Curry cravings…

When I was picking out my flowers and herbs, I smelled the intoxicating smell of an Indian restaurant. I’ve said this many times before, but we live in a food desert; there is no Indian food for miles.

I started sniffing around the herb plant rack, and on the other side, my nose zeroed in. I put my nose into the plant and took a big sniff and looked at the name of the plant; a curry plant? This is something new to me. Not to be confused with curry leaves from the curry tree native to India. Curry leaves are used largely in South Indian cuisine.

I waited until I purchased my plants, then took a tiny nibble of the curry plant. It didn’t taste like curry; it tasted like bitter parsley. Weird, usually the nose and taste buds are on the same page. Not in this case.

I read that the bright yellow flowers that blossom on the curry plant taste like bleu cheese! You know I’ll be tasting those suckers to see for myself. I’ll report back.

I planted the two varieties of curry plants I purchased, one tall and one dwarf in a terracotta herb box with rosemary in between. Curry plants like sandy soil, so I added sandy soil to the bottom of the planter box. They like it hot and need drainage.

When I walk by the plants, I can smell that intoxicating smell. When I water the plants, the scent comes out even more. Today, after a heavy downpour, the smell of curry was strong, a smell I love. Shit, it made me hungry. Lol.

I had nothing planned for dinner but suddenly craved Indian food big time. The only protein I knew I could defrost quickly was shrimp. I decided to make Curried Shrimp with Basmati Rice.

I didn’t become familiar with Indian cuisine until adulthood and I love it. Unlike Chinese cuisine, Indian food is easy to make at home with a few different spices. 

The curry powder you buy from a store is a combination of different spices. There is no such thing as a curry spice like cinnamon or nutmeg. Another Indian spice called garam masala is another combination of different spices. 

Every Indian family has its versions of both curry powder and garam masala. I have made my own following a recipe, but I do keep store-bought curry powder on hand for quick use on a weeknight or in curried chicken salad or curried deviled eggs.

I looked up a few different recipes to remind myself how to make curried shrimp. I made an Indian version of curried shrimp, but there are also Jamaican, Thai, and other nationalities’ versions.

I threw some basmati rice into my rice cooker and started putting together the rest of the meal. The recipe goes super quick, perfect for a weeknight dinner. You can buy raw shrimp already peeled to save time. I always have shrimp in the freezer for quick dinners.

Here is the link to the Curried Shrimp recipe I used the first time I made curried shrimp; now, I improvise by adding a few more spices and tweaks to the dish.

This is a very home-cook-friendly recipe without any crazy or hard-to-find ingredients. It is simple and straightforward. Remember, Indian curried dishes are only as spicy as you make them.

Anyone new to cooking Indian cuisine may consider purchasing a curry powder from McCormick or a store brand. These are made for mainstream America and aren’t too spicy.

If you like Indian food and want to try something more authentic, you can get curry powder in an ethnic store. These have a bit more spice and flavor than the supermarket brands. If you like to cook, you can mix up a batch of curry powder yourself. Spices at the ethnic stores are very inexpensive; I buy all my spices there.

If you aren’t familiar with or afraid of Indian cuisine, taste a small amount of the curry powder on your finger or spoon. Is it spicy? If not, start by adding half of what the recipe calls for. If it’s still not spicy, add the other half. It is totally up to you if this is something new or you aren’t sure about.

I’ve written about one of my cooking students, MJ, who was afraid of Indian and Thai foods. She was worried they would be too spicy. It turns out that after learning in class that she controlled the spice, Butter Chicken became one of her favorite dishes. It’s one of her go-to recipes now.

The house smelled so good while I was making the curried shrimp. Marty could smell it when he was sitting on the front porch. It came out delicious, if I do say so myself. It was incredibly flavorful and satisfied that craving I’ve had since I brought my curry plants home two weeks ago.

I guess it’s a good thing I do live in a food desert since it forces me to learn to cook ethnic foods that aren’t available. Whenever I perfect any new dish, I consider it another notch in my cooking belt or apron, I should say.

For local people, curry plants are available at The Market Wagon and the flower market on Benmont Avenue in Bennington if you want to check them out for yourselves. It’s more of a novelty thing since you can’t eat it, but looks great in flower beds or containers mixed with other plants.