Items26The creator’s order
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KormaOne of the mildest curries on most menus and a safe harbor for anyone wary of chili. Meat or vegetables are slow-cooked in a sauce enriched with yogurt, cream or coconut milk; British curry houses usually lean on coconut where traditional cooks would use a paste of almonds or cashews for that silky…0 - 2
PasandaKorma's slightly grander cousin. The name comes from the Urdu word for favorite, and the sauce is yogurt and cream thickened with ground almonds, then lightly spiced.
Mild, creamy and aromatic, it is the one to choose when you want something gentle but a touch more fragrant and nutty than the…0 - 3
Chicken tikka masalaThe dish many Britons order without opening the menu: pieces of chicken marinated in spices and yogurt, roasted, then served in a creamy tomato sauce. Expect mild, with a gentle warmth rather than any real heat.
Its birth is a happy argument. The best-known legend credits chef Ali Ahmed Aslam at…0 - 4
Butter chickenAlso called murgh makhani, this is the North Indian dish that tikka masala is forever compared with: tandoor-cooked chicken in a gravy of tomatoes, butter and cream, warmed with garam masala, cumin and coriander. It is usually credited to Kundan Lal Gujral of Moti Mahal in Delhi, who softened…0 - 5
BiryaniA full meal on one plate rather than a curry with rice on the side. Traditionally, meat and rice are slow-cooked together with aromatic spices, and the dish's roots are usually traced to Persia. In many British takeout places it is closer to a stir-fry of pilau rice with chicken or lamb.
It is…0 - 6
Rogan joshLamb, usually, braised slowly in a gravy flavored with garlic, ginger and aromatic spices. It is a signature of Kashmiri cooking with Persian roots. Where the name comes from is debated: one common reading links rogan to the Persian word for oil or clarified butter, another to a Kashmiri word for…0 - 7
BhunaStrictly a cooking method rather than one recipe: the meat is simmered in a spicy tomato sauce until it thickens and reduces, so you get less gravy and more concentrated flavor clinging to every piece.
Most menus pitch it at medium. Choose it if you like a curry that coats rather than swims, and…0 - 8
DopiazaOrder this one if you love onions, because the name means two onions. Some are cooked into the sauce for sweetness and more go in later for texture, so every forkful has a bit of soft and a bit of bite.
It usually arrives at medium heat, and some kitchens add a squeeze of lemon for a sour edge. A…0 - 9
DhansakA Parsi classic in origin, where lentils, vegetables and lamb cook together into something far more complex than most restaurants attempt. The curry-house version keeps the meat and lentils and describes itself as hot, sweet and sour, often with pineapple for a fruity twist.
The lentils give it…0 - 10
PathiaThink of it as the curry house's answer to sweet and sour: a thick sauce that is sweet, sour and hot all at once, with tomato, chili, sugar and a sharp edge from tamarind and lime juice.
It suits anyone who enjoys a dhansak's tang but would rather skip the lentils, and it is lighter than the…0
