this post was submitted on 25 May 2026
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[–] psx_crab@lemmy.zip 54 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Indian recipe be like: cumin powder, coriander powder, garlic powder, and curry powder(which is a mixed of 15 different spices)

[–] StillAlive@piefed.world 37 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You forgot mustard seeds, chili pepper, and garam masala (which is a blend of multiple different spices).

Oh and there's no definite recipe for garam masala. It changes from region to region and possibly from one family to other.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garam_masala

[–] prettybunnys@piefed.social 13 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Garam Masala is “home spice” and round these parts we call ours “old bay”

[–] Impractical_Island@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

The old bay is where I storee the bodies. They won't know where that is do I am more than happy to retell the ramigrades of my life

[–] a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Do Indian or Pakistani folks actually have something called "curry powder" in their kitchens?

[–] MonkRome@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

My understanding is no, they have a leaf called kari (pronounced similar to curry). If you say curry to an Indian born person, they typically think of the leaf, not a spice mix. Common spice mixes are garam masala, chaat masala, tikka, tandoori seasoning, etc

The leaf makes sense. The closest thing to "curry powder" I make in my kitchen is garam masala.

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[–] mlg@lemmy.world 26 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

The funny thing about South Asia is that they had like 200 unique spices already but they didn't get capsaicin spices (peppers) until the portuguese brought it from the Americas via trade, and then South Asians immediately slurped it up and bred a ton of varieties as if the 200 wasn't enough.

And they went max power too which is how we got Thai bird eye chillis lol.

[–] Th3D3k0y@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Is Thai birds eye chili supposed to be spicy?

[–] mlg@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It was high for the era, not anymore compared to current meme breeds though lol. Relatively though it still is quite strong. I'd probably say it's the 2nd or 3rd hottest pepper used fresh and not dried for powder.

tbf Thais like to use bucketfulls of it which adds up compared to their western neighbors who use the slightly less potent early harvested green and in lower quantitities.

Also for some reason, a lot of sources erroneously put it super under Habenro peppers which I can tell you first hand is not true. They can easily hit 400k on the scoville scale, but there's too many similar varieties which are much less potent but still get labelled as Thai chillies because of the shape.

[–] Th3D3k0y@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I remember going to a Thai place recently opened, and told the server "literally, anything you can do to make it spicy, I want that. You have a 5 scale, I want a 10". They told the cooks, cooks giggled, came out like 60/40 split on food and pepper, it was delicious.

[–] mlg@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Lol their papaya salad is the same, just a mountain of peppers mixed in with raw papaya. Tasted awesome haha.

[–] Impractical_Island@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't think any bird is supposed to be spicy naturally. Maybe check your mods.

[–] Th3D3k0y@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Ah, danging. I had a load order issue.

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[–] ALoafOfBread@lemmy.ml 20 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Just made indian style (not british style) tikka masala. Let's count em:

Just for the oil (throw away after oil's hot):

  1. cinnamon stick

  2. cardamom pods

  3. bay leaf

Marinade for chicken + the tikka "gravy"

  1. ginger

  2. garlic

  3. chili powder

  4. fenugreek

  5. coriander seed powder

  6. cumin powder

  7. turmeric

  8. Edit: a serrano chili

  9. garam masala

11 spices + a serrano pepper. But garam masala has like 10 spices in it

[–] phdepressed@sh.itjust.works 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Probably want some fresh chilies as well so at twelve not including the garam masala.

[–] ALoafOfBread@lemmy.ml 5 points 2 weeks ago

Good point! Did add one.

[–] nyctre@piefed.social 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

True, but it's still "only" 15 spices in total because half of those are usually part of garam masala. Mine for example has: coriander, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, fennel, cloves, anise, nutmeg cardamom.

[–] ALoafOfBread@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 weeks ago

True. The colonel is not quite at indian levels of flavor town, but still pretty good tbh

They hate us 'coz they anise.

[–] shawn1122@sh.itjust.works 17 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

The Indian subcontinent has always been blessed with a plethora of spices. The Ottoman capture of Constantinople and fall of the Byzantine empire led to the advent of the the so called Age of Discovery as the Portugese and various "East India trading companies" sought to bypass their tariff implemented on goods shipped through the Middle East and North Africa.

These very first multinational corporations were so successful that spices became ubiquitous in Europe and eventually lost the prestige of being a foreign luxury for the elite. That change ended up altering the emphasis of certain flavors in European cuisine, with a preference away from using many spices:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/03/26/394339284/how-snobbery-helped-take-the-spice-out-of-european-cooking

Back in the Middle Ages, spices were really expensive, which meant that only the upper class could afford them. But things started to change as Europeans began colonizing parts of India and the Americas.

"Spices begin to pour into Europe," explains Krishnendu Ray, an associate professor of food studies at New York University. "What used to be expensive and exclusive became common."

Serving richly spiced stews was no longer a status symbol for Europe's wealthiest families — even the middle classes could afford to spice up their grub. "So the elite recoiled from the increasing popularity of spices," Ray says. "They moved on to an aesthetic theory of taste. Rather than infusing food with spice, they said things should taste like themselves. Meat should taste like meat, and anything you add only serves to intensify the existing flavors."

"In Europe, meat was considered the manliest, strongest component of a meal," Laudan notes, and chefs wanted it to shine. So they began cooking meat in meat-based gravies, to intensify its flavor.

[–] drolex@sopuli.xyz 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Damn, I kinda want to invade and colonise India now, repress freedom movements and cause famines 🤔

In order to enjoy my chicken, a noble cause

[–] shawn1122@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Trevor Noah does a hilarious bit about MLK Jr. and his friends going to a white diner after ending segregation which ends with them questioning their choices after tasting the (relatively bland) chicken 😂.

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[–] dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

What's in-between the lines here is that the newer elite food aesthetic takes substantially more labor, skill, energy, and time. This effectively gate-keeps "simple" food from most people. It's not until well after the industrial revolution where we see these kinds of meals become more affordable for people.

So they began cooking meat in meat-based gravies, to intensify its flavor.

This is a great example of what I'm talking about. Anyone can roast a cut over a fire or just toss raw meat into a stewpot. But a rack of lamb with a rich demi-glace? From scratch, in an 18th century kitchen? And that's not the only course? Yeah, strap in, because that meal just became an all-day job if you don't have any help.

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 16 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

I love how things like this develop a mystique. The KFC eleven herbs and spices, supposedly on a two-part list kept in separate vaults. The handwritten recipe for Coca-Cola, transported under heavy guard to a new vault in 2011. Donald Trump's hair elixir formula, kept secret by Epstein until his prison cell suicide during a coincidental random camera malfunction. The list goes on...

[–] Frenchgeek@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Isn't the KFC recipe a cheapened and vastly inferior version of the original one?

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

I dunno but I would assume so because it's America, where if there's a cheapened and vastly inferior version of something they'll use it and rebrand the original as Plantinum Plus.

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[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 13 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

That's nothing, I use allspice which I'm pretty sure means infinity spices

[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Nothing, I use every bagel seasoning. it has everything. Tell your wife she tastes good.

[–] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 6 points 2 weeks ago

I made a bagel. And I put everything on it.

[–] JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Also means your own mother's flavor is in there...

[–] IAmNorRealTakeYourMeds@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You had to make it wierd, at least you taste good

[–] JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 weeks ago

I am aware, but appreciate the compliment none the less

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[–] village604@adultswim.fan 13 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

There's a cooking show on Netflix where the goal is to make complex snacks with limited ingredients (iirc, I've watched a bunch) and one Indian woman kept getting chastised because she'd have like 30 ingredients with 20+ being spices.

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[–] hamid@crazypeople.online 7 points 2 weeks ago

lol my masala dabba has 12 sections and it isn't big enough

[–] spectrums_coherence@piefed.social 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Especially 4 of them are just differen peppers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WJYOgzFydc

[–] jaybone@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] blockheadjt@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 weeks ago

One of them is flour, which isn't even a spice

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[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I have tasted KFC a few times, and I just can't believe there are 11 herbs or spices. I'll believe there are three; salt, a little bit of black pepper, and MSG.

I swear, I can make better fried chicken at home with less ingredients KFC claims to have, and it'll actually taste like those ingredients.

[–] parricc@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Sure they do. They've got a mixture of kosher salt, iodized salt, table salt, canning salt, brining salt, fine grained sea salt, coarse grained sea salt, flake salt, finishing salt, and then a little bit of black pepper, and MSG.

[–] MTK@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah but then one of them is "curry powder" and now you have twice as many ingredients!

[–] Ydna@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Add more turmeric!!!

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