Thread: Curried goat.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

I take it the Cardamon is a type of curry powder?

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No, not at all, as it is only one of the many ingredients that can be used to make a "curry" meal. Curry powder, a commercially prepared mixture of spices, is largely a Western notion, dating to the 18th century. Such mixtures are commonly thought to have first been prepared by Indian merchants for sale to members of the British Colonial government and army returning to Britain.

Commercial "Curry Powder", which should be avoided at all costs unless you are lazy or wanting a quick fix, are generally a mixture of a few selected spices, with tumeric, which gives colour and chilli which gives heat, being obvious. . For example, Empire Brand "Indian Hot Curry Powder" lists it's contents as Tumeric, Coriander Cummin, salt Chilli, Mustard, Ginger , spices.

Bearing in mind, that under NZ labelling Law, the product with the greatest content is listed first and that with the least, last, you will see that in the Empire example, the mixture of spices is very limited and it contains more salt and chilli powder than "spices". Note that cardomom is not even listed. It may be lumped in with the other "spices" which because of their minimum quantities, do not justify a listing. a

Many curry recipes include coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, in their recipes and additional ingredients such as ginger, garlic, asafoetida, fennel seed, caraway, cinnamon, clove, mustard seed, green cardamom, black cardamom, nutmeg, long pepper, and black pepper along with others may also be included.

Having been an Indian Curry fancier for some years, I have found that I buy the individual spices and add them to my curries to suit the recipe or my palate. "Curry Powder" is to be found in my pantry, but only for the purpose of making curried hard boiled eggs.:>)

IMHO, the test of a good curry is not how hot it is (any fool cook can achieve searing heat by lashings of chilli powder) but by the after taste of spices left in the mouth. Heat without a pleasant spicy after taste is a clear sign that the cook does not know how to make a curry.

A useful link to assist in clarifying the difference between "curries" and "curry powder" is

Curry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia