A curry may be described as a brown stew with curry powder added to it.
Cut up a chicken, veal, lamb or whatever is to be curried, and fry the pieces in butter until the outside of them is a very light brown, and while frying sprinkle over a teaspoonful of curry powder. Then put in a minced onion, some salt and a little water or broth, cover with the lid and simmer until the meat is tender. Take the pieces out on a hot dish, pour off the grease from the pan and make gravy in it and thicken in the usual way and pour it over the meat. It is customary to serve dry boiled rice with a curry, and a border to the dish may be made with it and the curry dished in the center.
Whitehead’s Family Cook Book, 1891