Kitchen

[magicmoodz]

I don't have Curry Powder in my spice cabinet. I do have Green Curry Paste that I use when cooking Thai.

Are they interchangeable? Would I get the same results using what I have? Are there different types of Curry Powder, i.e., red, green, etc?

I admire your expertise and appreciate your help!

[HonnyBrown]

They aren't interchangeable.

If you have a well stocked spice rack, you can make your own. Check out the ingredients on the Penzey's (or other) website.

Curry Paste is used in liquids. Curry Powder is a blend of different spices, mainly tumeric, coriander, cumin.

[ChynnaBlue]

They're not interchangeable and they are different. Green and red are usually Thai and yellow can be used in Indian or Thai foods. I find yellow to be a little more mellow than green or red curries.

Here's a good summary:

Yellow curry began to see turmeric added as one of the vital ingredients, giving the curry its typical golden-yellow hue, as in traditional Indian curry. In fact, depending on the region, some Thai yellow curries resemble Indian curry while remaining distinctly Thai in taste.

Green curry has been made 'more green' over the years with the addition of some or all of the following: fresh coriander (cilantro), lime leaf (kaffir lime leaf), and basil.

Red curry has more or less remained the same, with traditional Thai chefs adding up to 20 red chilies to make it red and fiery hot. However, some modern chefs prefer to reduce the amount of chilies in exchange for chili powder, which has the added benefit of enhancing the red color of this curry as well as giving it a deeper flavor.

Source

[Drythe]

I purchase from the savory spice shop (dot) com. They have quality products.

[terrier3]

To further complicate you...have you ever used Garam Masala?

It's my all time favorite Indian spice. You can use it on popcorn or toast nuts with a little olive oil and garam masala to taste. Cashews are extra good this way.

[HonnyBrown]

terrier, I have a big tin of garam masala. I bought it for a recipe a few years ago, and used a teaspoon.

[chips]

I will never forget when I asked an Indian friend to pick up some Indian curry for me when she shopped at the local Indian market in her neighborhood. She brought me three bags: cumin, turmeric and a peeper powder and said this is what she uses to make it as spicey as I want. I experimented and still have those bags of spices.

[magicmoodz]

Thank you all -- for your help and education! Looks like a trip to Penzy's is in my future!

terrier -- hmmm...garam masala. I will definitely be on the lookout for that, too!

[yellowbird]

Funny you should ask since I was just watching Alton Brown on Food Network. There is really no such thing as curry powder in real Indian cooking tho' we sell it in our markets. Rather it is a blend of seven pretty common spices that you might want to have on hand anyway. It was a very interesting show and worth a look. Penzey's does have all the ingredients or you might try one of it's other blends. Or you could check out that particular show to see what goes into a curry blend. From Penzey's I particularly like Vindaloo in a lot of dishes. If you go to their website, they do list what is in each. Good luck!

[Andreatoo]

if you have a near East market near you go in and check out the spices! And there are so many different curry blends, curry refers to a blend of spices, and that is just the Indian ones! I was actually surprised when somebody started a quick curry recipe thread requesting a chicken curry. Not one person asked her what kind of curry she was referring to! I believe the American version of 'curry' powder is heavy on the coriander flavor but the turmeric gives it Its color