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Hi Folks,

I like 'shop' curry powder (Schwartz, McCormick etc..) but I can't eat chilli. I keep trying to blend my own but I can't quite hit the mark. Does anybody have a passable recipe? I like the richness of Madrass, I just can't take the chilli.

Thanks in advance,

Mat

Are we talking chili in a curry recipe, or a spice mix for chili ( as in chili con carne?).

I'm sure we have members that can help with either.

Phil

Hi Wheels, I have medical snags - sore mouth, past few years. I used to be a chilli monster but not any more. So I have to be really careful now because it burns like hell. Pepper, ginger and mustard are rarely a problem because they work differently.

Mat

P.S. I occasonally get a bit rock and roll and have a drop or two of green tabasco in an entire meal.

Hi Mat,

Pre-colonial curries wouldn't have contained chilli as the Portuguese introduced them into India, so various peppers were used. I often make a pepper based spice mix, here's a recipe for a nice spice mix:

2tsp of black peppercorns
2tsp yellow mustard seeds
2tsp coriander seeds
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tsp ground turmeric
2tsp ground ginger
Seeds of 4 cardamom pods
2 whole cloves

Grind the whole spices and mix with the ground ones. You can, of course, use ground spices throughout, but fresh ground has a much better flavour. You can adjust the pepper content and type to taste, but avoid cayenne pepper as its a chilli.

HTH

Jen

Thank you Jenny, I will get out my spices and play later. Do you toast your spices before grinding?

I don't toast them as rule, my reasoning is that they will be toasted in the early stages of cooking the curry, why do it twice?

Jen

Good point!