On the Curry Trail: Chasing the Flavor That Seduced the World by Raghavan Iyer

    • Categories: Spice / herb blends & rubs; Cooking ahead; Indian
    • Ingredients: coriander seeds; cumin seeds; fenugreek seeds; fennel seeds; black mustard seeds; black peppercorns; whole cloves; cardamom seeds; dried red chiles; cinnamon sticks; turmeric; ground ginger; whole nutmeg
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Notes about this book

  • SULibraries on October 18, 2025

    641.3384 I97o 2023 (LOU)

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Madras curry powder (The mother blend)

    • SpatulaCity on April 24, 2024

      Am learning that Madras Curry is supposed to have more spicy heat than a regular “curry” powder, and this version definitely packs in the heat! Recipe calls for 8-10 dried arbol chiles, but I only used six, and even removed the seeds! Still found this to be too hot for our wimpy palates. Am going to make another batch without any chiles and blend to soften.

  • Butter chicken (Murgh makhani)

    • JuneHawk on July 04, 2023

      Absolutely delicious! If you like your curry saucy, I suggest you double the amounts for the sauce.

    • EmilyR on August 17, 2023

      I doubled the sauce as recommended and this was a hit with everyone. I almost thought it could use a bit of tomato paste or some extra umami of sorts, but it turned out quite good.

    • SpatulaCity on April 18, 2024

      I doubled the sauce and agree it’s a MUST! The sauce was delicious though I wound up adding some fish sauce for umami…. And honestly… more butter and cream :( I didn’t time everything out well so wound up simmering the sauce for about 30 min and I think it improved the sauce’s cohesiveness overall. Served with basmati rice and quick flatbreads with cilantro garlic butter.

    • Logan92995 on August 11, 2024

      Great tasting dish, but I should have heeded other user's comment about doubling the amount of sauce. It was certainly lacking in the quantity of that department

  • Mustard-fennel smothered shad (Sorshe ilish maacher jhol)

    • TrishaCP on April 29, 2023

      This was pretty fast to pull together and tasty. I used a combination of cod and black cod that I needed to use up (the black cod was better in this) and used sannam chiles, which made it quite spicy and harder to appreciate all of the flavors from the spices. It felt pretty garlic-forward too, but I’ve had to avoid it lately so that could just be a personal thing.

  • Egg noodle soup with coconut milk (Khow suey)

    • SpatulaCity on March 07, 2025

      Delicious and rich curry soup. I may have reduced for too long because after adding the noodles it was more of a thickly sauced pasta dish than a soup. Also personally I think 4oz of noodles per person is too large of a portion, and I’d cut that in half next time. Regardless - very tasty and the toppings brought a lot of diversity in tastes and textures as well. We also had just the “soup” over rice and it was wonderful that way too, in case you want a gluten free option.

  • Chicken lemongrass curry with potatoes (Cà-ri gà)

    • SpatulaCity on March 11, 2025

      Really tasty - love the lemongrass flavor. My lemongrass wasn’t chopped finely enough though, and stayed crunchy which was unpleasant. Next time will ensure the lemongrass is very finely chopped. I appreciated that this recipe is very fast and easy to put together. Used boneless skinless chicken for ease and would do that again!

  • Curry noodles with shrimp (Mee kari dengan udang)

    • SpatulaCity on April 24, 2024

      Very tasty and flexible recipe. Next time I’ll add more veggies.

    • kari500 on April 17, 2025

      Holy cow this was good. I dirtied so many dishes and didn't even care. I left out the carrots and used bok choy instead of snow peas (adding extra to make up for the carrots) and skipped the bean sprouts. Plenty of vegetable and absolutely delicious.

  • Chicken curry with lemongrass and curry leaves (Kari ayam)

    • SpatulaCity on March 07, 2025

      This made for a rich and saucy curry, more salty than I’m used to and with more of an emphasis on lemongrass and heady cinnamon and star anise. I really loved it, but would prefer it over rice instead of the simmered potatoes. Or maybe my potato chunks were too large? It called for 2” pieces. Initially I was annoyed that we are instructed to make a curry paste, only to use 1/4C, which was less than half the amount of paste that you just made. However, I found the curry slightly lacking in flavor at the end, so wound up adding all the paste after all! We are wimps and I greatly reduced the number of chilis to taste. My husband said he’d (in general) prefer a more traditional yellow Thai style curry, but for me this was spoon licking delicious!

  • Flaky curry puffs (Piàn zhuàng gālí pào fú)

    • SpatulaCity on May 15, 2024

      I missed a step and didn’t roll the dough out to the full dimension, so I really failed :). The dough crumbled quite a bit while folding and shaping. Thought the filling was good, but not my favorite. Blaming the user here!

  • Lima beans with curry leaves (Cari gros pois)

    • jenburkholder on April 01, 2023

      This was quite good. The topping really makes the dish - we subbed apple.

  • Layered rice-lentil pilaf with macaroni and spiced tomatoes (Koshari)

    • SpatulaCity on April 25, 2024

      A fair amount of work - lots of pots and pans because most components are cooked separately and then layered at the end. Overall a tasty and comforting dish though! I especially loved the tomato sauce and how rich and flavorful it became. We are spicy hot adverse, and while this was a bit much for us (even after reducing the cayenne by half) we just added some greek yogurt on the side to calm down the fire in our mouths.

  • Yogurt-marinated chicken thighs with creamy tomato sauce (Chicken tikka masala)

    • SpatulaCity on May 20, 2024

      Keeper of a recipe. Great flavor and a velvety sauce. Next time I’d reduce the raisins a touch to reduce overall sweetness. At the end I adjusted the seasoning by adding a bit more cream, some msg, and a squirt of lime juice.

  • Creamy chicken vegetable soup with apples (Mulligatawny)

    • tarae1204 on March 05, 2023

      A very good soup, easy to make and beautiful to look at. I added the juice of half a lime for balance.

    • scher019 on December 23, 2025

      Good winter soup. I used Madras curry powder that my Indian neighbor makes. Added an extra cup of stock and 1/2 cup extra of the coconut milk to make it less thick, 2 carrots because I didn't know what 1 "large" carrot was. Was it one of those giant carrots in the Asian store or a large garden carrot? I have lots of carrots anyway. Squeeze of lime when serving to brighten.

  • Spinach and olive quiche with ras al hanout

    • SpatulaCity on April 19, 2024

      Loved it! Added an extra teaspoon of the ras al hanout to make it a clean tablespoon and it was delicious. When you get a bite that has chunks of briny olive it’s a beautiful thing! Was concerned that the fresh spinach would let off a lot of liquid, but the quiche baked up perfectly and was fragrant and luscious and not weepy at all. I did cheat and use a frozen pie dough. Will happily make again!

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  • ISBN 10 1523511214
  • ISBN 13 9781523511211
  • Linked ISBNs
  • Published Feb 28 2023
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 208
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Workman Publishing

Publishers Text

On the Curry Trail is an enlightening journey across Australia, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas to explore the origins of curry and the signature, essential curries of each region. This diaspora of curry brings alive not only the most iconic, category-defining recipes from these continents, but also the history, lore, anecdotes, and familial remembrances that fashion each dish. It delves into the story of curry—what it was and what it is, the places to which it has traveled and the ways it has evolved en route (whether because of local ingredients, cultural tastes, or other factors)—and embraces the many interpretations and definitions of this beloved dish. It makes the flavors of these scintillating curries accessible to the everyday home cook. On the Curry Trail is at once a mash note and an education—one rich in history and sense of place—that tells the definitive, delectable story of this beguiling dish in 50 irresistible recipes. Illustrations throughout.

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