Curry Spices

Have you ever been completely blown away by something you ate at a restaurant, and wanted to know what gave it that taste? Sometimes, the answer is surprisingly simple.  A lot of people spend a lot of time learning the basics of cooking, but never really master spices and seasonings. In my opinion, this is a shame. Herbs and spices can make a huge difference when you are cooking, and they are quite easy to use.

If I remember correctly, my fascination with spices started out the first time I tried Indian food. I was raised in a small New England town, and there was very little Indian cuisine to be had. The first time I had curry spices, they completely blew me away. 

I think it was garam masala curry, but at the time I had never had anything like it. Of course, the heat in the curry spice had an immediate reaction on me. I thought something was wrong with me – I had never had something so spicy before, and was unprepared for the feeling. But once I got over that, it was the flavor of the curry spices that truly impressed me. They were amazing!

The cook was kind enough to tell me about curry spices, and point my way to an Indian grocery store. I immediately picked up some curry spice of my own, and set off to experiment. When I first got it, I was putting it on anything and everything.

I had never had anything like curry spices before, and I was determined to experiment with the flavor as much as possible. I didn't use a lot of subtlety in my cooking either, and my wife – normally a big fan of anything that I put together on the stove – soon remarked on it. She was sick of eating food that was so hot and spicy that she could barely get it down!

After a while though, my tastes matured. I knew that using as much spice and curry on the food as possible wasn't the ideal cooking method, and I developed a more nuanced approach to cuisine. Soon, I was using the curry spices moderately – conservatively even.

Not only did they add flavor to my food, but they also inspired me to do more investigation. I wanted to learn more about all the wonderful spices there are, and how to use them in cooking. I was able to improve my cooking tremendously with just a few simple ingredients.