Sat staring at the menu in your local Indian restaurant and not sure what to order? Don't worry, we've all been there. If you don't know your Balti from your Bhuna or your Pathia from your Pasanda, it can all get confusing. Don't worry. I'm here to help. Here's my ultimate guide to the different types curry dishes. I'll describe what's in them and how hot they are, so choosing Indian curries will be easy!
Types of Curry Dishes | Explained in Simple Terms
Alright, let's tuck in our napkins and dig right in. It is well worth noting that these types of curry dishes are not listed in terms of heat. Check the heat rating if you want to know which are mild and which are spicy!
Find your Indian curry in the contents and go straight to it!
If you are looking for curry recipes, be sure to swing by my guides on Indian cuisine. There's plenty to go at.
Balti
How Hot is it?
Medium: 5/10
What Basic Ingredients are in this Curry?
- Garlic and ginger
- Bell peppers
- Tomatoes
- Curry spices like garam masala, cumin and chilli powder
- A little bit of fresh chilli
- Onion based gravy
- Meat (optional)
What does it look and Taste Like?
Balti is a really tasty curry that is a little like an Indian style stir fry. It contains both meat and vegetables… most of the veg is onions and crunchy peppers. It has a base made of tomatoes and onion gravy. It is fairly sharp and tangy in taste.
There is a little chilli powder used in the cooking of a Balti. It isn't particularly hot, but people who are averse to heat should probably give this one a miss. Balti is served in specific types of curry dishes. Normally this is a round-shaped metal bowl with two handles.
Bhuna
How Hot is it?
Medium: 6/10
What Basic Ingredients are in this Curry?
- Garlic and Ginger
- Onions
- Tomato
- Medium curry spices
- Chilli
- Meat
- An onion-based gravy
What does it look and Taste Like?
Bhuna is a strong tasting curry that is full of fairly hot spices. It features both fresh onions and onion gravy. The curry sauce is cooked down until it is rich and dark. The curry is normally served with meat covered in thick sauce. It isn't as tangy as a bhuna, and it is slightly hotter.
Butter
How Hot is it?
Super Mild: 1/10
What Basic Ingredients are in this Curry?
- Butter
- Cream
- Mild spices like turmeric and Garam Masala
- Chicken
- An onion based gravy
What does it look and Taste Like?
Butter, in particular butter chicken, is one of the mildest curries around. It isn't spicy in the slightest. This dish has been adapted for the British palette… It's so mild that it is perfect for children or those who really don't like spice. The dish tends to be a pale yellow in colour and tastes a little sweet.
Rogan Josh
How Hot is it?
Medium: 6/10
What Basic Ingredients are in this Curry?
- Meat
- Spices like cloves, cinnamon, cumin, paprika and curry powder, oh and cardamom!
- Garlic and ginger
- Coriander
- Ghee or Oil
- Tomato puree
- An onion based gravy
What does it look and Taste Like?
Rogan Josh looks a little similar to a bhuna. The main difference is that it is a little saucier. The taste is also slightly different due to the spices used in the dish. Cloves, cinnamon and cardamom give it a distinctive taste with a touch of anise. It is a fairly spicy curry, and while it won't blow your head off, it will leave you feeling a little warm under the collar.
Vindaloo (A Proper Hot Curry)
How Hot is it?
Very hot: 9/10
What Basic Ingredients are in this Curry?
- Meat
- Chilli (often really hot kashmiri chillies)
- More Chilli
- Very hot Indian spices like chilli powder and cumin
- Onions
- Lemon juice or vinegar
- Garlic and ginger
What does it look and Taste Like?
Any Indian restaurant worth its salt will make a vindaloo! It is definitely one of the hottest Indian curries on the menu!
Vindaloo is a red-brown in colour. It doesn't feature any vegetables (except for maybe a potato cube at the top). It is quite an oily curry. The distinctive feature of vindaloo is that it is really hot. This one isn't for the faint-hearted, and you will be a champion if you manage to finish it. The recipe includes fresh chilli and chilli powder. If you could taste the curry (hint, you won't), you might detect hints of acidic tomato along with garlic and onion notes. The lemon juice also makes it a slightly sour curry.
Madras
How Hot is it?
Hot: 8/10
What Basic Ingredients are in this Curry?
- Meat
- Tomato puree
- Garlic and ginger
- mustard seeds
- Black pepper
- A fair amount of chilli
- Cumin and madras curry powder
- Onion based gravy
What does it look and Taste Like?
Consider a Madras as the slightly friendlier brother of the vindaloo. But be warned as Indian food goes, it is still a hot curry dish It is one of the hotter types of curry dishes. They are both prepared in the same way and, to the untrained eye, can look pretty similar. Madras is normally red-brown in colour and is ideal for those who want spice but still want to (just about) taste their curry. It has a strong tomato and onion taste and is one of the best curries around.
Korma
How Hot is it?
Mild: 2/10
What Basic Ingredients are in this Curry?
- Meat
- Cream or dairy like yoghurt or coconut milk
- Mild curry spices like Turmeric and a little garam masala
- Coconut or almond flour
- Sugar or a sweet element
- A small amount of onion based gravy
What does it look and Taste Like?
Korma is super mild and is one of the tastiest types of curry dishes. It is slightly different from butter chicken. It features more spices like garam masala, making it taste slightly stronger and a little more savoury.
It also features coconut flour which gives it a smooth and slightly nutty texture. Normally there is a little sugar added. The best way to describe the taste would be creamy and sweet with just a hint of Indian spice.
Pathia
How Hot is it?
Medium: 6/10
What Basic Ingredients are in this Curry?
- Meat or seafood
- Chilli
- Brown sugar
- Medium spice powder
- Onions, garlic and ginger
- Mango chutney
- Lime juice
- Tomatoes
- Onion based gravy
What does it look and Taste Like?
The best way to describe pathia would be hot, sweet and sour. It is one of the tastiest curries around! You'll normally find it served with seafood, but it works well with all meats. The sweetness comes from the inclusion of sugar and mango chutney and is predominant in the dish. You'll also sense a little tang brought about by either tamarind or lime juice. This is a little spicy and certainly isn't mild. Spice haters should proceed with caution!
Pasanda
How Hot is it?
Mild: 2/10
What Basic Ingredients are in this Curry?
- Meat
- Coconut
- Cream
- Almonds
- Mild spices like turmeric and a little bit of cumin
- A small amount of onion based gravy
What does it look and Taste Like?
Pasanda is really light in colour, this is because there aren't many dark or hot spices in this dish at all. It is rich and creamy. The inclusion of both almonds and coconuts gives this one a really sweet taste. It is kind of a halfway house between butter and korma. If you like sweet yoghurt style curries, this could be the one for you. It is traditionally a lamb dish, served with a thick sauce and a coconut milk base.
Biryani
How Hot is it?
Mild/medium: 4/10
What Basic Ingredients are in this Curry?
- Meat
- Vegetables, like peppers and peas
- onions
- Spiced Rice (typically basmati rice)
- Onion Base gravy
- Cloves and cardamom
- A little chilli (sometimes)
- Raisins
What does it look and Taste Like?
Biryani is a bit different. It's a rice-based dish with meat and/or vegetables. Think of it a little like a semi-dry Indian paella. The meat and rice are simmered over a low flame until all of the delicious onion stock is absorbed. It is fragrant and relatively mild. This dish is really filling, and there is no need to order rice separately if you go for this one. It can sometimes be a little sweet if the recipe includes raisins.
Tikka Masala
How Hot is it?
Mild: 2/10
What Basic Ingredients are in this Curry?
- Meat (normally chicken tikka)
- Tomato sauce
- Mild spices like garam masala and mild curry powder
- Cream
What does it look and Taste Like?
Tikka masala is one of the nations favourite dishes. It is super mild and has an interesting back story. The flavour is predominantly one of the tomatoes with a creamy note running through the dish. The predominant taste in the dish is one of creamy tomato sauce with tasty chunks of marinated chicken.
These cubes, if you've gone for a real tikka will be traditionally cooked in a tandoor oven, where the meat juices flavor the meat.
Some restaurants make it pretty sweet. The sign of a good tikka masala is the colour. You can normally expect it to be a red/orange colour. In fact, some restaurants add food dye to increase this effect.
This is one for your gran. It isn't spicy at all.
While you might think this is a traditional dish, it is in fact invented in the UK!
Dopiaza
How Hot is it?
Medium: 5/10
What Basic Ingredients are in this Curry?
- Meat
- A significant amount of oil, or ghee.
- Garlic and Ginger
- Tomato paste
- Mild spices, like garam masala, curry powder and cumin
- A little chilli
- An onion based gravy
- Fried onions
What does it look and Taste Like?
Dopiaza translates as 'onions twice'. It is a curry that tastes very strongly of fried onions. It is really tasty and is an excellent choice if you want to go hotter than a chicken tikka masala but want something milder than the mighty madras! The curry is an orange-brown colour with plenty of sauce. Think of it as a slightly milder, more saucy version of a bhuna. It's one of the tastiest curry recipes on any menu. You might struggle to finish it as it is a really rich curry!
Dhansak
How Hot is it?
Hot: 6/10
What Basic Ingredients are in this Curry?
- Meat
- Lentils and a vegetable curry sauce
- A sweet element like mango chutney
- Garlic and ginger
- Tomatoes
- Onion gravy
- A citrusy element like lime or tamarind
What does it look and Taste Like?
Dhansak is a fairly thick curry that tends to be orange to yellow in colour. The taste and colour are brought about by the inclusion of stewed lentils added during the cooking process. These break down and give the curry a really thick consistency and distinctive taste. As taste goes, it is a little similar to pathia, with a sweet and sour element. Generally, it can be a little spicy but is nowhere as fierce as the true 'hot ones' like vindaloo, madras and phaal.
Jalfrezi
How Hot is it?
Medium-Hot: 7/10
What Basic Ingredients are in this Curry?
- Marinated meat
- Chopped green peppers and onions
- Cumin, coriander, and medium spice blend
- Black pepper
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- Green chili peppers
What does it look and Taste Like?
Jalfrezi doesn't have a smooth sauce. Instead, it is quite textured and chunky. This is because it includes chopped bell peppers and onions. It is quite a crunchy curry. The name jalfrezi translates as hot fry. It is basically an Indian curry stir fried with a curry sauce. It is quite a tangy curry and lacks the sweet elements found in others like Pasanda and pathia. Because the curry contains green chillies, it is pretty fiery and is not for those who don't like heat.
Some Indian restaurants say this is the hottest thing on the menu, so it is well worth checking! If you don't want a curry with thick sauce and fancy a stir fry, this is one of the most popular dishes on the menu.
Phaal
How Hot is it?
Atomic: 10/10 (A ridiculously hot curry)
What Basic Ingredients are in this Curry?
- Meat
- Kashmiri Red Chilli powder
- Lots of freshly chopped chilli
- More chilli (kashmiri chillies or green chilies or both)
- Onions, garlic and ginger
- More chilli
- Tomatoes
- Onion base
What does it look and Taste Like?
Alright, let us be real. As curries go, this is hot.
It's ridiculous.
A couple of spoonfuls of the phaal, and you can say goodbye to your taste buds for the rest of the night. This curry is red in colour… reflecting its fiery nature in these types of curry dishes. When it comes to taste, the truth is, nobody knows, as the extensive use of chilli (both powdered and fresh) drowns absolutely everything out. This one is best reserved for a dare or if you want to spend the next day crying in agony. It's nearly always the hottest curry on the menu.
Types of Curry Dishes | FAQ
Still, got questions? Good, that's what I'm here for!
Here are some things I get asked all the time
What's the Best Curry?
For those who like their Indian food mild, a nice korma has plenty of flavour and colour. The sweetness is less than a pasanda which can get a little overpowering.
For people who like medium Indian curry, I'd highly recommend a bhuna. Because of the thick base, it has a really strong taste and has just enough spice for you to know that you've had a 'proper Indian'.
For those looking for something properly spicy, I'd say go for a madras.
Not a vindaloo?
No, once you get above an '8' hot, you start to find that the chilli just drowns everything out. A madras will still offer plenty of heat, but you'll still be able to taste all of those wonderful curry flavours.
Which Curry is Spicy?
The top picks when it comes to spicy curries are the following (In order of heat): -
- Phaal
- Vindaloo
- Madras
- Jalfrezi
Pick any of these four, and you'll know about it!
What Curries are Mild?
If you want to choose a mild curry that is super tasty, here are the best options.
- Butter Chicken (savoury and creamy)
- Korma (A little savoury and sweet)
- Tikka Masala (tomatoey, creamy and a little sweet, with tender chicken cooked in a tandoori oven)
- Pasanda (very creamy and sweet, with nuts)
What is the Most Popular Curry Dish?
It all depends on who you ask. When it comes to the most consumed Indian dishes, most people will go for a chicken tikka masala. In fact, it has been declared the UK's national dish (. The reason people choose it because it is not too hot, but has plenty of Indian flavours, with loads of tasty sauce!
My Curry is Too Hot, How Do I Cool it Down?
There are loads of ways to take the spice down a level. I've got an article right here detailing them all!
Conclusion
Indian cooking can be a bit of a minefield when you are deciding on which types of curry dishes to choose. Hopefully, my guide above will help you make a good decision. I've written guides on most of the above, which you can check out here. What did you go for and why? Let me know in the comments. It would be great to hear from you!
Having eaten curries for many years I would like to know which have the most sauce as I do not like dry curries.
Many thanks