Curry Powder Part 1

Since I have so many different curry powders, I thought I would start there. Did you know that curry powder is a British invention? When the English took over India, they loved the spiced dishes but wanted a spice mix to approximate these dishes. When a true Indian curry uses separate spices to make the whole dish. Tikka Masala isn't even a true Indian dish - it's English. Anyway....I have curry powder to be used. All I know is that it is labeled 'hot'. 

Looking though my recipes, I found a chicken curry in the crock pot. 

This is a little different than the curries I think about - no coconut. The mix is curry powder, garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper. Also should have fresh ginger but I was out, so I added a touch of ground. I also have some nice scallions that I added. Everyone into the pot for 8 hours. 

Turns out very tender, of course, and easily shredable. Add some rice (flavored with a rice spice) and pickled red onion. 

Another use I have found for curry powder is roasted chickpeas. These I cooked from dry but you can use canned that are well rinsed. Toss in oil and put into a 400 degree oven for 30-40 min. Then toss in the powder. 

The 2015 Spice Challenge

Starting to unearth a work space in my new kitchen after moving so I am now starting on my 6 month adventure to use all my weird spices. First up, something easy - salad dressing

Yes, unfortunately I am sitting at my desk at work... Tells you how busy I have been lately. 

This dressing is my standard one - roasted garlic, red wine vinegar (homemade, will discuss in a future post), olive oil, mustard. It all goes in the Magic Bullet with the whipping blade. My ratio of oil to vinegar is on the tart side, so I usually have more vinegar than oil. I added Turkish salad dressing seasoning to taste - it ended up being a teaspoon for about 4 large salad's with of dressing. I actually have 2 different seasonings, so will have to make more dressing and compare.