Level 1 — Foundations
Basic Wet Curry Without Technique
Before learning the bhuno technique (Level 2), you can make a perfectly acceptable curry using a simpler method. This page teaches the basic wet curry technique — not the restaurant version, but the honest home version that millions of Indian families cook every day. Once you understand this foundation, Level 2's bhuno technique becomes a clear upgrade rather than a mystery.
Basic wet curry logic: build flavour in fat (tadka), cook the aromatics (onion, ginger, garlic), add tomato for body and acidity, add dry spices, add the main ingredient, add liquid, simmer. Each step has a purpose — and understanding the purpose explains why shortcuts produce flat results.
1
Make tadka and cook onion
Oil, cumin, then onion. Cook onion on medium for 8-10 minutes until translucent and beginning to colour.
🔬 The Maillard reaction begins at 150°C when amino acids and reducing sugars in onion interact. 8-10 minutes at medium heat is the minimum to start this reaction — less and the curry tastes raw.
⚠ Rushing the onion step produces curry that tastes raw and slightly bitter. There is no shortcut — this step requires its time.
2
Add ginger and garlic, cook 2 minutes
Add ginger-garlic paste and cook until the raw smell disappears — approximately 2 minutes.
🔬 Allicin in garlic is harsh raw. Heat converts allicin to more than 30 different aromatic compounds — the transformation requires both heat and time.
3
Add tomato, cook until oil separates
Add tomato (fresh or canned), cook on medium until the tomato breaks down completely and oil appears at the edges.
🔬 The oil separation signal means the water in the tomato has fully evaporated. Once water-free, the tomato solids can now start browning — producing the deep savoury base.
⚠ Not waiting for oil separation produces a watery curry that never develops depth.
4
Add dry spices, cook 1 minute
Add turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder. Cook 1 minute with the tomato masala.
🔬 Ground spices need brief heat to bloom — but in the presence of the tomato masala, not in dry oil (they would burn). 60 seconds in the warm masala develops their flavour.
5
Add main ingredient and liquid
Add vegetables or meat, stir to coat in masala. Add water or stock, bring to simmer, cook through.
🔬 The main ingredient cooks in the spiced masala — absorbing the flavours developed in previous steps. The ratio of liquid determines gravy consistency.
Dietary Variants
Works for every diet
🥬Vegetarian
Use vegetables or paneer as main ingredient
🥩Non-Veg
Use chicken, lamb, or fish — adjust cooking time for the protein
🌱Vegan
Skip paneer — use tofu, chickpeas, or vegetables. Use oil not ghee.
🟡Jain
Skip onion, garlic, potato, tomato if strict. Use hing, green chilli, ginger. Jain curry bases use tomato-free preparations with extra lime.
🔴Sattvic
Skip onion and garlic — use hing, ginger, tomato. Sattvic curries are mildly spiced with no alliums.
Recipes Using This Technique
What this technique unlocks
