Curry Cooking Tips and Techniques
Having a page dedicated to helpful curry cooking tips and techniques means that I only have to post information in one place instead of repeating it multiple times in the footnotes of several recipes. It also makes it much easier for me to add additional information or to edit already existing information.
Quality Ingredients
This is perhaps the most important tip of all. Like any cuisine, curries need to be made with love using good quality ingredients. If you cook a curry using poor quality ingredients then don't be surprised when what you end up with is a poor quality curry. This should be very obvious to people but it tends to be something that's often overlooked. Maybe it has something to do with the misconception that curries evolved to mask the flavour of rancid or poor quality ingredients. When cooking curries, or anything else for that matter, you should always use the best quality ingredients that you can afford. Here in the UK, the quality of vegetables seems to be the same wherever you buy them from. My vegetable curries taste as good today as they did when I started cooking them over 30 years ago, so not much has really changed in that regard.
However, when it comes to meats this certain isn't the case. Nowadays, the meat being sold in UK supermarkets is of very poor quality compared to what it once was, especially chicken. Therefore, for best results I always recommend paying a little more money and purchasing meat from your local butcher. The difference in quality really is like night and day. It's bad enough that humanity evolved to be a meat eating species in the first place, but just spare a thought for how the animals are being treated if their flesh is of such poor quality. Sentient beings are mass-reared and treated with the same contempt as a lettuce just so someone can make lots of money. No matter how many different spices you add to your curries, it won't make up for the flavour of poor quality meat or vegetables, which incidentally make up the bulk of the dish.
Conclusions: Don't skimp on the quality of the ingredients.
Cooking Fats
The type of fats used for cooking curries can vary. The most commonly used fats are vegetable oil or sunflower oil, mainly due to them being readily available, affordable and because they have a neutral flavour. Some other fats that are used for cooking curries are rapeseed oil, mustard oil, vegetable ghee, butter ghee and virgin coconut oil. I should also mention that cooking curries with olive oil is considered taboo because the flavour is too strong. However, if needs must you could use non-virgin olive oil, especially if you mix it with another type of oil, such as vegetable oil or rapeseed oil. Extra virgin olive oil is 100 percent cold pressed and unrefined and is best reserved for making dressings and drizzling on salads, whereas non-virgin olive oil is a blend of refined oil and a small amount of virgin oil.
Rapeseed oil is also a good choice for cooking curries but it slightly more expensive than vegetable oil or sunflower oil. Mustard oil is sometimes used but is an acquired taste and is much less common in the West than in India. Before use, it should be heated up to smoking point to remove the aroma, which can be quite pungent. Mustard oil is commonly used for making pickles and is available from Asian food stores. Most people tend to cook curries with oil as opposed to vegetable ghee, butter ghee or virgin coconut oil, mainly due to the health risks associated with consuming too much saturated fat.
Vegetable ghee is commonly used by people who cook BIR curries at home, and the reason for this is because it's the type of fat that many of the Indian restaurants and takeaways use when cooking curries. It's also commonly used by people who cook vegetarian food and it can be readily purchased from most Asian food stores. Butter ghee can be purchased or made very easily at home. However, due to it being quite rich I don't recommend it for cooking all curries. It makes an excellent choice for cooking lentil dishes, kormas and other somewhat rich and creamy curries. Nowadays, I sometimes add a small amount of it to certain curries for added flavour, but I don't cook with it.
Virgin coconut oil is commonly used by vegans and is good for cooking most curries, but due to it being quite expensive and being a saturated fat it's not used very often by most people. As with butter ghee, nowadays, I don't cook with virgin coconut oil but I do sometimes add a small amount to curries that already contain coconut, such as beef Madras, chicken Madras and Thai red or green curry. Virgin coconut oil adds a subtle coconut aroma and flavour to curries, but it tends to be more noticeable in creamier dishes than it does in tomato-based dishes.
Conclusions: Many cooking fats can be used when making curries but the best ones are those with a neutral aroma and flavour.
Cooking the Onions
This step of the curry cooking process is often misunderstood by those who are new to cooking curries from scratch. You should always read the recipe and the instructions carefully. If the author states that the onions should be cooked until golden brown then obviously this doesn't mean they should just be cooked until soft and translucent, or vice versa. Some curry recipes may only require the onions to be stir fried for a specified amount of time or cooked until soft and translucent, whereas others may require them to be cooked until golden brown. Cooking onions until they are soft and translucent obviously requires much less time than it does when cooking them until golden brown. When cooking Thai curries, Anglo-Indian curries or Jamaican chicken curries the onions are typically cooked until soft and translucent, and the same is also true for some Indian curries. However, most Indian curry recipes require the onions to be cooked until golden brown.
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| Onions Cooked until Soft and Translucent |
When cooking onions until golden brown the aim is to cook them until most of the water content has evaporated and the onions caramelise, during which time they turn brown and release their natural sugars. When browning onions correctly it can take a fair amount of time, which varies depending on the amount of onion being cooked and the amount of water it contains. Also, it's important that when chopping onions that they are chopped consistently to ensure they cook evenly. I start the cooking process over medium heat and fry them for about 10 minutes until they've turned soft and translucent and then I reduce the heat to medium-low and add the ginger, garlic and salt. Adding salt is believed to draw out the water content and help speed up the cooking process. However, the only reason why I add salt at this stage is mostly out of habit. Having browned onions more times than I care to remember both with and without salt I can honestly state that I've never noticed any real difference in cooking times.
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| Onions Cooked until Golden Brown |
After reducing the heat to medium-low and adding the ginger, garlic and salt I cook the mixture slowly until the onions have turned brown, sometimes even to the point where they turn slightly crispy. During the early stage of the cooking process I stir the mixture every few minutes and scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any pieces that have started to caramelise, which happens more in the early stages than it does later on. After a while, the mixture stops catching on the bottom of the pot and needs stirring less frequently. However, this doesn't mean that you can walk away and leave it unattended. It still needs careful attention. If the mixture catches and burns you'll need to throw it away and start again. I find that when cooking 500g of onion it takes around 50–60 minutes and when cooking 400g it takes around 40–50 minutes. Both of these times include the initial 10 minutes cooking time over medium heat.
The one ingredient you need to pay attention to is fresh ginger because sometimes it has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pot. If, at any point, the mixture starts catching on the bottom of the pot and you're unable to scrape it off with your wooden spoon then you can add a small splash of hot water and this will remove it. Always use hot water and never cold because cold water will lower the temperature. However, providing the heat isn't too high and you use the correct amount of oil and pay close attention then mixture shouldn't stick. Some people also add hot water once or twice during the browning process and allow the mixture to boil slightly because they believe it helps to soften the onions. Something I would advise against doing is adding sugar to the onions during the cooking process. I've seen some people doing this. Just remember, you're cooking a curry not French onion soup. The onions already contain enough of their own natural sugars and you don't need to add any more.
One thing I've noticed is that if the pot wasn't thoroughly scrubbed with a heavy duty scouring pad when it was last washed then this can sometimes be the cause of the mixture sticking to the bottom. Washing pots and pans with a dishcloth isn't sufficient and they need a good scrub with a heavy duty scouring pad to remove any remaining residue. The pot that I use for cooking all of my curries is made of stainless steel and I purchased it from ASDA about 30 years ago. Since then, it has seen more than its fair share of curries and scouring pads!
Conclusions: It takes time to brown onions correctly, so be patient.
Cooking the Spices
When cooking Indian curries different spices are added to the pot at varying stages throughout the cooking process. Typically, the first spices to be added are the whole garam spices, such as cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon and peppercorns. Once the cooking fat has been heated to the correct temperature the spices are added and allowed to sizzle. This process is known as tempering and it cooks the spices and releases their flavours (essential oils) into the fat. Cooking them for around a minute is normally sufficient, but they can be cooked for longer providing you're careful. When cooked for longer than one minute green cardamoms will eventually turn beige and whole cloves can sometimes burst and splash hot fat, so be careful. You don't want the fat to get smoking hot or else the spices will eventually burn, and if this happens you'll have to discard the mixture and start again. Indian cooks leave the whole garam spices in the curry throughout the cooking process and the diners pick them out and place them on the side of the plate.
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| Whole Garam Spices Frying in Hot Fat |
Tip: Before adding green or black cardamoms to the cooking fat crack them open slightly between fingers and thumb because this allows the fat to reach the small aromatic seeds inside the pods, which is where all the magic is!
Depending on the recipe, if cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, kalonji seeds or fennel seeds are being added they are typically added to the pot next. If more than one of these whole spices are called for then the order in which they are added to the pot may vary depending on the recipe. When cooked in whole form, these spices are fried in the hot fat for a few seconds until they start to crackle and pop and release their unmistakable aroma(s). If fresh curry leaves are being added then they are normally added next and fried for a few seconds until they splutter. However, they can also be added later in the cooking process providing the water content from the onions has evaporated. From that point onwards, onions are typically the next ingredient to be added, and once cooked the ground spices are then added.
Whether you're making an Indian curry from scratch or a Jamaican chicken curry or Anglo-Indian curry using your favourite brand of curry powder, ground spices need to be cooked correctly in order for them to release their flavours. Ground spices are cooked in several ways depending on the recipe. Sometimes, they are fried for a specified amount of time in hot fat, which is usually the case when making Jamaican curries and Anglo-Indian curries, other times they may be fried together with the meat or they may be mixed into a paste with another ingredient, such as vinegar or tomato, and then fried until the oil separates. Ground spices should ideally be cooked for a minimum of five minutes in order for them to release their lovely flavours into the fat. However, as with cooking anything, it's very important that they don't burn or it will ruin the curry! To cook spices correctly it's important that you use the correct amount of cooking fat.
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| Ground Spices Frying with Meat |
Two mistakes people make when cooking curries is that they don't use enough fat and they don't spend long enough cooking the spices. Curries that are cooked with an insufficient amount of fat have a somewhat grainy texture and lack the correct flavour. On the flip side, when an excessive amount of fat is used it can mask the flavour of everything else. There's no need to use an excessive amount of fat but you do need to use the correct amount. The key is in finding a balance between the two. When cooking Indian curries I never use any less than three tablespoons of oil. Oddly enough, some people will happily drown a salad with extra virgin olive oil or butter several pieces of toast with a heroic amount of butter, but they get paranoid about cooking a curry with more than one tablespoon of oil.
The final spices to be added to an Indian curry are the strong aromatic ones in the form of a ground spice mixture called garam masala. This is a blend of several strong aromatic spices, such as cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms and black peppercorns. These spices are the key players which form the backbone of all good quality homemade garam masala blends. Sometimes, people may also add other spices to the mixture, which can be due to regional differences or personal preference. There is some debate as to whether garam masala should be added to the pot at the end of the cooking process or whether it should be added at the same time as the other ground spices. Traditionally, it is added at the end or towards the end as a finishing spice to help lift up the aroma of the curry, but some people, myself included, prefer to add it with the other ground spices. However, occasionally I may also do both.
Most recipes for homemade garam masala require the spices to be pan toasted before being ground, but some cooks don't do this, myself included. I've found that pan toasting the strong aromatic spices destroys their lovely aromas. Some Indian cooks believe that if the spices were pan toasted then the garam masala should be added at the end of the cooking process and if they weren't pan toasted that it should be added at the same time as the other ground spices. However, some cooks who don't pan toast the spices still add their garam masala at or towards the end of the cooking process. I guess it's all a matter of tradition and personal preference. What I've found is that when strong aromatic spices are added to a curry in the later stages of the cooking process they contribute more towards the aroma than they do flavour.
Conclusions: Two common mistakes that people make when cooking curries is that they don't use enough fat and they don't cook the spices for long enough.
The Use of Chillies in Curries
Due to the different heat and flavour profiles, the type of chillies that you use in a curry can greatly affect the outcome of the dish. The five domesticated Capsicum species are C. annuum, C. baccatum, C. chinense, C. frutescens and C. pubescens. Out of the five the only three that are normally used in curries are C. annuum, C. chinense and C. frutescens. Capsicum baccatum and Capsicum pubescens varieties are more closely associated with South American cuisines, but that's not to suggest they wouldn't work in a curry, they're just not traditionally used in curries. The chillies most commonly used in curries belong to either the C. annuum or C. frutescens species, and the ones sold in most UK supermarkets, such as Cayenne, Bullet and green ginger chillies, belong to the C. annuum species. Chillies belonging to the C. frutescens species are not commonly sold in UK supermarkets. The flavour profile of C. frutescens is similar to that of C. annuum but often times they have a sharper heat and are hotter.
Chillies belonging to the Capsicum chinense species, such as Habanero, Scotch Bonnet and Bhut Jolokia, have a very different heat and flavour profile to the aforementioned ones, and this should always be taken into consideration when selecting which chillies to use in a curry. Aside from being the species which all of the world's hottest varieties belong to, the aroma and flavour of C. chinense varieties is much more pungent and can be described as tropical, fruity or citrusy. If you were to add these chillies to a traditional Indian curry, such as lamb korma, aloo gobi or pork vindaloo, it would completely destroy the flavour and make the dish much hotter! That aside, Capsicum chinense varieties can work in certain curries and they are even grown and used in India, but to a much lesser extent than chillies belonging to the C. annuum and C. frutescens species.
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Scotch Bonnets are the chillies traditionally used in Jamaican chicken curries and this contributes towards their delicious flavour and gives them their fiery heat. I also find that C. chinense varieties work very well in Thai curries. However, when making the curry pastes I only add C. annuum varieties because adding C. chinense varieties would make the pastes and the resulting curries far too hot for most people. I normally spice up my own portion using a healthy dose of Habanero or Scotch Bonnet. There is also a region in Northeast India called Nagaland where Bhut Jolokia and Naga Morich chillies are traditionally used in the local cuisine.
There are many different chillies used throughout India. From the infamous and incendiary Naga Morich and Bhut Jolokia, to the regional and national treasures known as landrace varieties, to the time capsules in the form of heirloom varieties, to the numerous hybrids developed for drought resistance, disease resistance, or yield, flavour, colour, shape and heat improvement. Used fresh or dried in either whole or ground form, each has its own qualities which contribute towards the flavour, colour and heat profiles of regional dishes, giving them their own unique signatures. In her book 50 Great Curries of India, Camellia Panjabi writes: "The correct use of chillies is vital if one wants to make gourmet-style curries. The Indian housewife cooks in the culinary style of her own region and when shopping buys the locally available chilli, without perhaps being aware of its origin. It was only when I began to cook the recipes that I had gathered from different parts of India in my kitchen in Mumbai that I realised that the original taste was missing and this difference was due to the variation in chillies used elsewhere in the country. But cookery books, restaurants and home cooks in India rarely specify the use of different chillies in the different regional recipes."
The chillies most commonly used in Indian curries belong to either the C. annuum or C. frutescens species. When cooking any new curry for the first time my advice would always be to try and use the chillies that the recipe calls for. If the recipe doesn't specify that you should use a certain type or variety and instead just refers to 'green chillies' then the ones to use are the green finger chillies which are readily available at most UK supermarkets. However, a trip to the local Asian food store may give you a much better selection. Although I love all chillies, the only Indian curry that I add C. chinense varieties to is phall, which incidentally is a British Indian Restaurant (BIR) invention and not a traditional Indian curry. Due to their pungent aroma and flavour, when added to any curry C. chinense varieties will always become a dominant top note in the dish. This is fine if you're making a Jamaican chicken curry or spicing up a Thai curry, which is already fragrant, but it's not what you want when making a traditional pork vindaloo or lamb korma. Likewise, if you were to make a Jamaican chicken curry and use Cayenne chillies instead of Scotch Bonnets then you'd still create a very tasty curry but the results would be different.
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| Beef Curry Ready for the Oven |
Some curry recipes call for whole dried red chillies to be added at some point during the cooking process. Before adding whole dried chillies it's recommended to make a couple of small tears in each one before adding them to the pot because this allows more of the lovely flavours to be released into the curry. Whole dried chillies are typically not eaten in a curry (although you can if you want). They are used to add flavour rather than heat, but inevitably they will add a little heat, just not as much as they would if they were ground into a powder. They are either removed at the end by the cook or removed and placed on the side of the plate by the diners.
Conclusions: Habaneros and Scotch Bonnets don't belong in all curries, and the type of chillies that you add to a curry can drastically affect the heat and the flavour of the dish.