Take a tour of some of the world’s best and least known curries, in all of their spicy, fiery, tangy, sour, sweet and delicious forms.

• View the SBS Food Guide to Curry

In the West, the term curry is broadly used to encompass what is, in fact, a dazzling array of dishes from all over the globe. Indeed, the curries of the world, and how they’re consumed, are endlessly, deliciously different in their many manifestations, from fiery Thai curries tempered with coconut milk or cream, to Japanese deep-fried curry doughnuts and curry udon noodles or Caribbean goat curries.

When we think of curries, we tend to think first of the familiar: perhaps our beloved Thai take-away standbys (green, red, massaman and jungle curries), or perhaps it’s your favourite Indian meal (vindaloo, korma, tandoori). But there are many more options to explore.

Thailand

Thai food is extremely diverse regionally, and the tremendous variation in curries across the country is influenced greatly by seasonality, regional variations, and local customs and cooking techniques. The Thai word for curry, geng, essentially means any sort of wet savoury dish that is enriched by a flavourful paste. It is believed that the earliest form of Thai curry was simply a spicy relish (nahm prik), dissolved in a broth. Modern day curries range from the familiar red and green curries to highly spiced aromatic curries (geng gari) to rich mussaman curries. Northern Thai curries feature Burmese and Indian influences, and the Muslim South tends to embrace more dried spices.

A Thai curry is defined by its paste, the way it is cooked, and the use of ingredients, and is typically served with a range of small side dishes, which may include pickled vegetables, salted eggs or dried fish. The common principle to all Thai curries, however, is harmony, with the focus always being on balancing hot, sour, salty and sweet flavours. Neighbouring countries Laos and Cambodia also do their own take on curries, which use similar ingredients but in quite different ways.

India

Indian curries are among the world’s most enduringly popular, and Indian food has influenced the food of many other countries, particularly Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. You could eat curry in India for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for a year and not get bored with the options, from mild kormas to the notoriously hot, vinegary vindaloos of Goa.

The tremendous regional variation of the food reflects the diverse demographics of the country and there are huge differences across the country both in terms of how curries are made, with what ingredients, and how they are served and eaten. Every part of the country has their own unique way of preparing curries and there is a vast range on offer of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Curries are frequently eaten as part of a Thali (literally meaning "plate"), a large silver dish comprising several small bowls, which are filled with specialties of the region (typically curries, dahls, rice, pickles and roti, chapattis or puri). In the northeast, yak and goat meat curries are popular, whereas the southern states of Kerala and Goa are famous for their fish curries. Punjabi curries are typically based upon masalas, which are either a blend of dry-roasted spices or a paste of spices with a base of tomatoes, ginger, garlic and onions.

Many different spices are used in the making of curries, with garam masala being a popular blend of ground spices. The composition varies regionally, but may include, for example, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, mustard seed, nutmeg and mace. Some recipes blend spice with herbs while others incorporate coconut milk, vinegar or other liquid to form a paste. Masalas are usually toasted before use to bring out the aromas and flavours of the spices.

Then, there’re the Sambar vegetable curries made with tamarind and pigeon peas that are a popular breakfast and lunch dish in Southern India – all of which barely puts a dent in describing India’s many delicious, colourful, pungent, aromatic curries.

Japan

Although Japan isn’t typically strongly associated with curry, in fact, curry (karē) is virtually the country’s national dish and is certainly every bit as popular as those other ubiquitous Japanese dishes ramen and sushi. There are three main types of curry in Japan: curry rice, curry udon and curry bread.

Curry rice comprises meat or vegetables served in a curry sauce, which is typically made by home cooks by frying an instant curry roux of curry powder (these are widely available in block or powder form), flour and oil then simmering with the other ingredients. There is a wide array of regional specialties too, ranging from bitter melon curry in Okinawa to Hiroshima’s oyster curries or the deer curries found in Hokkaido. In the Kansai region, beef curry is very popular, while in the Kanto region, pork curries are more common.

Curry udon consists of udon noodles served in a curry sauce with various flavourings and toppings, including toasted mochi rice cakes, raw egg, or seaweed. Equally delicious and much loved is curry bread or curry doughnut – a popular snack usually found in convenience stores or bakeries. It consists of curry wrapped in dough that is breaded in panko (bread) crumbs and then deep-fried. The popular anime series Anpanman features superhero Karē pan man (“Curry bread man”) who has a head made out of curry bread.

The ease of making curries from pre-made curry mixes means that curry rice is an extremely popular home-cooked meal, which is easier to make than many other popular Japanese dishes. Boil-in-the-bag curry sauces are also widely available.

Indonesia

Indonesian rendangs are similar to other curries of the world, in that they comprise meat slow-cooked in a spice paste, so they're often thought of as curries. However, the end result is much drier (essentially meat coated in a spice paste) than what we typically think of as curry.

There are many other popular Indonesian curries, however, including kare and gulai, which are coconut- and spice-based dishes typically with beef, fish, goat or chicken as the primary ingredient. The food of Central Java is known for its sweetness, including the dish gudeg – a curry made with jackfruit. Condiments are almost important as the main dishes in Indonesian cuisine, and curries will typically be served with an assortment of sides, including chilli sambals, hard-boiled eggs, peanuts and deep-fried anchovies.

The Caribbean

Caribbean cuisine fuses many flavours, including Indian, Chinese and African, so it’s unsurprising that curries are also popular here, be they lamb, chicken, pork or goat. Although they're widely enjoyed throughout the archipelago, they're most prevalent in those countries with a large East Indian population. These include Jamaica, Martinique, and Trinidad and Tobago.

One popular dish is Colombo curry, which originated with the Sri Lankan plantation workers in the West Indies. Colombo curry powder (Poudre de Colombo) is a paste made of garlic, deseeded red chillies, turmeric, coriander and mustard.

Indian-style masala spice blends are also popular and there is a wide array of commercial curry powders on the market. These tend to be milder than Indian curry powders, and pepper sauces are often added to dishes at the table to increase the heat. In Trinidad and Tobago, just about everything and anything is curried, from mango, potatoes and pumpkins to okra, fish, beef and lamb. Roti shops are found throughout the islands, where you can buy takeaway curries wrapped up in the flat, thin bread.

Sri Lanka

Due to its proximity to Southern India, the food of Sri Lanka shares many Indian influences, including in its curries, yet retains its own unique flavour. Curries are hugely popular throughout Sri Lanka, often being the meal of choice for lunch and dinner. Curries are typically served with steamed or boiled rice, and meals often consist of a main meat curry, which may be chicken, pork, mutton or beef, plus accompanying curries made of vegetables or lentils.

Side dishes also play a key role and these typically include pickles, chutneys and sambals, which may be made with a wide array of ingredients including chillies, citrus and fish. Spices are used with a heavy hand and tend to be similar to the spices used in India (such as cumin, coriander, cloves and cardamom), although local specialties add a unique taste, notably dried Maldive fish. A Dutch-influenced dish is lamprais, which is rice boiled in stock with curry and meatballs, which are then wrapped in banana leaf and baked. Koola’ya is a dish consisting of a mixture of leftover curries that are mixed together with rice, often in balls, and served with chapatti.

The tremendous popularity of curries worldwide has evolved to the point that curry is now a global phenomenon, and there are few places you can’t sample a local take and, of course, for home cooks, curries represent an endless array of options.

Recommended cookbooks

Madhur Jaffrey’s Ultimate Curry Bible

Thai Food and Thai Street Food, both by David Thompson

The Curry Cookbook by Charmaine Solomon