After hosting a chilly evening roof top curry dinner I recently asked a friend how many other people have cooked Indian for them. The answer?
None
Really?
Really.
Not one?
Not a single one.
I was stumped — I’ve been making curry for years now. A family Christmas dinner featured at least 10 Indian dishes, home-made breads and my own pickles, chutney’s and a pudding too. Why am I one of the few whiteys that venture into the gloriously complex and robust flavors that make these dishes so addictive?
A curry my mother and sister made from a Martha Stewart cook book they claimed was too mild provided my theory. In an attempt to simplify what was never really complex a lot of recipes replace 4-5 individual spices with curry and garam masala powders. It’s the equivalent adding “Italian seasoning” to a pot of tomatoes in the hopes of conjuring the Old World. The results can be good enough sure, but they’re lifeless compared to their scratch counterparts.
So that’s why I’m excited to see an article and recipes like these in the NY times this morning. I’m glad Alex Witchel and his cooking guru don’t assume I’m a pussy when it comes to mixing spice. If food writers published more recipes like this one and less assumed home cooks are too stupid to build these dishes from their core components I’m almost certain more of us would be cooking Indian — no great Indian cuisine at home.
