The Building Blocks of Curry
October 15th, 2022
There are Indian curries and Indonesian curries, Caribbean and Middle Eastern curries and so many others. What I like about Middle Eastern curries is the sweet/sour element. They often include fruit and are brothy rather than thickly textured. I don’t actually know if they are traditional to Middle Eastern cooking, but older generations made curry when I was growing up, and I loved it.
In any kind of spiced dish, flavors need to be built up in layers so that they are experienced in their complexity and not just as a lot of tastes muddled together. For the sweetness I like to use dry apricots or currants in combination with guava jam. And for the sour element I have used fresh lemon juice, but I particularly like the flavor of tamarind paste, an Indian ingredient which adds complexity to the sourness. Though my family comes from Iraq originally, there are mysteriously Indian influences that have found their way into the cuisine of all the families that came from there. Most prominent among them is a certain brand of mango pickle, called Amba, which shows up in every household. Tamarind paste is another such Indian ingredient, perhaps less ubiquitous, but it is there.
Chickpeas or green peas work well with a combination of sautéed onion or shallot and thin slivers of red or yellow peppers plus fresh garlic. I usually include tomatoes either canned or fresh. Then, there is the question of spice. You can blend individual spices to make the sauce as hot or as mild as you like. Here is a curry blend that works really well with chicken, beef and even vegetable curries.
Curry blend:
2 T. ground coriander
1 T. ground cumin
1 T. ground turmeric
½ t. cayenne pepper
2–3 T. McCormick curry powder
And for a sweeter chicken curry particularly if you don’t want too much heat, you can include fresh ginger.
- The spices
I particularly like McCormick curry powder, available in most supermarkets, but if you can’t find it, you can use the other spices in this list on their own, or to augment any other curry powder you like. Cayenne pepper will make it hot, smell the others and if you particularly like one, you can add more of it.
2. The sweet element in the curry:
3. The tartness:
4: The main ingredient of the curry
5. The base:
6. Vegetable options:
I used cauliflower and okra, but other good vegetables for curry include carrots, string beans, spinach, fennel, eggplant and celery.
7. Starchy vegetables:
A Good Chicken Curry
1. Spices:
2 T. McCormick Curry powder
1 ½ T. ground coriander
1 T. ground cumin
1 T. ground turmeric
¼ T. cayenne pepper
Additional spice for chicken (optional):
¼- ½ t cinnamon
2. Sweet element: — other options: chopped dry apricots or golden raisins
1 T. guava jelly
¼–½ c. dry currants
3. Tart element:
1–2 T. tamarind paste (alternatively use the juice of one lemon plus more to taste at the end)
4. Main ingredient of the curry:
3 -4 pounds chicken. Here I use 4 thighs and 2 breasts cut in half for a total of 8 pieces. You can adjust for the number of people you want to serve. Leftovers develop even more flavor the next day, so I suggest making a bit more than you need.
Beef
For beef, use 3–4 pounds sirloin or chuck and salt and pepper the cubes of meat. Sauté with 2 T. olive oil and a small finely chopped onion and cook over medium heat until liquid is absorbed, and it begins to sizzle. Then add 2 cups water and continue to cook until liquid is absorbed a second time. This ensures meat will be both tender and flavorful. Remove to bowl to make the sauce.
Fish
In the case of fish, use 2 good sized filets for 2–3 portions each. Cod, halibut and even swordfish steaks work well. Make the recipe normally but omit the broth so the sauce can be made thicker, and leave out extra vegetables in the sauce, layering it on top of the seasoned fish to cook in the oven preheated to 425º for 20–30 minutes
Shrimp
Make sauce normally and add the shrimp at the end with vegetables to cook right in the sauce.
5. Base:
2 shallots
3 peppers, any color you like.
2 T. ginger
3 cloves garlic, central stems removed
Add to base:
3 whole canned San Marzano tomatoes without juice, crushed with clean hands
3–4 c. chicken or vegetable broth (omit for roasted fish curry)
6. Vegetables: other options include carrots, string beans, spinach, fennel,
eggplant and celery.
1 medium head Cauliflower
4 c. sliced okra
7. Starchy vegetables, other options include Chickpeas, potatoes or butternut squash
2 c. peas
Adjust seasoning:
S + P
Lemon juice to taste
Brown sugar to taste if too sour
Sauté shallots and peppers until browned and caramelized. It is important for the flavor to get them quite brown. Stir in minced ginger and garlic. Add spices and cook while stirring until they release their flavor, 2–3 minutes. Then add the tomatoes, stir in tamarind paste or lemon juice and add the broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer the sauce uncovered for about 30 minutes to blend flavors.
Add firm vegetables next along with mostly cooked chicken or beef and cook for 10–15 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Stir in peas or other starchy vegetables and simmer 5 minutes more (a little longer for squash or potatoes). Taste to see if the dish needs salt or more lemon juice. Serve the curry with rice or on its own in a bowl with garnishes alongside.
Optional Garnishes:
Slivered almonds (toasted in a 350º oven for 10 minutes)
Roasted salted cashews
Unsalted coconut toasted with salt and olive oil
Chopped fresh cilantro and scallions
Crystalized ginger, golden raisins or chopped dry apricots
And here is a bowl of chicken curry:
