How to Make an Authentic Curry at Home

If you’ve ever had Indian food (hopefully that’s most of us!), you know just how comforting and tasty it can be. From butter chicken to chicken tikka masala, plus all the delicious vegetarian-friendly options, it’s hard to choose a favourite, but a classic curry stands out.

Curry consists of a flavourful sauce generously seasoned with spices typical in South Asian cooking, including turmeric and coriander. It can be eaten scooped up with a fluffy naan or with Basmati rice. Why not eat with your fingers for a truly traditional experience?

We’ve gathered some handy and simple-to-make authentic Indian curry recipes for you to try, with ingredients available at your Asian food store or aisle. There are also options for the vegetarian and vegan folks out there too.

Read on…

Simple Chicken Curry

Indian-American food blogger Safiya (Feast With Safiya) puts modern twists on authentic Indian recipes, including curry. Her one-pot chicken curry recipe is simple, easy to follow and, most importantly, flavourful.

This no-fuss recipe uses bone-in chicken (though boneless chicken breast can be substituted), tomatoes and various ground and whole spices, including classic garam masala. Garnish this tasty curry with chopped cilantro and serve with plain rice or naan.

Chickpea Curry

Also known as chana masala, Indian chickpea curry is an especially comforting meal that captures Indian home cooking in a bowl, thanks to its warm blend of spices and tasty chickpeas.

This homestyle chickpea curry recipe is an absolute doddle to prepare. Perhaps the most time-consuming part is cooking the chickpeas, but if you have a slow cooker, this process will be a breeze. Otherwise expect to spend between 45 minutes to an hour cooking the chickpeas on the hob.

Serve up with rice, roti or a side of green salad.

Prawn Curry

From the Indian state of Goa comes a variety of memorable fish curries, rich with coconut and sour tamarind. Goan prawn curry especially speaks to lovers of both seafood and hearty Indian cuisine.

My Food Story’s Goan prawn curry recipe is as authentic as you can get, with ingredients such as coconut milk, grated coconut, red chilies, prawns and more. The best part? This dish will be ready in under thirty minutes!

In addition to sour notes from the tamarind, this prawn curry is spicy and warm, perfect for serving with steamed rice.

Paneer Curry

Big fan of cheese? Then you’ll love paneer curry, whose namesake paneer is a semisolid Indian cottage cheese.

This paneer masala curry recipe includes all you need to make your own creamy paneer curry. If you’re vegan, you can substitute the paneer and cream for tofu and coconut cream.

Some other ingredients in this rich, indulgent curry include onions, tomatoes, ginger and cashews, all of which combine to create a flavourful dish you’ll want to make again and again.

Potato Aubergine Curry

Also known as aloo baingan, this potato and aubergine curry is a vegan-friendly dish with Pakistani and North Indian flavours, making this a perfect meal for a weekend in or for sharing with guests.

The simple ingredient list includes aubergine (eggplant), potatoes, garam masala, ginger, tomatoes and lemon juice. Pan-frying the aubergines until brown before making the curry base is key to unlocking this dish’s true flavours.

Until next time…