Three essential curry ingredients

Hello, all – Anju here.  Welcome to my first topical blog post!

The general rule is to write what you know. So, for this post, my first big post, I’ll be sharing about one of the things I know best and am most passionate about getting just right: the essentials needed to make a curry just so.

   Curries have been around for a long time. In fact, the first similar dish is thought to have been made in Ancient Mesopotamia. Along the way it has been many things to many peoples. As far as we Indians are concerned, the word curry probably comes from a Tamil word, kari, which means “spiced sauce.” (1) Today, curry can refer to just about any spiced gravy, and a wide and delicious variety exists; unique from region to region, restaurant to restaurant, generation to generation, family to family.

Mouthwatering Egg Masala

   With that level of variety, with so many ways abounding in the world past and present to make a curry that sings in the mouth, there are really only three essentials that a good cook needs to watch out for. These are: the desired aroma, desired flavor, and the sauce. This post won’t cover all possibilities in-depth, but will give a few good tips for applying these three essentials to make a good Indian curry.

   Curry recipes often look complex, consisting of a large number of ingredients – so many that they can seem overwhelming to balance. I can vouch for the complicated looks of the recipes being hard to get over, both from previous personal experience and working with friends in the kitchen. Sometimes curries do not come out to their liking, but not because they lack the skill. Curries were cooked long before modern methods were available by many people of varying experience, after all. Instead, they do not come out right because people overcomplicate them mentally. Basically, any good curry will involve about the same process from start to finish. Get used to cooking one with a small ingredient list and you’ll be ready to cook most any curry.

   To begin, let us start with the aroma. Aroma is an especially essential part of Indian cooking. A very good place to start getting good aromas in your food is by using a combination of whole spices called garam masala. If you’ve ever wondered what makes basmati rice at an Indian restaurant smell so good, it is probably this mix, typically of cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves and bay leaves, that is the secret! Going a step further, to create even more aromatic curries, try adding mace, fennel, cumin, peppercorn and star anise. (To use these whole spices, my favorite method is to temper them in a little hot oil and pour it into a simmering curry or to the water for making aromatic basmati rice. If you want the flavors to be infused in your curry with the aromas, then temper the spices in hot oil and add ginger & garlic paste.) These ingredients have never failed me, and are fun to play around with, to get to know your own preferred mixes.

   Everyone’s palate is very different, and there is a curry to suit each one. For most curries, a very good flavor base will involve four main ground spices: chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and turmeric powder. If you struggle with proportions of these spices, try this never fail formula: Chili and cumin powders in equal portions, coriander should be double the amount of these and you’ll just want a pinch of turmeric, most likely. This combination will make an excellent base curry powder for most ingredients.

   Finally, the sauce is very important in all curries. It will deliver your carefully constructed flavors and aromas to the taste buds of those eating your delicious food. Using a creamy base, like whipping cream and/or coconut milk, will bring out the aroma and provide a light flavor to the mix. Using a tomato based sauce will cause the sauce to have a more robust flavor and typically make it less aromatic. Using whipped yoghurt instead of cream or coconut milk will bring a tartness to the curry while keeping the aromas paramount and helping to highlight the flavors of the ground and whole spices mentioned above.

   So, next time you are making curry, don’t worry too much about the long list. Just focus on these essentials and play around with your mixes. Find what suits you best and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a master curry chef.

Bibliography

1. n.d. The Origins of ‘Curry’. CURRY, SPICE & ALL THINGS NICE. [Online] n.d. [Cited: April 30, 2011.] http://www.menumagazine.co.uk/book/curryhistory.html.