Considering the diverse makeup of the GTA, it’s not surprising that when it comes to curry there are dozens to choose from. Curry, typically characterized by a thick sauce simmered with chilies and warm spices like cumin, ginger, turmeric and cardamom, evolved from India and has been adapted in dishes around the globe. There are lemongrass-scented curries in Thailand, scorching scotch-bonnet curries of the Caribbean nations and the sweet coconut curry soups of Singapore, to name a few.

Suresh Doss, suburban foodie and editor of Foodism magazine’s Toronto edition, took me on a two-day tour of the many restaurants that serve curries across the Greater Toronto Area. Here’s a taste of what we found.

Bong Lua’s stewed curry goat

Pho is undoubtedly the most famous dish to come out of Vietnam but at Bong Lua, it’s the curry goat with noodles that’s worth ordering. “You’ll usually see noodles with chicken or beef, so we try to do something special with goat,” says owner Quy Hoang Dang, who put the dish on the menu a year and a half ago. “You also don’t see curry pho often.” The broth starts with a coconut milk base, a blend of three different curry powders and a tinge of fish sauce and sugar to give a warming but light and milky-sweet flavour. Customers who like it hot can ask for extra chilies, of course.

2572 Birchmount Rd., Scarborough, 647-351-0809

Gourmet Malaysia Restaurant’s laksa

This restaurant has Malaysia in its name, but it’s known for its Singaporean laksa, a spicy noodle soup that comes in either a rich coconut curry broth or a sour tamarind broth called asam. Head chef Amy Lim uses the recipes passed down from her father and grandfather, who were chefs back in Malaysia. The curry version comes with thin noodles topped with shrimp, fish cake, chicken and a smidgen of homemade spicy shrimp paste called belacan. It’s an ultra rich dish with a slow, wonderful burn.

4466 Sheppard Ave. E., unit 101, Scarborough, 647-764-1188, gourmetmalaysia.ca

Babu’s crab curry

At lunchtime it’s not unusual to see the line snake out the door at this 24-year-old takeout spot specializing in Tamil and Sri Lankan cuisine. (Its neighbour Mona’s Roti, is also worth checking out for the Trinidadian curry). Customers line up for short eats, Sri Lankan hand-held snacks (the curried fish patties are unreal), and takeout boxes of its seemingly endless curry selection. The crab curry, a staple dish in the coastal city of Jaffna, is gloriously messy to eat: shell-on and smothered in a thick and sinus-clearing spicy curry, and served on a bed of rice with veggies.

4800 Sheppard Ave. E., Scarborough; 9590 McCowan Rd., Markham, 416-298-2228, babudelivery.ca

Kairali’s fish cooked in banana leaf

Seafood is plentiful in the Kerala region on the Malabar Coast of southern India. That’s why a must-order at this five-year-old Keralan spot is chef-owner Rajkumar Valiya Kandiyil’s whole pomfret fish that’s first grilled then smothered in a tomato curry and finally steamed in a banana leaf. The result is a super flaky and moist fish punctuated by a bold and fresh-tasting tomato curry seasoned with turmeric, chili, black pepper, tamarind, ginger and garlic. “To me, Keralan food is lots of seafood and slow-cooking,” he says. “I learned how to make this from my grandmother.”

1210 Kennedy Rd., Scarborough, 416-909-0994

Island Foods’ oxtail roti

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

“We have customers coming in to say our food tastes the same as it did when we first opened in Dufferin Mall in 1973. It’s all about staying consistent after all these years,” says Island Foods co-owner Mala Sawh, who runs the 12-year-old North York location with her husband, Dave. His two sisters run the downtown location at King and Dufferin Sts. Trinidadian rotis are the specialty with boneless chicken and goat being the most popular but the oxtail is a personal favourite. Tender hunks of beef are slow-cooked in a herbal curry thickened with potatoes then wrapped in a steaming hot roti, the staple flatbread of the West Indies originally brought to the island by Indian labourers.

1310 Don Mills Rd., 416-487-7717; 1182 King St. W., 416-532-6298, island-foods.com

Restoran Malaysia’s chicken curry with roti

The 16-year-old Malaysian restaurant makes about 10 curry pastes for its chicken, beef, vegetable, fish, shrimp, crab and noodle dishes. The chicken curry is a beautiful dark orange in colour and thinner than its West Indian counterpart. The taste is more mild than spicy, with a subtle sweet coconut aftertaste that’s highly addictive. Order it with a side of the ultra thin house-made roti, more suitable for ripping and dipping than wrapping like a Trinidadian roti, says Ryan Chew, who runs the restaurant with his parents. Another curry must-try: call ahead to order the fish head curry, a massive slow-cooked grouper head that feeds four to six diners.

815 Major Mackenzie Dr. E., Richmond Hill, 905-508-1432, restoranmalaysia.com

Randy’s Take Out’s Jamaican patties

Located in the heart of Toronto’s Little Jamaica at Eglinton Ave. W. at Oakwood Ave., Randy’s has consistently had lineups since it opened in 1978 to serve some of the best Jamaican patties in the city. Inside each flaky yellow pastry (a riff on the Cornish pastry introduced by British colonialists) is perfectly seasoned curried ground beef, chicken or vegetables, packing a wallop of scotch bonnet and peppery notes (essential Jamaican flavours). Sandwich the patty between sweet cocoa bread to help absorb some of the heat, or do what most customers do and buy a box of 12 to take home.

1569 Eglinton Ave. W., 416-781-5313, randyspatties.com

Tich’s dak bungalow

Not commonly seen on Toronto menus, the dak bungalow is said to have originated from India’s state of West Bengal when it was under British rule centuries ago. The dish is named after government-owned guest houses that provided lodging and food for travelling officials, says Tich owner Karan Kalia, who wanted to showcase lesser known Indian dishes. This simple but filling curry of chicken and boiled eggs is cooked in an aromatic base of turmeric, green and black cardamom, garlic, green chilies and lots of ginger.

2314 Lake Shore Blvd. W., 647-349-8424; 2491 Lake Shore Blvd. W. (takeout location) 647-349-8424 ext. 2, tich.ca

Pai’s gaeng aom

Thai curries have the distinction of having bright, herbal and sour notes thanks to the use of lemongrass, galangal, fresh ginger and makrut lime leaves. Chef Nuit Regular’s gaeng aom carries the characteristics of curries found in Thailand’s northeastern region, which favours a heavier use of vegetables and less coconut milk, she says. Gaeng aom is made from slow-cooking veal tendon and meat with the aforementioned herbs and a dash of bile — the liquid secreted from the animal’s liver. The bile’s bitterness adds body to the curry’s tartness, creating a subtle extra layer of flavour.

18 Duncan St., 416-901-4724, paitoronto.com

Nana’s green curry

Originating in Thailand’s central region, green curries are favoured for their rich, slightly sweet coconut broth that get their colour from green chilies, Thai basil leaves, lemongrass and makrut lime leaves. Coconut milk makes it rather mild, allowing herbal flavours to shine. Nana’s version isn’t shy on chilies, though, so have an extra order of rice to help spread the spice.

785 Queen St. W., 647-352-5773, stnnana.com

Read more about: