Well I’ve made version #15 of the curry. In this case I decreased the spread by 25% from my last version, Milestone #4.
The result . . . wow that was less interesting.
I figured the sweetness of the spread was contributing to the sweetness of the curry, and that cutting it would be worth it. Well apparently I needed that in the curry roux, probably due to the flavor, fat, and ability to help fry the other ingredients. Removing it made the curry notably duller – and when I add some in and reheat it, the taste normalizes.
So frankly I’m a bit puzzled/stumped. It seems that these two ingredients were far more vital than I thought, which may mean I didn’t fully understand the complexity of what I was making – and may have more to learn. It also means that the red wine may have to be my next target for reduction, and I really want to get it right because it’s addition really took things far.
My only other thought is I used a quickie broth this recipe this time, so maybe I’ll remake the last milestone again, using this broth, to just check to be sure.
Still, closer each time – and this may be a good warning that the roux of a curry is a lot more complex than we may think. Now I’m starting to understand the tales of secret ingredients, of curry cooked and recooked to unlock flavors, and so on. This is an amazing art and the further I go, the more respect I gain.
You can really understand how this has spread across Japan into so many versions. It’s like chili in America in all its amazing variants.
Maybe I’ll never find my perfect curry. I think by now I don’t care. I’m loving the ride.
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/.