Curry: It's not a recipie, it's a platform...

First off, we should start with a discussion of what "Curry" technically is.  I'm not going to reinvent the wheel here, so I'll just post a link:

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/184/Curry

Now that we have that out of the way, we can being with my personal "curry platform".  By using a different curry paste, or a different protein, or whatever, you can turn a basic idea into any number of quick easy meals.

The basics:
Red, green or yellow curry paste.  I've only managed to find red and green in wegmans so far.  I suspect the yellow and possibly better quality red and green's are hiding somewhere in the mysterious natural foods section with all the scary tofu eating hippies.
Red or green curry powder.  I like to use some of each, because it makes each last longer, and I think it creates a deeper flavor.
Cumin, Turmeric, Coriander, Cayenne (if you want it spicier, which I generally do), and garam masala.  Be careful with the last stuff.  It's got a spice mix with a unique flavor thats generated mostly by allspice.  And no, allspice is NOT just a mixture of all the spices.
Coconut Milk.  Even if we weren't aiming for health food here, use the low fat stuff, because the regular stuff is closer to coconut gloop.  Seriously, it's tasty, but you could do drywall with the stuff.  It's also important to note that coconut milk is not coconut water, the liquid that comes from inside a fresh coconut.

So thats your basic ingredients.  One of my favorite uses is the following, a red thai curry with tomatoes, served over rice.

Start up some basmati rice.  You can use regular rice, but if you're looking to go authentic, get the good stuff.

Cut up a couple of chicken breasts.  Season them with salt and pepper.

Open a can of diced tomatoes.  I use the ones from wegmans with garlic and onion already in the mix, so I don't have to cut up garlic and onion.  Drain them well-ish.  We're making Indian/Thai food, not Italian, we dont want a lot of tomato juice in here.

Cook the chicken through in a saute pan of some sort.  Add the coconut milk and .  Add 1-2 tablespoons of curry paste, 1-2 tablespoons of curry powder, 1 tablespoon of cumin, 1/2 tumeric, 1/2 coriander, cayenne to taste, and 1/4-1/2 garam marsala.  Thats the strong stuff.  It can easily over power everything else if you're not careful with it.

Let this cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes to let the flavors get together and the sauce thicken up a bit.  Serve over rice.

So thats a chicken and tomatoes curry.  I've made it with bell peppers before.  I've made it with green curry paste/powder, no turmeric, less cumin, no garam marsala, shrimp and snow peas.  I've eaten it over naan (which you can buy premade at wegmans now) too.  I've considered eating it over potatoes, which is traditional in India as well.

Yay curry.