Curries-what is most essential?

amandstu

What does anyone think is the defining ingredient (or process) in making a curry?

Over the years it has been a skill that felt unfamiliar to me and I generally either follow a recipe to the letter or just buy a curry ready made

However last week I had a bowl of soup (bought from the shop) and as is my wont I added a few old veg from the night before as well as a few mashed butter beans that were lying around

Then ,haphazardly I put in a bit of nutmeg and the result was (to my taste) a perfectly acceptable curry dish

Can we call nutmeg a defining ingredient of a curry?

I am sure there must be curries that don't use nutmeg but if there was one ingedient (spice?) that most typified a curry in general could we say what it might be?

I like coconut a lot in my curries but I mightn't think that it was the coconut that "made it" a curry.

I wouldn't say chilies either (maybe just because I don't like them too much)

Totally beside the point ,how hard is it to kill a tick?

I was walking the dog in the long grass earlier and one has just crawled over my hand .

Very hard to squash.I had to have 4 or 5 goes at it before it stopped moving.

I even catch them crawling over the phone screen sometimes!

Peregrinus

"Curry" in English is used to embrace a wide variety of dishes that, on the subcontinent, have different names and are considered to be different dishes, not variants of the same dish.

There's no spice that would be found in literally every dish that we consider to be a curry, so there's spice that can be considered a "defining ingredient" — i.e. if it doesn't have this, it's not a curry. But there are a range of spices that are commonly included in curries, and most curries would include more than one spice from that range — turmeric, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, cinnamon, black pepper, ginger, cardamom.

I don't think nutmeg would features in anybody's list of core spices for curries. But equally it wouldn't be uncommon to use nutmeg in a curry.

cnocbui

Pataks Curry paste is my defining ingredient. Nutmeg wouldn't be something I would associate with curry. It comes from Indonesia, so wrong cuisine, I'd think.

The Nal

No substitute for making your own curry paste.

Also if youre using coconut milk, make sure it has a high (80% or above) coconut extract. Check the tin. Loads of them have 50% etc.

Popular ones too like Amoy and Blue Dragon. Only 55%.

https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/en-IE/products/251978322

https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/en-IE/products/252486194

Horse Quack

If you’re talking Indian then it’s very regional but I would say most curries have some combination of some or all of garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric and garam masala (which is itself a blend of different spices)

cnocbui

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122102864#Comment_122102864

I don't think you can find a better coconut milk than the full fat one from Lidl, which is 94% coconut extract. it's more cream than milk. I would often use it together with a sachet of the pure solid Pataks coconut blocks sold in Tesco.

Not sure about the no substitute bit. I recently tried this, despite the ridiculous packaging:

While I was dubious about the packaging, I was frankly stunned when I came to use it and discovered at least two whole curry leaves in it. Tasted good enough that I certainly would not be the slightest bit motivated to try and better it.

The Hill Billy

For me, it is a bit broader than a specific ingredient, but my essential for a decent curry is good quality and fresh spices.

There's no point in calling out one specific ingredient as curries are so varied in nature.

deirdremf

I find that blending your onion after chopping it will make your sauce more similar to what you get in restaurants.

The Nal

Thai basil essential for thai curries

awec

If anyone wants to know how to make curries like you get in takeaways then you need to buy the Misty Ricardo book. I bought it and read it and was quite surprised at how different the recipes and process is to what I had in my head. I think he has YouTube vids too.

For example, practically every single dish starts off with the exact same base sauce. And the meat is always cooked separately and it's poached, and only added to the curry near the end.

I suppose when you think about it, it makes sense from a kitchen point of view. They make a ton of the base sauce, they poach a load of meat, and then cooking the specific curry to order is very fast, they're only really finishing the dishes.

At home it can be the same, cook a load of base sauce, a load of meat, freeze it and then just cook your curries as needed.

Qaanaaq

I would think that Cumin would be a defining ingredient in a lot of curries. But as others have mentioned there are lots of variations and each could have their own specific defining ingredients.

cmac2009

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122110919#Comment_122110919

Not widely available though? Was looking for it recently in Tesco/Dunnes etc

Dibble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122102864#Comment_122102864

I use Thai Gold coconut milk for my curries. 99% coconut extract 🤩

https://www.thaigold.eu/en/product/coconut-milk#ingredients

Mellor

This is a thread for @Curry Addict

Mellor

I don't thing there are any rules that we can say define a curry. But…

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058350373/curries-what-is-most-essential

That sounds like spiced vegetable soup, not curry.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122102122#Comment_122102122

I'd consider that a premade sauce base, rather than a proper ingredient. The ingredients are what's used to make it. I use thai pastes a lot for the base.
FWIW, Massaman Curry contains nutmeg, and it originated in Indonesia.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122110919#Comment_122110919

It's added to thai curries (and spicy thai food generally), but it's pretty optional. But it's not really used to make the various curry pastes that determine what curry it is. I'd have kaffir lime leaf is more essential, but even then its not in every time.
Corriander seed?

Yeah Right

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122111814#Comment_122111814

As mentioned earlier, @Curry Addict did a great write up for Indian curries the way we like them.

Thread is a goldmine of information, it's done pretty much the way you've described. Make a metric fcuk-ton of base, then add spices etc. as per each individual dish. It's great.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2056521427/2012-cooking-club-week-2b-indian-resturant-curries

rje66

As mentioned above base sauces and also the dry roasting of spices at the beginning . Marinade meats in yoghurt depending on the dish. Over all I think a large part is Ingedients and technique

The Nal

Not a base gravy/sauce fan at all. Mainly a UK thing isnt it? ie not authentic Indian.

Shoog

When we lived in a Indian area we used to buy all the spices in large packets and make all our own pastes. Main spices were chilli, cumin and coriander. Garlic is also important.

However since living in areas where fresh spices are harder to source we just use a range of pataks pastes and this gives a very authentic flavour. We would still use fresh coriander and cumins as these get lost in a bought paste and are essential flavours.

A good curry can have over a dozen spices so it's difficult to keep in all the necessary fresh spices to do it properly, and that's why for most people a quality paste is the best option.

Have never used nutmeg in a curry but wouldnt have an issue with using a bit.

pauly58

There are two distinct curry cooking styles : Home or traditional & BIR, British Indian Restaurant curries. Very different techniques & produce different results but both can be equally delicious. http://bircurries.co.uk/forum/index.php?sid=9909545caaf07db1007017848f80ee62

The standard in restaurants here in Ireland is dire.

Shoog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122135690#Comment_122135690

They give a gravy when you order a biryani but an Indian would never serve a gravy with biryani. I remember the first time I cooked a biryani for friends they asked where the sauce was - I said that's not right at all, but it's what British people expect.

I learnt to cook biryani from my Indian girlfriend.

Man Vs ManUre

Chips and beer.

Thelonious Monk

The Indian curry club or whatever it's called thread from this site years ago is the closest to restaurant style curry I've ever made. Takes a bit of time but worth it if you freeze batches of the sauce base.

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122135726#Comment_122135726

Improving though. Sunil Ghai doing great work. Pickle, Ananda, Tiffin and then theres Raasam, Daata.

GreeBo

Chutney, if it aint got chutney it aint for me.

the beer revolu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122135770#Comment_122135770

Not in Cork, unfortunately.

tohaltuwi

as second poster indicated, it is an umbrella term for many dishes that typically include the base ingredients of chilli & turmeric. After that it is any number of additional ingredients, pretty much always including garlic & onion, but can include combinations of the following:

Ginger, galangal, fenugreek, curry leaves, coconut, tomato, coriander, cumin, cardamom, kaffir like leaves, basil, fish sauce, lemon grass, poppy seed, soy sauce, peppercorn, spinach, yoghurt, Chinese 5 spice, sugar, and many more depending on the Asian regional cooking style.

Most typically the term curry is applied to Indian cooking styles

https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/guide-to-indian-cooking-techniques/

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122135690#Comment_122135690

It's probably important to distinguish between authentic Indian and UK / Ireland Indian takeaway (where most of the dishes are adaptations of dishes that aren't actually Indian at all).

Mellor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122135690#Comment_122135690

My understanding it's more of a restaurant approach that traditional. So they can prep and prepare multiple dishes to order in a reasonable time. Where a Indian "homestyle" is simply making dinner in a batch for everyone.

But I don't think the base/gravy is not authentic Indian. I've heard it described as hotel style, assuming this is how hotel or restaurant chefs in India would also work.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122136046#Comment_122136046

Though I would have said that Curry being synonymous with Indian is more of a British thing. I style expect "Chinese" style take away curry to be more common by a margin in Ireland. Which obviously isn't really Chinese. Apart from being heavily adapted, I think recall reading that the universal "irish chinese" menu was influenced heavily by Malaysian dishes as the first restaurants in the 50s beign set up by Malaysian Chinese immigrants.

the beer revolu

My understanding is that most "western Chinese" restaurants (Irish Chinese is same as anywhere else in Europe outside of Chinatowns) is based on Cantonese cuisine.

igCorcaigh

I find that ground coriander seed gives that distinctive "curry" flavour, although the various spices do blend together to produce specific flavours.

Turmeric, salt, curry leaves and asafetida are all that are needed for some types of curries (usually lentil based).