The true answer is lost in the mystique of the East, but it seems so! In the West, we look at the curries of the East with wonder; jam-packed with spice and unlimited heat, and fundamentally healthy. However, some Indians say they don’t even know what curry powder is, let alone understand what Westerners call curry! We’ve decided to de-confuse this curious cuisine and find out exactly what makes curry so good.
In fact, in India there is no such thing as a curry; masala, a spice mix which can be used in hundreds of dishes, is the closest equivalent. In northern India, the mixtures tend to be dry, using ground spices such as garam masala, but further south, the mixture is wetter and uses fresh spices, such as coconut masala. But back to curry: It’s an English term based on the Tamil word ‘kari’ meaning ‘black pepper’ and has come to denote all kinds of Indian dishes, particularly those in a sauce. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree are an integral ingredient, but turmeric, with its warm bitter taste is actually the main spice in curry as we know it. As a side note, it is also used to flavour or colour curry powder, mustard, butter and cheese. Now you know! And contrary to popular belief, not all curries are hot. While some dishes contain lots of chillies, others have none at all, and the heat scale of curries ranges from mild to positively fiery.
And then we get to the health benefits, which are substantial when cooked with the right ingredients and proper amounts of oil. After all, the combination of pungent spices like curry leaves, black pepper and turmeric with vitamin-packed tomato, onion and garlic certainly does sound like an immunity re-charge! The spices particularly, play a major role and can reduce inflammation which is the root cause of diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
From name to nutrition, there are a few standard facts any curry aficionado will need to know:
- The full name of any Indian recipe follows a standard format: origin/ingredient/treatment. E.g., Tandoori chicken masala (spices). Hyderabadi chicken curry. Kolhapuri vegetable bhaji (mashed vegetables).
- A curry base be made either with water, cow’s milk, coconut milk or any other base of choice, all of which add protein and fat to your diet.
- Incorporating a generous blend of spices can help release digestive enzymes which break down food, thus easing digestion. When spices like turmeric are eaten in conjunction with black pepper and healthy fats such as ghee or cooking oil, it can give your immunity a much-needed boost.
- Adding beans, lentils, vegetables, chicken, paneer, or tofu to Indian curry increases the nutritional value and helps provide a balance of nutrients, fibres and proteins.
- If you prefer, use cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts, which are packed with antioxidants.
- In order of mildest to hottest, the curry line-up reads; korma, biryani, kashmiri, mughlai, balti, dhansak, pasanda, rogan josh, tikka masala, pathia, bhuna, dopiaza, madras, ceylon, vindaloo and finally jalfrezi as the hottest of the hot.
Once you’ve got a handle on the curry basics, you’ll be cooking up a korma second to none and currying favour with everyone!
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