There are a few basics that anyone creating a curry will need to know and a few ingredients that are almost always used.

The main elements of a curry are:

• The spices
• The meat (or vegetables) that make up the main ingredient
• The vegetables included with this main ingredient
• The sauce (if there is one) that binds the whole dish together
• The accompanying dishes such as bread and rice

We will deal with each of these in turn over the months and are happy to answer any questions you have.

Garam Masala

For those of you just starting out you may be wondering where this spice is grown?  Well it isn’t – Garam Masala means “hot spice” and is a blend of other spices used in Asian cooking.

It’s use can be traced back over hundreds of years and each chef will have their own blends for different recipes and uses.  You can also buy it ready made from supermarkets and more specialist suppliers.

If you haven’t got any and your hoping to become a curry chef, go an buy some.  You can also make your own and we be talking more about this later.

Ingredients

As with all great cooking, good Asian food needs great ingredients so use the best you can get hold of as they will create the best results.

Portion control

Indian food is often seen as unhealthy but that just isn’t the case.  Of course some dishes are more fattening than others but that is true with any food types.

If you eat sensibly and don’t try and eat your own bodyweight in rice and nan then curry can be a healthy option.