Curry seasoning, which came to us from India, is a golden brown powder. It strikes us with a variety of taste, as well as with the healing properties that our body provides. This seasoning can have a diverse composition, which can include up to 30 different spices. Each of them has a beneficial effect on the human body, cleansing it and improving the work of many vital systems.
Curry is a seasoning with a complex composition. Basically, these are 2-3 dozens of carefully selected spices. But the basis of this mixture is turmeric. It is thanks to turmeric (otherwise called - Indian saffron) that the mixture acquires this pleasant, golden brown color. There are no exact requirements for curry composition. But for any of its variants, turmeric root powder is the main one. It is at least 30% of the total. The second important component is coriander, which is added from 20 to 50% of the total amount of the mixture. About 6% is cayenne pepper, red and very hot and only 10% is curry leaf powder. It is this composition that has a real curry seasoning, which you can buy only in India itself. Curry shrub does not grow in any other country, and its leaves quickly lose their aroma.
Therefore, manufacturers from other countries, in order to make curry sauce especially fragrant, use Greek fenugreek - fenugreek instead of curry leaves. Moreover, all the main components can make up only 10 and up to 50% of the main mixture. The rest of the volume may consist of cloves, ginger, cinnamon, fennel, mustard, nutmeg. May contain black, white and red peppers. Cardamom, cumin (Roman cumin) and even ground garlic can also be a part of seasoning. Other spices may be found. And it is the combination of added spices that determines the main taste and aromatic qualities of the resulting seasoning. The taste of it is diverse and can vary from mild to spicy.
But curry is not seasoning. It is perfect for preparing a variety of dishes, for example, meat, vegetables. It goes well with poultry. It is used when cooking rice, to give it a golden color and a unique flavor. It is used in canning, cooking soups and soup concentrates. And, of course, it is added to curry sauce, which, in addition to its bright taste, has a number of medicinal properties. For example, its use helps prevent colds.
Curry sauce is perhaps one of the main components of Indian cooking, its integral part. And it was the magnificent, unique taste of this sauce that was so fond of the inhabitants of many countries of the world. For example, in Asia it is used almost daily. Let's look at the features of its preparation.
To make the right curry sauce, you need to stock up on a fairly substantial amount of various spices. We will need hot peppers, cumin, coriander seeds and turmeric root, which are usually sold in powder form. All spices must be properly ground in a mortar. The main part of the mixture should be coriander. Cumin is taken only a large pinch and quite a bit of hot pepper. If you could not find a cumin, then it can be replaced with zira. Next, take a little ginger, garlic - 1 large clove, a few shallots, add lemongrass and peeled small chili seeds . Put all this in a blender, add a little broth or water and grind into a homogeneous paste. Then put the resulting mixture in a saucepan. Add a few tablespoons of tomato paste, a little lime juice and soy sauce and then put the cooked spices - 2 tablespoons. Next is sugar and salt. Mix the mixture very carefully. It turns out a blank for the sauce itself, which can be stored for several weeks. To get exactly the original, this sauce should be diluted with coconut milk and bring to a boil. You can’t boil! Serve curry sauce for a variety of dishes.
Of course, in our country it is very difficult to prepare the sauce in this version. Therefore, you can do it easier. Grind a small onion and a clove of garlic, fry them over low heat in olive oil (4 tbsp). Add flour and stew for a couple of minutes. Then you need to remove the pan from the stove, pour the meat broth (250ml.) Into it and add 2 tablespoons of the finished curry seasoning, which you can buy in the store. Stir and boil over low heat for no more than five minutes. Then add a small grated apple to the resulting sauce (of course, without a peel). After that, put 1 tsp. mix lemon juice and mustard, mix again and add 2-3 tablespoons of cream. Serve the sauce hot. Good appetite!