Garam masala produce a wonderful aroma. Always add it towards the end of the cooking process and not when you add the other spices to ensure you get the full benefit.
Author: Daniel Ford
Daniel Ford is a media entrepreneur, writer, editor and publisher who specialises in launches and re-launches. He is the Publishing Director of media company Chase My Snail. He was previously Editor-in-Chief of GQ (South Africa), Editor-in-Chief of Sunday Life magazine (Independent News & Media) and CEO of the African design magazine Ogojii. He has consulted on digital media, magazines and books in England, India, the USA and South Africa, including creating a glossy print edition of the SABC's TV show Top Billing and branding for the Laureus World Sports Awards. He has written a number of books on fitness, sport and travel, which have been published all over the world, from China to Africa and from Russia to Australia. He loves carefully crafted words, digital and print publications produced with passion. And curry.
Curry tip 28
When cooing onions sprinkle a small bit of salt on them to speed up the browning process.
Curry joke 28
A young boy is watching the animated film Finding Dory. He turns to his dad and asks, “I like Dory but why is he so blue?”
“That’s just his colour son, ” replies his dad.
“But does he ever change colour dad?”
“Of course son,” his dad says smiling. “When he goes on holiday he spends a lot of time in the sun on the beach. Then he becomes a Tandoori.”
Curry tip 27
When a dish requires whole spices to be tempered in oil (tadka) you need the oil to be very hot to extract the full flavour from the spices. If you put the spices in too early you are wasting your time. To test if the oil is ready drop one cummin seed into the oil. If it fizzes and jumps straight away the oil is ready. If not, then patience, patience…
Southern spice
Spice, Wexford, Ireland
Good. Indian. Restaurant. Wexford. These are not four words you’re likely to see in the same sentence too often. But here it is: Spice, a beautiful restaurant buzzing with diners enjoying excellent Indian dishes. Well, well, what a find this is.
Wexford, a small, pretty town with a population of just 20,000, sits on the east coast of Ireland, about 90 miles from Dublin. What would the Vikings, who founded the town in about 800AD make of this spicy food one wonders.
The decor in Spice is smart and classy with modern sharp lines and thoughtful lighting creating a relaxed and atmosphere. It belies the exterior, which doesn’t promise much.
The chefs are from South India (Kerala) and the menu reveals their regional influences. There is a section of traditional South Indian curries (Lamb €12.50, Vegetable €9.50), a Fish Curry from Goa, the neighbouring region to Kerala (€12.95), and interestingly Kolhapuri, a delicious dish you’d struggle to find on the menus of many restaurants in London, let alone Dublin. Kolhapuri originates from the town of Kolhapur, in Maharashtra to the north of Goa.
Following a generous portion of a delicious squid starter (€9), it was time for a Lamb Madras (€12.50). Madras is, of course, the colonial name for the town of Chennai in south India, but although this is a well-known and popular dish it certainly doesn’t originate from that part of India. In fact, Madras was a name coined in the restaurants of the UK for a curry of a certain heat level (think Curry to Madras to Vindaloo to Phaal). Nevertheless it is a delicious dish and cooked excellently in Spice.
Fresh cream was used to achieve a nice, thick consistency (other restaurants use yoghurt or coconut cream for the same effect) and there was not a trace of oiliness. Those curry lovers who don’t like that film of oil on the top of their dishes will be pleased to know the only thing floating on the top was black mustard seeds.
Finally, worth a mention, is the clever way the menu provides info for people with allergies. Every dish contains a few letters next to it and there is a key at the back (PN = peanuts, S = soya, G = gluten, etc). It’s clever, helpful, and unobtrusive.
* The exchange rate at the time of the visit was £1 = €1.15
Spice, Monck Street, Wexford, Ireland. Tel: +353 (0)53 912-2011. E-mail: info@spicerestaurant.net. Open: Sun–Thurs 5.30pm to 11pm, Fri–Sat 5pm to 11pm.
Scores on the Tandoors
Food 8.5
Decor 9
Service and friendliness 7
Vibe (Saturday night) 7.5
Value 7.5
Curry joke 27
There is a superb curry house up the road from me. Everyone loves the food, except this one lady who always makes a fuss at the end of the meal. She gets up shouting and screaming as she leaves but the rest of us just boo and Jeera.
Curry tip 26
When a dish needs fresh coriander then mix the chopped stems into the sauce (because they have more flavour) and keep the leaves (broken, not chopped) to sprinkle on top at the end of the cooking.
Curry joke 26
A customer in an Indian restaurant just can’t make up his mind what to order. Eventually the staff are getting impatient.
“Shall I have the Butter Chicken or the Vindaloo,” he asks for the umpteenth time. “And the rice or the naan?”
“Sir,” replies the waiter. “We have many dishes and we can advise you, of course. But the final choice of what you want to eat is en-Thali up to you.”
Curry tip 25
Throw old, stale spices away. Sounds obvious but too many people still try to flog the last bit of flavour out of dried out spices. In. The. Rubbish. Bin.
Curry joke 25
An Indian restaurant that has been running for many years is in financial trouble. The staff are worried and the bosses have called in the accountant to see what can be done. They all wait in the restaurant while the accountant does his work.
When the accountant emerges he has a big smile on his face.
“What are you smiling for,” they all say. “This is serious.”
“I know,” the accountant says. “But I have checked the figures and it is good news. The trading has been up in the few months and I think the business has turned the Korma.”
The Royal Curry Club 