Curries are a favourite in winter and for good reason. They make the most of winter ingredients including spicy aromatics like ginger, garlic, turmeric which warm you up from the inside out. One of the best parts about making curry from scratch is that you have the freedom to play around with different ingredients and flavours.
From quick and easy to low and slow cooking, there’s a curry recipe to suit everyone. Below you’ll find top tips from our Recipe Development team for making homemade curry recipes in your Thermomix®.
Tips to perfecting your next curry recipe
#1 Buying spices whole
When buying spices, our Recipe Development Manager, Rachel Shanks, recommends buying whole spice in small quantities unless you know you’re going to use them quickly. Spices can lose their flavours quite over time when opened, so the fresher the spices, the maximum the flavour. Spices release their flavour when milled, so buying them whole helps to keep them fresher for longer.
#2 Dry roasting and milling your spices
Get the most flavour from your curry recipes by dry roasting your spices first. This unlocks the flavour from the spices and allows them to develop and mature. If you’re creating a slow cooked dish you can skip this step as the low slow cook will allow the seeds to soften and develop in flavour gently.
Before milling your spices, it’s important to let them cool down as they mill finer when they are dry and don’t clump when being stored. The flavour of spices are much more robust and intense when they are freshly milled and to ensure the best flavours, Rachel recommends milling on the day you’re using them.
And the great thing about having a Thermomix® TM6 when making curry is that you can weigh to the gram, roast, grind and mill your spices in one bowl.
#3 Making spices and pastes from scratch
A great way to save money when it comes to making curry is by making your own spice mixes and curry pastes from scratch. You can mix and match flavours by using the spices you like. You'll also become more confident when cooking with spices as you'll learn what they taste and smell like.
Rachel’s top three spices that she always keeps stocked up in her spice drawer include cumin, coriander, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder and black cardamon pods.
#4 Layering the flavours
Spices and other ingredients can lose their flavour from being overcooked, so layering the ingredients at the right time is important so you get the most of the amazing flavours in the finished dish. This is why so many dishes in our Flavours of India cookbook require you to add and cook off ingredients in a few steps.
Plus, when it comes to making the perfect winter curry, your Thermomix® TM6 will become your best friend in the kitchen because you can use Cookidoo® to help guide you with the steps and the high heat mode to create that extra flavour in your dishes.
#5 Easy to freeze, defrost and reheat
It doesn’t matter if you’re meal prepping to get ahead or if you’re stocking up the freezer for those last-minute dinner emergencies, curries are super easy to freeze, defrost and reheat. And with the help of your trusty Thermie, you can always increase the serving size to store for later or for when you’re expecting extra company!
Try some of our favourite curry recipes
