
No, I still don’t like curries. One of the very few dishes that revolt me, out there with mushy peas, kale, barley and any veiny, tendony, gelatinous meat. Eurgh. Yuck.
It must be the combination of the spices that create the curry flavour that rub me the wrong way. Admittedly, I am also slightly suspicious of chunks of meat so covered in sauce I can’t see what I’m eating (see: above, veiny bits), but then I love osso buco, steak pie and stroganoff – so we’re back to the wrong flavour.
But there is a time and place for everything (except mushy peas) and there are food combinations where I accept, welcome or even applaud a bit of curry powder. Fish and seafood: I love a dish of spiced monkfish; slightly bland, un-fishy fish flavoured with a bit of turmeric and cumin; not too much, just to make it more interesting.
And mussels are another such dish: I make up my own paste as I’m not keen enough for the authentic ones. A little chili powder – it’s not the heat, it’s the smell that’s an issue – turmeric and coriander, and mussels take on another dimension.