Start a Readymade Curry Making Business

(102). Start a Readymade Curry Making Business

India made ready to eat curries are now widely available all over the world. Making Indian curries is an art and can not be mastered by just reading a cookbook.

Ethnic Indian food is more popular for its wide variety of vegetarian dishes. Dal is a must almost all over the country. Fish, mutton and chicken are popular non-vegetarian dishes of which too there is a considerable variety. Another integral part of an Indian meal is the wide variety of pickles.

In the north, much meat is eaten and the emphasis is more on spices and less on curry heat. In the north more grains and breads are eaten and less rice. In the South, more rice is eaten and the curries tend to be hotter. Another peculiarity of Southern vegetarian food is that it has to be eaten by hand and not by fork and spoons !

Popular spices include saffron, an expensive flavoring produced from flowers. Turmeric also has a coloring property and acts as a preservative. Chillies are ground, dried or added whole to give that hot taste to curries. They come in red and green varieties but the green ones are the hottest. Ginger is supposed to be good for digestion. Coriander is added to many masalas so as to cool the body. Cardamom is used in many sweet dishes and in meat preparations. Other popular spices are nutmeg, cinnamon, poppy seeds, caraway seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek, mace, garlic and cloves.

Curries can be made of vegetables, fish, meat, chicken, lamb, and pork. These curries are accompanied by rice in the South and Rotis in the north.

Some of the following steps are optional and depend on the curry being made or your preference

• Step 1. Optional. Crackle some whole spice seeds in a hot pan for 1-2 minutes util they crackle.
• Step 2. Put some oil (more is better) into a frying pan on a medium heat, add finely chopped onions and cook until translucent or slightly brown. Each gives a different flavour and texture which you can try to see which you prefer.
• Step 3. Now add the main curry powder or paste and stir in. Then add grated ginger, crushed garlic and any fresh chopped chillies.
• Step 4. Now add the main ingredient. If this is meat you should try and brown it well on all sides to add lovely caramelised browning flavours. Add some stock or water to prevent burning if needed.
• Step 5. Add stock or water to cover the ingredients and simmer until main ingredient is cooked.
• Step 6. Add the sauce body to thicken and/or flavour as required and bring back to a simmer.
• Step 7. Stir in some garam massalla powder thoroughly. Optionally add 1 crushed clove garlic for extra strong garlic taste.
• Step 8. Taste and season.
• Step 9. Optional. Garnish the finished dish with coriander leaves or a dash of yogurt or twirl of cream or some ground or sliced nuts.

Depending on the main ingredient, most curries are quite tolerant of longer cooking and will keep on a low simmer while other cooking catches up. Alternatively remove from the heat then reheat through just before serving.

Hints and Tips The folloiwng hints and tips may be useful.

• Always use fresh spices - old stale spices will be horrible
• Buy a good thermometer to check food is cooked to reduce overcooking which can dry some foods out.
• Don't use whole spices unless you know that everybody likes them as they can be an acquired taste.
• Try making a curry with leftover cooked meats which can add an extra dimension to the flavour.
• Don't forget to season the curry!

Types of Curry                                                       

Various parts of the sub-continent have their own regional variations of curry. Although the names may be similar to traditional dishes, the recipes generally are not. The most popular curry types are:

• Korma - mild, yellow in colour, with almond and coconut powder
• Curry - medium, brown, gravy-like sauce
• Dupiaza/Dopiaza - medium curry the word means "double onion" referring to the boiled and fried onions used as its primary ingredient.
• Pasanda - a mild curry sauce made with cream, coconut milk, and almonds.
• Roghan Josh (from "Roghan" (fat) and "Josh" (energy/heat - which as in English may refer to either 'spiciness' or temperature)) - medium, with tomatoes
• Bhuna - medium, thick sauce, some vegetables
• Dhansak - medium/hot, sweet and sour sauce with lentils (originally a Parsi dish). This dish often also contains pineapple.
• Madras - fairly hot curry, red in colour and with heavy use of chili powder
• Patia - generally similar to a Madras with lemon juice and tomato purée
• Jalfrezi - onion, green chili and a thick sauce
• Vindaloo - this is generally regarded as the classic "hot" restaurant curry, although a true Vindaloo does not specify any particular level of spiciness. The name has European origins, derived from the Portuguese "vinho" (wine) and "alho" (garlic)
• Phaal - extremely hot.
• Tindaloo - Extremely hot in a similar vein to Phaal. Generally only found around Bradford[citation needed] and the north in general.
• Afghan - with chickpeas.

Other dishes may be featured with varying strengths, with those of north Indian origin, such as Butter Chicken, tending to be mild, and recipes from the south of India tending to be hotter.

CFTRI, Mysore is a Training Institute which provides training to make different  ready made curry, so for more information to can visit or contact CFTRI