The word ‘Curry’ has long ago become a universe term and recognized throughout the world. The simple definition for ‘curry’ usually is meat, seafood or vegetables in a spicy sauce served with rice or bread.
The Word ‘Curry’: Where Did Curry Originate?
Derived from the South Indian word (Tamil) ‘kari’ simply means spicy sauce. There’s no one method to make curry and there’s no one form of curry powder. In Indian itself, curry has such versatility that different part of India or the different regions use different ingredients to make curry. And contrary to popular belief, curry powder is not heavily skewed on chilli pepper, in fact it’s got a rather mild spicy flavour based on the ingredients added to it. And the spices used in curry are known to offer therapeutic benefit to the body
The most commonly spices used in Indian curry powder are chilli, black mustard seed, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, asafoetida, ground ginger, coriander, garlic and garam-masala.
According to The Curry Secret : How to Cook Real Indian Restaurant Meals at Home by Kris Dhillon, Constable & Robinson Ltd, 1989, 13, “ The ‘garam’ means hot and the ‘masala’ a mixture of spices, so this is a hot spice mix, but one that affects the body. This theory originates from the Hindu concept of medicine and diet called tridosha, which teaches that some food have a warming effect on the body while others have a cooling one.” Dhillon continues to say that common spices used in garam masala are cloves, cinnamon, black cardamoms, and nutmeg.
Curry in South East Asia
In South East Asia curry has its own unique flavour with completely different spices. In Malaysia and Singapore curry is made with coconut milk and is more influenced by South India than the other parts. In these parts of the world as well it’s not uncommon to used chilli paste and tomato paste together with fresh herbs like coriander in curry.
In Thailand, curry is known as gaeng phet or hot liquid. The Thai curries are cooked for a shorter time and more fresh herbs are used in them and fewer dry ones. The consistency is thin and soupy. Unlike Indian curry, Thai curry is cooked from curry paste. Whether yellow, red or green curry, the Thai use common ingredients like lemon grass, galangal, cilantro root and lime leaves which give these curries a distinctive taste and colour compared to the Indian or Malay curries.
Easy Salmon Curry Recipe
With almost all supermarkets and speciality stores around the world selling wide range of ingredients required to make curry it’s not impossible to attempt it at home.
Here’s an easy recipe for a mild Salmon Curry without actually using any curry powder.
Ingredients :
- Four Salmon steaks (Atlantic preferred)
Marinade:
- A teaspoon of turmeric
- Salt to taste
- Lemon juice
Curry:
- A tablespoon of turmeric
- Half a teaspoon of black mustard seed
- Half a teaspoon of fenugreek
- Half a teaspoon of fennel seed
- Curry leaves
- Few dried chillies – about 3 for a mild curry
- One cup of coconut milk
- One large ripe tomato
- One large onion - slices
- One and a half tablespoon of olive oil
Method:
- Coat the fish with the marinade and let it sit for two hours.
- Brown in lightly in olive oil.
- Remove the fish from the heat and put it aside.
- In the same oil add the sliced onion and cook it until translucent.
- Meanwhile place the turmeric, tomato, dried chilli and coconut milk in a blender and puree until a smooth, liquid consistency is reached.
- Once the onion’s cooked, add the spices – fenugreek, black mustard seed, fennel and curry leaves.
- Wait until the mustard seeds pop and quickly add the blended ingredients.
- Add salt to taste and cook for at least ten minutes in slow heat.
- Add the fish in the end, cook for one more minute and remove from heat.
- Curry always tastes better when it’s let to rest for a few hours. Serve with basmati rice.
Sources:
The Curry Secret : How to Cook Real Indian Restaurant Meals at Home by Kris Dhillon, Constable & Robinson Ltd, 1989, 3-13,
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