Topic: Purchasing spices

[wriggler]

Hi everyone.  What spices do people use?  Do you think you need to go to an authentic indian supermarket or will the local 'asdas' or 'tesco' range do?  Does anyone find a difference amongst brands in terms of flavour and authenticity etc.

Any views or comments appreciated!!   

[Stephen Lindsay]

Hi wriggler

Avoid the supermarkets at all cost unless you are happy to pay through the roof for your spices. I go to my local Asian grocer and by all my spices there. Brands like Rajah and TRS will give you excellent results.

If you want to be a bit more adventurous buy your spices whole, e.g. coriander and cumin seeds. Gently roast them in a dry frying pan or medium oven until they begin to darken and give off their aroma. Invest in an electric coffee grinder and grind them when cool - you can make your own garam masala, curry powder and tandoori masala that way.

Incindently if you buy your chillis, onions, garlic and ginger from your Asian grocer you will save a lot of money as well.

[wriggler]

Hi Stephen thanks for your comments.will give the "making your own spices" a go,something good about making a meal totally from scratch.

[JerryM]

wriggler,

pls do give the "making your own spices" a go as Stephen suggests - it's all good learning. chris303 posted a v.good practise that i've adopted - this being to fry ea spice separately so that u don't overcook the smaller ones.

not to be a party pooper by anymeans but a little caution - i used to make my own mixes. i made garam for a long time and then tried making curry powder. i now buy the branded products finding the taste much superior than what i could make.

i do make spice mix though and buy whole spices for it where possible (ie coriander & cumin) and then grind them when needed (the coffee grinder as Stephen says is definitely a must purchase).

[joshallen2k]

IMO

Making your own:

Ground cumin and coriander - Yes
Garam Masala - Yes
Chat Masala - Yes
Curry Powder - NO

[haldi]

Gently roast them in a dry frying pan or medium oven until they begin to darken and give off their aroma. Invest in an electric coffee grinder and grind them when cool

I know a lot of books that say to roast spices, I've tried it myself
I can see what difference it makes if the roast ground spice are sprinkled onto a curry
But if you are frying the spices at the start, what difference does it make to a curry?
You're cooking them twice

[Malachyte]

Gently roast them in a dry frying pan or medium oven until they begin to darken and give off their aroma. Invest in an electric coffee grinder and grind them when cool

I know a lot of books that say to roast spices, I've tried it myself
I can see what difference it makes if the roast ground spice are sprinkled onto a curry
But if you are frying the spices at the start, what difference does it make to a curry?
You're cooking them twice

When you roast the spices, you're releasing oils that they contain that you wouldn't be able to get with just grinding them. This also adds an Earthyness to them, and (in my opinion) makes them more aromatic as well. 

When you fry the spices at the start, one of the major purposes is to infuse the oil/ingrediants with the flavor of the spices. So, if the spices have the added "Roasted complexity" with them from the start....


I'm new with the curry making thing, went ahead and dropped a good chunk of change on whole spices, and re-stocking the pantry (nutmeg that is over 15 years old = Fail) and I"ve made my own Curry powder, garam Masala, and Rogan Josh mixes. When cooking with them, I just feel like I've got more control over what is going into the dishes, and that extra sense of pride as well, knowing that you put it all together.

Make sense? One of the more experienced members can feel free to correct me if I'm wrong (...which happens on more then just an occasion )