Indians and other South Asians are very serious about their masalas, concocting examples that can contain a dozen or more freshly ground spices. It was no accident that British colonialists fell in love with the food, but, having had little experience with the constituent flavors, figured the delicious taste was owing to a single spice. And thus was the idea of curry as a spice unto itself formed. The word “curry” was probably inspired by “kari,” a word for black pepper in ancient Tamil, but also for a leaf used extensively in Indian cooking, according to K.T. Achaya in "Indian Food: A Historical Companion."
The first commercial curry powder was manufactured by London perfume company Sorlie’s in 1784, with food companies like Crosse & Blackwell and Sharwood’s popularizing curry powder throughout the 19th century. As a testament to the appeal of the idea, the term traveled back to India itself, where using the generic expression “curry” for any spice-bearing meat or vegetable stew was a convenience, often referring to dishes with unique and diverse masalas — or none at all.
But the idea didn’t stop there. The colorful spice pastes of Thailand became known as curries, even though they weren’t actually related, in most cases at least, to Indian curries. Soon, Chinese cooks were making curries using British-style curry powders, and the Japanese had developed their own compelling version based on long-boiled sauces, often sweetened with fruit. Indian immigrants to the Caribbean, in places like Trinidad, Jamaica and Guyana, had their own versions of curry powder, simplified by the lack of availability of certain ingredients and the high cost of imported spices.
So curry, or at least the idea of it, spread across the world. For the curry eater based in New York City, here are 10 restaurants offering very different takes on the ubiquitous, shape-shifting dish.
Currywurst at Schaller’s Stube
Germany never had a colony or concession (a mini-colony) in India, but this curry usage, looming large in the national imagination, shows how far the spice mixture has come. The dish supposedly arose near the end of World War II, when a street vendor took a sausage and slathered it with a ketchup to which curry powder had been added, creating a taste sensation in a cuisine where spices are in short supply. There’s even a novel written about it, “The Invention of Curried Sausage,” which traces the flavored bratwurst to 1945 Bremen — though in truth it originated in Berlin around 1949. Get it at Schaller’s Stube, a sausage bar attached to a German butcher. $11. 1652 Second Ave., Upper East Side
Chicken Curry Roti at Ali’s Roti Shop
Curry is ubiquitous in the Caribbean islands where immigrants and indentured servants from India — some from what is now Bangladesh and West Bengal — settled. In Trinidad, chicken or goat curry with additional chickpeas and potatoes are wrapped in a flatbread called dal poori that has crushed yellow peas between its layers, adding a unique texture and extra nutrition, and the flavor of curry powder is enhanced with tamarind syrup and the Scotch bonnet sauce known simply as “pepper.” $11. 825 Flatbush Ave., Bed-Stuy
Crab Nandu Curry at Kidilum
To show how useful the term “curry” has become to Indian restaurateurs, this crab curry attributed to the southwestern state of Kerala at newly opened Kidilum (which means “awesome” in Malayalam), flaunts a rich sauce in which the spices have been extensively toasted, and the flavor further enriched with fennel pollen, an ingredient more often seen in Italian cooking. It’s a brilliant dish, and what to call it besides “curry.” $49. 31 West 21st St., Flatiron
Goat Curry at Flava’s International Grill
Few dishes in Jamaican cuisine are as eagerly appreciated as goat curry (I can think of two: jerk chicken or pork, and saltfish and ackee.) Deeply flavored as it is, the preparation is simple, with curry powder added to bone-in goat meat, which is then boiled down with onions and the allspice berries native to the island. Served with rice and peas and steamed cabbage, or in this case, okra, it is one of the world’s greatest meals. $17.95. 854 Gerard Ave., Grand Concourse
Ohno Kaukswe at Burmese Bites
I’m not sure I’d call this noodle soup ramen, which is how this fast food spot in the Queens Center mall translates it, though it does bear certain similarities to the Japanese noodle dish. There are wheat noodles, of course, and a boiled egg (though not a jellied one), along with condiments that include chile crisps and a finely minced hash of fried chicken. All of it rests in a curried coconut-milk broth, $11.95. 90-15 Queens Blvd., Elmhurst, basement level
Sour Curry of Sea Bass at Ugly Baby
After closing in 2024, legendary Thai restaurant Ugly Baby, famous for the spiciness of its food, has just reopened in Williamsburg, offering a host of unusual dishes seen in few other restaurants. While colorful spice pastes are the soul of Thai curries, this curry lacks paste entirely, depending on a broth laced with tamarind, and the amplifying flavor of fermented bamboo shoots. And did I mention this is the spiciest curry in this article, despite its lack of visible chiles? My advice: eat it with lots of rice. $30. 364 Grand St., Williamsburg
Roti Canai at West New Malaysia
Ubiquitous in Malaysian and Singaporean restaurants, though also seen in Thai and Indonesian ones, roti canai originated in South India, but was transformed as it traveled eastward. The anchor is a multilayered, flaky flatbread with a buttery flavor. It is dipped into a bowl of chicken curry (there are also vegetarian examples using lentils), which is usually made with curry powder rather than a fresh masala. Roti canai is a breakfast staple in homes, using leftover curry from the previous evening, but it is generally served in restaurants here as an appetizer. $6.95. 69 Bayard St., Chinatown
Escargot Curry at Moon & Back
The Village’s Moon & Back is in the forefront of the New York curry vanguard, the restaurant decorated with crazy tilted chandeliers and a menu that produces surprises at every turn. Escargot curry is one such dish, featuring the garden crawlers in a green curry, with the flavor propelled by betel and lime leaves and lubricated with lots of coconut milk, $38. 117 West 10th St., Greenwich Village
Black Chickpea Curry at Chatti by Regi Mathew
Kerala, the maritime state at India’s extreme southwest, was once called the Malabar Coast, and was the source of many of what were known as “sweet spices”: cinnamon, clove and cardamom among them. These all play a part in this classic curry of black chickpeas, with a flavor as deep and rich as its toasted-spice masala, $22. 252 West 37th St., Garment District
Chicken Karaage Curry at Manhatto
Few places have gone as far afield with the idea of curry as Japan. It has become a shelf staple of Japanese markets — a solid brick made from a long-stewed gravy that often contains apples for sweetness, in addition to powdered spices and aromatics. The result is a thick brown sauce that always accompanies rice, sometimes without a main ingredient. In this case, fried chicken tidbits mediate between the gravy and the rice, making a filling entrée, $22. 783 Ninth Avenue, Hell’s Kitchen
