too
But they superheat every curry
If you get given a taste before it's put in a container, it burns your mouth
Really really hot
Their spice mix is all made by East End and the ratio is 1 of everything, but only 1/2 of cummin

turmeric,paprika,mild madras curry powder,coriander and cummin

[JerryM]

haldi,

many thanks - very comforting

i'm actually microwaving the test samples (and allowing for what you say on cooking in the assessment). dipuraja comes to mind in sort of what i'm doing.

i will look out for east end (having a big shop on the mile). interesting ratio.

im clearly early days and producing an all in dish (ie base and mix) which i would ultimately need to separate out. i also ultimately see different spicing used in the base. so far the big hitters - still a long way to go:

Cumin = 1
1) turmeric - have used 4:1 but now see 2:1
2) coriander - had always seen 2:1 but now see 1:1 or even 0.75:1 (cumin being more)
3) curry powder - had thought 6:1 or even 10. not sure yet but 1:1 on my mind
4) chef masala - always thought use little but not so sure
5) paprika - i am looking for a "madras" mix not like the IFFU i rate. paprika from my LB days is of interest

the details in case of interest

[JerryM]

Haldi,

many thanks for suggestion on the east end (Ashoka preferred spice as well). did not buy the rajah mild - ingredients looked to close to the hot.

ended up getting heera to compare. both very nice but the east end had the edge. very clear curry powder is taste bud dependent.



i'm now happy on the basic spice ingredients and intend to try out a few variations inc the abdul mix. thinking i can do the finished curry tasting via harilor's crock pot curry.

[JerryM]

had a further interesting few hrs trying abdul8 mix, haldi mix, IFFU mix.

the 4 off batches are now combined in the harilor curry for monday tea.

nothing really to report (a fair bit to think about "ponder" - what next):
1) could not pick out the tandoori pwdr in abdul8 (despite x2)
2) abdul8 was good
3) abdul8 and haldi are similar in spec but not in taste
4) think i might need revisit my chef masala

a big thank you to h4ppy-chris as without that influence to buy the jewellery scales i'm using.

back on proper curry next week.

ps haldi - would appreciate any guidance on the absence of the chef masala in your mix - i guess it must be added at base

Top Clockwise IFFU, Haldi (plus chef masala), Abdul8 (glass jug), hadli (as spec)