Certain herbs, spices and condiments characterize particular cuisines. For example, pesto is pure Italian, ginger suggests the Orient, and mint is popular in the Middle East. Contemporary chefs recognize few boundaries these days, and fuse ingredients from both East and West.
Curry Mixtures
Although the term curry is often applied to a single spice, it actually refers to a mixture of seasonings. Curry is most famous for its role in Indian cooking, but different powders and pastes are used in many other Asian cuisines.
Indian curry powders, called masalas, are sultry mixtures of native spices, They typically include pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin and coriander .
Thai dishes are characterized by fiery curry blends. Pastes of garlic, lemon grass, chillies, galangal, shrimp paste, fish sauce, coriander and lime zest are common. The green curry paste shown below uses fresh green chillies, while the red uses fiery hot dried red bird’s eye chillies.
Chinese curry powder is a mild mix, relying on cinnamon, fennel and coriander seeds, star anise, Sichuan pepper, turmeric and ginger. A small quantity of chilli powder can be included.
