The culture of curry

Ingredients for patola curry | Photos by Claire Salonga

As a child, our yaya would have chicken curry as part of the menu on rotation. It was yellow and creamy—filled with potatoes, peas, carrots, and chicken—and very mild on the palate. But upon trying Indian curry, I was surprised at how strong the spices were. It was then, around the age of 10, that I realized that the curry I was eating at home was a Filipino version of chicken curry. And that it was very different from a traditional Indian one.

Now that I think about it, curry was the vehicle that got me closer to my flatmates in university. We were four girls who shared one kitchen, two British Asians (referring to people of Indian descent), me, and a Taiwanese girl.

Whenever the girls made curry, I would sit with them, watch them throw in all the spices they had brought with them, and eventually, taste the different kinds of curries that they made. I watched them toast the cardamom seeds, fry the curry leaves, soak dried roses to make rose water, and then somehow combine them all to create a different set of flavors each time.

London is probably the next best place to India to get a great curry. In fact, curry is a go-to before or after a night on the town.

A journey across oceans and cultures

Curry made its way around the world by virtue of the spice trade. The word “curry” is derived from “kari,” a Tamil word that means “spiced sauce” or “a dish of meat or vegetables.” It was a general term for a spice mix used with either meat or vegetables.

The Portuguese were the first to trade in Goa, taking the spices around the world. Later on, the Dutch, and with even greater influence, the British empire, brought these spices back to England—where they were added to boiled meats. Eventually, British-Indian cuisine developed into its own versions of curries, such as korma—which originally used cream, almonds, saffron—while incorporating ingredients and tastes adapted for British palates, including mild spices like coriander, ginger, and black pepper. Korma is something that one will find in most Indian restaurants in Britain, but not as often in other countries.

Curry then made its way to Japan through the British troops in the Meiji era, when India was still under British rule. Curry in Japan, at that time, was classified as a Western food, since it came to Japan’s shores via the British navy. By this time, the British had already incorporated Indian cuisine into their own, and the seamen brought their own versions of curry spice mixes with them.

The Japanese version of curry uses short grain sticky rice and a thick sauce with a slightly sweet taste, compared to curries found around the world. In 1873, a dish described as “curry rice” found its way on to the menu of the Imperial Japanese Military Academy. In the 1870s curry was still thought of as a high end dish—reserved only for the wealthy. By 1905, Japan had began producing its own curry spice mix, which is very similar to the flavor that we know today as Japanese curry.

In fact, curry became so beloved in Japan that it found its way into noodle dishes, bread (kare pan), and later, katsu curry.

Southeast Asian cuisine also has native dishes that can be rightfully called curries, with spice mixes used to season meat or vegetables—such as Thai curry, which traces its roots to early trade between Indian traders and Buddhist missionaries, who introduced lemongrass, tamarind, cumin and shallots. These ingredients were traded in Siam (present-day Thailand), and, over time, were blended together with local flavors like shrimp paste fish sauce to create an aromatic paste, which forms the base of Thai curries today.

Neighboring Cambodia, on the other hand, has its own version of curry: samlor kari, which originated during the Khmer empire and was influenced by Indian traders. Cambodian curry makes use of spices native to its country, such as galangal, lemongrass, and star anise, which give its kari a distinctly unique flavor.

The many ways to enjoy curry

The history of curry has a common thread, which is the idea of a spice mix combined with meat and/or vegetables—localized using spices native to the area. There’s coriander for the British, and lemongrass for Thailand and Cambodia. Similarly, each home has their own version of curry. Take for example my yaya Ellen’s chicken curry, which is made with chicken, curry powder, peas, carrots, potatoes, tomato sauce and cream—as we did not like the taste of coconut milk. It is this milder flavor of curry that I use as a base for my patola curry recipe.

Patola curry came about as I was trying to find ways for my family to eat more of it. Rich in antioxidants, vitamin K, and full of detox properties, patola was something I wanted our family to eat more of.

Patola’s muscilage—the slimy substance that comes with the seeds—is hard to stomach, especially for kids. However, it is the stomach that the slimy muscilage of patola benefits the most, as it has gut-healing properties. This patola curry can be mixed with other vegetables to make it more filling. It can be served as a full main course, or as a side dish with fish or chicken. Add your own spices, such as coriander or cardamaom to truly make it your own.