The Right Amount of Spice

I like curries. Chicken. Rice. Shrimp. Potatoes. Vegetables. (I guess potatoes are included in the realm of vegetables, but I think they're fine alone when soaked in yogurt and curry powder.)

The trouble I've found is landing on a recipe for a mixture that I think tastes great--each time I make some, I alter the ingredients slightly. I then add the mixture to whatever it is I'm preparing, eat it, and enjoy it just enough to abandon the recipe for the curry mixture I used previously, but there's still room for imporvement, or so I taste. The next time I prepare it, I change it again.

This is problematic.

Since I can't seem to land on a curry powder I'll use more than once, I found a few foundations from which to start. For instance, in "The Classic 1000 Indian Recipes," editor Wendy Hobson provides these ingredients for Curry Powder:

2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground red chili

Hobson suggests roasting the spices and grinding them into a fine powder. Pretty typical. This I find is excellent for chicken and vegetables. She elaborates with a recipe for Mild curry Powder:

1/2 cup coriander seeds
1/4 cup cumin seeds
1/4 cup fenugreek seeds
1/4 cup gram flour [chickpea flour]
1/4 cup garlic powder
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp ground turmeric
2tbsp garam masala [black cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp chili powder [
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp gorund dried curry leaves
1 tsp asafoetida [this is certainly excludable, and usually is, I think]

Roast and grind whole spices, mix together with other ingredients. This is a little more interesting and, I think, the more nuanced flavor is better used on fewer ingredients.

Presently, I'm happiest with the following recipe, which is a hearty one and suitable for substantial, meaty dishes, and I find discarding the cloves and cinnamon results in something a bit more agreeable with non-meat dishes. This yields about 1.5 cups of powder:

1/4 cup mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cardamon seeds, shelled
1/4 cup black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup ground ginger
pinch of cornstarch



Grind whole spices, mix together with remaining ingredients, then grind again briefly. Add this about one tablespoon at a time (depending on how much food you wish to make) to a pan in which you've softened onions, mushrooms, diced squash and diced potatoes in oil. Then add a small can of tomatoes and about six ounces of cooked chickpeas. Meanwhile, prepare plain white rice in a separate pot. When the rice is about two minutes from being ready, stir into the curry mixture 1/4 cup each half & half and yogurt, serve it over the rice, and enjoy.