Topic: Curry powder / Garam masala

[JerryM]

DD,

many thanks. put's my mind at rest. it sit's well with me for sure.

[Razor]

Just to add to the confusion,  CA is right, any spice blend is a "masala" by definition and "curry powder" is quite different to "garam masala"  Yet I use a "spice mix" that requires both "Curry powder -2tsp" and "Garam masala -1/2tsp"

The spice mix is required near the start of the dish, so if what the general  belief is, is true, that garam masala loses it's flavour (pungency) over the full length of the dish, why would it be included in the "spice mix"

I have used garam at the end of a dish but like Jerry, I think it takes me away from replicating BIR dishes.  It was only a pinch, but you knew it was there!

Ray

[JerryM]

Razor,

it's worse than that. i used to always make my own garam - thinking wrongly (from KD1). from the ashoka thread i bought for the 1st time (east end garam) - it's not garam for me - it's more like curry powder. the sums don't add up for sure.

the only time i feel happy using garam is in the base (and i'm not that convinced there either) as at any other time it takes u away not towards BIR. i rarely use the East End now preferring to swap it with the Kushi.

[Razor]

Hi Jerry,

i rarely use the East End now preferring to swap it with the Kushi.

It's the Kushi spice mix that I refer to when I say it requires both curry powder and Garam Masala!

All my spices are Rajah as it is the predominant brand in my local Asian Supermarket.

Ray

[JerryM]

Razor,

sorry for causing confusion. i'd intially and for a long time made the Kushi spice mix without the garam.

when i made u're base i added the garam to the kushi mix for the 1st time. i thought it worked well and am now at ease with it included. i do think though that the garam i'm happy to use ie East End and similar are not what i think of as "garam" which is the traditional type. the East End appears to me to be a halfway house between "traditional garam" and curry powder.