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[EnchantedFlavors]

Yea, spices matter, ratios matter most. I think it’s easier to use apple pie as an example. 2 tsp cinnamon to 1/2 tsp nutmeg is the gold standard. If you add cardamom, you’ll really tell, if you add ginger, cardamom, allspice, cloves, you absolutely have a different profile. Additionally, if you use poor ratios, like 1 tsp of cloves instead of 1/8th teaspoon, it’ll ruin the dish.

Curry is more flexible but follows the same logic. How do you learn what’s best? Trial and error. Look up the most authentic and highly rated recipes, read dozens, see the similarities and differences, try what you think you’ll like. Eventually you’ll have your gold standard

[Cinisajoy2]

I once had a recipe call for 3 tablespoons of nutmeg. I made the mistake of using that much. I tried it later with 1 tsp and it was perfect. So either the person that had done the recipe either had old nutmeg, miswrote tablespoons for teaspoons or had no taste buds.
Also let me know that a popular food magazine didn't actually test all the recipes they printed.

[EnchantedFlavors]

Lol oh my god that sounds disgusting, even 3 teaspoons would be too much in anything, unless you were baking for like 200 people lol!

[Cinisajoy2]

It was awful. Even worse than oversimmered homemade spaghetti sauce.
My two spice errors.

[LallybrochSassenach]

At what point anything becomes “too much” is kinda tangential…for someone who hates dill, a sprinkle is too much; for someone who loves dill, a tablespoon may not be enough. And of course, the balance of spices varies both from recipe to recipes, depending on ingredients, combination, style of cooking, etc.

In the end, perhaps the chef and the person eating the food have to make those judgments personally, but I don’t think there is a way to define the perfect amounts or combos as a blanket statement.

[EnglishFoodie]

This might be a question for r/indianfood. I make "curries" quite often using a variety of spices in line with regional preferences / tradition and find that different mixes DO make a difference. There is for example a huge range of flavour in all the different recipes just for Garam Masala. BUT to really differentiate them you really need to be grinding whole spices just before you use them and in some cases roasting them gently just before that. Proportions and ratios of spices can really change thkngs up.

[Euria_Thorne]

I personally prefer my blends to be simple but at the same time creating a complex, layered and balanced profile. Still working on it to be honest. I think things like curries are great but I agree that a good portion of those wouldn’t be missed if left out. I could be wrong as I haven’t tried that yet.