Indian Curry vs. Masala: What’s the Difference?

Indian cuisine is a melting pot of spices and flavor. Indian food has a rich history, spanning from North India to the south. Different regions have their own take on cooking which can be seen in their dishes. One popular dish that you’ll find all over India is curry.

Curry is a blend of spices cooked in oil to create a sauce or gravy for various types of foods. For example, one can make a chicken curry by blending garlic, ginger, onions, tomatoes, and many other spices with oil to make a sauce for the chicken.

Masala is another type of spice blend used in Indian cuisine. Masala literally translates to “mixture” in Hindi and typically consists of a combination of onion, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, chilies and garam masala (a flavorful mix of cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks and cloves).

Onions are usually sautéed first before other ingredients are added as they help release.

What is Indian Curry?

Indian curry is a blend of spices cooked in oil to make a sauce or gravy for various types of foods. The dish has a rich history and is popular all over India, and can be found in many different regions.

Curry is usually made with a combination of garlic, ginger, onions, tomatoes, and many other spices. Some people like to add some vegetables such as potatoes or carrots to the dish as well.

It’s important that the spices are cooked on low heat for at least 10 minutes before adding any other ingredients (otherwise they could burn). And don’t forget to season with salt and pepper!

A key ingredient in Indian Curry is garam masala which originated from the Portuguese word “garo”, which means ‘hot’. It’s a mix of cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks and cloves and it’s what gives this dish so much flavor!

What is Masala?

Masala is a spice blend that is often used in Indian cooking. It can refer to a specific mixture of spices or a general term for any spice blend. There are many different types of masala, but they typically include onion, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, chilies and garam masala (a flavorful mix of cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks and cloves).

Garam masala is the most common type of masala. Garam means “hot” in Hindi and garam masalas are spicy blends that contain black peppercorns, cumin seeds and cloves. The name comes from how it is supposed to be heated with fresh ingredients to release their flavor

The Difference Between Masala and Curry

Both masala and curry are Indian spices used to flavor dishes, but there are important differences.

Masala is typically made with more spices than curry. For example, garam masala contains cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon sticks and cinnamon bark while curry only has the three aforementioned items.

Curry usually refers to a sauce or gravy that can be served with meat, vegetables or rice. Masala is also often used in dishes to create a sauce or gravy for foods that don’t need it.

Curry is one of many types of masalas in Indian cuisine. The word masala literally translates to “mixture” in Hindi and typically consists of a combination of onion, garlic, ginger, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and chilies.

Onions are usually sautéed first before other ingredients are added as they help release the flavors in the mixture. The blend is then added to various types of foods such as chicken or potatoes for cooking.

Conclusion

Indian cuisine is famously known for two main dishes: curry and masala. Although the two dishes share a similar name, they are actually quite different from one another.

Curry dishes are typically wet and spicy while masala dishes are dry and more heavily spiced.