CURRY/GRAVY

Curry, as the word is used today in India, simply means gravy. In the west gravy is a liquid sauce made
with juice from the meat and thickened with flour and seasoning. Indian curry or gravy is made by
cooking the meat or vegetables along with lots of ingredients, including thickening agents and a
combination of spices but using no flour. There are very few western curries which resemble Indian
gravies.
A lot has been written about the word “curry” and whether it is actually an Indian word or was it
invented by the English. The Tamil have the word 'kaari' in their language, which has twelve vowels
instead of the five in English and slightly different phonetic emphasis changes the meaning of the word
('kaari' is actually part of a longer word - 'kaikaari'). For the Brahmins of Tamil Nadu, who are strict
vegetarians it means a vegetable dish cooked with spice and a dash of coconut when they say 'kaari'.
When the non-vegetarian communities of Tamil Nadu e.g. the Chettiars, use the word 'kaari', it literally
means meat.

"The origin of the word "curry" seems to be a meat or vegetable dish to be eaten with rice which is
considered to be the main dish of the meat."

THICKENING AGENTS FOR GRAVIES

Many ingredients can be used, the most common being onion.
ONION: Onions are used finely or coarsely chopped, sliced or pureed. The proportion of onion to the
main ingredient of the gravy is important as it will determine whether there is a sweet element in the taste
as well as the thickness of the gravy. The finer the onions are cut, the less time they have to be fried or
otherwise cooked in order to blend perfectly into the gravy. Onions are also pureed before frying or
sometimes cooked in their own moisture without oil to give a thick gravy with lots of bulk. This
technique is follows more in restaurants than at home and is called "boiled onion paste" by chefs.

YOGHURT: Yoghurt gives body and a creamy texture to a curry, but is more important as a "souring"
agent.

CREAM: Cream plays an important part in the food as it enhances aromas. It was incorporated into later
mughlai cooking under the influence of the local cuisine of the dairy - dominated region around Faizabad
and Lucknow.

COCONUT MILK: Coconut flesh is ground to a paste with spices or the flesh is grated and then soaked
in warm water for 30 minutes or blended to extract coconut milk. The first extract will be thicker.

COCONUT: Coconut based curries are very popular in the southern half of the Indian sub-continent.
Coconut is used in two ways. Either coconut is ground with other spices and the paste is sautéed in oil or
combined with vegetables and stewed or milk is extracted out of coconut.

NUTS AND SEEDS: ALMONDS, CASHEWNUTS, PEANUTS AND CHARMAGAZ

Ground almond, cashewnut and peanuts are very commonly used in Indian gravies not only for their
thickening quality but also for their flavours. Almonds were probably introduced into curries in India by
the Moghuls and are widely used in genuine Moughlai dishes, both of Delhi and the Ganges plains.

WHITE POPPY SEEDS: Act as a flavouring ingredient, primarily as a thickening agent in some
Mughlai and Hyderabadi dishes, Also in Bengali and Marathi cuisine.

MUSTARD SEEDS: are used as a thickening agent to a lesser extent. In Bengal ground mustard seeds
are used widely, primarily for flavour but they also provide the curry with body since they are used in
large quantities.
VARIOUS coloring agents for gravy

a. Turmeric Bright yellow

b. Saffron Pale apricot
c. Red chillies Reddish brown
d. Fresh coriander leaves Green
e. Red tomatoes Pinkish
f. Onion Deep brown/ white
g. Kokum Lilac or light purple

SOURING AGENTS
a. Tomato
b. Yoghurt
c. Vinegar
d. Tamarind
e. Kokum
f. Raw Mango (dry mango powder)
g. Lime

SPICES USED FOR AROMA

It is very difficult to distinguish between spices used principally for taste and those for aroma, as all
spices will affect both.

GARAM MASALA: Garam masala contributes to both flavour and aroma. It is a mixture of those spices
which create heat in the body - cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and black cardamom.

TEJ PATTA: Tej patta leaf is usually fried in the initial stages of making gravy. It does not burn even if
fried over a low to medium heat for 10 minutes as it browns and releases its flavours gradually.

LARGE BLACK CARDAMOM: Black cardamom is used only in Indian curries and is grown in North-
East India and Sikkim. They have a strong aroma, the flavour being in its seeds.

GREEN CARDAMOM: Green cardamom apart from having a unique aroma, also contributes to
flavours. Powder made from the whole green cardamom is sprinkled at the end of the cooking process on
a delicate lamb or mutton dish.

NUTMEG: Nutmeg originated from the Moluccas in Indonesia, and in earlier times was exported to
India. Today it is grown in Kerala. Always used in powder form, normally added during cooking and is
not fried along with the main spices.

MACE: It is the net like covering of nutmeg. It is a favourite condiment among the muslim cooks of
Lucknow. They use this for hot Kormas. They sprinkle it when the dish is ready. It is important to keep
the lid on, so that the aroma is incorporated in the dish, aided by the heat within.

CLOVES: The dried aromatic flower buds of an evergreen of the myrtle family native to Southeast Asia.
Cloves are normally used whole but the central "head" of the bud can also be ground into a powder
(bottom). They are used in sweet and savoury dishes.

KEWRA ESSENCE: This is a white flower from the screwpine family with a very strong sweet aroma.
The male flowers are valued for their fragrance. It grows in Orissa and to a lesser degree in Kerala. Kewra
Oil is believed to be a stimulant.

SAFFRON: Saffron has a delicate fragrance and is the most expensive spice in the world. It is the stigma
of a flower of the crocus family which originated in West Asia and is grown in Kashmir, Turkey and
Mediterranean countries - the largest quantity now comes from Spain.

DRY ROSE PETALS: Powdered rose petals are used for their aroma and marinade qualities when
cooking meat dishes. This tradition can be seen today in Lucknowi Court dishes.

MAKHANI GRAVY
Tomatoes (Red coloured) 10 kg
Ginger paste 250 gms
Garlic paste 250 gms
Red chilli paste 100 gms
Sugar 200 gms
Butter 50 gms
Refined oil 1 litre
Kasoori Methi (Roasted powder) 100 gms
Khoya 500 gms
Salt to taste
Method:
a. Boil tomatoes with water and red chilli powder and 100 ml of oil.
b. When cooked properly, strain it.
c. Keep pulp aside and puree it.
d. Take a pan and add oil, heat it, add ginger and garlic paste. Sauté for a while and add tomato puree.
When cooked thin it out with tomato water.
e. Add butter, kasoori methi, khoya, salt and sugar.

WHITE GRAVY
Cashewnut 1 kg
Char magaz 1/2 kg
Curd 2 lts
Refined oil 500 ml
Mace 25 gms
Green cardamom 20 nos
Bay leaf 8-10 nos
Salt to taste
Sugar 50 gms
White pepper 25 gms
Method:
a. Soak cashewnut and charmagaz for 6-8 hours.
b. Grind them to fine paste.
c. Whisk the curd to a very smooth consistency, thin out with water and mix it with paste. Whisk well.
d. Heat oil and add bay leaf, cardamom and mace till light golden brown.
e. Add mixture in oil and stir constantly till it boils.
f. Finally add sugar, salt and white pepper

YELLOW GRAVY
Fried onion paste 1 kg
Curd 2 lts
Red chilli powder 75 gms
Garam masala 50 gms
Coriander powder 100 gms
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder 50 gms
Refined oil 500 ml
Method:
a. Fry onion till light golden brown. Paste it with the help of curd till the smooth consistency.
b. Thin out remaining cud whisk properly.
c. Mix onion paste in curd.
d. Heat oil in a pan and add coriander powder. Add paste and fry for some time.
e. Stir it till it boils. Add turmeric powder, garam masala, red chilli powder and salt.

KADHAI GRAVY

Onion diced 1 no
Tomato diced 1 no
Capsicum diced 1 no
Ginger chopped ½ tsp
Green chilly chopped ½ tsp
Coriander chopped 1 tsp
Turmeric powder ¼ tsp
Coriander powder ½ tsp
Garam masala ¼ tsp
Red chilly powder ¼ tsp
Tomato puree 5 tbsp
Salt to taste
Sugar to adjust (1 tsp)
Refined oil 20 ml
Masala consisting of roasted and coarsely pounded -
Whole coriander 1 tsp
Red chillies whole 2 nos
Cloves 2 nos
Cardamom 2 nos

Method :
1. Heat oil. Add diced onions and saute for 2 minutes.
2. Add pounded masala.
3. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala
4. Add tomato puree and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add chopped green chillies and ginger
6. Add capsicum and tomato dices
7. Add salt and sugar.
8. Sprinkle with chopped coriander.