Creamy Chicken Curry Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What makes curry creamy? ›

Pour coconut milk into the wok-if coconut milk has separated from the fat, pour the liquid in and add a tablespoon or so of fat until you have the creamy consistency that you desire.

Yoghurt or heavy cream:

To achieve a creamy, tangy curry sauce, incorporate yoghurt or heavy cream. Stir them in gently, as high heat may cause curdling. These ingredients are ideal for creating a luxurious texture in dishes like butter chicken or tikka masala.

For curries that require a thicker, creamier consistency, coconut cream is the better option. It has a higher fat content compared to coconut milk and will result in a richer, smoother sauce. On the other hand, if you're looking for a lighter, more broth-like consistency, coconut milk is a better choice.

Chicken korma is a rich, creamy and very gentle curry brought to India by Moghul invaders and dates back to the 16th century. “Korma” means “braise” in Urdu and this dish is meat cooked gently in yoghurt so that the curds don't split.

A Yes, you can use cream or crème fraîche in your curries. What you will get is the same delicious creamy quality to the curry as if you had used yogurt, but it will simply be a little sweeter and milder in taste.

People use a variety of liquids to make curries, and both regular milk and coconut milk are common choices, depending on the type of curry being prepared and personal preferences. Regular Milk: Regular milk, especially in the form of cream or yogurt, is often used in curries from regions like North India.

You make the curry in your skillet and once the curry is ready, you add the chicken and cook it in the curry. Then you add the heavy cream to make it rich and creamy.

Fenugreek (Methi)

This Indian spice is what people say "smells like curry." Of all Indian spices, this spice may be the most essential. You may use up to a few tablespoons in a family size dish near the end of the cooking process, but start with a teaspoon. Fenugreek seeds also have many health benefits.

Does curry get better the longer you cook it? ›

Let it cook for as long as possible. Simmering a curry allows time for the flavours to infuse; a long, slow simmering time generally produces the best curry. Flavours will continue to infuse even when the curry is taken off the heat, so do allow time for the curry to “rest” and cool down before serving.

The easiest way to fix a bland and tasteless curry is by adding spices like red chili powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, curry leaves and turmeric. Just make a quick tempering and pour over the curry to give it a nice punch of spices and herbs.

Curry is often described as a dish that is earthy, spicy, warming, or even sometimes sweet. It is a well-balanced, richly spiced dish with notes of deep savory flavors from turmeric, coriander, cumin, bay leaf, cinnamon, and cloves, just to name a few.

Asafoetida is the most simultaneously misunderstood and sublime ingredient in Indian cuisine. It is essentially a gum resin extracted from ferula, an herb in the celery family.

Too much liquid or broth is added during cooking. Short cooking time or not enough simmering time for the sauce to reduce. Low-heat cooking: you need medium-high to high heat to cook off excess liquid. Cooking the curry with the lid: all the evaporated water will collect in the lid and get added back into the curry.

Coconut milk and cream are mostly interchangeable in recipes such as curries and soups. If you prefer a richer flavour and texture, try coconut cream or vice versa.

Cornstarch or Arrowroot

Curries can be thickened quickly using starch. You can use cornstarch or Arrowroot starch.

Coconut milk is a vegan option for all curries. You can also try adding a splash of milk, if that's all you have to hand. Milk contains a protein called casein which actually breaks down capsaicin and makes it less spicy – both full-fat and skimmed do the trick nicely.