Curry Powders and Paste

Curry powder, as it is sold commercially, is almost never used in India or other countries where curry is made and eaten every day. Rather, the individual spices are freshly ground each day on a masala stone and added to the food in many different combinations and proportions.

There are many good curry mixtures sold commercially, but there are also many that lack good flavor because of a skimping on the more expensive spices and a reliance on 'fillers' such as rice flour to make up the bulk. If using curry powder, make sure it is fresh by buying from a store where the turnover is quick - preferably a store specializing in spices. Buy in small quantities so it does not stay on your shelf for too long. And look for a brand in a bottle or tin, because cardboard containers absorb a lot of the essential oils of the spices.

In most of the recipes in this website, we have used the individual spices to allow for as much variation as possible. Spicing is an art you can learn, and eventually you can tailor your curries to your own taste and not rely on a ready-mixed formula.

However, if you cannot obtain the spices mentioned or have a liking for a particular curry mixture, substitute a similar quantity of the blend for the combined amount of turmeric, coriander, cumin, chili, fennel and fenugreek used in the recipe. Curry powder does not include the fragrant spices such as cardamom, clove and cinnamon, so these must be added separately.

A curry paste like green masala paste is made based on fresh herbs. Because these are not always in season, it is a good idea to make a batch when they are plentiful and preserve them in oil for use later on. It can take the place of fresh ginger and coriander leaves and even part of the garlic in a recipe, or it can be used as an extra flavor accent.

Spices are the soul of Indian cooking. Another important ingredient and time-saver is garam masala, a mixture of ground spices, which is added to many types of Indian dishes. Sometimes it is added with other spices at the frying stage, but more often it is sprinkled on during the last few minutes of cooking. If stored airtight and away from heat and light, garam masala will keep for six months or longer and amply repay the effort of making it. Here again, if you find a good commercial garam masala, by all means use it - but if you are a real enthusiast about spice cookery, you owe it to yourself to try a homemade blend or two. They are so marvelously adaptable to your own taste. The recipes from our website will give you a good selection to choose from.

Roasting the spices brings out their flavor and also makes them easier to grind. If a blender is not available, use a mortar and pestle to pound spices to a powder. If spices are still warm and crisp after roasting this process is made much easier.

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Serving an Indian Meal

In southern India, banana leaves are often used as plates, but more universal is the thali service - the thali being a circular metal tray on which are placed a number of small bowls called katori, also made of metal. Rice or chapati are placed directly on the tray while curries and other accompaniments are served in the bowls. The food is eaten with the fingers of the right hand only, for it is considered impolite to use the 'unclean' left hand to touch food.

Some orthodox Hindus feel that spoons, forks and plates that are used again and again are quite unhygienic, but in most Indian cities, Western customs have taken over and food is served on dinner plates and eaten with spoon and fork.

Rice is served first in the center of the plate, then various curries and accompaniments are placed around it. The rice is the base, and only one curry should be tasted with each mouthful of rice in order to appreciate the individual spicing of each dish.

The matter of proportions is all-important. One needs to forget the Western idea of a large amount of meat or fish with a small amount of rice. Rice is the main part of the meal and curries of meat, fish or vegetables should be served in much smaller portions. There is wisdom in this too, because when food is spiced, it needs the bland background of rice to delight the palate and placate the digestion.

When eating Indian breads with a meal, there is no choice but to eat with one's fingers. Tear off a piece of chapati or paratha, use it to scoop up the accompaniment, fold it over neatly, then eat it. Just as Chinese or Japanese food tastes better eaten with chopsticks, Indian food tastes better eaten with the fingers. Fingerbowls are provided, or course.

What to drink with an Indian meal has always been the subject of much argument. Cold water is the most authentic, but many Indians prefer a sweet drink such as sharbat gulab or falooda. These are certainly effective in quenching fiery spices. For those who want an alcoholic beverage, a chilled lager or shandy, or wine cup using a semi-sweet white wine or rose wine is permissible, but fine dry wines and curries do not go together. One warning though, carbonated or 'fizzy' drinks, including lager beer, tend to exaggerate the burning sensation of a really hot curry. So does ice-cold water.

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Fresh Coconut Milk

Everyone assumes that when a recipe calls for coconut milk gata3that we all still know how to make it from scratch. Or take it out of a can. Well, just in case there are some dummies out there who, like me, have never made fresh coconut milk or gata for myself, here are the basics. I am putting this now as I am about to post some yummy recipes that need freshly made coconut milk.

There are two types of fresh coconut milk. Thick or first pressed milk. gata1And thin or second pressed milk. To make “extra virgin coconut milk” or EVCO as I now call it, you have to buy a mature coconut (generally those that are just brown husk outside), and have the dude man at the market grate it. If your home still has one of those neat grating contraptions, then grate it yourself. For every grated coconut, add one cup of lukewarm water (not hot) and start squeezing to extract the milk. Keep going until the liquid is nice and thick. Strain through a fine sieve and if you are particular about removing all coconut bits and solids, pass through a cheesecloth. The bits and solids can alter the texture of your cooked dish. I happen to think they are fine but others might want really smooth coconut milk. This first pressing yields a nice milk that is NOWHERE near as thick and viscous as canned milk. Generally, you can thicken it further by boiling it down. The squeezing is rather cathartic, a good replacement for punching a dummy. You can squeeze the grated coconut from several nuts at the same time. Set aside the EVCO.

From the SAME grated coconut, add 1.5-2.0 cups of lukewarm water and start squeezing again until you have extracted the remaining milk. gata2This process yields a thinner milk that is typically used at the beginning of the cooking process for recipes with coconut milk or gata. The EVCO is added to the dish at a later stage. Make your coconut milk and use it soon after you squeeze it. While I almost always encourage people to use the fresh alternative, this is not possible in areas where you don’t have geriatric coconuts readily available (think Juneau, Alaska or Paris, France for example) and you must resort to canned alternatives. Some canned alternatives are pretty good, but they do tend to be thicker than fresh coconut milk and you just have to adjust your recipes. I find canned coconut milk an excellent way to shortcut a decent shrimp or chicken curry recipe. At least now you know how to do it from scratch if you have to.

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Indonesian ingredients

Below I've listed some of the more unusual ingredients as used in my recipes. I've tried to include as many spellings and different names as I could find but can not promise that this list is fully complete. Many of the more common fresh ingredients such as Ginger and Lemongrass are now available in the larger supermarkets but a very good source for fresh produce, sauces and spice mixes are your local Chinese / Asian food stores. Many of the Herbs and Spices are available in your local stores and health food shops. The rule here is to buy as little as needed, so they are always fresh. I prefer to buy spices like Cumin and Coriander as seeds and then grind them in a pestle when I need them, the extra aroma is amazing. I've also included some links and addresses on my links page to shops where you can order on-line or by catalogue.

Javanese Market

Bean sprouts, Taogé

Sprout of the mung or soya bean. Wash before use, remove as much of the seed pot as possible. Available fresh in most supermarkets. Also sold in tins but those have lost most of their crunchiness and flavour.


Coconut milk, Santen

coconutsCreamed CoconutThis is not the clear liquid found inside a whole Coconut but rather an extract from the grated flesh of a Coconut. Use one of the following methods to make your milk.
Fresh: - Grate one Coconut in a bowl and add 1 to 1½ cup of hot water. Squeeze coconut until water is turned white and the flesh is dry, set aside milk and add more water to coconut, repeat above until you have about ½ litre of milk.
Desiccated Coconut: - As above, but the yield will be less.
Creamed Coconut: - Sold as solid blocks of Coconut cream. Dissolve in hot water to get the right consistency or use straight from pack to thicken sauces etc.

Tinned Coconut milk: - use straight from can.


Coriander, Ketumbar, Cilantro, Chinese Parsley

coriander seedCoriander leavesGreen herb, resembling Parsley, with a very pleasant and distinct flavour. The chopped leaves are used to flavour and decorate dishes. The roots can be put in the dish during cooking but must be removed before serving. The seeds can be bought as a spice, whole or ground.





Cooking Oil

For cooking I use Groundnut (peanut) oil or plain vegetable oil. Both have a high burning point and don't go of as fast as some more delicate oils.

Curry leaf

Paler version of Kaffir Lime leaves. Distinct aroma,. Used in the same way as Kaffir Lime leaves.

Cumin, Jinten

Ground seeds of the Cumin plant used as flavouring in marinades and sauces.



Lemon grass, Seréh

LemongrassGrass like plant with a strong lemon flavour. Can be bought fresh, dried or powdered. Fresh: remove outer stalks and chop finely to be used in dish or pound stalks and cook with dish and remove before serving. Dried: Use for cooking, then remove before serving. Powdered: Use sparingly in cooking, will still give a wonderful flavour to dishes. As a substitute you can use zest of lemon, half a lemon or lemon juice.


Chilli's, Peppers, Lomboks, Sambal Ulek

ChilliesChilli's are available in many varieties and can range from mild to extremely hot. Which one you choose is mainly a question of taste and experience but you should not omit them from the recipes as their flavour is essential in most Indonesian dishes. The variety I use is usual the Lombok, which is moderate in heat. They are about 7 cm. (3 inch) long and usually sold as plain red or green peppers. If you want to cut down in heat, remove the seeds and inner white flesh before chopping. Don't forget to wash your utensils and hands after handling chilli's. Sambal ulek is a ready made paste made from chilli's and some salt that is perfect for cooking and as a condiment on the table.

Daun jeruk purut, Kaffir Lime leaf

Glossy dark green leaves that impart a lemon flavour. Available fresh or dried. Used whole in cooking. Remove before serving.


Ginger, Jahé

Ginger rootRoot of the Ginger plant. Uniform, light, tan colour. Sold fresh in most supermarkets. Peel root before use. Can by finely chopped, sliced or grated. Also available freeze-dried to be used in cooking. Ground Ginger or Ginger powder are no substitute, but it can be used in some marinades when indicated. Stem ginger: - Small pieces of ginger preserved in a sweet syrup. Used in my sauce for Babi Panggang.


Galingale, Galangal, Lengkuas, Laos powder

Galangale rootPreserved GalangaleRoot of the same plant family as ginger. Darker in colour then ginger with distinct rings around root. Flesh has a hint of pink. Sold fresh, dried and powdered. Slice before use and remove before serving. If using dried Galangal, soak in water for ½ hour before use. Powdered Galangal is known as Laos powder and can be used in marinades and sauces.
Kécap Manis, Soya sauce

Indonesian sweet soya sauce. Very thick and dark in colour. Delicious aromatic dark sauce to cook with and as a condiment on table. If unavailable you can use dark Chinese soy sauce to which you add 1 or 2 spoons of dark brown sugar but the result will not be nearly as good.
Palm Sugar, Gula Djawa, Jaggery

Palm SugarSugar made from the sap of various palm trees.
Palm sugar is used in sweet and savoury dishes. It is sold in blocks, cylinders or in jars in most asion shops. If unavailable use any other strong dark sugar.

Terasi, Trassie, Blachen

Shrimp paste. Extreme strong smell which disappears during cooking. Essential ingredient in most Indonesian dishes. Available in blocks, which need to be sliced thinly and then toasted after which they can be ground up and used as instructed. Also available ready ground.
Turmeric, Kunyit, Kunir

Turmeric rootsPlant root resembling ginger, but smaller. Used for it's yellow colour and pungent taste. For use, peel and grind in pestle with other spices. Hard to find fresh but as ready ground spice widely available.
Salam leaf

Much the same as Curry leaves. If unavailable can be replaced with a bay leaf.
Tamarind, Asam, Asam jawa
Preserved tamarindeTamarindFruit of the Tamarind tree. Very tardy, tangy flavour. This is sold in oriental stores as blocks of pressed pulp. To make tamarind water, break about 40 grams of pulp into a bowl, add 200 cl. hot water and soak, stirring occasionally. Sieve mixture, pressing through as much pulp as possible and use as directed in recipe.Also available in jars ready for use.
Kemirie Nuts, Candle Nuts
Kemirie nutsAn Indonesian nut that looks like a large hazelnut. Used as a thickening and flavouring. Should be ground up before use and never be eaten raw. If not available use Macadamia or Brazil nuts instead.
White Vinegar

Where vinegar is used in my recipes, I recommend Chinese White Rice vinegar, White Wine vinegar or Cider vinegar.
Rice

There seems to have grown a great mystery about cooking rice, which puts some people off cooking rice. To be honest, most of the pre-packed, easy cook rice is very simple to cook if you follow the instructions on the bag. Allow between 50 to 75 grams per person. Always wash the rice in cold water until water runs clear. An easy way to cook rice is as follows : Wash rice and put in enough water so that the depth between the rice and the surface is about the length of one finger digit. Bring rice to boil and boil under lid until the top water has disappeared and there are holes forming in the rice. Turned heat as low as possible and leave with well fitting lid for a further 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve. For plain boiled rice I use Basmati rice, which has a lovely flavour and is slightly sticky. If the rice is needed for frying, use American long grain which gives a nice dry and firm kernel.

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