Spice Timing

Question:

“A friend of mine made a dish with a spice paste that he fried before adding the chicken, veggies and broth. When would you add spices in making a dish? It was a chicken curry.

Just want to first start off saying thanks for the question and…. that I love Curry. I’ve tried all the Curries they serve at Bangkok Royal, but have never gotten around to making any myself.  So I had to do a little research on this one, which is great!

Long Winded Answer:
Curry pastes usually come in a jar. They are handy to use as they last a long time, take up little space, can be kept in your cupboard or fridge to use when you need them, and they are very reasonably priced, given that you can make lots of curries with them.

I personally recommend making your own, if you have the time. I have provided a couple of recipes below that sounded really good. I will try to make one of them in the next week or so when I get a free night.

http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaicurrypasterecipes/r/Magic-Paste.htm

http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaicurrypasterecipes/r/penangcurypaste.htm

+Curry paste benefits when you add a little water to a pan, and fry the paste before adding other ingredients. It brings the flavors to life again and brings out the oil.

If the recipe you are using calls for Curry paste; Take the recommend amount of  curry paste, fry it in a little water in a frying pan over gentle heat until it is fragrant, then add one fried sliced onion, the tomatoes, stock or whatever it call for next.

+If you are asking when to add additional seasonings, those are generally added after the stocks, veggies, juices and such have been added and heated. This will allow them to blend more smoothly with the curry paste and liquids. But most curries get their main seasoning from that paste, other seasoning that might be added; salt, pepper, sugar... not much else from what I can gather.





Most recipes have it solid; they’ve been tested several times. Don’t be afraid to make adjustments based on your taste though.  Something my Chef really tried to imprint on us, and a system (we devised) is S.T.A.R.   = Season, Taste, Adjust, and Repeat.
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So I guess the simple answer would be: The beginning.  I hope I effectively answered your question, if not please let me know and I will do my best to clarify. I’m looking forward to the next one.