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Mild - Korma - A classic korma dish is one where meat or vegetables are braised with yogurt (dahi) or cream, water or stock, and spices to produce a thick sauce or glaze.

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Mild - Korma - Lamb, chicken, or beef can be used. Spices added often include coriander, clove, cinnamon, cumin, and nutmeg. Coconut milk is a great option for people who are sensitive to spicy foods.

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Mild - Kashmir - Heaps of raisins, pineapple, and banana or lychee lend this dish its distinctly sweet taste. Garlic, ginger and other aromatic ground spices provide a tasty counterbalance.

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Mild - Kashmir - Coconut milk is an essential ingredient of this well-known Kashmir dish, which is usually prepared with marinated chicken.

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Mild - Tikka masala - The common ingredient of this popular dish is also chicken, which is marinated in spices and yogurt or cream. Coconut cream is also used.

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Mild - Tikka masala - Turmeric, paprika, and tomato puree lend the sauce its deliciously appetizing copper-gold color.

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Mild - Pasanda - The word pasanda is a variation on the Urdu word pasande meaning "favorite," a reference to the prime cut of meat used within.

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Mild - Pasanda - This is the king of mild curries, a regal dish with a creamy sauce containing almonds and coconut. It's also quite unique in that a dash of wine is often used (white with chicken, red with lamb).

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Medium - Rogan josh - This aromatic curried meat dish is traditionally made with lamb or goat. It's colored and flavored primarily by the alkanet flower and Kashmiri chilies.

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Medium - Rogan josh - Garlic, ginger, clove, bay leaf, cardamom, and cinnamon are sprinkled into the mix, which includes lots of tomatoes. But it's dried cayenne pepper that gives this dish its kick.

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Medium - Dopiaza - The name means "two onions" and indeed, dopiaza is prepared using a lot of onions. They are added at two stages during cooking, with plenty of raw onion used as garnish when plating up.

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Medium - Dopiaza - Basic ingredients for dopiaza are chicken or other meats, ginger and garlic paste, hot spices such as black cardamom, clove, peppercorn, and chili.

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Medium - Bhuna - Bhuna is first and foremost a cooking process where spices are gently fried in plenty of oil to bring out their flavor.

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Medium - Bhuna - Similar to rogan josh but with a thicker, drier medium-hot sauce, bhuna is often garnished with fired green peppers and shredded onions.

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Medium - Balti - Traditionally served in a thin, pressed-steel wok called a "balti bowl," these curries are cooked quickly over high heat in the manner of stir-fry.

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Medium - Balti - The tangy sauce is based on garlic and onions, with turmeric and hot garam masala, among other tempting spices. Balti is traditionally served not with rice but with naan bread, which doubles as the tool for eating it.

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Medium - Karahi - Named for the karahi, a type of deep circular cooking pot the food is prepared in, this robust and fragrant curry originates from Pakistan and North India.

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Medium - Karahi - The curry gets a lot of flavor from the addition of garlic, ginger, cumin, and other spices. But it's the green chilies and dry red chilies, plus a good pinch of chili powder, that gives the dish its edge.

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Medium - Gosht - Okra, or "ladies' fingers," is the key ingredient in this dish. Gosht, a Hindi word, refers to tender meat, slow-cooked for an extended period.

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Medium - Gosht - A classic dish is the lamb with tomatoes, ginger, garam masala, and chilies. Cumin, coriander, and fenugreek are favorite seasonings.

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Medium - Murgh massala - A characteristic of this curry is the large pieces of chicken used, which are soaked in a thick, creamy, spicy tomato sauce and mixed with minced lamb.

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Medium - Murgh massala - The chicken is immersed in a yogurt marinade and cooked on the bone. Cinnamon, honey, and Kasmiri red chili powder, among other ingredients, are added in stages.

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Medium - Saag - There's no mistaking the principal ingredient of this curry—spinach!

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Medium - Saag - Mustard leaves, finely chopped broccoli, or other greens, along with other ingredients such as paneer (fresh cheese) make a saag dish one of the healthiest curries on the menu.

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Medium - Biryani - A dry dish that uses lots of rice and a veritable mix of spices and condiments, including nutmeg, clove, mint, ginger, cashew, sultana, and pineapple.

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Medium - Biryani - Meats such as chicken, goat, lamb, and prawn or fish, are used. And, as with all curries, vegetables can be used exclusively to make a vegetarian dish.

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Hot - Jalfrezi - Things start to heat up with dishes like jalfrezi. The thick spicy sauce is prepared using generous slices of pepper. Green chili, onion, and tomato are standard additions.

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Hot - Jalfrezi - Chicken is a base ingredient, but fish jalfrezi makes a tasty alternative.

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Hot - Madras - Madras is one of the most popular curry choices. It contains large amounts of chili powder, pepper, red onion, and other tongue-tingling treats.

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Hot - Madras - A versatile and appealing dish, madras can be served with lamb, chicken, and other meats and is traditionally spiced up with coriander seeds, peppercorns, fennel, and fenugreek seeds.

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Hot - Dhansak - Persian in origin, dhansak is made using a mix of lentils and vegetables. It's traditionally served as a mutton or goat dish.

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Hot - Dhansak - While the lentils give the curry its body, it's the Kashmiri chili powder, garlic, and ginger that conspire to give the dish its fire. However, tamarind sauce cranks up the sweet nature of dhansak.

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Very hot - Vindaloo - A fiery spicy dish originating in Goa and usually made with pork, vindaloo derived its name from the Portuguese carne de vinha d'alhos (literally "meat in garlic wine marinade").

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Very hot - Vindaloo - Blisteringly hot but wonderfully tangy, the dish tingles the tongue with pepper, clove, and other spices.

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Off the scale - Phall - One of the world's hottest curries, phall actually originates from Indian restaurants in the United Kingdom and as such cannot be regarded as an authentic Indian dish.

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Off the scale - Phall -

It's eye-watering ingredient is the habanero chili pepper. Its heat, flavor, and floral aroma makes it a killer in disguise. Incredibly, up to 12 of these spice bombs are often used in a phall dish. One anonymous quote perfectly sums up the dining experience: "An excruciatingly hot curry, more pain and sweat than flavor." Enjoy!

See also: Exotic spices and how to cook with them. 

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