Curry Spice Mixture

[Jambalaya]

An Indian friend of mine always makes curry using his own blend of spices, but I can never get him to give me the mix recipe. I can make curry easily once I have a curry spice mix but would like to put together my own curry spice mix. I know there are plenty of styles of curry and don't know enough about each one to know what to ask for. I can say I enjoy something with a little heat and when I make chicken curry I usually use Patek's Hot Curry Paste. So can anyone give me a good spice mixture for curry?

Thanks

[paulj]

Does your friend use a blend that he makes ahead of time, or does he use a variety of spices at cooking time? My opinion is that those pastes are a better starting point than most premixed powder mixes. The next step up is to work with individual spices, and add them at different points in the recipe. Ideally some are used at the start of the dish where they are added to the onions, fresh garlic, and fresh ginger. Some times all of these are blended to form a paste, which is in turn fried a bit. Often recipes call for adding a different spice mix, often called garam masala ('warm mix'), near the end of the cooking to brighten the flavors.

Potentially you would also use different blends of spices for different meats, and different vegetables.

paulj

[mrsleny]

I really like this recipe a co-worker shared with me.

1 part:
black mustard seed
cumin seed
coriander seed, crushed
salt
ground ginger
turmeric
cayenne

½ part:
cinnamon

Combine all ingredients; store in air-tight container.