Any spice experts about?

[Flickoffboris]

I'm huts starting to make some curries and branch out a bit.
I just made a beef curry and it has a flavour I really dislike. Its almost floral / reminds me of shake and vac. It's not fairy liquid residue on the pan, so it's definitely one of the spices.
I added everything in the picture, is it The cardamon? I've tried all other spices but I'm not sure I've ever had much cardamon. Could it be mistaken for floral cleaning products on a bad day?!

I personally love cardamom but yes, I think you've put your finger on the reason why you don't like the recipe.

Oh and I didn't have ground coriander so used some coriander seeds tied in a muslin bag instead.

How fresh were the spices?

Did you use fresh coriander too? Some people can find it tastes almost like soap, I know I do. Apparently it's genetic but I'm not sure how true that is.

I haven't added the frsh coriander and cream yet, I love coriander so I'm hoping that'll rescue it for me.
The spices are all dried, but bought within the last month, so well within date.
Thanks for all the help by the way!

Garam masala isn’t a spice, it’s a blend of lots of different spices, so it could be that also depending on what’s in it.

Could it be ginger?

I think dried coriander(and by default the seeds) has this flavour. I'm always v careful with the amount I add. It can be very overpowering

For your beef curry.

Just use garlic and ginger. Salt and pepper. A dash of turmeric. Some garam masala and FREsH coriander. It taste simple but amazing.

I find powdered coriander and cardamon give off that dish washy taste.

is cumin in the garam masala? or even rose?
tumeric can smell a bit 'footbath' imo

Garam masala is quite distinct and a bit floral with the nutmeg and cinnamon in it, I would say it was that rather than the cardamom.

Do you normally eat fresh coriander? Because to some people its tastes like soap (its genetic) - so that could also be the issue.

I've gone away from it, come back and done a very scientific sniff test .

I've sniffed all the spice pots and I think it's the garam Massala. Rather than buy the little Schwartz bottles in Sainsburys I went to the Asian supermarket and got some, which was scooped not bagged, so I've not a clue what was in it that I dislike, its probably more authentic than the supermarket ones, but my uneducated palate doesn't like it.

What a shame, I bought a tonne of it!

I'd swear it's the cardamom,
Open a pod and take out a seed and taste it.
I love it, but it is v v fragrant

I've disliked some garam masala blends I have tried too. Shame you can't smell them in advance.

There is too much coriander powder , too many cardamom pods and garam masala in that recipe imo - and sugar!

It needs cumin and more chilli imo

For anyone still interested in my detective journey I think the GM must be heavy on cinnamon, its come to me that it smells like one of those awful Glade plug ins, the cinnamon ones that my Nan loves .

So you clever lot, any advice? Shall I make my own with just things I like, without the soapy bits? Or if a recipe says GM what shall I throw in instead?

This is the third complaint I've seen recently about recipes in BBC Good Food magazine (not the BBC food website).

One was for Keema Peas, which stated 2 tbs of garam masala when 2 tsp would have been reasonable.

I'd try a different source for recipes.

Thanks @georgyporky BBC is my go to, it always feels accessible, not too complex or too many ingredients needed. But maybe its gone down hill lately, like a lot of their journalism.
Where do you get recipes from, outside of books?

I can't load the image, but where did you get the muslin bag from and what had been in it before?

@palavah I bought it online. I got a few and hand washed them all, none of the others have given me trouble, but good thinking!

@Flickoffboris Love your name!

I find that www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes
is reliable, but not the BBCGF magazine.

I've got about 80 books, but I still hunt around the web for something different. There are some cooks/sites that I won't touch for various reasons, but the Hairy Bikers/Dieters cover a good range of cuisines & their recipes are easy to follow

It's definitely the cardamom IMHO. I bit into one in a curry and I swear I felt like I was biting into an air freshener! So yes, it could be mistaken for floral cleaning products.

You could try biting into one now and see if that's the flavour you're getting.

For cooking, try crushing them lightly and remove before serving, or leave on side of plate, then you get some od the flavour without it being overpowering.