Indian curry recipes are generic terms that include a broad range of food items. Typical Indian curry recipes vary from one state to another throughout India. Basically, an Indian curry recipe can be termed as a gravy preparation that accompanies either rice or roti, a hand-made flat bread of wheat flour. These curry recipes can contain vegetarian or non-vegetarian products. The word 'curry' is believed to have originated from the Tamil word 'kari'. Ironically, the Tamil kari is not a liquid preparation but a fried vegetable dish. However, curry had become a common word to denote liquid or gravy preparations.
The basic feature of Indian curry recipes is the variation in the ingredients to prepare a wide variety of food items. Curries can have up to 25 different spices used in various combinations to give uniqueness to each cuisine. The most popular spices used in Indian curry recipes are chilly, ginger, garlic, turmeric, cloves, cumin seeds, fenugreek, poppy seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorns, aniseed, asafetida, coriander, curry leaves, gingelly seeds, mace, mustard seeds, saffron, and sesame seeds. A mixture of onion, tomatoes, garlic and ginger is the normal base material for most of the curry items. The other spices are ground into powder and added to the boiled vegetable or meat to provide the required flavor. Garam masaala, chat masaala, paav baaji masaala, sambar powder, rasam powder, etc. are standard preparations used in powder form to prepare specific curry items. The number of ingredients of spices varies with each such preparation.
The most popular Indian curry recipes of each region are presented briefly here. Tamil Nadu curry recipes include sambar, rasam, kootu, etc. that are vegetarian. Chicken, mutton, beef, and fish gravy items are non-vegetarian curries. Main Kerala curries are olan, kaallaan, eriseri, aviyal, etc. The famous North Indian curries are aloo gobi (potato and cauliflower), aloo paalak (potato and spinach), malai kofta, vegetable kurma, chicken or mutton kurma, paalak paneer (spinach and cheese), mutter paneer (peas and cheese), and paav baaji masaala (bread served with gravy). Pure dhal (grams or pulses) items like moong dhal, chana dhal, masur dhal, and rajma are also used to prepare gravy curries that are eaten with roti or rice.
Once you have identified the spices and other ingredients to prepare a particular Indian curry recipe, the cooking method is usually the same for most of them. The vegetables or meat items are boiled and kept separately. Oil or ghee (clarified butter) is poured into a pan and heated. Mustard seeds and cumin seeds are added and fried. Then, chopped onions and green chili are added. This is followed by the boiled vegetables or meat and the specific powdered mixture of the spices, along with adequate water. All the ingredients are allowed to boil until the nice aroma spreads around. For South Indian gravies such as sambar, rasam, etc. tamarind juice is added instead of water. Grated coconut or coconut milk is a very important ingredient in Kerala food items.
The basic feature of Indian curry recipes is the variation in the ingredients to prepare a wide variety of food items. Curries can have up to 25 different spices used in various combinations to give uniqueness to each cuisine. The most popular spices used in Indian curry recipes are chilly, ginger, garlic, turmeric, cloves, cumin seeds, fenugreek, poppy seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorns, aniseed, asafetida, coriander, curry leaves, gingelly seeds, mace, mustard seeds, saffron, and sesame seeds. A mixture of onion, tomatoes, garlic and ginger is the normal base material for most of the curry items. The other spices are ground into powder and added to the boiled vegetable or meat to provide the required flavor. Garam masaala, chat masaala, paav baaji masaala, sambar powder, rasam powder, etc. are standard preparations used in powder form to prepare specific curry items. The number of ingredients of spices varies with each such preparation.
The most popular Indian curry recipes of each region are presented briefly here. Tamil Nadu curry recipes include sambar, rasam, kootu, etc. that are vegetarian. Chicken, mutton, beef, and fish gravy items are non-vegetarian curries. Main Kerala curries are olan, kaallaan, eriseri, aviyal, etc. The famous North Indian curries are aloo gobi (potato and cauliflower), aloo paalak (potato and spinach), malai kofta, vegetable kurma, chicken or mutton kurma, paalak paneer (spinach and cheese), mutter paneer (peas and cheese), and paav baaji masaala (bread served with gravy). Pure dhal (grams or pulses) items like moong dhal, chana dhal, masur dhal, and rajma are also used to prepare gravy curries that are eaten with roti or rice.
Once you have identified the spices and other ingredients to prepare a particular Indian curry recipe, the cooking method is usually the same for most of them. The vegetables or meat items are boiled and kept separately. Oil or ghee (clarified butter) is poured into a pan and heated. Mustard seeds and cumin seeds are added and fried. Then, chopped onions and green chili are added. This is followed by the boiled vegetables or meat and the specific powdered mixture of the spices, along with adequate water. All the ingredients are allowed to boil until the nice aroma spreads around. For South Indian gravies such as sambar, rasam, etc. tamarind juice is added instead of water. Grated coconut or coconut milk is a very important ingredient in Kerala food items.
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