Curries: Flavors are dynamic, complex and unique
[2008-7-22]
Tag : ginger slices
It boils down to the sauce. For years I thought that a curry wasany warm concoction seasoned with curry powder. But Raghavan Iyerlovingly straightened me out.
Iyer is an award winning, Minneapolis-based cooking teacher and theauthor of "660 Curries: The Gateway to Indian Cooking" (Workman,$22.95), a comprehensive 807-page tome that demystifies one of theworld's great cuisines.
"The word 'curry' is nonexistent in Indian kitchens, so don't thinkof it from the powder standpoint; instead think of it as a dishwith sauce or gravy," he said at a recent cooking session in mykitchen. The sauce, he explained, is redolent with any number offreshly ground and very fragrant spices and/or herbs.
He said that curry isn't something that is added, it just IS.
"I use the four S's to define it: saucy, spicy - meaning wellseasoned - simple and sensational," he said, his voice lilting inalluring songlike pitches.
Indeed, his curries exemplify the irresistible flavor profiles thatare the building blocks of Indian cuisine: the interplay of sour,sweet, spicy heat, salty and bitter, along with umami (the tastefound in meat, broth, mushrooms).
"I am a perfect hybrid, living the first 21 years in India and thelast 26 years in the U.S.," he said, a gentle smile lazing in thecorners of his mouth. "Having lived in two cultures, I have twostyles of cooking."
So although the book is primarily focused on classic curries, healso includes "contemporary curries," dishes that showcase theflavors and spices of his native country teamed with ingredientsand culinary techniques of his adopted homeland.
At the stove, we focused on a contemporary dish, wild salmonfillets poached with chilies, green onions and fresh tomatoes.Balchao masala, a red chili and vinegar paste, is the backbone ofthe sauce. I was amazed that my rather flimsy, everyday blenderturned the assortment of soft and hard ingredients into analmost-smooth paste.
It boils down to the sauce. For years I thought that a curry wasany warm concoction seasoned with curry powder. But Raghavan Iyerlovingly straightened me out.
Iyer is an award winning, Minneapolis-based cooking teacher and theauthor of "660 Curries: The Gateway to Indian Cooking" (Workman,$22.95), a comprehensive 807-page tome that demystifies one of theworld's great cuisines.
"The word 'curry' is nonexistent in Indian kitchens, so don't thinkof it from the powder standpoint; instead think of it as a dishwith sauce or gravy," he said at a recent cooking session in mykitchen. The sauce, he explained, is redolent with any number offreshly ground and very fragrant spices and/or herbs.
He said that curry isn't something that is added, it just IS.
"I use the four S's to define it: saucy, spicy - meaning wellseasoned - simple and sensational," he said, his voice lilting inalluring songlike pitches.
Indeed, his curries exemplify the irresistible flavor profiles thatare the building blocks of Indian cuisine: the interplay of sour,sweet, spicy heat, salty and bitter, along with umami (the tastefound in meat, broth, mushrooms).
"I am a perfect hybrid, living the first 21 years in India and thelast 26 years in the U.S.," he said, a gentle smile lazing in thecorners of his mouth. "Having lived in two cultures, I have twostyles of cooking."
So although the book is primarily focused on classic curries, healso includes "contemporary curries," dishes that showcase theflavors and spices of his native country teamed with ingredientsand culinary techniques of his adopted homeland.
At the stove, we focused on a contemporary dish, wild salmonfillets poached with chilies, green onions and fresh tomatoes.Balchao masala, a red chili and vinegar paste, is the backbone ofthe sauce. I was amazed that my rather flimsy, everyday blenderturned the assortment of soft and hard ingredients into analmost-smooth paste.
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