Speak to me of currys page

[athomeontherange]

Ok, I hear all over this board, curry this, curry that, its so wonderful. Blah blah blah.. ok.. I have a fear of trying it. Perhaps its a fear of the curry spice itself. I think it might end up too hot or smokey or something. I can not say I do not like it if I have never tried it. What would be a good intro to currys that wont have me screaming I told you so?

My friends from the UK pride themselves on eating hotter than hell curry. Ummm.. I am not wanting to go that far.

[Mud Flinger]

Since I don't eat night shades, curry spice is out for me, but I cut up veges and meat like I was making a stew and then cook it with coconut milk, tumeric and salt and pepper. Add other spices that you like as well if that seems lacking. Personally, I think it is yummy and a great way to get the kids to eat stuff like cod since it tastes so different.

[athomeontherange]

perhaps that is why currys thus far hold little appeal.. I avoid nightshades for the most part

[DinoHunter]

Ohhh so many currys.. so lil time.

maybe start with a thai green curry? thats generally coconut based & not overly hot.
Tikki masala & Balti are good and faily common so should be easy enough to sort ingredients. ...
stay the heck away from vindaloo though
Of course any curry you make yourself, you can adjust to taste. so make as mild or hot as you wish.

Do you generally cook from scratch or for something like that would you prefer a pre-made spice mix?

[athomeontherange]

I would probably make it from scratch and really have no idea about the spices.

[Spiralicious]

I'm really not an expert in curries either, but I like to make my own butter chicken sauce. Unfortunately, I don't have measurements, as I usually just toss in things until it tastes right..
Basically, diced tomatoes or tomato paste, ghee, mild curry powder, garlic, almond butter, and coconut milk. It's pretty tasty stuff.

[Owly]

You can make very mild curries with no chiles involved (thus avoiding the nightshade issue). Common spices for the ones I make are tumeric, cumin, fenugreek, coriander, ginger, garlic, and onion (as well as chiles and garam masala, but those will add heat). You can also buy pre-blended spices or find recipes online, or you can get all sorts of curry pastes ranging from mild to kaboom in hotness. I usually just throw things together depending on my mood and will frequently use things like coconut milk or pureed squash (pumpkin, butternut...), meat of whatever kind, and random veggies.

[Dirlot]

Lots of different flavours in curry and they do not have to be hot. If you are new and wanting to try something mild try butter chicken....yum.

[DinoHunter]

Heres a couple recipe site that might help.
Curry Recipes
http://showmethecurry.com/?mcat=4
like I said, even with the "hot" currys, you can simply cut back on the heat spices.. i tend to like things spicy but no so much that you cant taste it.
if you want mild-med . most of the coconut or yogurt based currys fall into that area..
Sometimes I just play around with the spices & make my own wich is what im doing at the moment as I dont have all the "proper" spices on hand..
Tonight's dish is curried Goat

Do you have any Asian grocers near you? if not you might need to source some of the spices online.. I get most of mine from a couple sellers on ebay over here & generally get better quality for cheaper than if I were to buy in the local grocery (assuming I could actually find them all)

[athomeontherange]

You all are so helpful. I really appreciate it. Its good to know it does not have to be spicy/hot.

DinoHunter- I am checking those sites. I live in a small town, we recently lost our local grocery store but I can order spices if need be.