Curry Diary 7/30/2013: Turmeric

I made a mess of curry (well, six separate servings – nearly 7, I think my recipe scales weird) so I could have curry, and so I could tweak it by adding ingredients.  I kind of want to get over that plateau I’m at right now because I’m me.

This by the way is one of my ways to improve cooking I should write on – using leftovers and experimenting on them.

So anyway I added a few dashes of turmeric.  I’ve used it in a few dishes, but am frankly not that knowledgeable about it – I’ve used it out of recipes, not as a tweak.  But I’ve heard of it being used in Japanese Curry so hey, time to learn.

Also it has a fascinating history and some of its components may have health benefits!  So it was time to shake hands with turmeric.

It added some interesting heat, but it didn’t seem to make the flavor more complex or deeper – which is what I’m seeking.  It might be worth swapping out one of the two peppers I use (red and black) for it to see how it affects the flavor at a future date.  Also it’s mild bitterness may play really well with the cocoa powder in a different combination.

So I’m thinking next I should add a bit more maple syrup OR cocoa powder, which appear core to the flavor I’ve gotten so far.  I’ve also wondered about some red wine since I’ve heard of it being used in Japanese Curry as well.  If you have any thoughts, let me know!

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach.  He blogs on careers at http://www.musehack.com/, nerd and geek culture at http://www.nerdcaliber.com/, and does a site of creative tools at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/.