Blog
Insights, guides, and stories from the UK curry industry
Malai Kofta: The Vegetarian Showstopper of North Indian Banquets
Malai kofta pairs soft paneer-and-potato dumplings with a luxuriously rich gravy, and it remains the dish that proves vegetarian cooking can steal the show. Here is how to bind koftas that hold their shape and master the white or makhani sauce that cradles them.
Asafoetida (Hing): The Fermented Resin That Powers Jain Kitchens
Asafoetida, or hing, is a pungent resin that transforms in hot oil into a savoury, almost oniony depth, which is why it sits at the heart of Jain and onion-free cooking. Here is how to bloom it correctly, why it soothes dals, and how to choose pure over compounded hing.
Mustard Oil: The Pungent Soul of Bengali and Bihari Cooking
Mustard oil gives Bengali and Bihari food its unmistakable sharp, nose-tingling kick, but it needs to be heated to smoking point before use to mellow that raw bite. Here is why you smoke it, how it powers fish and pickles, and the curious 'external use only' label found on UK bottles.
Ghee: Making Cultured Brown Butter the Indian Way
Ghee is butter taken to its nutty, golden, shelf-stable conclusion, and the traditional cultured bilona method gives it a depth no shortcut can match. Here is how ghee is made from malai to clarified gold, why the caramelisation point matters, and how it defines tarka and mithai.
Kasuri Methi: The Dried Fenugreek Leaf That Finishes a Curry
Kasuri methi is the crushed dried fenugreek leaf that gives butter chicken and dal makhani their distinctive bittersweet, almost maple-like aroma. Here is how to use it, why it goes in at the end, and how to store it so it lasts.
Curry Leaves: The Tempering Herb of the South, Fresh vs Dried
Curry leaves have nothing to do with curry powder. This is the fragrant South Indian herb that spvutters in hot oil to flavour dals, sambars and chutneys, and a guide to using it fresh or dried and keeping a plant alive in the UK.
Tamarind and Jaggery: How India Builds Sweet-Sour Backbone
Tamarind brings the sour and jaggery brings the sweet, and together they give countless Indian dishes their addictive backbone. A practical guide to pulp versus concentrate, choosing your jaggery, and the dishes that depend on the pairing.
Kashmiri Chilli: Deep Red Colour Without the Burn
Kashmiri chilli is the mild, vividly red chilli behind those glossy restaurant-red gravies that look fierce but eat gentle. Here is how to use it, how to make your own degi mirch blend, and how to source the genuine article.
Black Cardamom: The Smoky Heart of Garam Masala
Black cardamom is the big, smoke-dried pod that gives slow-cooked North Indian dishes their savoury, campfire depth. Here is how it differs from green cardamom, when to bruise it or leave it whole, and its role in nihari, biryani and garam masala.
Saffron in the Indian Kitchen: Blooming Kesar for Biryani and Mithai
Saffron is the most precious spice in any Indian kitchen, but a pinch of threads only repays you if you bloom it properly. Here is how to toast, steep and judge kesar for golden biryani and fragrant mithai.
Bhuna: The Patient Fry-and-Reduce Technique Behind Real Depth
Bhuna is not a dish so much as a technique: frying and reducing the masala until the oil separates and the flavours deepen. Master it and even a simple curry tastes like it took all day.
The Restaurant Base Gravy Secret: Why Curry Houses Cook Onions for Hours
Order six different curries and they all arrive in minutes. The secret is the base gravy, a giant pot of slow-cooked onion sauce that underpins the entire British curry-house menu.