Take a walk through neighborhood streets in southern India and the air will be sweet with the smell of curry, like this flavorful creation. The spice blend we call curry isn’t a traditional thing at all (the word “curry” means sauce) but an invention of Colonial Britain: curry dishes vary widely as you travel from regions of India to Indonesia to Japan. To get a more authentic flavor, mash the garlic and ginger together into a paste before cooking, and very briefly heat the dry spices in oil (called “blooming”) before adding other ingredients.
