Topic: Curry Base

[stewpot007]

Curry Base

All Curry Gravies are made in separate stages.
No one seems to agree exactly how to make them.
You can?t exactly duplicate the flavour, but you can get close.
Here?s what is a good attempt.

Ingredients 1
1 kg onions roughly chopped
3 teaspoons crushed garlic (or bottled)
3 teaspoons of minced ginger (or bottled)
10 (yes, ten) tablespoons of oil

Ingredients 2
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground chilli
? teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala

Ingredients 3
1 small can of tomato soup
Same volume of water
1 bay leaf
4 green cardamoms
1 black cardamon (very important)
2 teaspoon of Methi (dried fenugreek, also very important)
Mix all the above to a stiff paste with water

Method
In a large pot add the oil and stir fry the onions for five minutes on high
Turn down the heat and cook for 40 minutes, checking that they don?t stick and burn.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook another ten minutes.
Turn off the heat and let it go completely cold.
If possible leave for a day
If it?s not cold you will ruin the flavour.
Remove what oil you can and then blend.
Put all the oil (except 2 tablespoons) back into the blended mixture.

In another pan, on a gentle heat, fry with the saved 2 tablespoons of oil, ingredients 2 for two minutes.
Stir constantly and take great care not to burn.
Add this to the onion blend along with everything else.
Boil thirty minutes and it?s ready.

You can add precooked curried ingredients to this or use in other recipes to make Vindaloo, madras korma etc