Take your tastebuds on a trip to India, Thailand, Vietnam, South Africa and beyond with these sure-fire curries that don’t require hours of cooking time, but do deliver on big, punchy flavours and oodles of spice. Whether you prefer your curry hot or mild, traditional or contemporary, we’ve got just the dish you’re hankering after. From a classic butter chicken to a rich rogan josh, and from a fiery jungle curry to a comforting dhal, you’ll find exactly the right curry you need to satisfy every craving – fast – with this collection of quick and easy curry recipes.
This easy Thai red curry recipe is the ultimate weeknight dinner option. Ready in under 30 minutes, this creamy and spicy fish curry uses fresh salmon fillets simmered in a coconut milk base with aromatic Thai ingredients like makrut lime leaves, fish sauce and curry paste to create those iconic delicious flavours. Served with light and fluffy rice, this quick and easy salmon curry recipe is your next staple.
Opel Kahn's easy mixed vegetable curry is your next recipe to master, featuring warm and soft paratha bread to dip into the aromatic sauce for a bit of extra comfort. Perfect for vegetarians, this simple and hearty curry is sure to keep you warm through winter with a generous selection of spices to keep a little fire burning in your belly. There's an easy paratha recipe included, but if you need to save time, you can always use store-bought paratha or other flatbread instead. This recipe is by Opel Kahn.
"Tamarind is a tropical fruit that, when turned into a puree, has a sour tangy flavour that is an incredible addition to a rich curry. Originally brought over by Indian labourers in the 18th century, the ingredient quickly spread into Cape Malay cuisine. Here, it’s the backing track to a rich tomato-based curry sauce in which the fish is poached. A final fluttering of coconut cream softens the intensity a bit and really balances out the flavours." – Warren Mendes. This recipe is from an edited extract from Food Trail: South Africa by Warren Mendes, published by Booktopia Studios, $59.99. Photography by Toby Murphy.
"A quick, tasty vegetarian dinner to pop on the table on a busy weeknight. Like all curries, it gets better reheated the next day." – Lucy Nunes
“We call this a stew instead of a curry. It was popular in colonial times for its mild flavours and combination of meat and veg in a thin gravy. It’s perfect for a family meal!” – Helly Raichura
A creamy classic comfort dish. You can choose to make your own yoghurt flatbreads, or use store-bought to save on time.
"This quick curry delivers a punch, but feel free to omit the green chilli for a mild version." – Lucy Nunes
"I love the contrast of the sweetness of seafood with a rich and hot curry. You want to find the right balance for you, so you can still taste everything, but get enough potency that it really amplifies all of the flavours and gets those tastebuds going! Here, this recipe celebrates South Africa’s love of chilli and the abundance of great seafood. I’d eat this simply with some flatbreads, but it would go well with rice, too." – Warren Mendes. This recipe is from an edited extract from Food Trail: South Africa by Warren Mendes, published by Booktopia Studios, $59.99. Photography by Toby Murphy.
"Jungle curry comes from the forest areas of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. It is one of the few curries made without coconut milk. This is because it is made only of produce collected or hunted in the jungle, and coconut trees do not grow in this region of Thailand. The traditional game is replaced here by chicken." – Orathay Souksisavanh. This recipe is an edited extract from Thai Home Cooking by Orathay Souksisavanh, published by Murdoch Books, RRP $49.99.
“I love Vegemite – it’s so quintessentially Australian. I use it a lot when I’m making stews, broths… anything that requires a little extra fun, a little extra depth of flavour. It’s an umami bomb!” – Khanh Ong
This Northern Thai curry takes its origins from neighbouring Myanmar. It’s rich, creamy and soupy, just slightly spicy, and the combination of silky soft and crispy fried noodles tops it all off.
Serve this fragrant curry with rice or with a baguette to mop up all the sauce.
“We’re a Catholic family, so we have fish on Good Friday – lobster tails, oysters, prawns. I just love prawns. We have such fantastic seafood here.” – Adam D'Sylva
“Most wedding kormas are oily and one-dimensional, but my mother’s version is aromatic and multi-layered; it is best served with basmati rice or naan, and a kachumber-style salad of chopped cucumber and tomato.” – Sumayya Usmani
The humble cauliflower takes a starring role in Emma Knowles' nourishing khichari, guaranteed to warm your bones on the chilliest winter's day.
