We love Indian food so much that we’d whip up a different curry every night of the week, if it weren’t for our nutty schedules and aversion to dishwashing. Our homemade curry forays are limited to weekends with plenty of friends to help with the dishes. Thank goodness for that little jar of Indian magic in our refrigerator, Patak’s curry paste—a spicy bit of Indian goodness to satisfy our weekday curry cravings.

Patak’s Foods began in the London kitchen of L.G. and Shanta Pathak, immigrants from from Gujarat who sold Indian sweets and snacks out their back door. Word got out about the deliciousness of these treats, and soon their 10-year-old son, Kirit, was delivering the Pathak’s specialties by Tube all over London. The business grew as the Pathaks developed recipes for pickles and spice pastes that could be kept for weeks in the refrigerator with no loss of flavor, which allowed customers to make curry easily at home. The company is now run by Kirit’s daughter, Anjali, and continues to develop new products for the growing number of Indian food lovers all over the world.

Patak’s mild curry paste is a well-balanced blend of spices heavy on cumin, coriander and turmeric. Slightly sweet, yet rich and complex, it is as delicious in a vinaigrette or stirred into a bit of mayonnaise for a sandwich as it is in a chicken or vegetable curry. For a super-quick healthy dinner, cook a bit of onion or shallot with some Patak’s curry paste, then add a diced sweet potato, some sliced chicken breast and a can of coconut milk. Simmer and finish with a handful of spinach leaves and a squeeze of lime juice. With Patak’s the possibilities are endless, and a little goes a long way, so get your curry on tonight!