If I wanted to order a curry that tasted like what I could make myself using curry powder at home if I wasn't so lazy, what would I ask for?
October 4, 2011 5:55 AM Subscribe
I've just made a lovely curry dish for myself featuring lots of pumpkin and plenty of this and I was wondering, is this a curry blend that I'd be able to find featured in a dish at my local curry place, or is it completely westernised thing?
I love curry but I'm not a connoisseur by any means. Although I've partaken of many curry banquets at restaurants, I can't remember tasting anything at any them that tasted like the curry mentioned above. Is there a name for it?
I love curry but I'm not a connoisseur by any means. Although I've partaken of many curry banquets at restaurants, I can't remember tasting anything at any them that tasted like the curry mentioned above. Is there a name for it?
n.b. for non-Australians: people in Australia refer to all winter squashes as pumpkins. Just pointing this out to head off any confusion. Also, we're probably talking about Indian (or British-Indian) curries here, rather than Thai.
That said, the ingredients in that blend seem fairly typical to me. I would imagine that you'd be able to find something similar at a curry place, but there's literally infinite variation among masalas (spice blends) and so you might have to just try some things until you find a dish that suits you.
posted by Scientist at 6:38 AM on October 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
That said, the ingredients in that blend seem fairly typical to me. I would imagine that you'd be able to find something similar at a curry place, but there's literally infinite variation among masalas (spice blends) and so you might have to just try some things until you find a dish that suits you.
posted by Scientist at 6:38 AM on October 4, 2011 [1 favorite]
What you seem to have concocted is curried roast pumpkin.
Since pumpkin isn't strongly associated with Indian or southeast Asian cuisine, I'm going to venture a guess that, no, it's not an "authentic" dish.
Also, curry powder is generally not an "authentic" approach to the cuisine of those countries. I'm not sure about southeast Asia as much (though I know they sometimes use curry pastes and sambals), but in India, the "curry" flavor comes from individual spices and aromatics added to a dish, not a prepackaged Curry Powder. Some people cook with spice blends like Garam Masala, but again, this is not really the same thing as Curry Powder as it's found in Britain and the US.
That said, curry is a broad term that pertains to a lot of different kinds of dishes, originating everywhere from Kuala Lumpur to Trinidad to Tokyo. It's not a food one can get too persnickity about "authenticity", because well, what's a truly authentic curry? One from Delhi? Penang? London? The Philippines? So certainly you are allowed to eat roast pumpkin with curry powder if it tastes good.
(I like curry powder in my mashed potatoes. Good stuff!)
posted by Sara C. at 8:18 AM on October 4, 2011
Since pumpkin isn't strongly associated with Indian or southeast Asian cuisine, I'm going to venture a guess that, no, it's not an "authentic" dish.
Also, curry powder is generally not an "authentic" approach to the cuisine of those countries. I'm not sure about southeast Asia as much (though I know they sometimes use curry pastes and sambals), but in India, the "curry" flavor comes from individual spices and aromatics added to a dish, not a prepackaged Curry Powder. Some people cook with spice blends like Garam Masala, but again, this is not really the same thing as Curry Powder as it's found in Britain and the US.
That said, curry is a broad term that pertains to a lot of different kinds of dishes, originating everywhere from Kuala Lumpur to Trinidad to Tokyo. It's not a food one can get too persnickity about "authenticity", because well, what's a truly authentic curry? One from Delhi? Penang? London? The Philippines? So certainly you are allowed to eat roast pumpkin with curry powder if it tastes good.
(I like curry powder in my mashed potatoes. Good stuff!)
posted by Sara C. at 8:18 AM on October 4, 2011
Just read the note about Australians referring to all winter squashes as pumpkins - a close Indian friend of mine makes squash curry all the time, the authentic Punjabi way. That said, he uses summer squash. And I'm not sure I've ever seen what he makes on any restaurant menu.
But again, if it tastes good, why not?
posted by Sara C. at 8:20 AM on October 4, 2011
But again, if it tastes good, why not?
posted by Sara C. at 8:20 AM on October 4, 2011
The local restaurant chain Sitar does have a pumpkin curry on their menu. It's a bit bland though from memory. You might do better to keep making your own if it's good! I haven't seen anything similar anywhere else I've been.
posted by springbound at 8:28 AM on October 4, 2011
posted by springbound at 8:28 AM on October 4, 2011
"Pumpkin" may not be strongly associated with Indian cuisine, but according to the posters on the Another Subcontinent food & recipes forum there are plenty of Indian recipes that use squash, and pumpkin is a good substitute if you can't get the Indian varieties.
the pumpkin thread
Here's a thread on Gourds of India, which says that pumpkin is equivalent to kaddu.
(That food & cooking forum is thoroughly drool-worthy, for anyone who likes Indian food but hasn't encountered Another Subcontinent yet.)
posted by Lexica at 2:06 PM on October 4, 2011
the pumpkin thread
Here's a thread on Gourds of India, which says that pumpkin is equivalent to kaddu.
(That food & cooking forum is thoroughly drool-worthy, for anyone who likes Indian food but hasn't encountered Another Subcontinent yet.)
posted by Lexica at 2:06 PM on October 4, 2011
Best answer: Short answer: No.
Long answer: Keen's curry powder and most other curry powders in that style are essentially anglo inventions that came about as a legacy of colonialism and the first, tentative steps of incorporating Indian spices into a (at the time) very timid British palate. Keen's itself is actually about as Indian as I am; it's not actually "indian" in any meaningful sense, it just uses some spices that we associate with India.
For a curry powder like Keens, there's really no proper indian analogue with the same spice mix. Most Indian restaurants in Australia serve a kind of bastardised Punjabi/Northern Indian cuisine - you might think this would be good news cause of the anglo angle, but unfortunately for you pumpkin is not used heavily in food in this part of the country.
So, all that being said: in terms of flavours, there's nothing like Keen's in Indian restaurants, however, the dominant flavour of Keen's that you're probably responding to is the fenugreek - most other curry mixes have nowhere near as much as Keen's does. It's the fenugreek that gives it that slightly astringent, but heady taste. If you like this flavour, and you want more of it, the word for fenugreek in Hindi/Urdu is methi so keep an eye out for curries with the word "methi" in them.
Popular examples of this would be:
aloo methi (potato & fenugreek curry)
chana methi (chick pea and fenugreek curry)
methi mattar malali (pea and fenugreek curry in a creamy sauce)
Gobi kasuri methi (dry cauliflower and fenugreek curry)
And sometimes Dal Makhani uses a lot, but it's one of those meals where every restaurant makes it differently in my opinion.
Note: methi also refers to fresh fenugreek leaves - delicious but a slightly different flavour. Dried fenugreek is often known as "kasoori methi", but spellings can be all over the map and the "kasoori" often won't make it into the menu.
The other place that fenugreek is used a lot in curries is ethiopian/eritrean cuisine, and they sometimes have a delicious pumpkin curry or wat that uses fenugreek as part of the seasoning (not creamy).
Anyways, best of luck, let us know how you go!
posted by smoke at 4:50 PM on October 4, 2011 [2 favorites]
Long answer: Keen's curry powder and most other curry powders in that style are essentially anglo inventions that came about as a legacy of colonialism and the first, tentative steps of incorporating Indian spices into a (at the time) very timid British palate. Keen's itself is actually about as Indian as I am; it's not actually "indian" in any meaningful sense, it just uses some spices that we associate with India.
For a curry powder like Keens, there's really no proper indian analogue with the same spice mix. Most Indian restaurants in Australia serve a kind of bastardised Punjabi/Northern Indian cuisine - you might think this would be good news cause of the anglo angle, but unfortunately for you pumpkin is not used heavily in food in this part of the country.
So, all that being said: in terms of flavours, there's nothing like Keen's in Indian restaurants, however, the dominant flavour of Keen's that you're probably responding to is the fenugreek - most other curry mixes have nowhere near as much as Keen's does. It's the fenugreek that gives it that slightly astringent, but heady taste. If you like this flavour, and you want more of it, the word for fenugreek in Hindi/Urdu is methi so keep an eye out for curries with the word "methi" in them.
Popular examples of this would be:
aloo methi (potato & fenugreek curry)
chana methi (chick pea and fenugreek curry)
methi mattar malali (pea and fenugreek curry in a creamy sauce)
Gobi kasuri methi (dry cauliflower and fenugreek curry)
And sometimes Dal Makhani uses a lot, but it's one of those meals where every restaurant makes it differently in my opinion.
Note: methi also refers to fresh fenugreek leaves - delicious but a slightly different flavour. Dried fenugreek is often known as "kasoori methi", but spellings can be all over the map and the "kasoori" often won't make it into the menu.
The other place that fenugreek is used a lot in curries is ethiopian/eritrean cuisine, and they sometimes have a delicious pumpkin curry or wat that uses fenugreek as part of the seasoning (not creamy).
Anyways, best of luck, let us know how you go!
posted by smoke at 4:50 PM on October 4, 2011 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I have to disagree a little with smoke, actually, about the use of pumpkins/squash. Kaddoo (pumpkin), ghia kaddu (I forget the western name of this. It's also called lauki in Urdu, and tori (zucchini) are widely used in Punjabi cuisine, which uses slightly different spices than the cuisine of Uttar Pradesh (Lucknow, Delhi, etc).
Fenugreek seed, celery seed, and mustard seed are a classic combination with squashes. You might also look for panjphoran (spellings may vary) mix, although that usually also includes fennel, which you may or may not like.
posted by bardophile at 6:53 AM on October 29, 2011
Fenugreek seed, celery seed, and mustard seed are a classic combination with squashes. You might also look for panjphoran (spellings may vary) mix, although that usually also includes fennel, which you may or may not like.
posted by bardophile at 6:53 AM on October 29, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mccn at 6:16 AM on October 4, 2011