Credits to Zoe @203.yuyu

Picture this if you will: you enter an Indian restaurant, and almost instantly, you are greeted with trays after trays of decadent gravy, fashioning a gradient of reds, oranges, and cream. Large chunks of meats and root vegetables swim in the pools of varying viscosity, the aroma of a gazillion spices perfumes the air and are ready to stain your garments. Although, in the 2020 context, the smell is dampened by a face mask, we KNOW that that is the closest thing to, like, the best gastronomic experience of a lifetime. 

    Of course, here in Malaysia, curries are a gleaning pride of our local cuisine: from the humble Kari Kapitan to the deliciously collagenous fish head curry. Indian curries did not arrive Malaya until the late 1700s, where, after a series of events championed by the Brits occurred, Indian migrants settled and brought over their wonderful cultures and cuisines to adapt to the new locale. 

[Food for Thought (or Thought for Food?): Is Rendang considered a curry? CNN said yes earlier this year, but almost immediately after that, every Malaysian ever said no.] 

    Today, we can easily find Indian cuisine in Malaysia, be it from a banana leaf restaurant,to the Malaysian regular Mamak stall, or even from Foodpanda. I did the first one and tried out four types of dishes that you can consider pairing with your roti for your next meal: 

Dahl is a staple in most Indian restaurants. It is a spiced lentil curry usually cooked with split pulses and mustard seeds. India is one of the largest exports of split lentils in the world and, given its cost-effective nature, dahl has fed many families throughout history. Every restaurant has their own twist on this humble dish, and in Malaysia, it probably already comes within the compartment of your order of Roti. 

Appearance: Dahl is usually yellow in colour though some might fashion a tint of orange. Mine had little specks of black spheres in it (which is presumably mustard seeds, or any spice used to cook the dish) and even red chilli for some heat! Some dahls even have curry leaves swimming in it. 

Taste: Dahl has a very beany taste to it. It is very robust and almost cream-like to the tongue. Comforting with a low spice profile, the lentils provide the structure while the spices mildly perfume the broth. As a curry that can never go wrong, I highly recommend this to anyone new to Indian cuisine or have a low spice tolerance in general. 

Korma is a meat or vegetable dish from the Indian subcontinent with Mughlai roots that is usually braised in yoghurt or cream and sometimes even cashew nuts or coconut to produce a thick white gravy. North Indian korma is mild and white while South Indian korma tends to be cooked with tomatoes and is a tad spicier. 

Appearance: Cream or pale in colour, my korma is a little bit more liquid than the other curries. Some chefs like to finish the curry with a streak of fresh cream, or scatter cashew nuts. The curry that I got had rough chopped coriander over it, which I hastened to remove immediately. 

Taste: I. LOVE. KORMA. If you cannot tell by my expression in the video, THIS is what I will be ordering every time I return to a banana leaf restaurant now. The curry is very rich, which is probably due to the yoghurt, and it coats your tongue immediately with its warm yet slightly sweet gentle caress. 10/10. Please order this next. 

I am sure most of you are quite familiar with masala. Masala is a curry dish made mainly with Garam Masala, a spice blend of cumin, coriander, cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg… the list goes on. Masala can be adapted to various dishes such as butter masala and chicken tikka masala, which is apparently the national dish of the United Kingdom. 

Appearance: Masala would lean more towards the orangish-red side of the curry spectrum with a thick and smooth sauce. The masala that I got was especially red, coating the tender chicken meat with a glistening red layer. Yum. 

Taste: Masala is the spicier one of the bunch. Delicious, though the spice does not punch you right in the face, it does build up over time as that red gravy starts setting camp at all parts of your mouth and throat. This would be a good time for a mango lassi. 

Technically not a curry, but we bought it, so we are going to put it here anyways. (Meat) Varuval is a specialty dish in Malaysia but originated from Chettinad in South India. It is usually chicken or mutton that is fried but sometimes does come with a thick dark sauce coating it. 

Appearance: Varuval is brownish and sometimes even black. It is grainy in appearance due to the frying process unless accompanied by a sauce. For the chicken Varuval that I got, it was a saucy dark dish with colourful pops of red and green chillies to brighten up the dish and the palate. 

Taste: If you are a fan of sweet and spicy, this dish is for you. I tried the variant that comes with the gravy and it closely resembles the “kicap manis” (sweet thick soy sauce) but with a burst of spices and aroma. It is the kind of dish that fills your mouth up immediately with that spicy fragrance that cuts the oiliness of the fried chicken. I am a big fan. 

Personal Recommendation: The flavours will reach its peak when you take your piece of flatbread and start mixing up all the curries together! The chaotic amalgamation of spice vs cream vs heat vs herbs somehow synchronizes well enough to create a harmonious boom of flavour, chaperoned by your vehicle of choice, be it bread or rice. 

    Those were the four dishes I have tried and learnt of this past week. Of course, this is barely the tip of the iceberg of Indian cuisine as there is still a universe of Indian dishes waiting for you to consume. The next time your friends cannot decide on a place to eat, I highly suggest hitting up a nearby Indian restaurant and ordering naan bread with a variety of side dishes. Be sure to wipe your plate until there is naan left (Ha-ha). 

Happy eating and to our Hindu readers celebrating, a Happy Festival of Lights to you!