Curry Powder

[sylvan]

I ran out of the delicious curry powder I had and purchased three different brands because the brand I had was bought out and went bancrupt. All the new ones have a different taste from what I had and is a bit too hot for me.
How can I make the new curry less hot and very slightly sweet?

[paulj]

If you still have the old bottle, read the list of ingredients. For example turmeric and cumin are likely to be near the top. Your best bet at finding a similar powder is one that has the same ingredients in the same order (more or less). Most of the color, if yellow, comes from the turmeric. If there was a slight maple aroma, it was due to fenugreek.

You can buy many of the components, and blend your own mix.

[GraydonCarter]

Lots of "Asian Fusion" places list a curry but it always turns out to be a chinese curry. What is it about chinese curry that I don't like... is it the fenugreek?

[Perilagu Khan]

Fenugreek is actually used in a plethora of Indian curries.

[lemons]

It took me years to realize that the reason I thought I didn't like curry was the fenugreek. I've gotten over that, and cilantro and coconut as well, but my guess is if you like Indian curry and not Chinese, it's probably not the fenugreek. Fenugreek is what they use to make imitation maple flavor, so if you can locate some of that you can see if that's your culprit.

[Perilagu Khan]

Heh. I went head-over-heels for fenugreek directly I tasted it but have not been able to overcome my antipathy to cilantro. Antipathy's probably too strong a word. I like it okay in small doses, in the background, so to speak.

[alkapal]

yep, fenugreek seeds and fenugreek leaves!

i always laugh about the manhattan fenugreek mystery that happened a few years back -- the "strange" smell that engulfed NYC traced to a facility making -- iirc -- fake maple syrup.

[sueatmo]

http://www.penzeys.com/

You can search for a store on the Penzey's site. Or you can order what you want. I recommend the Medium Hot Chili Powder, the Vietnamese Cinnamon, the hot chocolate mix, the Tellicherry whole peppercorns, the cassia chips, and the Turkish bay leaves--as well as the curry, of which they have many sorts.

They also have very good quality saffron.

[sueatmo]

Penzey's makes a very nice sweet curry powder, http://tinyurl.com/6nggm7q

The ingredients are listed at the link.

[sylvan]

sueatmo
thanks for the link

[benbenberi]

I was just about to recommend Penzey's sweet curry powder! It's a classic old-fashioned mild curry powder, perfect for an old-fashioned chicken curry, chicken salad, etc.

[sylvan]

benbenberi
thanks, I'll google Penzey's, never seen them in the grocery store

[benbenberi]

You won't. They sell only in their own stores, and through their catalog & website. Very good, very fresh, very wide range of spices & blends.

[sylvan]

benbenberi
thank you, i'll order mild, yellow curry powder from their website

[Veggo]

I have the Penzey's sweet and hot curry powder, which enable me to set the heat dial anywhere I want - sweeter w/ chicken, a little heat w/ goat.

[alkapal]

benbenberi, have you made this chicken salad? it is wonderful, with curry powder and soy sauce! http://www.cookingcache.com/poultry/c...

i don't use the pineapple in the salad…but serve it in a pineapple half for special presentation. pineapple in the salad is an option, but i just think the grapes alone make the right sweet-savory balance.

[benbenberi]

It sounds good - the soy sauce is an interesting variation. (I agree the pineapple in the salad may be a bit overkill.)

[alkapal]

as i've said on other posts, this soy-curry combo is really fantastic with the chicken salad. if i'm making it for myself and want a treat, i eat this salad on a croissant.

[sueatmo]

I like the looks of this recipe. I'd leave out the pineapple and the water chestnuts, and I might add some finely minced sweet onion. Do you use sweet curry powder, or a hotter version? I might add less mayo as well.

[alkapal]

i use a curry powder that is not "hot." i use "larich" brand curry powder that my MIL brought me from sri lanka.

this chicken salad doesn't come across as "curry" -- for some strange reason (at least to the best of my recollection). it just has a deep "savory" flavor, which i cannot describe any better. i think people who don't like "curry" still like this salad.

the water chestnut is very nice for adding crunchy texture, but if you don't like it, obviously leave it out -- but i really like it in the salad. i wouldn't advise adding onion on the first go, just to see how you like it. of course, we all doctor, but that way, you have a baseline. (this isn't like any other chicken salad you've had, i reckon). you can always add the onion later, once you have tasted your salad made according to the recipe as written. if you do add it, grate it, and start with just a wee bit. the salad is also best if it rests in the fridge for a while -- overnight is fine.

[sueatmo]

I don't like water chestnuts because I get a canned flavor from them I don't care for. Frankly, I put sweet onion in almost everything.

[alkapal]

i'll bet minced jicama would be good as an alternative to canned water chestnuts, if you don't have access to fresh ones.

[benbenberi]

Or a good crisp apple. (I often put apple i my curry chicken salad.)

[sylvan]

mix into a chicken salad golden raisons, mild, yellow curry powder, crushed walnuts...celery instead of
water chestnuts

[alkapal]

the recipe already has celery.

[sylvan]

great, that's even better

[jen kalb]

Schilling was just a west coast brand name of McCormick which they phased out 7 years ago.. I dont know if the McCormick curry powder is formulated exactly the same as Schilling was but it would be worth a try.

Note, the McCormick site says that all Schilling products out there now would be at least 7 years old. This may be one reason why your curry powder tastes different and less spicy - it is older. Id give the McCormick a try and if it does not please, look for a mail order product from Kalustyan, Penzeys or the Spice House, say. They tend to use good quality spices in their blends and offer different hotness levels.(amount of chile pepper)

You could also try to make your own and add the chile component gradually until you get to a level that you like. There are plenty of recipes online and in cookbooks.

[gordeaux]

The mccormick curry powder is horrendous. Not even in the same league as Penzey's or Spice House. I would tend to stray far away from anything labeled "Curry Powder" unless it was for a specific curry. Shan is just one brand of masalas for specific curries. I'm sure there are plenty more. I'd be taking Pine Time's advice, and using spice blends to make specific curries for the flavor profile you want.

[jen kalb]

everything you say may be true but it doesnt necessarily help the OP. I dont use "curry powder" either except for specific recipes from US and West Indies where traditional bottle blends are called for, but @sylvan is looking for a particular familiar taste not for the very best curry powder or an exploration of different dry masalas

As far as McCormicks is concerned I probably havent tasted it since the 60s when it was a staple in my parent's kitchen, where it is probably still in use to make "tuna bombay" etc. For all I know if I took them Kalustyan Maharajah blend or whatever they wouldn't like it.

[sylvan]

jen kalb
thanks again!

[sylvan]

jen kalb
thank you. I will around for the mild, yellow curry powder I like. The seven year old curry I have is what I like. I'll try the McCormick which is the new company for Schilling, which was fased out in name.

[lemons]

We're talking Indian curry powder, right, not from anothr country?

[sylvan]

yes, made in the USA, Schilling: now a different company

[Chemicalkinetics]

I think the problem is that the term "curry" is very board. It really means a wide range of things. As such, I am not surprised that different curry powder can taste very differently.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curry

Do you happen to know what kind of curry you had before? Are we talking about the turmeric, coriander, cumin, coconut milk based one? This kind of curry (as you can see) has no heat. You actually have to add heat to it.

[sylvan]

ChemicalKinetics
Until recently I didn't realize that curry powder was a blend. Without thinking I assumed it was a spice as coriander, turmeric are spices and not blends. Now I know. Thank you

[wyogal]

I agree to look at different curry combinations. Which 3 curry brands did you buy? You could add more ground spices that aren't hot.... like tumeric, cumin, coriander, to "dilute" the stuff you bought. I've never really known pre-made curry powder to be that hot, so am curious as to the brands.

[sylvan]

wyogal
they're not that hot, I was making a mistake and expecting the new bottled curry powder to taste like the old one. The old one which is now a different company was made by Schilling. One of the new ones I bought was from Trader Joe's.

[pine time]

Curry powder labeled "Madras" (or Chennai) tends to be hotter. However, I don't generally buy pre-made blends, but (like most Indian cooks I know), make my own for each dish, customizing the spices for the flavor profile I'm seeking.

[Perilagu Khan]

Agreed. But the one exception is for that old fashioned chicken curry. Got to have that mild, yellow curry powder for that.

[Querencia]

Interesting that this subject comes up now. I had been buying supermarket curry powder (McCormick or whatever was on the spice rack at the store, or else Trader Joe) for years. Then last week I made a curry, putting in the amount I was accustomed to using---only in the meantime I had bought a big can of curry powder at an Indian market. Wow. The result was so hot I had to throw the whole dish out and start over. Beware.

[GraydonCarter]

I think you could start with plenty of onions at the base, then to finish add diced sweet potatoes and coconut milk. "Double onion" curry refers to using onion in the base and then adding onions later as a vegetable.

[sylvan]

which was too hot...the curry you made or the big can you bought?

[GH1618]

Here's a link to a handy primer on curries:

http://www.lionsgrip.com/curingredien...

It will take a little experimentation, I expect.

[sylvan]

GH1618

thanks for the link
it has everything about curry recipes