Saved by the Microwave

Nick Marmet Columnist

The toughest decisions at school don’t always occur in the classroom. For many, the hardest thing to decide at the end of the day is what to eat for dinner. With everything from burgers to burritos, All Campus Dining Center (ACDC) serves such a variety of ready-to-eat offerings that one can forget about cooking. Curry, easily made at the Stir-Fry Station, is a quick, delicious and filling solution to any dining dilemma.

The word “curry” originated in India, where it probably came from the Tamil “kari,” meaning spiced sauce. British colonists loved these dishes and began exporting a yellow curry powder from Madras, India in 1780. Served with rice, “curry” has come to be an all-encompassing word for any Indian sauce dish, from the mild and creamy tikka masala to the pungent phaal.

Curry has been adapted and reinterpreted over the years as it spread across Asia and the world, but the idea behind the dish has changed little. Thai curries rely heavily on coconut milk, basil and lime leaves, while Japanese curries could easily be confused for Western stews, since they have a base of popular spices such as cumin, coriander and chili powder, and use flour to thicken the sauce.

Specific curries, such as the Philippine kare-kare or the Indonesian rendering, rely on local ingredients and condiments. Others, especially those from former British colonies, are based around Madras curry powder. This curry powder consists of curry leaves, turmeric, coriander and other potent spices, and lies at the heart of dishes from the Caribbean and Malaysia, among other countries.

While the wealth of curries may be off-putting to a purist, it is extremely encouraging for someone working with limited resources. Sauce and substance is such a basic pairing that it’s easy to re-imagine the classic without obsessing over determining exact proportions.

The variety of fresh vegetables at the Stir-Fry Station can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to end up with a little bit of everything in your skillet. To make a great dish, limit your ingredients so that you can appreciate each component and leave the complexity to the spices. Squash, potatoes and onions create a classic Western-influenced combination while cauliflower, potatoes, peas and lentils are a more traditional south Indian pairing.

The secret to a great curry is the sauce. Curry powder is an easy agent and most Caribbean curries rely exclusively on it. By no means is it the only solution though—try mixing spices such as coriander, turmeric, garam masala, cumin and red pepper flakes to produce an original concoction. Each of these spices is quite potent and a small amount is enough give your curry a kick.

The recipe below is just one of many curries that you can make at ACDC. Add soy sauce for a more Japanese flavor, fine breadcrumbs to thicken the sauce as they do in Jamaica, or lemon and lime juice for a Thai taste. Also experiment with mixing vegetables to see what compliments what.

Quick and Easy Veggie Curry

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over moderate heat and add onions and garlic.

2.Stir-fry for several minutes then add chilles or powdered spices, depending on your taste.

3.Add vegetables to cook. Note that small vegetables, such as peppers and mushrooms, will cook faster than larger ones.

4.Stir the vegetables to distribute spices and cook about 3-5 minutes or until they are softened.

5. Add water, about small plastic cup-full, and bring to a boil over high heat. Bring the heat down to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes. This simmering will help concentrate the flavor.

6. Once the desired consistency is reached (most curries are thicker) the curry’s ready.