curry leaves and cardamom pods, where?

Carnivore wrote: [quote=Flexichick]What is Kalustyan's? Do tell!

There's a link to their site in my post above.

thanks...I'll have to check it out. I'm not really into Indian food or curry per se, but I do love looking at spices

Carnivore wrote: [quote=Flexichick]What is Kalustyan's? Do tell!

There's a link to their site in my post above.

thanks...I'll have to check it out. I'm not really into Indian food or curry per se, but I do love looking at spices

OpossumQueen wrote: I've never cooked with it so I had no idea--it looked like a seed to me.

one bit of advice then: be careful not to bite into one in the cooked food. they give food a wonderful flavor, but the pod itself is almost medicinal. in a dish for 4-6 people with 3 pods in it, i can be counted on to serve myself and inadvertently chomp on at least 2.

OpossumQueen wrote: I've never cooked with it so I had no idea--it looked like a seed to me.

one bit of advice then: be careful not to bite into one in the cooked food. they give food a wonderful flavor, but the pod itself is almost medicinal. in a dish for 4-6 people with 3 pods in it, i can be counted on to serve myself and inadvertently chomp on at least 2.

You should try Fairways. They usually have everything under the sun.

You should try Fairways. They usually have everything under the sun.

Subject: Re: curry leaves and cardamom pods, where?

Carnivore wrote: [quote=filmlover44][quote=OpossumQueen]Any suggestions on where I can find cardamom pods fresh curry leaves, preferably near 7th Ave/Union area?

I've never cooked with either. Do they go by other names or are there good substitutes that are easier to find?

Ask a friend or neighbor who belongs to the coop.
Then you can get them kicked out of the coop for shopping for you when you don't work there! :shock:

For buying you some cardamom pods and curry leaves? I doubt it.

Subject: Re: curry leaves and cardamom pods, where?

Carnivore wrote: [quote=filmlover44][quote=OpossumQueen]Any suggestions on where I can find cardamom pods fresh curry leaves, preferably near 7th Ave/Union area?

I've never cooked with either. Do they go by other names or are there good substitutes that are easier to find?

Ask a friend or neighbor who belongs to the coop.
Then you can get them kicked out of the coop for shopping for you when you don't work there! :shock:

For buying you some cardamom pods and curry leaves? I doubt it.

Or order from Penzeys. I've been shopping there for spices for a decade, and their stuff is really good and fresher than you can get most places. They also recently opened a store in Grand Central Terminal, though I haven't been yet.

Or order from Penzeys. I've been shopping there for spices for a decade, and their stuff is really good and fresher than you can get most places. They also recently opened a store in Grand Central Terminal, though I haven't been yet.

Try the Middle Eastern place on 7th Street, I think it is called Devine or something? He has a great supply of bulk grains and spice, an olive bar and alot of other really good stuff. And he has been there for awhile!
Family run... It is somewhere on 7th still in the 'name' street area walking towards Flatbush. The place is about two stores wide.

Good luck!

Try the Middle Eastern place on 7th Street, I think it is called Devine or something? He has a great supply of bulk grains and spice, an olive bar and alot of other really good stuff. And he has been there for awhile!
Family run... It is somewhere on 7th still in the 'name' street area walking towards Flatbush. The place is about two stores wide.

Good luck!

It's called D'Vine Taste and it's on 7th btw. Garfield and President. Same side (and either next door or very close to) Back to the Land

It's called D'Vine Taste and it's on 7th btw. Garfield and President. Same side (and either next door or very close to) Back to the Land

I frequently buy Indian spices and other items at a little store in the East Village. I think it's on 2nd Avenue between 7th Street and 8th Street. or maybe this is it: http://www.yelp.com/biz/dual-specialty-products-new-york
http://nymag.com/listings/stores/dual-specialty-store/

I frequently buy Indian spices and other items at a little store in the East Village. I think it's on 2nd Avenue between 7th Street and 8th Street. or maybe this is it: http://www.yelp.com/biz/dual-specialty-products-new-york
http://nymag.com/listings/stores/dual-specialty-store/

In Manhattan on 28th Street and Lexington Avenue for sure.

In Manhattan on 28th Street and Lexington Avenue for sure.

Flexichick wrote: It's called D'Vine Taste and it's on 7th btw. Garfield and President. Same side (and either next door or very close to) Back to the Land

I can attest to that -- I still have cardamom pods I bought from there. They have quite a comprehensive variety of spices and dry ingredients. And you can buy as little or as much as you want. I don't know if they have curry leaves though...

Flexichick wrote: It's called D'Vine Taste and it's on 7th btw. Garfield and President. Same side (and either next door or very close to) Back to the Land

I can attest to that -- I still have cardamom pods I bought from there. They have quite a comprehensive variety of spices and dry ingredients. And you can buy as little or as much as you want. I don't know if they have curry leaves though...

I think curry leaves may sometimes also be called "neem" leaves or "black neem" leaves. Technically neem and curry are different plants, but there's a translation thing . . .

I think curry leaves may sometimes also be called "neem" leaves or "black neem" leaves. Technically neem and curry are different plants, but there's a translation thing . . .

Carnivore wrote: [quote=OpossumQueen]Well, no luck on the curry leaves in the hood or at Sahadi's or anywhere near Sahadi's.

I did find out from a tea and spice shop guy off of Atlantic that what I have that was labeled as cardamom seeds is actually the pod! I've never cooked with it so I had no idea--it looked like a seed to me.

No home-cooked dinner tonight. I'll have to try to find the curry leaves in the curry row vicinity tomorrow if I can make it over.

Thanks for all the help. Before NYC I lived in much smaller towns and got used to just having to give up on a lot of Indian and Asian recipes b/c many ingredients just weren't available. Now I'm finally taking advantage of the groceries of NYC.

Wow, I'm surprised they didn't have them at Sahadi's. I could have sworn they at least had them in the frozen section. Sorry you made the trip for nothing.
Even if Sahadi's didn't have them, I find it hard to beileve that a trip there is wasted time! Come for the spices, stay for the olives!

Carnivore wrote: [quote=OpossumQueen]Well, no luck on the curry leaves in the hood or at Sahadi's or anywhere near Sahadi's.

I did find out from a tea and spice shop guy off of Atlantic that what I have that was labeled as cardamom seeds is actually the pod! I've never cooked with it so I had no idea--it looked like a seed to me.

No home-cooked dinner tonight. I'll have to try to find the curry leaves in the curry row vicinity tomorrow if I can make it over.

Thanks for all the help. Before NYC I lived in much smaller towns and got used to just having to give up on a lot of Indian and Asian recipes b/c many ingredients just weren't available. Now I'm finally taking advantage of the groceries of NYC.

Wow, I'm surprised they didn't have them at Sahadi's. I could have sworn they at least had them in the frozen section. Sorry you made the trip for nothing.
Even if Sahadi's didn't have them, I find it hard to beileve that a trip there is wasted time! Come for the spices, stay for the olives!

yeah, definitely not a wasted trip to Sahadi's. Great prices on the spices.

yeah, definitely not a wasted trip to Sahadi's. Great prices on the spices.

I am now the proud owner of a curry plant!

Last summer we saw them at the GAP market once, but no luck now that I need it. Today I went to the Union Square green market to get strawberries and decided to scour it for the elusive curry and much to my delight one booth had them and it looks and smells fantastic.

For anyone interested, the booth mostly had potted herbs and was on the west side of the square, midway between 14/17th Sts.

OpossumQueen wrote: I am now the proud owner of a curry plant!

Last summer we saw them at the GAP market once, but no luck now that I need it. Today I went to the Union Square green market to get strawberries and decided to scour it for the elusive curry and much to my delight one booth had them and it looks and smells fantastic.

For anyone interested, the booth mostly had potted herbs and was on the west side of the square, midway between 14/17th Sts.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the herb usually sold as curry plant is different from the plant that yields curry leaves. You may want to compare the plant you got with this:

http://www.asiafood.org/glossary_2.cfm?wordid=3260
http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/Murr_koe.html

I was wondering about that, but for a few bucks didn't want to pass up on possibly having what I needed.

I asked the woman if this was used in Indian dishes and she said yes "smell it". It smells very familiar to me, but doesn't quite look like what I was expecting (like the pics in linusvanpelt's links).

What I have smells amazing, though, and I'm curious to how it would taste in my recipes. Some google searches make me think it might not be bad in the mild tasting dishes I'm trying.

Curry leaves taste (and smell, if I remember right) kind of citrusy. Weird, eh?