All About Curry
Vindaloo, a particularly spicy curry dish. Photograph: Robyn Lee
What Is Curry?
Curry is an umbrella term for many dishes throughout the world, particularly Asia, that are simmered in or covered with a sauce full of spices and herbs. There is no one specific "curry." It's just a combination of flavors and textures, usually served with meat, chicken, fish, vegetables or even fruit.
How Curries Vary By Region
Indian
These curries are made with a number of toasted and ground spices (called masala) that vary by family, generation, and region. "Trying to define curry is like trying to grasp liquid mercury and gather it into a neat pile," said Raghavan Iyer, author of 660 Curries, a cookbook that focuses on Indian curries. Some spices that are traditionally involved include cumin, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, coriander, cardamom, mustard, fennel, and ginger. Indian curry dishes also vary by region.
Thai
More soup-like than their thicker Indian cousins, these curries are made from a paste of grounded chilies, then added to aromatics (like galangal, lemon grass, lime leaves, and garlic) and coconut milk or water. The coconut milk-based curries are less spicy than the water-based ones since the milk calms the tongue. They are often described by color—yellows, for example, are full of turmeric and cumin while reds and greens are dominated by red and green chilis. As with other regional curries, the sauce covers a combination of meats and vegetables.
British
They resemble the Indian style of curry (made from whole, ground spices instead of a chili paste). Curry is so ubiquitous in the UK, you can find it at fast-food outlets for dousing chips, as a microwavable meal, or a pizza topping. Chicken Tikka Masala, one popular curry dish, has even been dubbed the "British national dish."
Chinese
Often made with soy sauce, coconut milk, and a bunch of spices, this mildly spicy (and usually yellow) curry tops meats, veggies, steamed rice, or noodles.
Japanese
Curry is huge in Japanese cuisine. The standard contains: onions, carrots, potatoes, sometimes celery, and a token meat (often pork) that's cooked in a large pot.
Recipes
- Cashew Chicken Curry with Cilantro Sauce
- Sweet Potato, Eggplant, and Spinach Madras Curry
- Shredded Red Chicken Curry with Rice Noodles
- Curried Egg Salad with Caramelized Onion
- Cauliflower-Potato Curry (Aloo Gobhi)
- Chicken Curry with Turmeric
- Curried Pork Noodles
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20 Comments:
Japanese Curry is really good on a cold day like today... I just put in Chicken since thats what my friend put in years ago. They come in this package that looks like curry cubes you melt into the water with the chicken. Its not hot though, but the Japanese don't really like heat that much. Vermont House is my favorite of the Japanese curries and yes, its made in Japan even though its Vermont House :)
plazmaorb at 12:38PM on 10/18/09
Ever had udon noodles cooked in a Japanese curry? Yum!
IbisFlight at 12:44PM on 10/18/09
and what about indonesian curries? they are also delicious.
i make a lot of curries - this is the time of year when i start making them again, cold weather and curries are a perfect match IMO.
madhur jaffrey has a very good book out about curries from around the world. i use it a lot in my kitchen.
tigress at 1:17PM on 10/18/09
"Bangladeshi curries often involve seafood"
Hi Erin!
Just wanted to point out 2 things:
1) Bangladesh is a separate nation; not an Indian state. However, we do share the same language and cooking styles with West Bengal of India.
2) Bangladeshi curries often involve mainly fresh water fish (as it is a delta, criss-crossed with innumerable rivers), rather than seafood. Only on or two seaside districts use seafood usu. sun-dried. As for curry spices, we love garam masala & a 5 spice called panch-foron. I believe you wanted to refer either curries from Goa or Kerala.
Thank you.
ana1983 at 4:53PM on 10/18/09
have a look at this book, Curry Cuisine.
http://www.amazon.com/Curry-Cuisine-Corinne-Trang/dp/0756620783
picked it up in the clearance section at B&N, and I still see it there from time to time. excellent book, excellent breakdown by region very much like what this post has, e.g. british, japanese, etc. there are about 12 chapters, each by a prominent cookbook author of each section.
excellent recipes, and excellent ingredient and historical information as well.
avisualperson at 5:42PM on 10/18/09
I have that book as well and it's a delight. Very informative about curries from every possible place, and with excellent methods/recipes.
alosha7777 at 7:17PM on 10/18/09
We make huge pots of Indian, Thai, or Japanese curries at least 2-3 times a month all year long. I used to order Vietnamese curry that came with a loaf of French bread every week when I was in grad school in HI since there was a restaurant near campus.
It's hard to pick a favorite...
Cassaendra at 7:46PM on 10/18/09
@ana1983: Thank you for the clarification!
Erin Zimmer at 8:19PM on 10/18/09
I'm completely mad about curries lately! Sooooo good, esp when it's chilly out!
Aclunney at 9:41PM on 10/18/09
The title of the post is “All About Curry,” which makes it sound like it’s going to be comprehensive. However, there's not really enough depth to get the sense of how each type of curry is made and some of the descriptions are a bit off.
For example:
“then added to spices (like galangal, lemon grass, lime leaves, and garlic) and coconut milk or water”
Those are aromatics, not spices.
In the description of Japanese curries, there’s no mention of the blocks of curry roux – thick slabs, that you can buy in the supermarkets - that are key to the curries most Japanese eat. The roux contains thickeners (like starch or flour) and fat, in addition to coconut milk or evaporated milk for creaminess.
This splitting of curry preparations by superficial ingredients is kinda like saying "Italian food is French food with tomato sauce and olive oil added." Plus, why no mention of all the countries with curries? (Pakistan, Trinidad, Vietnam, Burma, Laos, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, etc)
meatloafman at 9:56PM on 10/18/09
I miss Korean curry.
machellebelle at 10:03PM on 10/18/09
wow people are passionate about their curry specifics
Seina at 12:15AM on 10/19/09
We just improvised a lovely curry with Indian-style spices:
http://onepot.wordpress.com/2009/10/17/eggplant-potato-curry/
Onepot at 12:23AM on 10/19/09
It might be worth mentioning the strong difference between saucy curries and dry curries. I like both, but it's as different as dry-rub and sauced barbeque.
Also, British curries tend to be way overheated. A vindaloo exists only to make drunken ruggers feel like big men. Madras is the next step down. I prefer korma and rogan josh myself, especially with channa dal and some garlic naan.
Fun fact: a lot of British curry houses add lots of paprika and red food colouring to the tikka masala sauce, because customers prefer it to be glowing an unnatural bright red. They assume it's spicier.
Also, is it possible to eat curry without cold lager? I wouldn't know, I've never tried...and I am unable to eat a plate of curry unless my stomach has been warned first, by giving it at least two onion bhajis and a samosa.
NotAmerican at 3:17AM on 10/19/09
I just had a curry soy latte in DC at Peregrine Espresso on Capitol Hill. It was so intriguing that I just HAD to have it.
It was heaven.
I said that I wanted cream instead of soy, but they told me no, the soy sets off the curry flavor. They knew what they were talking about
The Wandering Foodie at 7:31AM on 10/19/09
It strikes me as kind of funny that growing up (in an Indian household), I would have never once responded to "what do you want for dinner tonight" with "curry." My parents wouldn't have known what I was talking about. Nor would I.
Here's a review of Curry - A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors that I posted about...sort of gets at the same point.
nithya at hungrydesi at 10:00AM on 10/19/09
Thai curries do not always, or even often, start with ground chilis added to curry base. They usually start with fresh chilis, pounded to a paste - which is then further pounded into a smooth paste along with many other herbs and other ingredients (often including shrimp paste) - before being added to the liquid and aromatics used to make the curry. Some pastes start with the herbs being pounded along with roasted ground chilis.
I understand this is just a small recap - but the description you provide is fairly inaccurate.
Dcarl1 at 1:32PM on 10/22/09
Please don't rely on your spell checker. Proofread, proofread, proofread.
The past tense of the word grind is ground. So it's ground chilies. And whole ground spices, or whole spices, ground. Please.
Shecooks at 7:12AM on 10/28/09
@Shecooks: Thanks! All updated.
Erin Zimmer at 9:06AM on 10/28/09
I love Thai curry! Yum... Oh, now I want some.
katherinegb at 9:53PM on 10/29/09