Really Colorful but Can I Overcome That Strong Smell?
Luckily, the turmeric powder’s strong earthy smell didn’t carry through to overpower the taste of the curry dish. However, I will try a different recipe using this ingredient that will hopefully result in a flavor that matches the vibrant color.
Below are some links to more details, including photos:
My Story
About several decades ago, my aunt came from Canada to visit and cooked curry chicken wings with potatoes for the family. As I was searching for a recipe to make chicken wings, I was excited to find one that reminded me of my aunt’s tasty and smooth dish.
Inspiring Recipe
The recipe that I found, Curry Chicken Wings, was from Asian Cooking Mom, a website that a mother uses to share her primarily Chinese homemade family recipes with her sons and the world.
First Try
Aside from the possibility of recreating a memory, I also found the recipe attractive because it required fewer ingredients than many of the curry dishes that I’ve seen. Before cooking, I only needed to buy some potatoes and turmeric powder.
Ingredients to Use
With almost 3 pounds of chicken wings, I about doubled the majority of the remaining ingredients and used the following:
- 8 thin slices of ginger
- 1.48 pounds of potatoes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons + 1 1/3 teaspoons + 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon of water (to dissolve the turmeric powder)
- 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon of corn starch
- 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon of water (to make the corn starch liquid)
Like the recipe author, I used wings from Costco, where the wingettes and drumettes were already separated and tips not included.
For the potatoes, I bought the red waxy ones because I prefer chunky pieces in the curry. Also, I figured out the weight needed by referencing the article, How Much Do Potatoes Weigh?, from an online magazine, Tastylicious.
Lastly, since I didn’t have any kosher salt, I converted the needed amount of sea salt with the help of a table in the article, Kosher Salt: Explained, from online resource, A Couple Cooks.
Steps to Prepare
I followed the simple instructions and when I got to the last step, I simmered the sauce for a few more minutes to thicken it.
Time to Eat
When everything was scooped into a bowl, I was ready to taste the dish.
Recipe Rating
Below were the results of the recipe after the first try:
| Number of Ingredients | Effort (Low🤏, Medium🤏🤏, High🤏🤏🤏) | Cost per Serving (<$2💰, $2-5💰💰, >$5💰💰💰) | Taste (Not for me🤔, Trying Again🙂, Eating Regularly😋) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7️⃣* | 🤏 | 💰💰** | 🙂 |
The chicken wings were soft, but they needed more salt.
Second Try
For the second round, my goal was to increase the saltiness in the dish
Ingredients to Use
Since I had 1.486 pounds of chicken wings to cook, I used about the same amount as the original recipe for most of the remaining ingredients, as follows:
- 3-4 thin slices of ginger
- 1.02 pounds of potatoes
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 teaspoons + 3/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoons of water (to dissolve the turmeric powder)
- 2 tablespoons of corn starch
- 2 tablespoons of water (to make the corn starch liquid)
Because I wanted the dish to be saltier than before, I didn’t convert the kosher salt to the lower equivalent for the sea salt.
Steps to Prepare
Most of the process was the same as the first time, except since I cut the potatoes in larger chunks, I had to simmer them for an extra 5 minutes, for a total of 15 minutes. For the last step, I simmered the sauce for just a minute to thicken it.
Time to Eat
This time, I couldn’t wait to see if the extra salt was noticeable.
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:
| Number of Ingredients | Effort (Low🤏, Medium🤏🤏, High🤏🤏🤏) | Cost per Serving (<$2💰, $2-5💰💰, >$5💰💰💰) | Taste (Not for me🤔, Trying Again🙂, Eating Regularly😋) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7️⃣* | 🤏 | 💰💰 | 🤔 |
Though the sauce was smooth and potato creamy, the salt still wasn’t enough to enhance the flavor of the dish.
When I have a curry dish, I expect lots of flavor, so I don’t plan on using this recipe again. However, since it did introduce me to a new spice, I will do the following next time:
Continuous Improvement
- Try a different curry chicken wing recipe with turmeric to see if there’s more flavor.
By using turmeric for the first time, I learned the following that I’d like to share with my younger self:
Lesson for Dumber Self
- A pungent smell doesn’t always translate to a pungent taste.
What will you do now?
Next Step for You
- Try the recipe, Curry Chicken Wings, from the website, Asian Cooking Mom?
- Share your favorite turmeric-flavored dish?
- Read another post on this site? (Go to the menu at the top of the page.)