Topic: Curry Consistency - Runny or Dry

[Malc.]

This question came about after a conversation I had with Ali, the owner of the Shinaz in Lewes. All of the curry dishes they serve are runny (accepting that some dishes are meant to be this way) however,  I asked to have a Dopiaza made dryer. He had absolutely no trouble with my request and infact commented that he too, prefers a dryer Dopiaza. Of course it begged the question then, why does he serve a runnier curry to his customers? He replied "this is how my customers expect and prefer them, who am I to argue".

In contrast, the Indian Garden in Burgess Hill that serves some of the best curries I have ever tasted, would serve a much dryer curry in respect of say a Karahi (Korai on their menu) or Dopiaza for example. There are other differences between theses two restaurants in that the Runnier Shinaz curries often have alot of smaller chopped onion and green peppers with plenty of base, whereas the dryer Indian Garden dishes would have large chunks of onion and green pepper with much less base.

So ignoring the curries that are meant to be runnier like the Madras and Masala etc. How do you prefer your curries in general?

Cheers,

Malc.

[Peripatetic Phil]

So ignoring the curries that are meant to be runnier like the Madras and Masala etc. How do you prefer your curries in general?

Each "as it should be".  As you say, a Madras should be runny; for me, a Bhuna should be dry.  A Dhansak, between the two (it is thickened with Dhal, so cannot/should not be as runny as a Madras); a Karahi, dry-ish; Joul, runny, but just slightly thicker than Madras; and so on.  No one consistency, each adjusted to suit the dish.

** Phil.

[Edwin Catflap]

Hi I prefer them to be on the runny side and as such my preferences are for Madras, Vindaloo etc but I made a Garlic Chilli Chicken the other day for the 1st time and that was drier (is this usual? only 200ml base) which is what the recipe (UB's) asked for and is was equally as good, so if this is haow it should be then i would stick to convention. Interestingly before i found this site most of my dishes came out on the dry side whetehr i wanted them to be or not cos i didn't know about the base technique and just cooked them for ages 

[Naga]

Depends what accompanies the curry for me. I prefer more sauce if I'm eating curry with breads, a little less sauce with rice, and a lot less sauce with, say, a Bombay or Saag Aloo.

[fried]

I'm with Naga on this one, it depends on what I'm having with it. I don't really like the term 'dry'. I prefer in general a thicker sauce but with lots of thick sauce (if that makes sense)

Obviously, a Bhuna is going to be a drier dish than a Madras.

[colin grigson]

I prefer a runnier sauce generally since I eat most of my food with a spoon and use a chapatti as a scoop too , that combined with an obligatory serving of pilau would leave my meal a bit on the dry side if I did it any differently . Each to his own though .. I'm sure both have merits   

[Stephen Lindsay]

love sauce - so runny for me.

[daddyL]

Malc it all depends on how I am feeling,  I guarantee you if i order a dry curry i want more sauce and if i order a runny curry i want it drier/thicker so its order 3  cover all bases  ;D
1.runny
1.semi dry / thick sauce
1.dry

but what meat to choose for each dish MMmmmmmm so I order

1.runny with chicken
1.runny with lamb
1.semi dry / thick sauce with chicken
1. semi dry / thick sauce with lamb
1 dry with chicken
1.dry with lamb

but then I think tikka or plain ?? Grrrrr cant decide 

So...

1.runny with chicken tikka 1.with plain chicken
1.runny with lamb tikka 1. with plain lamb
1.semi dry / thick sauce with chicken tikka 1.semi dry / thick sauce with plain chicken
1. semi dry / thick sauce with lamb  1.semi dry / thick sauce with plain lamb
1 dry with chicken tikka 1. dry with plain chicken
1.dry with lamb tikka 1. dry with plain lamb

Then i start thinking would it be better if i had plain chicken and lamb tikka mix or chicken tikka and plain lamb or chicken and lamb tikka together 

Sorry went off track a bit there 

Jalfrezi semi dry thick clinging sauce please.......lamb.....................................no chicken 

[Malc.]

The votes and replies are interesting, thanks to everyone that has contributed so far.

Having pondered this and noting Phil's initial comments with regard to Bhuna , I decided yesterday to see how the Shanaz serve a Bhuna. I never order Bhuna so I am unfamiliar with it in respect of how the two restaurants (Indian Garden & Shanaz) serve it.

When I got home and removed the foil tray a fair bit of curry oil/sauce had leaked out over the carded lid and sides. This suggested that what lay beneath was a runny curry. I removed the lid to find the container full to the brim with sauce. I served the curry on the plate and found that the sauce had a thicker consistency than normal but not what I imagined as the menu describes

[Peripatetic Phil]

Having pondered this and noting Phil's initial comments with regard to Bhuna , I decided yesterday to see how the Shanaz serve a Bhuna. I never order Bhuna so I am unfamiliar with it in respect of how the two restaurants (Indian Garden & Shanaz) serve it. [snip]

Interesting.  My liking for Chicken Bhuna dates back to the 1970s, when it was one of my dishes of choice at the New Delhi Restaurant in the Finchley Road (NW3), a short walk from Westfield College where I worked at the time.  The bhuna there was definitely on the dry side, and there was a sort  of similarity with their mushroom bhaji, which I also enjoyed, but the latter definitely had more liquid (but still not a lot).  To be honest, I don't think I have really enjoyed a bhuna since that time; whether it is my changing tastes, or whether modern restaurants have mutated the dish in some way, I do not know.  I shall have to try one again, to see how it compares.

As to the difference between "served on an oval platter" and "sealed in an aluminium container", I can certainly see this leading to a difference at the point of serving/eating.  I think that Ali is very wise in refusing to serve some dishes as takeaways; he clearly prides himself on the quality of the food he produces, and is not willing to compromise that quality by putting something in a foil container that simply will not travel well.  I wish more restaurants did the same, particular Chinese restaurants where a dish that is fresh and crispy in the restaurant can only too often be a soggy mess by the time it arrives home (e.g., salt and chilli prawns).

** Phil.