AUTHENTIC: Chicken Korma by John Krickl, executive chef, Northwestern University. Photograph: John Krickl, District Executive Chef, Campus Services, Sodexo, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

Embarking on a journey to find authentic curry often finds intrepid foodservice professionals discouraged from the moment they hear an expert say, “There's no such thing as curry spice.”

“When most people think of curry, they're thinking of that jar of yellow curry powder. But curry itself isn't a spice. It's a blend of spices customized to the kind of regional or family recipe you are making,” says Neela Paniz, Indian food restauranteur and teacher, who presented at this year's Chefs Culinary Conference at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

“Curry is also a stew that you create with a base of aromatics such as onions, tomatoes, green chilies, garlic, yogurt or cream, depending on the region,” says Paniz, who grew up in Bombay. “You use whole and ground spices, and you come up with a lovely paste that becomes the sauce base. Meat can cook in that and make its own stew.”

While Paniz is describing curry from India, the dish can be found all over the world, in many different guises. Curry means something different to someone in India than it does to someone in England, Thailand, Pakistan, Japan, Bangladesh and even the Caribbean. There is a big difference in style, taste and aroma, even among regions in the Indian Subcontinent.

Those distinctions, along with the knowledge that making an authentic curry requires chefs to toast many bold spices, understand many different regions, and work with ingredients they may not be familiar with, can add up to a rather intimidating task.

The good news is, there's more than one way of arriving at the destination of authentic curry.

Southeast Asia via Northwestern University

In his search for authentic curry, John Krickl, district executive chef, Campus Services, Sodexo, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, developed recipes with Thai food expert Mai Pham. As part of Northwestern's nuCuisine program, which emphasizes fresh food, consistency across dining halls and sustainability, Pham worked with the chefs to put together recipes that would be easy to prepare while hitting the right flavor notes.

“We really wanted authentic food, and these Thai and Asian Rim style dishes really are authentic if we follow the directions that have been laid out for us,” Krickl says.

Northwestern chefs also achieve authentic curry flavors by incorporating a few prepared sauce bases, then adding a protein and finishing with rice or naan bread.

The prepared sauces are from a great manufacturer that gives really good menu suggestions, and they save a lot of labor, Krickl says. Sure, you may not be toasting and grinding every single spice, but it's a great way for foodservice operations to achieve the right flavors.