Curry Addiction: Why Brits Love Hot Dishes

[Dadface]

Most Brits love a curry and in my case the hotter the better(although I wouldn't dare go for a phal which is hotter than a vindaloo).What is it about chillies and other ingredients that make curries and other hot dishes so addictive?

 

[Astronuc]

I enjoy curries, particularly lamb curry. I usually add hot sauce to the curries to spice them up a bit.

 

[nottheone]

I have never had anything like a Thai Panang curry. The hotter the better. It's what got me hooked on Thai food.

 

[Integral]

I like mexican hot, but just cannot enjoy curry. It must be an acquired taste.

 

[Nick M]

Depends on the curry...

If it involves a 3 year old jar of yellow powder labeled "Curry" poured into a pot with coconut milk and random meat/veggies... no. If it involves a recipe that says "3 minutes in a microwave set to high"... no.

If the spices/herbs are fresh and properly prepared by toasting/frying and then the meat/veggies are chosen in the right combination for the sauce ingredients then yes.

I too love a good red Thai curry. Something about the flavors of shrimp paste, garlic, galangal, chiles, kaffir lime, lemongrass, fish sauce, coconut, and the aroma of good jasmine rice. The only thing I despise about most curries is that the vegetables and/or meat are almost always overcooked. Lately I've been mixing french and thai by using the curry as a sauce (thickening with a little roux), and then pan-roasting my meat. Then I assemble the plate with some rice, sliced meats, blanched veggies, and the sauce.

 

[ZapperZ]

"Curry" is one of the most complex concoction ever invented, in my opinion. And there's almost an infinite variety of "curries", as many as there are neighborhoods in the world.

The curry that I truly HATE is the one that one can get out of a jar or can sold in US supermarket. Those are truly disgusting, and I have no idea who would come up with such a combination of spices to produce such hideous flavor and aroma.

Indian curries are varied and complex because each area (and each household) has its own combination of spices and amounts. Curries in China and Japan tend to be less heavy, little to no coconut milk, less complicated in the spice mix, and have a "sweeter" taste. Curry dishes from South East Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia) tend to be flavored with more herbs, such as ginger, galangal root, lemon grass, Thai basil, etc. This is what you get with the "Panang curry", which while it became a popular Thai restaurant dish, actually was named for the state of Penang in Malaysia.

Curry is truly the "spice of life". The huge variety of flavors, heat, spiciness, texture makes this one of the most complex, flavorful, aromatic, and delicious human invention of all time.

Zz.

 

[Oerg]

oh man I love curry!

If you are ever down in Malaysia, you got to try "Roti canai". It's Indian pancake in curry.

It is also called "Roti Prata" in Singapore.

 

[ZapperZ]

oh man I love curry!

If you are ever down in Malaysia, you got to try "Roti canai". It's Indian pancake in curry.

It is also called "Roti Prata" in Singapore.

There's a restaurant chain here in the US called "Penang" that serves (surprise!) Malaysian food. They are located in several large cites, including NY City and Chicago. They have roti canai, Malaysian satay, and much more. Try the various "rendang", which is a form of curry that has all the spices and herbs that I mentioned earlier.

Zz.

 

[phyzmatix]

"Curry" is one of the most complex concoction ever invented, in my opinion. And there's almost an infinite variety of "curries", as many as there are neighborhoods in the world.

That is so true and also one of the reasons why I enjoy cooking curries. I don't think I've ever made two curries that were the same as I don't rely on recipes, but rather on what I feel like when I start cooking...

 

[nottheone]

I like mexican hot, but just cannot enjoy curry. It must be an acquired taste.

You can't just characterize curry like that, they are all different, there is no one spice that is curry. Thai red curry is made with chili peppers and coconut milk-butter, spiced with lemon grass. If you haven't tried it you may be missing out, it has a unique flavor.

 

[Astronuc]

"Curry" is one of the most complex concoction ever invented, in my opinion. And there's almost an infinite variety of "curries", as many as there are neighborhoods in the world.

The curry that I truly HATE is the one that one can get out of a jar or can sold in US supermarket. Those are truly disgusting, and I have no idea who would come up with such a combination of spices to produce such hideous flavor and aroma.

Eeewwww! I can't imagine curry from a can or jar.

Indian curries are varied and complex because each area (and each household) has its own combination of spices and amounts. Curries in China and Japan tend to be less heavy, little to no coconut milk, less complicated in the spice mix, and have a "sweeter" taste. Curry dishes from South East Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia) tend to be flavored with more herbs, such as ginger, galangal root, lemon grass, Thai basil, etc. This is what you get with the "Panang curry", which while it became a popular Thai restaurant dish, actually was named for the state of Penang in Malaysia.

Curry is truly the "spice of life". The huge variety of flavors, heat, spiciness, texture makes this one of the most complex, flavorful, aromatic, and delicious human invention of all time.

Zz.

The taste for curries is certainly an acquired taste, but really it's perhaps a matter of the type of curry.

Mexican hot/spicy dishes could be considered curries, depending on their ingredients.


Here one definition of curry -

Curry: as used in India, this simply means "sauce"; Indian foods made with sauces are thus all "curries"

Curry Powder: a readily-available blend of spices which is a Western approximation of Indian spice blends, and typically contains turmeric, coriander, chillies, cumin, mustard, ginger, fenugreek, garlic, cloves, salt, and any number of other spices

http://www.lionsgrip.com/curingredients.html

I grew up eating Indian type (yellow) curries based on the principal ingredients: fenugreek, coriander, cumin and tumeric. Then there would other ingredients such as certain spicy peppers and ginger, perhaps some cardamom.

Then there are thai/indonesian/malaysian curries - http://www.templeofthai.com/cooking/about_thai_curry.php
http://www.currysimple.com/servlet/the-template/EasyThaiFoodRecipes/Page

Taste will vary according to ingredients and proportions, and the medium (e.g. coconut milk) used in the preparation.

 

[G01]

I would never buy curry in a can!

Personally, I love curry. I'd rather hot curry than sweet curry though.

I enjoy Indian curries, especially lamb curry. I also like Thai curry. I order the "Green curry" from the Thai restaurant near my University about once a week!

 

[LowlyPion]

Eeewwww! I can't imagine curry from a can or jar.

I tend to agree, except I will confess I found the Trader Joe's Masala Simmer Sauce an agreeable quick and mild curry that goes well with chicken and string beans. With the rice already made in the cooker, I can whip up a very agreeable dish in about 15 minutes counting the dicing of the chicken and scallion. I throw in the string beans frozen and simmer a bit ...

 

[lisab]

I tend to agree, except I will confess I found the Trader Joe's Masala Simmer Sauce an agreeable quick and mild curry that goes well with chicken and string beans. With the rice already made in the cooker, I can whip up a very agreeable dish in about 15 minutes counting the dicing of the chicken and scallion. I throw in the string beans frozen and simmer a bit ...

Wow, LP, I've had this same exact meal! And I, too, found it quite acceptable. Products bought at Trader Joe's, I think, are generally much better than what's available at most supermarkets.

 

[LowlyPion]

And I, too, found it quite acceptable.

Fwiw I tried their curry sauce and found it a tad harsh (too much cumin perhaps?) but tossed in a little sour cream and found it evened it out pretty well and isn't a bad runner up to the Masala sauce. At the risk of sounding like the twit semi-homemade Sandra Lee, I do find the convenience of it to whip up at the last minute a real option to keep on hand.

 

[ZapperZ]

I tend to agree, except I will confess I found the Trader Joe's Masala Simmer Sauce an agreeable quick and mild curry that goes well with chicken and string beans. With the rice already made in the cooker, I can whip up a very agreeable dish in about 15 minutes counting the dicing of the chicken and scallion. I throw in the string beans frozen and simmer a bit ...

Traders Joe's stuff is on a completely different plane than the ordinary supermarket items that I mentioned. There's more attention to quality and picking out non-ordinary stuff with them. The same can be said with Whole Foods.

So these are not the standard ordinary supermarket items that I was referring to. What I referred to were these small cans or jars in the spice isle at your typical neighborhood supermarket that charges exorbitant amount for a small quantity of spices. The curry power that came from one of these things is just awful.

Zz.

 

[LowlyPion]

What I referred to were these small cans or jars in the spice isle at your typical neighborhood supermarket that charges exorbitant amount for a small quantity of spices.

I'm fortunate to live near enough to an Asian Market - little more than a strip mall hole in the wall - that sells Indian/Chinese spices by the 4/8 oz bags, pretty cheaply. They are a cash operation too, so margins must be precious, but it's always crowded, and I imagine the place comes pretty close to smelling like what a potions shop on Diagon Alley in Harry Potter would be expected to.

I've not shopped the spice aisle at the supermarket in years. Those prices are rung up in another exchange rate that I'm unfamiliar with.

 

[mgb_phys]

Pataks jars of curry PASTE, the almost dry masala spice mix - not the add whole jar curry sauce, are also very good if you can't get the spices locally.

You can also make spice mixtures fried in a little oil - they keep for a month in an airtight jar