Any tips on spices for a mild curry?

[tracyk]

I'd love to be able to master curry cooking - but they always taste of raw curry powder! Any tips on alternative spices or timings for cooking to dilute the raw tasting?

don't use curry powder! I use garamasala, coriander (powder and fresh), cumin (seeds and ground), chilli powder, turmuric, chillis, curry leafs, methi, bay leaves, paprika, cardamons, cinamon, etc. Not all at once, but whatever to flavour the curry I want to make.

Cardamom pods make a fantastic flavouring for a mild curry, also I use coriander and cumin seeds - cracked in a pestle and mortar and then toasted in the pan to bring out the flavour

This is nice:

Chickpea Curry

1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves,crushed
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 x 400g can chickpeas
450ml vegetable stock (made with stock cube)

Fry onion in oil until soft. Add garlic and spices and cook for 4-5 mins over medium heat.
Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil, then cover and simmer for 1hr.

You could use the spices for any other type of curry - chicken, whatever. It's not too hot but you could put less chilli in if you wanted to try it our milder first time. The ginger makes a difference I find.

I use cumin, corriander, mustard seeds a bit of chilli and sometimes garram masala, I grind them up fry in oil and then add onions etc.

Another thing I do is add mango chutney to taste {i like a whole jar] and creme fraiche. It's deliciosly sweet and creamy. I do it with chick pea and peppers.

For easiness I prefer curry paste - I like Patak's Korma one (keeps for ages in the fridge). It's oil based so you can use it to start off your curry - saute your onions or meat in it. I also love mango chutney in curry but my kids gag if they get a lump of mango - so we end up with a jar of bits of mango and no syrupy stuff And I always cool it at the end with a bit of yoghurt, cream or creme fraiche. Want curry now.

I made a gorgeous curry last week with lamb, spinach, chick peas and sweet potato. It was soooo yummy.

Are curry pastes acceptable nowadays? In this new regime of 'cooking from scratch'??
Am trying to be domestic godess!

I don't care if they're acceptable or not

i use the pataks curry paste too most of the time - I have the masala one, its great.

and I am official paid up Domestic Goddess

I have Enid Approval - I'm OK!

loyd grossman curry sauces are good too, add a little cream to make milder.

All sauces grim except the one they sell in my deli, cant remember the name. they are lush.

Nooo, curry pastes are vile - they all taste the same. I'm at u, Enid!

honestly if you fry them up with a bit of butter oil and garlic some are very good!

its what they use in the indian restaurant most of the time anyway

Hmm, maybe, but I've only ever had food from two places, both really more homestyle type. I think one makes their own curry paste which goes on everything, and it is soo nice. I've tried to reproduce it and failed. The other is a gujarati place which def doesn't use paste. And I don't know any indians that use paste.

some luverly curry recipes in Sainsbos mag this month

Kelly, I know loads of Asian people who use curry paste! (not necessarily Patak's though)