Chef's Curry Secrets!

Authors Note: Throughout this blog series, I will be sharing my thoughts and recommendations of aspects of cooking. Mainly focusing on Indian cuisine.

I often asked by guests and fellow cooks, "Chef what's the secret to best curry?" I always reply same answer SPICES!! Whether it's a whole spices or ground spices, the quality and freshness of each spices will make a huge different in curries, masalas, or marinades.

Whenever you try to make curry I would strongly recommend you to freshly ground your own spice powders and spice blends. Believe me you will LOVE the aroma of the fresh spices.

Although the process of making freshly ground spices may seem tedious, it is actually on the easier hand. I would recommend starting by making freshly ground coriander, cumin, and garam masala. Below will be listed the guide to making freshly ground coriander, cumin, and garam masala.

Coriander: First, buy whole coriander seeds from your local Asian supermarket. DO NOT toast the coriander seeds, just start grinding them in any blender/food processor you have in your house. Make sure it is at a fine consistency. Store it in an air tight container to maintain the freshness.

Cumin: First, I would recommend toasting whole cumin seeds over medium heat in a sauté pan. Once the cumin seeds' aroma is able to be smelt, and when they become slightly browner in color. Turn off the heat. Transfer the cumin seeds to another pan/container to cool down. When the cumin seeds are fully cooled, grind them in a blender/food processor until they are fine in consistency. Store it in an air tight container to maintain freshness.

Garam Masala: There are thousands and thousands of garam masala recipes. Every chef's recipe is unique to themselves. The main ingredients for any garam masala are, green and black cardamom, cinnamon sticks, clove, and bay leaves, but you can add literally any other spices (peppercorn, star anise, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, nutmeg, mace etc.) to this foundational recipe, based on what your tastebuds say. My idea is that whenever you make a curry, the recipes may include the some the other spices that may be in a garam masala. So, to be on the safe and tasty side, I included just the foundational "elements" to a garam masala.

My recipe is:

• Green Cardamom (1 Cup)

• Black Cardamom (1/4 Cup)

• Cinnamon Sticks (1/2 Cup)

• Clove (1/4 Cup)

• Bay Leaf (10 leaves)

DO NOT toast the ingredients. Just blend them into fine consistency in a blender/food processor. Store it in an air tight container.

The next time Indian cuisine is on your menu, try out these spice powder recipes. The difference will be major!

We do offer custom blends for our customers.