Tips to fix lumpy curry and smoothen it, that experts won’t tell you

Curries are an intrinsic part of Indian cuisine and put India on the food map of the world with their rich and lip-smacking flavours. From Butter Chicken, Kofta Curry and Kadhai Paneer to Chole Masala, Besan Kadhi and Fish Curry, India has a large menu of some of the tastiest curries in the world. While curry tastes exceptionally good, cooking it is no cakewalk. It can turn lumpy in no time and then fixing it becomes a tedious task. Curry usually turns lumpy if you use too much flour or cornstarch to thicken it, add curd without whisking or don’t stir it enough. Here are five easy ways to fix a lumpy curry and smoothen it out. (all image credits-istock)

Immersion blender, also known as Hand Blender or Stick Blender is a super useful kitchen tool that can help in eliminating curry lumps in a jiffy. All you need to do is dip the blender in the curry and switch it on. The pulsating motion of the blender will smoothen the curry in an instant. The best thing about this blender is that you need not bring the temperature of the curry down to room temperature. You can safely use Immersion Blender at high temperatures, which is generally not possible in other types of blender.

If you do not have an immersion blender, you can manually break the lumps of the curry by using a Wired Whisk. A sturdy steel whisk that is usually used to make cake batters is the best option. The wired mechanism of the whisk is designed to smoothen the mixture and break the lumps. Keep whisking the curry with a whisk till all the lumps are dissolved. This process might take some time but will ensure that your curry is lump-free in the end.

If nothing seems to work, then all you need to do is strain the curry. Take a large sieve, ideally, a metal sieve that doesn’t have a very fine mesh is the best option here. Place the sieve on a large pot and pour the curry through it. Use a ladle to break the lumps and stir constantly to make the curry pass through. The veggies, chicken pieces, kofta or other food items collected in the sieve can be transferred back into the pot that contains the lump-free curry.

Usually, very thick curries are more prone to lumps. To dilute the curries a bit, you can add either water or milk, depending on the type of dish that you are making. Using milk adds sweetness and richness to the curry as well. After adding either water or milk and keep the flame on medium. Stir continuously to dilute the lumps. Usually, lumps are formed in the curry and get diluted on their own upon cooking the curry for some time.

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