Indian Curry

[Gandtee]

In my curry, if I use curcuma spice, which seems to be a combination of cumin and turmeric, do I omit these two? My wife bought curcuma which I've never heard of before. Any curry experts lurking out there?????

[LosLobo]

Curcuma is turmeric only. It mainly adds the yellow colour to yellow curries. It also adds some bitterness to a dish.

Cumin is a different spice altogether from a different plant and also used in indian curries. It is also used in mexican food  in chilli, tacos etc.

Edited April 22, 2022 by LosLobo

[Whale]

39 minutes ago, Gandtee said:

if I use curcuma spice

Only use a little as it has a (not great IMHO) chalky taste if you you add too much.

[pagallim]

Essentially it's Turmeric.   I cook Indian food quite often, from quite extensive recipes, and I've never heard of curcuma.

 

 

[Gandtee]

1 hour ago, pagallim said:

Essentially it's Turmeric.   I cook Indian food quite often, from quite extensive recipes, and I've never heard of curcuma.

 

 

 

1 hour ago, pagallim said:

Essentially it's Turmeric.   I cook Indian food quite often, from quite extensive recipes, and I've never heard of curcuma.

 

 

Me neither until today. I've just used it as cumin, using my existing recipe but it lacks the cumin taste. Not bad, but not quite right to my taste. Thanks for the reply.

[pacovl46]

2 hours ago, pagallim said:

Essentially it's Turmeric.   I cook Indian food quite often, from quite extensive recipes, and I've never heard of curcuma.

 

 

Curcuma is a genus of plants that includes turmeric amongst others. The name derives from the sanskrit word kurikuma, which refers to tumeric. The Latin name of turmeric is curcuma longa. In the cooking world the terms curcuma and tumeric are interchangeable.

Edited April 22, 2022 by pacovl46

[pagallim]

24 minutes ago, pacovl46 said:

Curcuma is a genus of plants that includes turmeric amongst others. The name derives from the sanskrit word kurikuma, which refers to tumeric. The Latin name of turmeric is curcuma longa. In the cooking world the terms curcuma and tumeric are interchangeable.

Yes, I Google'd it also.

[DPKANKAN]

4 hours ago, pagallim said:

Essentially it's Turmeric.   I cook Indian food quite often, from quite extensive recipes, and I've never heard of curcuma.

 

 

Another name for a Turmeric species is Curcuma Zanthorrhiza (or Xanthorrhiza). It is extremely healthy. Google it. I drink it in a fresh ginger tea, honey, soy milk + black pepper to absorb it into your body system. All expat bar drinkers should have one every day as it is good for your liver and urinary tract. I also have turmeric and black pepper capsules as well!!! ????????????????

Edited April 22, 2022 by DPKANKAN

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, Gandtee said:

In my curry, if I use curcuma spice, which seems to be a combination of cumin and turmeric, do I omit these two? My wife bought curcuma which I've never heard of before. Any curry experts lurking out there?

Delete the curcuma, add one teaspoon of cumin and half a teaspoon of turmeric.

To add a nice flavour at the end of cooking add one teaspoon of Garam Masala which is a mixed spice blend.

[brianthainess]

Powdered Cumin 2 teaspoon taken orally you just have to swallow it bungs you a good'un  was given to me in Morocco one time when I was i think suffering from food poisoning (mouldy biscuits), curled up on a beach with stomach cramps, followed diarrhoea, more cramps. I had suffered for hours, after the Cumin i was cured in 20min.  Enjoy your curries, I buy them on-line now frozen i have too much other stuff to do.

[Tropposurfer]

Curcuma is the first, part of the Latin name for Cumin = 'Curcuma longa'. This genus of plants includes such things as the galangal and commonly known ginger and comes from the same genus of Zingiberaceae.

[Tropposurfer]

4 hours ago, DPKANKAN said:

Another name for a Turmeric species is Curcuma Zanthorrhiza (or Xanthorrhiza). It is extremely healthy. Google it. I drink it in a fresh ginger tea, honey, soy milk + black pepper to absorb it into your body system. All expat bar drinkers should have one every day as it is good for your liver and urinary tract. I also have turmeric and black pepper capsules as well!!! ????????????????

Curcuma is the first, part of the Latin name for what is commonly known as Tumeric - 'Curcuma longa'. It's also known by the Indonesian species botanical name - which your referring to above.

This genus of plants includes such things as galangal and the commonly known and widely eaten ginger and comes from the same genus of Zingiberaceae.

It's is produced as a soft fibrous fleshy rhizomatous root, bright yellow in colour. Tumeric is said to have strong healing and health properties and in its fresh form is high in antioxidants.  

[essex boys]

I lived in France before I came to Thailand and I was struggling to get spices but apart from the curcuma listed above the french call ginger gingembre ! So it was a lot of faffing about to get spices and as for fresh chilli’s the french don’t like spicy food so I used to have to buy the large green chillis that hardly have any heat…I found a Moroccan butchers about 20km from where I lived and you could get fresh hot chillis there and a few more spices…they used  to do do rotisserie chicken outside the shop very nicely spiced and roast potatoes underneath the racks getting cooked in all that lovely spiced oil…

[ColeBOzbourne]

After reading this thread I spotted a billboard along side the road for a Curcumin drink called QminC. Seems related, but I know little about this stuff.

Curcumin craze: Thailand’s QminC sets 20 million bottle target following initial success (nutraingredients-asia.com)

[pe747]

And Curcuma/Turmeric is an excellent anti inflammatory substance! 

[xylophone]

I just love my curries, and the ones I used to get as a takeaway in the UK are hard to beat!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 23, 2022 by xylophone

[pagallim]

Actually made some curried chicken this evening, with the chicken coated with ground garlic, ginger and turmeric before going in the oven to be baked.  Then made a sauce firstly with fried onion and green pepper, and adding roasted and ground cumin, corriander, cardomon pods, and dried red chillies.   Served with a spiced basmati rice.

 

 

[pacovl46]

On 4/22/2022 at 11:08 AM, hotchilli said:

Delete the curcuma, add one teaspoon of cumin and half a teaspoon of turmeric.

To add a nice flavour at the end of cooking add one teaspoon of Garam Masala which is a mixed spice blend.

Tumeric is curcuma...