Less Inauthentic Curry

I once bought some Trader Joe's curry-in-a-jar, thinking it would be a perfect solution for when my hunger didn't meet the local delivery minimums. It was awful: it didn't taste anything like actual Indian food and it was watery. I later made a second jar with less water, but it didn't save all that much energy - is it really that hard to chop an onion? - and still didn't taste particularly good.

I've heard many complaints about the inauthenticity of Cook's Illustrated recipes, but they're still better than curry-in-a-jar. Their lamb curry with figs and fenugreek isn't all that complicated - saute onions; add a large pile of the usual suspects at the same time as the lamb; cook until things start separating; add water, figs, and a jalapeno; simmer for 30-40mins and then eat. I know there's no such thing as "Indian curry" but it's the distilled essence of Indian food simplified for a busy cook. Ironically, it still turned out a bit more watery than I wanted, but the flavors are so much more intense. Since I already own all the spices, it's not that much more difficult than curry-in-a-jar. And it goes well with leftover matzah. Read More......