What's the secret to a great home-made curry?

[clutterfly]

Hi everyone, I'm making a chicken curry tonight. It usually goes well, but I wondered if anyone had any great tips for a spectacular curry?

The little extras, nice chutney, naan bread, carrot and almond salad, dollop of yogurt.

Yum!

Use individual spices, not mixes and curry powder if you can. Cook the onions for a long time, as they need to breakdown to give body to the sauce. Make the sauce/masala first, then cook the chicken in the sauce, rather than browning the meat first.

Hope it is delicious!

The onion sauce which is the staple of every curry :)

Thank you. I agree, the extras all enhance the experience! Any thoughts on how to make the curry itself taste super-duper?

It's all in the onions.

Sorry, my response went out before I saw some other great replies. Thank you for the onions tip - that is just the sort of tip I was looking for!

cook it low for at least 3 hours :)

Fresh coriander added at the end

A tablespoon (or two) of balsamic vinegar, gives a nice sharpness.

The Hairy Dieters Chicken Korma recipe!!

Buy whole (not powdered) cumin and coriander seeds and grind them yourself. Add this to your curry. Have found this makes a huge difference to the flavour. All the other spices used powdered are usually fine.
I also find personally that many recipes use a lot more turmeric than is needed and you can end up with a very musty, earthy tasting curry. Some people might like this but IMO the flavour can be a bit overpowering. I definitely would use it but in smaller amount..

Curry leaves make all the difference.....you can get them in supermarkets. They will give your curry an authentic taste, and it will smell delicious.

Oh and a teaspoon of sugar added to the curry will enhance the flavours too...no idea why, but it's a tip I got from a friend.

Dry fry the spices first and mix with a little water or oil to make a spice paste. You can make lots and either store it wet or dry.

caloriecount.about.com/petes-lamb-curry-jamie-oliver-recipe-r373857

This is our favorite but all the jamie oliver's are great.

Also good quality rice and naans make a difference.

Agree with the poster who said whole coriander seeds and cumin. I crush them with a pestle and then dry roast them first, before adding other stuff. I have also started using fresh turmeric from the Thai supermarket, instead of the dried stuff in in Indian stores. It is so much better, delicate, nutty and not musty at all. I think a lot of powdered spices so musty after a while, so I rarely use that stuff.

I don't often use onion in my cooking. I prefer to flavour with garlic, ginger, fresh chilies, fresh turmeric and whole/freshly crushed spices. I always add a bit of brown sugar too, as it does round the flavours. And usually a dollop of the red wine at hand. End result is a delicate but well-rounded curry that doesn't result in any type of heartburn.

In the rice, I add green cardamom and kaffir lime leaves and a bit of salt.

Freshly ground spices, absolutely...I love South Indian food - chillis, mustard seeds, coconut, curry leaves, tamarind....so far removed from curry house food which helps you appreciate the meal more. Developing a taste for lime pickle, adds a further dimension. Taste for seasoning before serving, curries need salt.

Cumin, garam masala,and yoghurt if with meat. Lemon or lime brings out chillimflavours as does a teaspoon of sugar!!!!! works every time!
Tx

Tellme, I love South Indian food too!

I make my spice powder to last a few months. Add 5 tablespoons of each: curry powder, chilli powder, paprika, turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin and mix up. Box in airtight container and add a few sprinkles of dry fenugreek leaves. This is an amazing base for your curry. So fry onions garlic ginger till soft then add this curry powder mix and a splash of water. Add tomatoes ifyou want a sweeter curry Cook on high for a few mins then leave on lowest heat for a further 15. Add whatever meat or veg and cook. It's not hard work to make the powder and lasts month and stays fresh. My very old Asian neighbour gave me this curry mix recipe and the curry tastes authentic and fresh.

a large spoonful of natural yoghurt mixed in right at the end (or about 200ml coconut milk).

I've started tipping the other half of the 450ml tin of coconut milk into the pan with my boil in the bag rice and a couple of cardamon pods... but its not for everyone.

Fresh chillies as opposed to chilli powder, makes a huge difference. Can be harder to get the heat level right though!

Buy the recipe book- the curry secret
Takes a bit of work but authentic curries similar to a takeaway
I got mine from amazon
They also do another great book called the takeaway secret