Watery and runny curries are part of every Indian cook’s cooking journey. There is no way you can escape them. We have listed here 10 ways to thicken curries that are watery and runny.
Here are some of the tried and tested tricks that I have learnt and used over time to rescue my watery curries.
If you are looking for reasons why your curry turned out to be runny you can check those out here.
Have divided these into 3 categories-
- Ways to thicken the curry in the initial steps while making it
- Ways to fix it that involve very little cooking i.e. simmering for 5-10 mins at the end
- Fixes you can perform after the curry has been cooked and does not require any cooking
Ways to thicken curry in the initial stages while you are cooking it:-
1. Add tomato puree
This can be done for most tomato based curries as tomatoes add more flavor to the curry and the puree makes the texture thicker.
Please note that the tomatoes need to be cooked in the curry so you can only do this while you are still cooking the curry. If the curry has been cooked already then please try the other options listed below.
2. Cook the curry base i.e. onion, tomato, ginger and garlic very well in hot oil.
These need to be cooked together in spices until they all get mushy and cooked really. You should be able to see the oil separating from this mix. If you do not perform this sauté step well and add water before all these ingredients are cooked well together the curry will turn out watery.
Ways to fix it that involve very little cooking i.e. simmering for 5-10 mins at the end
3. Add a thickening flour like corn flour, rice flour or coconut flour
Please do not add these thickening agents directly to your curry. First add about 1 tbsp. Flour the same amount of water and mix it well.
Make sure there are no lumps and then add this water and flour mix to the curry and let it simmer for 5-10 mins.
It’s important to mix the flour in some water first because if you add it directly to your hot curry then lumps will be formed.
4. Let the curry simmer for some more time
When cooked longer more water will be lost to evaporation and will make the curry thicker. Make sure that the curry is not covered when simmering as this will not let the water evaporate from the curry base.
Also, you may want to set aside the meat, fish or vegetables in the dish so that it does not get overcooked.
5. Take out the excess water
This is a recommended solution if your curry is like flavored water. If you think that it cannot be thickened enough simmering it will take forever to reduce. Then it makes more sense to just remove the water that’s excess and then add a little bit more salt and spices to compensate for the excess water removed.
If you have boiled vegetables in the excess water you can drink it or use it in making flavored rice so the nutrients are not wasted.
6. Add yogurt
This can be done to only curries that have a tangy taste to them. If you add it to a creamy curry with slightly sweet taste to it (usually called Makhni curry) it can spoil the taste.
So make sure that you add yogurt only if the curry has a tangy taste profile.
Make sure you beat the curd well and remove the pan from the heat briefly when adding it. If you add it unbeaten at high cooking temperature, the fat in yogurt can separate making the curry even more runny.
Also, make sure that the yogurt is at room temperature and better to use greek yogurt as its thicker than regular yogurt.
7. Add cashew paste
This is a perfect thickener for creamy rich curries that have a sweet flavor profile. You can soak and grind some cashews, add this thick cashew paste to your curry and let is simmer for 5-10 mins.
This will also help if the curry is very spicy to lower down the spice quotient.
Ways to fix the curry after it has been completely cooked –
8. Add boiled potatoes
Potatoes go well with most of the vegetables. It’s better to add mushy boiled potatoes to the curry. These will combine with the watery curry base and will make them thicker.
9. Add cream
You can add heavy cream to the curry, which will make the curry thicker, lower the spice quotient and will also give a rich flavor to your curry.
Like yogurt please make sure that you add it only on low cooking temperature else the fat in cream may separate while cooking.
10. Blend the ingredients
The curry is watery if the ingredients have not cooked and mixed well with the curry base. In order to fix this you can take part of the curry and run it in a blender. Add this blended paste to the rest of the curry.
This will change the texture of the curry base and will make it thicker.
Which one of these tips did you use to thicken curry? Let me know in the comments below.
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