Miscellaneous
SPICE IT UP Making your own Madras Curry During winter our favourite foods are those slow cooked casseroles, but you may not have realised that curries, are in fact a form of slow cooked casserole. The main difference is that they’re usually got a lot more spices in them and they aren’t necessarily spicey hot. Ian says " a lot of people forget that in effect, a curry is a casserole with a distinct number and type of spices." If you think about it, that's perfectly true, because curries tend to have cheaper cuts of meat that need simmering for a couple of hours, just as you would a casserole. But because curries hail from countries where the spice trade was high in importance, those countries cuisine, reflect the spices that they produced. I'm talking with herb and spice guru, Ian Hemphill from www.herbies.com.au Let’s find out.. PLAY: Madras curries pt 1_5th August 2020 Curries need not always be hot as in Ian’s tip is “You can actually start to make a curry by making a sweet spice blend.” Start with cinnamon, add, allspice, cloves, ground coriander seed. Then add turmeric and cummin, paprika, some chilli (a little or a lot). And this is basically a madras style curry. When all these are blended together, you can't go wrong. If you're wondering what proportions, first smell the individual spices. If they smell strong, such as ground cloves, then add only a small portion. You can also add some dried curry leaves from your curry tree-fry some until they're crispy and save to use as a garnish after cooking.Murraya koenigii If they smell mild, add more, such as coriander, up to 1 tablespoon, and cummin, about 2 teaspoons.The trick is balance of flavours. One thing is to not overdo the cloves, pepper and chilli.Another tip is roasting spices is not always necessary, particularly if you’re making a vegetable curry. If you'r curry blend is a little too hot for your liking, you can tone it down by stirring some greek yoghurt through it. If you have any for Ian about spices or herbs or have information to share, drop us a line to realworldgardener@gmail.com or write O 2rrr PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675