Rose's February Shop Watch: Goan Curry Paste

Goan Curry Paste

Choose Spice, East of England Co-op, Farm Shop & Delis

What?
Goan Curry Paste 

Why?
A shortcut to an authentic curry  

Curry pastes are a great idea in theory, but I have found they can often disappoint in practice. The theory is that they combine the myriad of spices needed to create an authentic curry and in doing so, cut out a lot of the time and effort. But the end result can be far from an authentic taste. However when Lindsey (who writes for the website) found this Goan curry paste at a farmers market and recommended it to me, I was eager to give it a go.

It is described as an ”infusion of ginger, red chilli and warm aromatic spices” and won a gold star in 2014 at the Great Taste Awards. You simply add coconut milk and chopped tomato, and you can use it to make a chicken, prawn, fish or vegetable curry.

I used diced chicken thighs (1k) to try it and found it produced a mild curry but with a very pleasing underlying warmth. It is slightly sweet from the coconut milk and I added a touch of fresh lime to adjust this. I also added fresh chopped coriander to the finished dish and I served it with rice and some parathas. You can also adjust the spiciness of the curry by adding less coconut milk (I prefer this) or, if you like a very mild curry, you don’t need to use all of the paste (the website even gives some tips on what to do with any leftover). And by the way, as with many curries, it tastes even better made a day in advance.

Choose Spice is a company set up by Vernon Blackmore who had a Malaysian mother and grew up with spice a huge part of his life. He says the products he produces are a tribute to his mother’s influence and resulted from people requesting a way of making interesting and fresh tasting curries that were easy and quick to prepare.

The Goan paste is in keeping with Goan cuisine which is rich in rice, seafood, ginger, curry leaves and where coconut is an important ingredient.

Conclusion:
Spice up February

Product Details:
Goan Curry Paste
£4.00, 210g

Contact:
Choose Spice:
choosespice.co.uk 
Free UK delivery via their website

East of England Co-op 
Tel.: 01379 652211
eastofengland.coop
* Choose Spice shortlisted for Producer of the Year 2019, East of England Co-op

Check stock is available before visiting your local store, to avoid a wasted journey
Availability and price as at 31st January 2019

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