The best curries are home cooked curries

I hate going out for curry. Invariably, it is always a let-down for me. Too many base sauces are used and we're just not getting the real deal. Let's take our curries home, people!

A constant disappointment

Come on. I want you to be completely honest to yourself. How many times have you sat in a curry house and thought to yourself: "This is a poor curry,” or "Why do all the sauces taste the same?" or even "Come on, what’s with the pint of ghee in my dish?"

You've been there. I know you have. We've all slipped into this dark spicy place.

No more, I say! Let's take our curries home.   

Self-preservation

I know for many people the thought of preparing a curry at home evokes a mirage of spices and complex layers of roasting and preparation. It doesn’t need to be like this. For me, it’s about sourcing the right ingredients and keeping things simple. Great ingredients don’t need to be messed with.

I do believe that many curries in restaurants are made from the same base sauce and then built out - by cooking at home, you can cook what’s just right for you. And it will probably be healthier, too.

Support your local shops

There really is only one thing for it. Get down to your local Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Thai supermarket – if you don’t have one in your area that’s cool. All the supermarkets are now well on the ball when it comes to sticking a wide range of ingredients.

The beauty of the local shop though is that you can really get to learn about all weird and wonderful spices and vegetables. Just ask the shop owner. Trust me - you’ll be showered with knowledge!  

Three top curries to cook at home

Ok, so before you go falling out the door dashing to source your ingredients.... stop. Take a look at my three favourite curries to cook at home. These are real authentic gems:

1) Thai Massaman Beef Curry.  

I love this recipe from Rick Stein. Filling and delicious!

2) Lamb Rogan Josh.

Lamb and spices are a marriage marinated in heaven. This is a stonking recipe.

3) North Indian fish curry.

Fish is so often overlooked. This is a simple but punchy recipe.  

Some exceptions to the rule

Ok, so it’s not quite as bad as I've painted it. There are some fine curry restaurants in the UK. My favourites are the excellent Pakistani grill & curry house Tayyabs in east London and, when it comes to fiery Vietnamese, you won’t find better than Song Que in Shoreditch. 

Clearly, I’m a little London-biased with my choices. I apologise for this – any curry-aficionados outside the Capital, please put me right by sharing your choices with other lovefood.com readers! 

Tell us what you think

What are your favourite curries to cook at home? Do you use full fat or half fat coconut milk? Where do you buy your spices? Just post your thoughts in the comments box below.

Also worth your attention:

If you’re a fan of chillies check out this chilli farm in the north east and this cracking spice shop.

Also I’m blown if I know what to do with Buffalo, so it’s a good job Bill Granger does. Check out his excellent buffalo rendang.