How to Make a Seven Curry Spread

Close-up of Guyanese seven curry on a lotus leaf: rice topped with yellow dhal, surrounded by pumpkin, bhaji, katahar and mango curry

How to Make a Seven Curry Spread

Everything you need to cook a full Guyanese seven curry meal at home: a shopping list for all seven curries and a game plan, so everything is ready on time.

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 2 30

Total Time 3 15

Servings

Calories 787kcal

Ingredients

For the dhal

1 cup yellow split peas

For the katahar

1 lb katahar (prepackaged, steamed and frozen)
2 cups coconut milk

For the baigan and eddo

2 eggplants (large)
1 lb eddoes

For the channa and aloo

1 can chickpeas (15 oz)
1 lb potatoes (gold or russet)

For the mango curry

2 lbs young green mangoes
2 tablespoons brown sugar

For the pumpkin

2 lbs pumpkin

For the bhaji

3 bundles fresh spinach
1 cup coconut milk

Shared aromatics and spices

7 yellow onions
4 heads garlic (about 35 cloves)
2/3 cup curry powder
2 tbsp geera (roasted ground cumin)
1 tbsp garam masala
8 wiri wiri peppers
1 cup oil (neutral tasting for cooking)
Salt (to taste)
Scallions and cilantro (for garnish)

To Serve

White rice (how to cook rice)
Lotus or banana leaves (optional)

Instructions

Day Before

Prep ahead: soak the split peas for the dhal. If you like, make the dhal, channa and aloo, and katahar the day before, since they taste even better the next day. Refrigerate, then reheat gently while you cook the rest.
Make a curry paste: mix the curry powder, geera, garam masala and a little water into one big batch of paste. Store it covered in the fridge and divide it between the curries as you cook.
Prep everything except the eggplant (about 45 minutes): chop all the onions, garlic and wiri wiri peppers and divide them by dish. Peel and cube the potatoes, eddoes, pumpkin and mangoes. Peel and cut the eggplant on the day of cooking so it doesn’t brown. Wash and chop the spinach.

Cooking day (about 3 1/2 hours before serving)

Cook two dishes at a time on the stove, with the dhal in the Instant Pot, and plan to finish about 1 hour before you eat. That leaves time to clean up, get ready, and handle anything that goes wrong, like a pot boiling over. All of these dishes reheat well.
The curry base: the baigan curry, channa and aloo, and mango curry all start the same way. Cook a diced onion with a pinch of salt in oil until soft, add grated garlic for a minute, then add some of the curry paste. Cook it, stirring, until it thickens and dries, 3 to 5 minutes. Add a splash of water if it starts to stick.
Start the katahar first: get the katahar curry simmering. It needs about 1½ hours, so it goes first.
Start the dhal next: make the dhal on the stovetop, or use my Instant Pot dhal so it cooks on its own while you focus on the curries. Keep it warm until serving, and hold off on the chunkay until the end.
Baigan and eddo curry: make the curry base. Add the eddoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch wedges, and stir to coat. Then add the eggplant, peeled, diced and kept in water until now. Sauté 2 minutes, then cover and simmer on low, adding warm water as needed, until the eddoes are fork-tender and the eggplant is soft.
Channa and aloo: when the baigan curry is done, move it off the heat, covered. Make the curry base, then add the drained chickpeas and cubed potatoes and sauté a minute or two. Add the liquid from the can and about 1 cup of water. Cover and cook, stirring now and then, until the potatoes are tender and the sauce thickens into a gravy.
Mango curry: once the katahar is done, move it off the heat and cover. Then make the curry base. Add the peeled, seeded green mango pieces, the brown sugar, the whole wiri wiri peppers and about 1½ cups of water. Boil 5 minutes, then simmer on medium-low for about 20 minutes, until the mangoes are soft and melty.
Start the rice. Put it on a back burner and let it steam while you finish up.
Finish with the quick dishes: cook the Guyanese pumpkin, then the bhaji, last, since spinach is best fresh.
Just before serving: for a gathering, keep the curries on warmers. For a family meal, reheat them in their pots on the stove or in the microwave. Then chunkay the dhal: heat a little oil, add garlic and geera until fragrant, and pour it into the dhal.
Plate it: put rice in the center of each leaf or plate, spoon each curry around it, and pour the dhal over the top last. Garnish with scallions and cilantro. Eat with your right hand, if you like.

Notes

Make ahead: the dhal, channa and aloo, and katahar hold well, so make them the day before.
Fewer curries: most homes make 4 or 5 for an everyday meal. Always include dhal, then pick your favorites.
Prefer the stovetop dhal? Use my stovetop dhal on a third burner.
Full recipes: each linked recipe has the full amounts and steps.
Reheating: all of these dishes reheat well. Keep them on warmers for a gathering, or reheat them on the stove or in the microwave for a family meal.

Nutrition