31 of the Most Delicious Curries from South Asia

Okay, if you're from India, maybe you have heard of these, but if like us you live in Canada, this list will contain a lot of surprises. At Master Indian Spice, we've been in the business of making the highest-quality Indian home cooking product possible for years now, and when we're not working on that, we're making delicious food from around the world at home.

These 31 curries represent some of the favourite curry recipes of the Master Indian Spice family. We've given them a brief description and listed the key ingredients as well as any special ingredients (ingredients Westerners likely do not have, and ones that aren't on our list of 24 top Indian spices) This list will introduce you to some of the highlights of Indian and South Asian cuisine.

Now without further ado: the curries!

 1. Laal Maas Curry (Rajasthan)

https://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/rajasthani-laal-maas-recipe-red-mutton/

Description: Laal Maas is a Rajasthani delicacy defined by its smoky flavour (many of the recipes call for dhungar, or smoking the dish at the end by placing a smouldering coal in a dish on top of the simmering meal, and covering it for 10-15 minutes while the smoke infuses.) It is a hot dish defined by a gravy colored by dry, ground rajasthani peppers, which also contribute to the the smoky flavour of the dish. A special ingredient is bittersweet kachri powder, a species of cucumber that grows in Rajasthan.

Key Ingredients:
Lamb
aromatic spices
red chilies

Special Ingredients:
Rajasthani Peppers (or paprika from rajasthani peppers)
dhungar
Kachri Powder

Varutharacha Chicken Curry (Kerala)

http://www.myfoodmill.in/recipe/varutharacha-chicken-curry/

Description: In Malabar, there is a tradition of cooking chicken with a gravy made of a good, heaping quantity of toasted coconut, along with lengthy list of aromatic spices. For people living in Kerala, especially coastal Kerala (in the region sometimes known as Malabar), this is an essential comfort food that comes from a long tradition

Key Ingredients:
Chicken
Coconut

Massaman Curry (Thailand)

https://www.ihearteating.com/chicken-massaman-curry/

Description: Massaman is a thai chicken curry of Muslim origin. Its name means sour, and it's one of the most popular curry dishes from the thailand. Generally the protein is chicken, and although you can make the massaman curry paste yourself, popular recipes usually use a pre-packaged paste.

Key Ingredients:
chicken
coconut milk
potatoes
roasted peanuts or cashews

Special Ingredients:
Massaman curry paste
tamarind
fish sauce 

Njandu Curry (Kerala)

https://www.whiskaffair.com/kerala-crab-curry-njandu-curry/

Description: Njandu curry is a Keralan crab curry, bursting with flavour and spice. One of the special ingredients in this curry is Garcinia, also known as Keralan Tamarind, a sour fruit used almost exclusively in south Indian fish dishes. 

Key Ingredients:
crab
coconut
green chilies

Special Ingredients:
Kudampuli or Garcinia

Goan Prawn Curry (Goa)

https://myfoodstory.com/goan-prawn-curry-recipe/

Description: The small Indian state of Goa is renowned for its fish curries. You often find these curries contain toddy vinegar (a vinegar of coconut milk that browns as it ages). This incredible dish calls for a lot of coconut and sours with tamarind, which you can find at any Asian or South Asian grocer.

Key Ingredients:
prawns
kashmiri chilies (or lal mirch powder)
coconut milk

Special Ingredients:
tamarind paste

Beef Rendang Curry (Malaysia)

https://www.recipetineats.com/beef-rendang/

Description: Beef rendang is an incredible Malaysian stewed authentic beef curry, using red chilies as the primary flavouring in the sauce. The gravy is comprised of a satsifying array of aromatic spices including some distinctly Malaysian ingredients, such as galangal, kaffir lime leaves, and lemongrass. This particular recipe is quite traditional and delicious in the extreme.

Key Ingredients:
chuck steak
red chilies

Special Ingredients:
kaffir lime leaves
tamarind
lemongrass
galangal

Chicken Xacuti Curry (Goa)

https://www.thetakeiteasychef.com/chicken-xacuti-recipe

Description: Chicken Xacuti uses a broad range of spices including poppyseed, sesame, dry chilies, turmeric, coriander, fennel, fenugreek, and other aromatics finishing off with a little nutmeg. Depending on the peppers you use, this dish can be made quite mild, and it's still bursting with a beautiful flavour that complements this west Indian chicken curry perfectly.

Key Ingredients:
chicken
coconut
poppy/sesame seeds

Beef Aad Maas Authentic Indian Beef Curry (Goa)

https://www.bigfattummy.com/2018/11/beef-aad-maas/

Description: Beef Aad maas is an incredible authentic Indian beef curry with many of the ingredients traditionally reserved for Goan fish dishes. The gravy uses several sour ingredients combined by a traditional goan masala mix. This is a dish worth investing in and spending the extra time on. The hardest part is getting your ingredients, but once you have them, you'll be able to use them for this dish, and many of the others in this list. 

Key Ingredients:
Beef
Chilies
Onion

Special Ingredients:
Dried Bedgi (Byadagi) Chilies
Tamarind
Toddy vinegar
Garcinia (optional)

Railway Lamb Curry

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/railway-lamb-curry

Description: Starting with the Madras Railway company, India has a long history of Rail. Railroad culture in India, like the culture of any Indian state, developed its own unique culinary strain. This relatively simple curry, served up with paratha or naan, is representative of the kind originally developed for rail workers, and now served as a specialty dish all over India

Key Ingredients:
Lamb
garlic
potatoes

Special Ingredients:
tamarind

Bhuna Gosht

https://www.whiskaffair.com/bhuna-goshth

Description: A luxurious preparation of mutton or another red meat, bhuna ghosht comes from the ancient tradition of Bhuna curries, slow-cooked stewed dishes that date back thousands of years. Essential fare for a large Indian dinner.

Key Ingredients:
Lamb
Onion

Special Ingredients:
Mustard oil
Tamarind

Panang Curry

https://www.thespruceeats.com/thai-panang-curry-recipe-3217463

Description: Panang is a Thai/Cambodian curry, and its flavour is lively and distinct. The Thai basil along with lemongrass, kaffir lime and sometimes bamboo shoots, provides a delightful counterpoint to many of the Indian recipes we've been 

Key Ingredients:
chicken
tomato paste
soy sauce

Special Ingredients:
Kaffir lime leaves
galangal
basil or thai basil

Cafreal Authentic Indian Chicken Curry (Goa)

http://theyellowdaal.com/chicken-cafreal/

 
Description: Of all Indian chicken curries this is one of brightest and liveliest. The flavouring of this dish comes from cafreal masala, which is a paste made out of aromatic spices, primarily cilantro (coriander leaf). If you don't like cilantro, maybe this is a dish to avoid. If you do like it, you must try cafreal, which is perhaps the liveliest authentic Indian chicken curry there is.

Key Ingredients:
chicken
cilantro
green chilies

Alleppey Fish Curry (Kerala)

https://www.whiskaffair.com/alleppey-fish-curry/

 
Description: This is an incredibly pleasant sweet and sour curry, particularly popular in coastal Kerala. With a sweetness and aroma imparted by raw mango, joins tempered mustard seed and aromatic spices for an unforgettable dish. The addition of red chili, turmeric, tomato and coconut milk gives this dish a particularly vibrant hue.

Key Ingredients:
fish (cod, sole, tilapia, salmon or trout are great choices for this curry)
tomato
coconut milk

Special Ingredients:
raw mango

Chana Makhani Curry (Northern India)

https://www.masterindian.com/blogs/master-indian-spice-blog/chana-makhani-creamy-chickpea-curry

Description: This chana makhani curry was put together by our staff. Though this recipe is on noodles, chana (chickpea dishes) go extremely well with naan. This is a punjabi-style gravy, consisting mainly of tomato and onion with a delicious assortment of toasted spices. (If you enjoy a creamier curry, nothing beats Master Indian's butter chicken spice kit.)
.
Key Ingredients:
chickpeas
tomato
onion

Vegan Curry Pasta Shells

https://www.masterindian.com/blogs/master-indian-spice-blog/vegan-curry-pasta-shells

Description: Sometimes a cultural fusion is as exciting as a traditional dish. This recipe was inspired by a restaurant whose curried pasta shells are a local favourite in  Fredericton, where Master Indian got its start. The meat mixture inside the shells is flavoured essentially with Madras masala, and the sauce is simply a mixture of coconut cream, cumin and turmeric. (If the spice list in this recipe is a little daunting to you, preparing the ground meat with Master Indian's madras spice kit will save you time and ensure a perfect filling.)

Key Ingredients:
tofu
Jumbo pasta shells

Special Ingredients:

Kohlapuri Chicken, West Indian Chicken Curry (Maharashtra)

https://cookpad.com/ke/recipes/2613506-kolhapuri-chicken-curry

Description: Kohlapuri is a rich dish from the western state of Maharashtra. Similar in preparation to Varutharacha chicken, this dish includes a distinctly Maharashtran flavour along with sesame and poppyseed toasted and ground. This is a renowned and must-try west indian chicken curry.

Key Ingredients:
chicken
roasted coconut
sesame, poppy seeds

Mutton Sukha Curry (Karnataka)

https://recipes.timesofindia.com/recipes/mutton-sukha/rs53823731.cms

 
Description: Sukha beef curry or sukha mutton curry is an Indian red meat curry with a relatively simple preparation. Sukha dishes are common in the southern state of Karnataka. Sukha means semi-dry, and sukha dishes pack a tremendous amount of flavour into a meat dish without a lot of gravy. If you're looking for an authentic Indian beef curry, any of the mutton recipes in this list will serve perfectly for a preparation of beef.

Key Ingredients:
mutton
tomatoes
onion

Varuval Chicken Curry (Tamil Nadu)

 

https://tasteasianfood.com/chicken-varuval/

Description: Varuval chicken is a curry from Southern India in the state of Tamil Nadu. This particular recipe includes a method for a garam masala ("masala powder") heavier on cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves, lighter on cumin. What really sets this tamil recipe apart, however, is the marinade which uses the famous south Indian "meat masala"

Key Ingredients:
chicken
black pepper

Special Ingredients:
Meat Masala, or meat curry powder

Muttai Kulambu Egg Curry (Tamil Nadu)

https://www.jinooskitchen.com/muttai-kulambu-recipe/

Description: Egg curries are more popular than you think. In this recipe from Tamil Nadu, three eggs are treated to a bath of incredible gravy of tomatoes, onions, shallots, and aromatic spices. 

Key Ingredients:
egg
shallots
onion
tomato

Special Ingredients:
tamarind

Chicken Dopiaza Curry (Pakistan, Iran, Telangana)

https://www.thespruceeats.com/chicken-dopiaza-recipe-1957361

Description: The word dopiaza stands for "two onions". Thus what distinguishes this dish is mainly the method of preparation. Onions are used as a gravy base as well as one of the dish's vegetables. The dish is popular in Northern India.

Key Ingredients:
chicken
onions
tomatoes

Chicken Dhansak Curry (Bengal)

https://glebekitchen.com/chicken-dhansak-bengali-style/

Description: There are many ways to thicken a sauce. Making Indian sauces in all their varieties keeps you on your toes and entertained when in the kitchen. If you can make a dal, and if you can make a chicken curry, then you can make a dhansak, one of the most delicious authentic Bengali chicken curries. Most recipes don't include this step, but we always rinse the dal to take out some of the saponins.

Key Ingredients:
chicken
red or brown lentils
tomatoes

Special Ingredients:
Panch Phoran or Indian Five Spice Blend

Chettinad Chicken Curry (Tamil Nadu)

 

https://swatisani.net/kitchen/recipe/chicken-chettinad-a-chicken-dish-from-tamil-nadu/

Description: Chettinad is a region in Tamil Nadu famous for its cuisines. This particular recipe of Chicken Chettinad is very similar to some of the other chicken dishes in this list, but the chicken is cooked for a long period over low flame in the tomatoes (of which there are plenty). The dish is finished off with a little lemon. These regional variances on the same culinary themes may seem repetitive, however when you experience the dishes for yourself, you will discover just how significant subtle shifts in cooking method and regional ingredients will change a dish. 

Key Ingredients:
chicken
tomatoes
onion
fresh grated coconut

Kadhi (Gujarat)

https://food.ndtv.com/recipe-gujarati-kadhi-98977

Description: This is a controversial inclusion. Kadhi is not quite a curry. The curry, by definition, is some food item served up with a sauce. It could be any food item, but if its served up with a sauce containing spices, particularly if those spices are Indian, then it's a curry. Kadhi is more of a soup, but it's so delicious and distinct, that we would be doing you a disservice to leave it out. Essentially it is a soup of yogurt, gram flour, water, and savoury herbs.

Special note: Although this recipe calls for asafoetida delivered straight into the broth, we would recommend tempering it along with the other spices to moderate it and take the edge off it.

Key Ingredients:
yogurt
water

Special Ingredients:
gram flour

Kodi Kura (Andra Pradesh)

 

https://www.sangskitchen.com/andhra-kodi-kura/

Description: This is a special chicken curry that uses a gravy of soaked, blended cashews and poppyseeds, as well as a good amount of lemon juice. A most re

Key Ingredients:
chicken
coconut milk
potatoes
roasted peanuts or cashews

Nadan Kozhi Curry (Kerala)

https://www.yummyoyummy.com/2012/12/nadan-kozhi-curry.html

Description: The Nadan Kozhi is on the simpler side of chicken curries. A classic Indian curry easy to make at home, this dish is quintessential and simple.

Key Ingredients:
chicken
tomatoes

Bhojpur Mutton Curry (Bihar, Uttar Pradesh)

https://kalimirchbysmita.com/mutton-curry-a-delicacy-from-uttar-pradesh-bhojpur-cuisine-2/

Description: Of all the mutton curries we've talked about in this list, this specialty from Bihar and uttar-pradesh is one of the sauciest; we are speaking both figuratively and literally. This dish is particularly heavy on the garlic, and that's just fine with us. Garlic makes it good. For most 4-person curries, we'll use 6-8. This recipe uses 12-15 cloves. It is a very traditional recipe from uttar pradesh, well worth trying. You may get hooked on adding a whole lot more garlic to your curries. And that's ok!

Key Ingredients:
mutton
onion
garlic

Pineapple Pulissery (Kerala)

https://www.yummyoyummy.com/2018/06/pineapple-pulisseri.html

Description: Just reading the ingredient list will have your mouth watering, and puckering up. This lip-smacking delicious pineapple curry is something totally unique that will blow your tastebuds to smithereens. Perhaps this goes without saying, but fresh pineapple only. 

Key Ingredients:
Pineapple
yogurt

Special Ingredients:
jaggery (can be substituted for brown sugar)

Olan (Kerala)

 

https://www.archanaskitchen.com/kerala-olan-coconut-milk-vegetable-stew

Description: Pumpkin, and black eyed beans, Olan is essentially a coconut vegetable stew. In this recipe, you add the coconut oil at the very end, preserving its natural sweetness, and simmer the chilies and curry leaves to release their flavour. An excellent main dish, and refreshing side-dish.

Key Ingredients:
pumpkin (preferably white pumpkin/ash gourd)
black eyed beans
coconut milk

Special Ingredients:
white pumpkin/ash gourd

Paneer Mattar (Punjab)

https://www.whiskaffair.com/matar-paneer-recipe/

Description: What makes this unique is the combination of green peas and paneer. If you haven't tried paneer, you can think of it as a mild cottage cheese, pressed and made firm so that it can be cut into cubes like Tofu. The combinatino of paneer and green peas compliment each other beautifully in this North Indian delicacy.

Key Ingredients:
Paneer
onion
tomato
green peas

Nadru Yakhni Curry (Kashmir)

https://maayeka.com/2012/11/nadru-yakhni-lotus-steams.html

Description: Yakhni curry is a variety of Kashmiri curry that uses yogurt (many Kashmiri dishes use yogurt) as a sauce base. Yakhni can be served alongside rice, and the main proteins in it can be lamb or chicken. This particular recipe, however is a vegetarian variant that uses lotus root, and looks absolutely delicious

Key Ingredients:
lotus stem
Yogurt

Special Ingredients:
lotus stem
shahi jeera

Patiala Chicken Curry (Punjab)

https://www.masterindian.com/blogs/master-indian-spice-blog/master-indian-patiala-chicken-curry-recipe

Description: Patiala chicken curry is our favourite chicken curry of all time.The balance of aromatic spices in this dish is unmatched. There are a few variations on the recipe, as with all Indian curries. Try it yourself with our Patiala cooking kit that walks you through the traditional method.

Key Ingredients:
chicken
tomato
onion

If you've gotten to the end of this, bravo. Our recommendation for you is to pick a reasonably challenging dish, get the special ingredients, and forge boldly into uncharted territory. Cooking in this way is an incredible learning experience. Our second recommendation is - if you want the same learning experience you'd get with from-scratch cooking, but with the convenience of a cook-at-home kit - buy a handful of our spice kits!