Tips for Perfect Curry: Our most essential tips on making the perfect curry (2024)

Cooking the perfect curry is not a cakewalk. Getting the right flavours and aroma requires patience, precision and time. If you are regular with cooking, you must be aware of how just a handful of ingredients can make or break the dish. Errors are inevitable, but with the right kind of tips, you too can whip up the perfect curry. If you want to make that perfect restaurant-like curry, then here are some most essential tips for you.

It is an incorrect notion that adding all types of masalas will make the curry tastier. The flavour of the curry lies in striking a balance between different masalas. Avoid adding too many masalas in one curry and stick to the basic ones. Don’t go overboard with masalas and add them in moderate quantities. Avoid adding all the salt required for the dish in the beginning. Instead, add some of it in the beginning and some of it in the end, once the dish has been cooked completely. This will give you an idea about how much salt is required and you won’t ever go wrong with the quantity.

Usually, the base masala for any curry is prepared with onion and tomato. Chop the onion and tomato into equal-sized pieces. This will cook them evenly throughout. First, saute the onions and let them cook till they turn translucent. Next add chopped tomatoes or tomato puree, along with salt. Cover the pot with a lid and let it cook for 6-8 minutes. Stir in between. You need to cook the masala till the tomatoes are mushy and the masala leaves oil from the sides. After this, you can add the rest of the ingredients to make your curry.

It is a fact that delicious dishes can never be made in a hurry. Cooking requires patience and time. The spices and the vegetables need their own sweet time to get cooked. If you try to cook your curry quickly by cooking it on high heat, you will end up ruining its taste. It might get burnt and its ingredients will lose their flavours. Thus, it is best to always cook curries on low-medium heat and avoid hurrying while adding the ingredients. First, let the onion cook properly and then add tomato. Similarly, let the tomato masala cook till the oil leaves the side and then only add the rest of the ingredients.

The consistency of the puree depends on the dish you are making. The consistency should generally be medium, which is neither too thick nor too runny. Avoid adding too much water while cooking as this will make the curry runny and you have to cook it on high flame to make it thicker. This can disturb the flavours and nutrients in the curry. If you want to give a richer texture to your curry, you can add fresh cream or cashew puree to it. You can even add a boiled and mashed potato to make your curry thicker and richer. Many recipes required blending the onion-tomato masala to give the curry a better texture.

Once your curry is ready, add garam masala at the last minute. This helps retain the aroma. Sprinkle some garam masala, stir it for a minute and switch off the flame. This will help in sprucing up the flavours of the dish.

When it comes to garnishing, coriander is an ideal choice. Finely chop the coriander and garnish it on the curry. Always add coriander after switching off the flame, otherwise, the coriander leaves will lose colour and fragrance.

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