Spice curry holds together without roux | Three reasons it thickens

The conclusion first. Without roux, meaning the solid blocks sold in shops, spice curry still holds together properly. The body comes not from flour but from onion, tomato, and the step of blooming the spices in oil. Get those three right and it will be neither watery nor floury.

“Won't it turn watery without roux?” It is the question we get most often in the shop. If you are used to the thickness of a solid roux, of course it feels uncertain. But the body of a curry that fills you with aroma comes from somewhere else entirely.

1. Body comes from onion and tomato, not from flour

Fry the onion until it is properly coloured, just short of amber. Add the tomato and let it melt down as the moisture cooks off. That alone gives a curry its depth. Not a thickness set with flour, but a thickness of ingredients dissolved. The finish stays light, and the aroma comes forward.

2. Bloom the spices in oil and they bind into one

Cumin, coriander, fenugreek. Give ground spices a light pass through hot oil and their aroma moves into the oil, binding the whole dish into one. This is tempering: the step of raising aroma in oil. Simply simmering the powders tends to leave a floury, raw edge. Cooking them through in oil once is the key to a curry that holds together.

3. Design the water and the simmering time, just a little

Wateriness usually has one of two causes: the onion was not cooked enough, or the ground spices were not. Put the other way round, do those two carefully and, so long as you do not add too much water, the body will come. Start with less water and adjust as it simmers. No cornflour, no wheat flour. If it still feels thin, take the onion one step further.

Making roux-free easier

That said, deciding the spice proportions every time is real work. Inspice spice curry brings together spices designed to the 0.01 g, so there is nothing to measure. No chilli is used, so it can be enjoyed by anyone who does not take heat well, and by children. A plate filled with aroma rather than with the thickness of a solid roux. Set it quietly alongside days that are fun, glad and good to eat.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Does it really thicken without roux?
A. It does. Melt down the onion and tomato and keep the water modest, and the body comes from the ingredients themselves.

Q. Should I add wheat flour or cornflour?
A. There is no need. If the body feels weak, first look again at how far you fried the onion.

Q. Can I make it if I am not good with heat?
A. Inspice spice curry uses no chilli, so there is no heat. It is designed to fill you with aroma and depth.