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Food

19 Spicy Curries From Around the World

Recipes to take you from Jamaica to India to Thailand

By SAVEUR Editors

October 12, 2015

Looking to spice up your go-to curry recipe?

Get inspired with some new ideas for watermelon, tuna, and daikon variations or brush up with some fresh takes on classic ingredients like chicken and lamb.

Murgh Korma (Creamy Chicken Curry) — The creaminess and complex flavor of this beloved Indian curry comes from pureed almonds and cashew nuts.Penny De Los Santos

Goanese Shrimp Curry (Sembharachi Kodi) — In Goa, a tiny, palm-fringed state on the western coast of India, seafood is central to the cuisine. Beloved regional specialty sembharachi kodi, or shrimp in a coconut curry, is prepared a number of ways, but always with the freshest local shellfish simmered in a rich, chile-spiked coconut sauce. Get the recipe for Goanese Shrimp Curry (Sembharachi Kodi) »Ingalls Photography

Indonesian Red Snapper Curry — For this aromatic nasi padang dish, red snapper is simmered in a spicy coconut curry.Ingalls Photography

recipe-retro-japanese-curry-500x750 — Redolent of cumin and dozens of other spices, sweetened with fruit or honey, and made with myriad combinations of meat, fish, and vegetables, curry is a dish that inspires dedication—even obsession—in Japan. This one, from a recipe in Japanese Soul Cooking (Ten Speed Press, 2013), combines beef, shrimp, and vegetables.Andre Baranowski

Cold Curried Summer Squash Soup — The warming kick of curry lends depth and zing to this creamy chilled soup; ice cubes made of lime juice and Thai basil add acidity and a light anise flavor as they melt.Anna Stockwell

Watermelon Curry — A specialty of the Indian state of Rajasthan, this delicious curry plays the sweet, juicy flesh of the watermelon against a complex background of chiles and spices.SAVEUR

Green Curry with Fish and Eggplant (Kaeng Khiaw Waan) — Thai-style dumplings add a nice, bouncy texture to this green curry.Penny De Los Santos

Pumpkin-Chickpea Curry — With warming notes of curry and cinnamon, this hearty vegetable curry is perfect for a cozy meal.Helen Rosner

Chickpea Fritters in Curry (Besan Curry) — This Jain-style curry pairs airy chickpea fritters with a creamy, tangy sauce.Ingalls Photography

Spicy Cabbage-and-Potato Curry (Bund Gobhi Aur Aloo Ki Subzi) — This vibrant Indian curry comes from the Meghwal tribe of Gujarat’s Thar Desert. Since there is little local agriculture—the closest vegetable market is in the capital city of Bhuj, 35 miles away—the cuisine is spare, but it is delicious in its simplicity. This tribal cabbage-and-potato curry is traditionally cooked over a wood fire, along with millet rotla, a flatbread, but the stovetop works just as well.James Roper

Burmese Eggplant Curry (Khayan Thee Hnut) — Eggplant is simmered to melting softness in a fantastically pungent curry fortified by shrimp paste.Ingalls Photography

Odisha Shrimp Curry — Sweet shrimp are fried with fragrant spices and aromatics and then ground to create this homestyle dish from the east Indian state of Odisha. Fresh cilantro adds a zesty, herbaceous note.James Roper

Curried Chicken — Bathed in fragrant curry- and ginger-infused coconut milk, this stew is a popular breakfast dish at Kingston cafés.Landon Nordeman

Smita Chandra's Daikon Curry — Daikon—a type of large white radish with a peppery, earthy flavor—has long been a staple of Indian cooking. In this simple vegetarian curry dish from cookbook author Smita Chandra, daikon is enhanced with an aromatic blend of coriander, cumin, turmeric, and other spices.Ingalls Photography

Padang-Style Chicken Curry (Gulai Ayam) — Chicken thighs can also be used to make this aromatic Indonesian curry.Ingalls Photography

Red Curry with Pork Belly and Green Beans (Phat Phrik Khing Muu) — This dish belongs to a category of curries called phat phrik khing, or “dry curry.” It's caramelized in pork fat rather than cracked coconut cream, and there's no coconut milk for gravy, making the flavors of the paste—citrusy lemongrass, gingery krachai, briny shrimp—more pronounced.Penny De Los Santos

Thalassery-Style Fish Curry (Thalassery Meen Curry) — Any firm fish, including snapper, trout, or salmon, will work in this green mango-infused south Indian curry, named for the Keralan coastal city of Thalassery and flavored with coconut, ginger, curry leaves, and turmeric.James Oseland

Yellow Curry with Beef and Potatoes (Kaeng Karii) — The dried spices in this complex, coconut-enriched Thai curry from chef Andy Ricker of Pok Pok reveal its South Asian origins. Ricker's advice, from his October 2013 article The Star of Siam: "Follow the recipe exactly the first time, then adjust the seasonings and the coconut milk. Put your stamp on it. After all, that's what the Thai do."Penny De Los Santos

Currants and chopped dried apricots bring sweetness to curried tuna salad, which we like to serve on folded naan.André Baranowski

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