Last Updated on March 25, 2024 by Share My Kitchen
Curry is an integral part of many cuisines. There are a few articles on cooking a curry, and cooling a curry. But what happens if your curry becomes too watery? This article will show you how to thicken curry in 9 easy ways!
Is It Hard To Thicken Curry?
The right mix of spices or sauces is essential to make a good curry. It’s not only the sauces and spices that matter, but also the consistency and thickness of the curry.
Let’s find out how to make curry thicker. But before we get to this mantra, there are a few things you should know that can make the curry too watery.
3 Common Mistakes of a Watery Curry
Make sure your curry is blended and thick enough to make it mouthwatering.
These are some common mistakes that you could make.
1. Tomatoes and Onions are Cut in Big Chunks
Tomatoes and onions are the thickening agents in curry. So, the curry will become watery if they are cut into large chunks. Make sure to cut them into smaller pieces or finely chopped to make the curry thicker.
2. The Onion Chopped, Tomato Puree, or Garlic Ginger Paste are Not Cooked Enough
You can make a curry thicker by learning how to cook all these ingredients enough to make a good blend. The blend should be cooked until they separate from oil.
If you are using tomato puree in an Indian recipe, ensure it is cooked well. Otherwise, your curry will be too watery.
3. Cooking Curry Very Fast
In order to make your sauce thicker, you must learn not to cook curry in a hurry. It makes the mixture watery and spoils the mixture.
9 Best Ways to Thicken Curry
These are the few tricks that will make your curry sauce thicker.
1. Add Yogurt
You can thicken curry by adding thick yogurt. Stir in a little Greek Yogurt to thicken the curry. And to achieve the desired thickness, you can add more yogurt. It can also be used to replace cream in Indian-style curries. Plus, it can be used to cool down curry that is a little spicy.
2. Use Tomato Puree
This is the most popular way to thicken curry. Adding tomato puree is ideal for Indian cooking. It is thicker than tomato paste, and it will not alter the taste. To get better results, add the tomato puree during the cooking process. This will help speed up the cooking process and thicken the curry.
3. Use Garlic and Ginger Paste in the Beginning
If your ingredients contain ginger paste or garlic, it is best to add it before the onion and tomatoes. Plus, these ingredients should be sautéed and not overcooked. This is a great way to thicken curry.
4. Use Garam Masala at the End
Garam masala should be added at the beginning or in the middle of cooking curry. However, it is best added to a curry in the middle of the cooking process to cook it well.
5. Control the speed of cooking
Different Indian curries require different cooking speeds. Start slow if you’re still learning how to thicken the curry. However, make sure that you start with the first vegetables and work your way up to the last stage.
6. Use Medium or High Flame
Sometimes, however, a curry should be cooked on medium to high heat, depending on its needs. After the chopped onion, tomato puree, and ginger garlic paste have been well combined and cooked, you can increase your flame.
7. Sauté Vegetables for Thai and Chinese Curry
When cooking Thai or Chinese curry, if we add vegetables, they become watery. Stir-frying the vegetables is a better way to cook them before you add them to any curry. You should also stir fry vegetables when you are adding them to an Indian curry.
When vegetables are slightly undercooked, they can make curry watery. Therefore, stir-fry the vegetables before adding them to a curry.
8. Use Butter or Cream
Even slow-cooked curries can sometimes be difficult to thicken. There is a great tip to thicken slow-cooked curry if it seems too watery: use whole fat cream or yogurt. Also, you can add butter to the mixture to make the curry thicker. Desi ghee is also used by some Indian families.
9. Let the Curry remain at Low Flame in the End
When you are done cooking the dish, whether it is Indian, Chinese, or Thai, allow it to cook slowly over a low flame for 20 minutes. But, meat-based curries, specifically beef curry, should be cooked for over an hour. This will make your gravy thicker. This is especially important for Indian curries. Let the oil separate from the mixture, then turn off the flame.
FAQ’s
Why is your Slow Cooker Curry Watery?
Sometimes, slow cooking or using a slow cooker can make curry too watery. The moisture in a slow cooker does not evaporate, which adds liquid to the curry, than when using a stovetop.
How Do You Thicken A Slow Cooked Curry?
You can let the tomato sauce simmer slowly on low heat for between 4 and 5 hours on high settings, and 8 to 10 on low. Slowly cooking the sauce thickens it.
To thicken the sauce in Indian cuisine, tomato puree is used as the main ingredient. Before adding any meat or vegetables to the sauce, make sure it is well-dried with oil.
How Do You Thicken A Curry: Lid On Or Off?
This is the most important part that you need to manage. When you first sauté chopped onion or ginger-garlic, the lid must be removed. However, once you add the tomato puree to the mixture, the lid should be kept on.
Allow the blend simmer over low heat until the oil separates. Then, you can now add herbs, spices, chicken or mutton to the mixture.
After adding the ingredients, let the curry cook slowly. This is good advice for making curry thick.
Why isn’t my Sauce Thickening?
You might not pay enough attention to details when thickening a curry sauce.
Remember: Don’t over-fry onions. Use chopped onions, ginger-garlic paste, tomato puree. Also, cooking curry in a hurry ruins it.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the best ways to thicken curry. When your curry is too watery, you can check these ideas to try and thicken your curry. This could make your cooking more consistent and help you create top-quality curry.
