Curry was initially used for all the type of dishes that were like a stew or sauce. Most Indian restaurants have the word curry on their menus and dishes like Tarka daal, makhani or karahi curry are curry dishes. Curry powder can be found in the Indian grocery aisle.
There are hundreds of varieties of such meals served in the Indian restaurants. A basic curry can be made with a wide range of combination of meats and vegetables like potato, onion, spinach, mushroom cooked in spices, herbs, and onion and tomato sauce.
Curry powder is made with herbs used to enhance the flavour of dishes. It is made from fresh vegetables or meats or pulses (or lentils).
The South-East Asian curries contain fresh paste of ginger garlic, chillies and herbs like lemongrass, which makes the puree thick. When these are cooked in oil and boiled in small amount of water, it creates a soupy base.
The base can be mixed with fried, boiled or pre-cooked vegetables or meat or chicken to get a unique soupy flavour , often taken with bread, roti or rice.