National Curry Week: 5 Of Our Favourite Regional Curries

Striking a fine balance of spices is key to a good curry. Photo: India Food Network

Indians cannot complete their meal without this dish, and the British is obsessed about it. We are talking about curry, a gravy-like dish, quintessential to Indian cooking. On National Curry Week, we list out some of our favourite regional curries from across India - north, south, west and east. Do you have a favourite?

Macher jhol: Go to any Bengali home, and be surprised to find macher jhol on the menu every single day. A curry prepared with a variety of local freshwater fish with a range of spices goes well with steamed rice. A typical macher jhol may be cooked with potatoes, brinjal and cauliflower among other vegetables.

Goan prawn curry: Our trip to the sunshine state is incomplete without eating this prawn curry. Cooked in a mild coconut gravy with kokum or tamarind and other spices, a bowl of the Goan version is delish and goes perfect with plain rice.

Kerala chicken stew: Served with appams or rice pancake, a Kerala chicken stew is a lovely blend of spices like black pepper and curry leaves, and cooked in a coconut gravy. The stew typically cooks in coconut oil.

Kadhi: Kadhi is a yoghurt and gram flour-based curry tempered with whole spices and eaten with rice or rotis. Go to Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat or Maharashtra, and you will find a kadhi distinct to the particular state. For the uninitiated, Sindhi kadhi is a vegetable curry cooked in a tangy gramflour base and tempered with an assortment of masalas.

Kolhapuri tambda rassa: We have always made a pit stop at Kolhapur on our way to Goa just to eat this hot and spicy curry cooked with either mutton or chicken. The masala used to make this exceptionally rich curry is a combination of whole garam masalas, everyday spices and dry coconut. The stock from the meat is also used to spike the flavours.