My girlfriend really doesn't like eating a curry if there are whole spices in it, cloves, cardamoms etc. So i'm thinking of tying them up in some muslin cloth before I add them to the dish, then it'll be easy to remove them before I serve it. Has anyone else tried this?

My other/better half also doesn't like lots of whole spices in her curriess either, so when I make them I just put the larger spices in the little blender I have (like a small food processor for grinding etc)..

Steve

whole spices need to be fried so that their flavour is extracted. You can't do that in a muslin bag. I have fried spices in oil/ghee, then once the flavours have transfered to the oil, strain off the oil, and continue. Other spices, like coriander, cumin and turmeric are usually added as ground spice.

I'd imagine it is the same as using muslin for a 'bouquet garni' of herbs. I have done it once with cinnamon sticks which can be annoying too if the bark disintegrates!

Winton

The most commonly used whole spices are the ingredients of garam masala, so you can use that instead. However, whole spices give a more 'rounded' flavour. There is absolutely no reason why you can't tie them in muslin. This is often done when making vinegar based chutnies, say mango chutney, where whole spices are essential to give them a good flavour.

You can also try using an old fashioned tea brewing spoon/ball;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/MESH-TEA-BALL-INFUSER-CHAIN/dp/B001RL36UM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1280176101&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Tea-Stainless-Steel-Ball/dp/0740750712/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280176101&sr=8-4

If I am cooking for myself I just leave the whole spices in until I come across on my plate, but some people I have cooked for in the past have a real problem with finding whole spices in their food. What I have always done is remembered what whole spices went in and how many of each, then at the end I have just fished them out.

I always use cassia bark in sauces because obviously it is solid bark and doesn't break apart like cinnamon does. For making spice blends/masalas I always use cinnamon because it is so much easier to grind. There is one exception to that rule though, I always use cassia bark to make garam masala :-)

My poor Moulinex spice grinder is about 15 years old now (probably more) and although it is still going strong it hates grinding up anything too hard. We have an understanding, she grinds the cassia and I get the electric shock afterwards when unplugging her. The anticipation is the worst. She has stained teeth from years of grinding up spices.

When it comes to annatto seeds I have to do them by hand in the pestle and mortar, the spice grinder will do them but I have to put lots in at one time, sieve it, grind it, sieve it, grind it et cetera. I have found it's much easier to grind annatto by hand in the P&M using a little coarse salt.

I think your best bet would be to use the whole spices as the recipe suggests and just fish them out at the end. It would be like a little spice head count, you could line them up on a plate and tick each one off! Like Lapis said, the whole spices need to be fried in oil/ghee at the beginning for them to release their flavour(s) into the oil/ghee you are cooking with.

Sounds like a surgical team having a person in theatre counting all the instruments and swabs put into the patient, so nothing is 'retained' when you get sewn back up at the end of the operation!

Winton

You guys are so funny! I can't imagine myself standing and counting the b....y things! LOL!!

Thanks for your replies guys and girls. I think i'll just grind up the whole spices in future. I'm no expert so I don't think i'll be able to tell the difference.