Cooking with Curry Powder

Curry automatically brings up images of spicy Indian dishes in colorful, orange-red presentations.  Surprisingly, curry powder is not a native Indian spice mix.

It is the British who have coined the term "curry powder" during their colonial rule of India.  While most Indian cooks have access to fresh herbs and spices to make their own mixtures, the British came up with the mix as a way of preserving the taste of the Indian kitchen without having to grow the raw ingredients.  Curry powder had many variations in flavor until Indian food became extremely popular in the 60's and 70's, and a standard curry flavor became widespread. 

Curry powder is a mix of turmeric, cumin, coriander and fenugreek.  For a flavor tailored to a specific recipe, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, green and red cardamom, mace and various peppers can be added.  Today, curry powder is a popular ingredient in South Asian and Jamaican cuisines.
 
Indian families will mix their own spices before preparing a meal.  The mix is commonly known as Garam Masala.  There is no pre-set, generic recipe for the spice mix.  There are many variations, depending on region and climate, family tradition and the dish being prepared.  Before the spices are ground, it is common to fry the ingredients on low heat without oil, removing immediately once the aroma of the spices has been released.

Curry lends itself well to a variety of dishes.  Although it is well known for its use in chicken, rice and soup dishes, curry powder makes a great spice for dessert as well!  Fruit salads get a makeover with a touch of curry spice.  Apples and mango are especially suited to the particular taste and color of a curry spice mix.  Curry powder may be added to vinaigrette salad dressing as well, to give an exotic flavor to your usual greens.  Experiment with the various recipe combinations using this versatile Indian spice mix.