Stuck for inspiration when it comes to curry-making? Don’t know where to start? Lacking excitement in your cooking adventures? We’ve got you! We've compiled some of our top cooking, health and general curry-making tips into one handy article for you! You're welcome.
Mix up your curry ingredients
If you’re new to the world of curry-making (or even if you’ve been here a while!), it can be difficult to know what ingredients to use to keep your curries fresh and interesting. You might have a few go-to ingredients you always use, or perhaps you’ve got no idea what works! Either way, here are some of Shelly’s favourite curry ingredients to spark inspiration in the kitchen:
- Aubergine – soaks up spices really well and has a comforting gooey texture
- Spinach – so versatile, and an excellent source of vitamins and minerals
- Chickpeas – super filling and guilt-free, a cheap ingredient that you've probably always got in the cupboard ⠀
- Lentils – so many different flavours of all the types of lentils (each adding their own unique taste to a curry!) and they hold spicy flavour really well ⠀
- Tamarind – it can turn any salad into something special and transform dahls into something absolutely fantastic ⠀
- King prawns – really quick to cook and can be paired with so many things to make a completely new recipe, plus they're a delicious source of protein, vitamins and minerals ⠀
- Eggs – you might not have considered using eggs in a curry – but trust, they work! Not just seriously tasty, but high in fibre, iron and protein
Play around with different types of oil
When a lot of people think of curries, they think of takeaway curries full of cream and oil. But cooking a curry properly can mean cooking a healthy and nutritious meal packed FULL of flavour! Our top tip: LESS is MORE when it comes to oil. The ingredients do it all.
You can use special oils or clarified butters to impress guests, but in general very little oil is needed. Shelly's favourite oil to use is rapeseed oil as it is high in nutrition and has a higher smoking point than other oils like sunflower oil. Rapeseed oil is also high in mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats omega 3, 6 and 9, so can help you maintain healthy cholesterol levels as part of a healthy balanced diet. Plus, rapeseed oil is flavourless, making it an excellent carrier of flavour, allowing spices to really shine during cooking!
Will you be swapping your sunflower oil for rapeseed?
Experiment with different ways of cooking
Ever thought of slow-cooking your curries? Maybe not. But we're here to tell you that a slow-cooked curry done right is not only delicious and full of flavour, but is a healthy option too! Here’s why you should dig out that slow cooker, grab your favourite curry ingredients and get slow-cooking!
- When food is cooked at a low heat through slow-cooking, it doesn’t destroy as many nutrients as with other cooking approaches such as simmering, boiling or steaming.
- Some of the nutrients that would normally be lost can be recaptured through slow-cooking, by savouring the resulting juices or sauces and including them within your dish. ⠀
- Foods cooked in a slow-cooker often have more flavour due to the longer cooking time, plus you can use tougher bits of meat that are full of flavour and turn them into juicy, tender pieces. ⠀
- A healthy meal is made super easy with the help of a slow-cooker! Just assemble your ingredients, place them in the slow-cooker and look forward to a tasty meal at the end of the day. ⠀
Ready to get started? With BANG! Curry spice kits, cooking a delicious curry from scratch is as easy as 1-2-3. Our curry spice kits are low in fat, low in sugar, vegan-friendly and 100% natural. Ready to get your hands on some? Shop our curry kits here, and check out our collection of delicious recipes here.