Curry may be one of the most misused words in our culinary vocabulary. My dictionary defines it as ''curry powder'' or ''a food made with curry powder.''

Enter Madhur Jaffrey, the respected Indian actress and cooking teacher. Say ''curry'' and watch her grow flushed, not in reaction to the spice, but with anger.

''To me, the word `curry` is as degrading to India`s great cuisine as the term `chop suey` was to China`s,'' she writes in ''An Invitation to Indian Cooking.'' There is no curry in India, she explains. The word was coined by the English (and propagated by restaurateurs and recipe writers of many nationalities). She also blames the British for curry powder, ''standard blends of several spices'' that ''attempts to oversimplify (and destroy)''

Indian cuisine.

No Indian uses commercial curry powder, she insists, nor do Indian cooks mix their own, because they use a different blend of spices for each recipe and insist on freshly ground spices instead of a bottled mixture that is powdered and possibly stale.

Other nations are more lax in their use of the word. One finds ''curry''

in the lexicon of Thai, Chinese, Indonesian and even Japanese and West Indian culinary repertories. Convenience-minded Americans accepted the British concept of curry powder with the same alacrity we accepted marmalade.

Certainly, when you see the work that goes into producing an authentic Indian dish or curry from another Asian nation, it`s easy to understand why.

Consider the ingredients and process necessary to make Thai red-curry paste from scratch: dried red chilies or cayenne pepper, shallots, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, laos (Siamese ginger), coriander roots, salt, lime zest, lemon grass, black peppercorns, Kaffir lime powder, garlic, shrimp paste and vegetable oil. Traditionally, the red-curry paste is pounded into existence in a mortar. In the age of electricity, a food processor lessens the labor but not the effort necessary to gather the ingredients. (For those so inclined, proportions and detailed instructions for making this curry paste can be found in Jennifer Brennan`s ''Thai Cooking,'' available in paperback.) In the post-World War II years, when Americans were discovering the cuisines of the world, curry powder found its ways into countless soups, hors d`oeuvres and salads. The temptation to mix a little into mayonnaise, intended for almost any purpose, was irresistible. Gradually, the use of curry has declined, probably due more to a decline in chafing-dish-buffet entertaining and the serving of heavy hors d`oeuvres than to the efforts of culinary purists.

Curry powder still has its uses, notably in salad dressing, hot and cold sauces, soups and sandwich spreads. The commercial product does present a paradox, however. Like perfume, it should be used with discretion, even to the point of being so subtle that only the cook realizes the identity of the

''secret'' ingredient. But like any ground spice or spice mixture, curry powder goes flat and stale with time. Buy the smallest amount possible and store the jar or tin in the freezer.

The recipe that follows is an American version of curry from the late 1950s. This is the sort of dish that filled, and still fills, countless chafing dishes at buffet suppers across the nation.

SEAFOOD CURRY MALAYAN

8 to 10 servings

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, sliced

4 tablespoons flour

2 cups chicken bouillon

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ginger

3 tablespoons curry powder, or less to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cucumber, diced

2 cups crabmeat, fresh or frozen

2 cups peeled shrimp

1. Melt butter in a high-sided skillet. Add onion and cook over low heat until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Add flour and stir for 1 minute. Add bouillon slowly, stirring, and cook until sauce is thickened and smooth. Stir in lemon juice, ginger, curry powder, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

3. Stir in cucumber, crabmeat and shrimp. Heat for about 5 minutes.

4. Serve with rice and pass some or all of the following at the table:

chopped almonds or peanuts, raisins, sliced avocado, crisp bacon bits, grated coconut.

-Adapted from ''Thoughts for Buffets''

The next recipe comes from India. It`s an assertively seasoned stew with a reddish sauce.

CHICKEN WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND BUTTER

Six servings

4 chicken legs, skinned, thighs separated from drumsticks

2 chicken breasts, skinned and quartered

1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

5 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 piece of gingerroot (2 inches long), peeled and coarsely chopped

1 stick cinnamon, broken up

6 cardamom pods, broken and seeds extracted

8 whole cloves

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

2 bay leaves, crumbled

1 hot dried red pepper (or more, if desired), crumbled

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 can (16 ounces) tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter, in 4 pieces

1. Prepare chicken pieces, pat dry and set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric blender, combine the onion, garlic, gingerroot, cinnamon, cardamom seeds, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, red pepper and 3 tablespoons water. Blend to make a smooth paste.

3. Heat the oil in a casserole or Dutch oven. Add 4 or 5 chicken pieces and brown them quickly over high heat (about 1 minute on each side). Remove with a slotted spoon and repeat until all the chicken is browned.

4. Turn heat down to medium and add paste from the blender. Stir the paste for about 5 minutes, making sure none sticks to the bottom of the casserole and burns. Add tomato sauce, 3/4 cup water and salt. Bring liquid to a boil, cover pan and turn heat to low. Simmer mixture gently for 30 minutes, stirring 4 or 5 times.

5. Add chicken pieces and any juice to the casserole. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer gently for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring 4 or 5 times. (Recipe may be made ahead to this point. Reheat before final step.)

6. Remove casserole from heat. Add butter pieces and stir them until absorbed into the sauce.

7. Serve with rice, an Indian bread such as naan and a vegetable.

-Adapated from ''An Invitation to Indian Cooking,'' by Madhur Jaffrey

Thai cooks don`t mind if their stews are called curries. But they also don`t bother to warn Westerners that it`s helpful to have a fire extinguisher at the table when you serve them. Use the full amount of curry paste and this dish becomes a spicy firecracker.

THAI RED-BEEF CURRY

Six to eight servings

2 cans (13 ounces each) unsweetened canned coconut milk+

1 cup whipping cream

2 to 3 tablespoons red curry paste (krung gaeng ped)+

2 pounds round or flank steak, sliced into strips 2