Curry is the holy grail of all food. It tastes great, but it's easy to cook. It's unusual enough to impress fellow potluck goers and romantic interests, while body checking you out of whatever culinary rut you're in. The ingredients aren't hard to find, and there aren't that many of them to begin with.

So fear not: There's no reason to travel to the other side of the world for good curry. All you need a basic grocery store, a modest sense of adventure, and this book.