Nearly every curry includes several ingredients and spices, including tomatoes, vegetables, meat, onions, and more. This is what makes curries so tasty, but it also has the unintended consequence of hastening their rapid deterioration.
What is the shelf life of homemade curry in the refrigerator? The standard storage duration for each dish should be 1-2 days because of the wide variety of curries. Curries may only be kept for an extended period if frozen, extending that period to at least 6-8 weeks. More information about how to store curry, identify if it’s gone bad, and extend its shelf life may be found below.
What is Curry?
Fish, meat, or vegetables can all be used to make the dish known as curry.
It frequently contains curry leaves, other spices, and various spices like ginger.
Since a curry includes more liquid than a soup or stew, the component can be cooked in addition to simmering with its sauce.
Curry had its roots in southern India, then it moved throughout Asia and gained popularity worldwide.
Curry is derived from the Tamil word “Kari” (pronounced “ka-REE”), which also means sauce.
Curry dishes come in various flavors, including red, green, yellow, and Panang.
Regional variations also exist; Thai curries frequently use lemongrass, whereas Indian curries typically employ chili peppers.
Other elements that influence how a dish will taste are the type of meat used, and the vegetables added.
How Long does Homemade Curry Last in the Fridge?
Curry, bought or made at home, will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. On the other hand, the curry will last for a month if you freeze it. Allow the curry to cool at room temperature before reheating it, and inspect it for any obvious indications of poor flavor, aroma, or quality.
Depending on the variety, handmade or takeout curry will remain fresh in the refrigerator for 1 to 5 days. A decent rule of thumb is to consume food, whether handmade or takeout, within 3–4 days of storage and to keep an eye out for expiration indicators like smell and texture.
Curry batter should be stored in the refrigerator after being opened in an airtight container or covered in plastic. It could also take up to three days, depending on the type of curry and storage conditions. Because curry roux is created with natural ingredients, keep any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container where they can last for 5-7 days.
How to Freeze Curry?
Make a plan and carefully select your ingredients.
Make your curry using fresh ingredients if you intend to freeze it in advance (i.e., not previously frozen ingredients).
Verify that the curry is initially suitable for freezing if you purchase it from a takeout or grocery store.
To safely freeze and defrost the rice side dishes and the main curry meal, try to keep them apart if feasible.
With foods like Biryani, you won’t be able to do this, but be sure to cool down rice-based curries as quickly as you can, freeze them right away, and then defrost and reheat them as quickly as you can (for example, I wouldn’t recommend defrosting Biryani at room temperature over a day).
The curry must work thoroughly cool.
When the curry is ready to be frozen, allow it to cool properly at room temperature first.
Spreading the curry dish out in a shallow dish and moving it around the kitchen will hasten this process. The curry dish can be cooled on a cold surface (such as a marble chopping board).
Organize your curry into servings.
In advance, divide the curry into servings based on the size of your family or the number of people you intend to serve it to.
Make sure to leave some room on top of your curry because it may expand slightly once frozen (i.e., don’t fill the container to the top).
Freeze Curry Quickly
Put the container in the bottom of your freezer for a quicker freezing time. Curry will be safer to keep frozen for a longer period the faster it freezes.
Move a few of the other frozen food items to a different area of the freezer container from the curry to ensure that it freezes properly (I usually use the bottom shelf of my freezer for fast freezing and move the food container to the top shelf once frozen).
How to Defrost Curry?
Curry is Thawed in the Refrigerator
The simplest method is to remove the frozen curry from the freezer the night before you need it and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight to defrost (still in the closed container to prevent any strong flavors from infusing the rest of your food in the fridge). Defrosting might take anywhere from 4 to 8 hours, depending on the size of the container.
Transfer the curry to a suitable saucepan and heat it on the stovetop or in the microwave once it has fully defrosted in the refrigerator.
At Room Temperature
With this technique, you should exercise caution since the longer the curry sits at room temperature after it has defrosted, the greater the likelihood it may begin to grow dangerous bacteria. This is especially crucial if your curry includes meat or fish.
In the Microwave
You don’t need to worry about defrosting the curries the night before in this quick and simple way.
I’d advise using the “thaw” function on most modern microwaves to defrost the curries first properly.
Before switching to the heating setting and heating your curry on full power for 3-6 minutes, depending on size, stir the container to ensure that it is completely defrosted. To ensure that the curry is heating up evenly, stir it every couple of minutes.
If your microwave doesn’t have a defrost mode, you can use the standard setting, but only very carefully. Depending on the size of your container and the curry portion, I’d advise heating the curry in the microwave for only 20 to 30 seconds at a time, stirring it in the container to disperse the heat, and then heating it again.
How to Store Curry?
Curry has the advantage of being versatile in terms of storage.
Most of the time, transferring any curry to an airtight container and putting it in the fridge or freezer is the best way to store it, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, put the leftover curry in the fridge within two hours of cooking it.
Some curries shouldn’t be exposed to the air for an hour. This is because depending on how hot the kitchen and ambient temperatures are, things could start to spoil earlier.
As a best practice, it is always preferable to allow the curry to cool before putting it in the refrigerator to extend its shelf life. We advise preparing the curry at least 30-45 minutes in advance if you intend to serve it immediately.
Some Steps to Store:
- Transfer the curry from the cooking saucepan to a clean container using a clean spoon.
- To extend the shelf life of the cuisine, remove any toppings like cilantro or extra ghee.
- Put the date the curry was prepared on the container and keep it in the back or the coldest area of your refrigerator.
- After 48 hours, you can either eat the leftovers by adding new garnish or put them in the freezer to store them for longer. Ensure no remaining moisture is on the container’s sides to prevent freezer burn.
How to Identify Whether Curry has Gone Bad?
The texture and smell of your curry can indicate whether it has gone rotten.
If your curry has a sour or tangy smell, it hasn’t gone well and needs to be thrown out.
When touching the curry, if you feel anything slimy, the curry has gone rotten. You can also warm up the curry a little and massage a little of it between your thumb and index finger. When you slowly detach your finger from your thumb, you should look for a slimy thread; this is a sign of a terrible curry.
Following are a few warning signals to watch out for:
Frothing or Foaming
As a curry heats up, a thick foam may form; this could mean that it has spoiled. The foam may initially form in the corners before spreading out across the full surface of the dish.
It is preferable to toss the curry unless it contains an ingredient like baking powder or baking soda.
Mold
Any color of discoloration or mold is an obvious indication of deterioration. If this occurs, you must throw away the curry without attempting to repair it.
A bad stench, a thick slime, or a sour or bitter taste are other warning indicators.
What are the Side Effects of Consuming Curry?
Curry consumption doesn’t have any known negative effects. However, when used excessively or in some particular medical circumstances, it can have a negative impact.
According to some people, it causes allergic reactions. You ought to quit utilizing this herb in this situation.
Curry can have negative consequences on a pregnant or nursing woman’s health. Thus, they should seek advice from a professional before ingesting it. Additionally, it is best to refrain from using this leaf excessively.
Curry oil has been observed in some instances to weaken the roots, which causes hair to fall out.
Conclusion
Curry should also be stored away from light. This will prevent it from getting contaminated by strong odors and helps it keep its flavor. One of the more common indicators of a spoiled curry is its smell. A sour smell, similar to sour milk, signifies that the dish is going bad.
If you’re unsure how to tell if homemade curry has gone well in the fridge, it may be time to throw it out. Depending on the ingredients used and the cooking method, the duration of a curried recipe can vary. Curries usually last two to three days after opening. Some curries, like tofu ones, can stay fresh for a week after opening.