I failed to realize until only a couple of weeks ago that there exists an entire underground sub-culture of curry lovers. These people often hold normal 9 to 5 jobs only to come home to start a nightly party in their mouths. Many of them aren't even [gasp] desi. Take for example the girls of Naughty Curry:
We at the Naughty Curry Kitchen do three (3) main things:
- We apply Indian spices and spicing techniques to 'ordinary' (for us) food, with an emphasis on being (mostly) simple, fast, and healthy or all of the above.
- We simplify or adapt traditional Indian recipes to fit our very special needs and our busy lifestyles.
- We experiment, ask lots of 'what if' questions, and tend to have lots of fun. And when something doesn't quite turn out, we laugh.
Be bold. Come play with us.
Hell, they had me at "be bold." Cooking of this nature is usually not talked about in mixed company. Old temple walls in India show people doing these kinds of things, but it is now taboo. The dishes they reveal are often downright subversive. Where else are you going to go to be taught how to prepare "G-spot mushrooms," or "Dirty Masala Rice?" But...what makes someone turn to this type of lifestyle? It's not natural. You don't just fall into it. There is usually a moment of truth that leads someone down this path of liberation:
As for me [Courtney Knettel], I grew up in the Midwest U.S. of A. with a standard Oscar Meyer-Hamburger Helper childhood. Want to step up the flavor of those green beans? We've got three primary options: butter, salt, and cheese (and for those folks with a dash of flair: garlic salt and Lawry's). Fortunately, my own imagination was expanded in my formative years under the influence of my Indian babysitter, who introduced me to what I called 'magic sprinkles.' Once I was 'spiced', I became isolated in my tastes. My family thought I was weird. (Actually, they still do.)...
By the time I finished my five-year college stint, I found most 'ordinary American' food to be, um, hard to swallow. Yet because I knew how to manifest my own spice-magic, I could quickly, easily and cheaply whip up my own sensational Indian-esque spin to my food. What's more, I was increasingly attuned to a healthy way of eating, and spices, I quickly discovered, could transform vegetables into memorable experiences. At some point, I evolved into partaking of junk food, cheese and even meat only on occasion, and I don't even miss it. Ergo, the spicing fixation that had once branded me a weirdo now infuses my life in ways that even I hadn't imagined. [Link]
Naughty Curry's blog-roll is like a NOC list of the whose who in the curry underground. As I jumped from site to site jotting down recipes I felt as if counterintelligence agents would at any moment burst through my door. Fortunately I secured the recipe for the Egg Rassa, which will be my next experience with this lifestyle. I like it. I feel naughty but in a way that leaves my midsection feeling good. One thing I should mention though. The site does come with a warning label:
The primary function of the NC recipes is to inspire you to explore and experiment with Indian-style spicing techniques.
However, once you attempt a recipe, you must follow it EXACTLY when it comes to the spices. When it says to pre-roast the cumin seeds, DO it. When it says to add the tamarind toward the end of the cooking process, FOLLOW it. To do otherwise may be avant-garde, but it courts disaster. Take it from us.
We've made sure to keep the directions straightforward, geared toward folks who haven't attended a culinary institute. [Link]
