Lassi is known for a number of things–there's the gingerbread Taj Mahal, there's karaoke night at Lips–but curries hold a special place in our repertoire and our heart.
More than any other dish, curries cleared up a lot (a lot, mind you–not all!) of the mystery of Subcontinental cooking for us. The complexity of Indian cuisine* is daunting, but once we started making curries, the spices, the ingredients, the Ayurvedic properties, and the techniques all began falling into place. They took the intimidation out of other dishes that were even more foreign to us at the outset.
Fundamentally, curries are stews. And like stews in other cultures, their flavor profile is markedly layered–with curries, the layering is perhaps even more noticeable than in other stews because each layer is so bold and deliberate. Like any cuisine worth its salt, Indian abounds in regional variation–there's a substantial set of traditions at work, and every town (every cook, even) has a unique way of making and serving a particular dish.
Despite that variation, one thing that many curries of India (and most of the ones you'll find at Lassi) do have in common is onions. Caramelized onions lay the foundation for the robust flavor we love in a Lassi curry (they're great on a burger, too, but that's a different blog). The natural sugars that develop during the browning process produce a subtle sweetness, and that sweetness works as a backdrop for fresh-ground spices to play upon a little later in the currying process.
At the restaurant, we usually start by frying whole seeds in just enough oil to unlock the flavor of the masala. When the spices' aroma begins to fill the room, it's off the cutting board and into the rondeau for our pungent little friends. Once they're on the heat, low and slow is the way to go–not too much fire, not too much fat, just a lot of time and plenty of love to convert the humble bulb to liquid (er, gelatinous) gold.
The smell of caramelizing onions wafting from our kitchen pulls people off Greenwich Avenue daily. We love that. But we love even more how the deep, mellow flavor of caramelized onions gives our curries complexity and richness without the need for added fat. It's amazing how little ghee, oil, or cream you need when you've got them at your disposal.
While onions certainly take center stage at Curry Theater–the versatile stars of such delicious anti-tragedies as murgh makhani, methi shrimp, the moongfalis, the sarsons, the saags–their supporting cast is just as crucial. Ginger, garlic, and chilis (we like the green or red Thai bird variety) round out the essential arsenal of aromatics. These are the elements you'll taste at the heart of almost all our curries.
Now when you're making a curry at home you may be tempted to omit the chilis, if fiery flavors aren't your cup of tea. We beg you, however: give them a chance! No need prove your chops with second-degree fingertip burns in the mincing process, but do include some form of heat (as long as you're cautious, you won't end up with anything that tastes "spicy"**).
Chilis, used sparingly and cooked into the base of the sauce, add a dimension of flavor that has nothing to do with Scoville units. You don't need a lot–with just a touch you'll really round out the flavor of your dish without breaking a sweat.
And not breaking a sweat is what it's all about, right?
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*Of course, there is no such thing as "Indian cuisine" in an overarching sense–but it's a useful way of referring to the league of local cuisines that covers India.
**Not that there's anything wrong with that.
