Curry Recipes Online
Curry Base Recipes => Curry Sauce, Curry Base , Curry Gravy Recipes, Secret Curry Base => Topic started by: Yousef on June 25, 2007, 12:01 PM
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This recipe calls for frying onion until softened, then pureeing.
I have not posted for a while but this recipe is very very close as a BIR curry sauce.
It just needs time to darken: -
Ingredients
1/2 Cup veg oil
3 Large Onions - Finely Chopped
1 Can Tinned Tomato 400g tin chopped
15 Garlic Bulbs Cloves (yes 15)
1 Cube Ginger
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon - Coriander
1 Tablespoon - Cumin
1 Tablespoon - Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon - Paprika
1 Tablespoon - Turmeric
Method
1. Take a stock pot
2. Heat veg oil
3. Add Onions fry until softened or until they turn a little darker (15 to 20 mins), this should take the acid out of them.
4. Blend onions with 1 tin toms, garlic bulbs, ginger & some water until become a puree / has a soup like texture.
5 Put the puree into the stock pot on a medium heat add 1 teaspoon salt.
6. Cook gently (medium high heat) until starting to become darker, this could be an hour or so, keep it going the longer the better, add water or cup chicken stock iif becomes to thick.
7. Add the ground spices (coriander/cumin/chili/paprika/turmeric) into the puree and stir
8. Cook until the oil rises to the top this is the sign the base sauce is ready, but make sure it is dark.
This is an adaption from this recipe which is real and from a restaurant in Bradford.
I was so impressed with the sauce i have adapted it above and now think this could be the real thing
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1846.msg16005#msg16005
Copyright CR0.co.uk
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15 Garlic Bulbs (yes 15)
Do you really mean 15 whole bulbs and not 15 cloves(segments) of garlic?
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15 Segments, give it a go.
Stew
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Just made this sauce, it looks and smells promising, I will post my results when I have made a curry with it.
cK
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Eagerly awaiting with great big spoon :P
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how mnay is thias supposed to serve?
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Hi Lagathy,
Subject to Stew's confirmation, I'd suggest this would produce enough base for about 6-8 servings (assuming 200ml of base per serving)
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This should give you 4 or 5 curries, i usually use 2.5 ladles per curry.
Let us know how you got on CK.
S 8)
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Thanks Boss :-* Smells great! :P Tastes very nice and alot more flavoursome than other bases I've tried ;D....Now I need a good recipe to try it out on....Have you any recommendations?
Just after I added the spices....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v119/xx_dominatrix_xx/BossBase1.jpg)
Finished result.....
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v119/xx_dominatrix_xx/BossBase2.jpg)
BTW I got 5 portions out of this one ;)
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Hi Dominatrixxx, ;) that looks superb. Nice one. ;D
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Hey mike ;)
I've just got to say I've just made a bhuna using this base and it is FANTASTIC! :o
This base is better than Darth's IMO (and I never thought I'd hear meself say that :o )
Superb base!!!
If you don't try it then there's something wrong with you :D
100% bang on ;D ;D ;D ;D
Bugger the stew bases, bugger the turnip/parsnip sweetness etc etc..... I have been converted :-*
And there's no need to leave it overnight either.....in fact, I doubt you'd be able to 8)
Thanks Boss :o
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Looks like its on the to do list ;D Was going to do a batch of Darth`s base but being as you recommend it so strongly I will give it a go. What Bhuna recipe did you use chuck? ;D
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Hi team, ;) what size "cube" of ginger/tin of tomatoes did you use?
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Hi Mike,
I just used an inch cube of ginger, roughly chopped (it gets blended)
I also use 1 400g tin of cheap chopped tomatoes (12p)
Stew
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I've got the base made up ready to go so will report tomorrow on how it goes. Mine looks svery similar to the pics not the usual yellow\brown colour.
cK
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Mine looks svery similar to the pics not the usual yellow\brown colour.
That'll be the paprika, i've often wondered if the BIR's mix paprika and chilli together, cos then it would be easier to tell how Hot the dish is by the colour...also you never see 2 separate pots of reddish powder around the rest of the spices, and Hot dishes always come darker.
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That'll be the paprika, i've often wondered if the BIR's mix paprika and chilli together, cos then it would be easier to tell how Hot the dish is by the colour...also you never see 2 separate pots of reddish powder around the rest of the spices, and Hot dishes always come darker.
You could be right there John although I have tried bases with paprika in before that still come out that dark yellow color, maybe it's that this base leaves a lot of regular things out. Anyway I am trying it tonight so will report on the final curry and if I get a chance take some pics.
cK
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This is the bhuna I made last night with this base.....MMMMMMMmmmmmm :P
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v119/xx_dominatrix_xx/BossBaseBhuna.jpg)
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???
Can't see anything D!! :(
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it shows fine for me Swampy ???
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:(
Something wrong this end then. Oh well!
So you rate this base sauce better that Darth's ???
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Yep ;D I know the recipe doesn't look like it should be, but it is (for my tastes anyways). I'm gonna have to try it out on different recipes, but if the bhuna was anything to go by, it's faultless ;) I know I could be accused of arse-kissing but don't knock it till you've tried it lol :D
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Don't think anyone could accuse you of butt kissing :-*
Anyway you've convinced me to give it a go ( the base sauce that is) ;D
Looks simple enough for me to get everything I need out here. 8)
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Bhuna looks nice Dom ;) I will properly give it a go at the weekend. ;D
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So what recipes can we do with this base, Stew?
I want to try this one
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I made a chicken madras with this last night and have to say it is very good. I only had a couple of tastes as I am eating it tonight :P Initial thoughts were very good with a certain sweetness my usual base lacks. I find it difficult to tell how good a curry really is until I have stopped cooking and cleared my senses so will be able to judge better later.
cK
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Hi Haldi,
Well you know me, i only cook madras and i use the following recipe: -
MADRAS
Ingredients
- Pre Cooked Chicken or Prawns etc
- 2.5 Ladles Curry Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Chefs Spice Mix - SEE FAQ's
- 1 Teaspoon Pataks Balti Paste
- 3 Tablespoons Veg Oil
- Pinch Dried Fenugreek
- Chopped Coriander Leaf and Stalks (important the stalks)
Method
- Heat Oil over highest flame
- Add 1 Tablespoon of curry sauce
- Add Spice Mix
- Stir and shake for 30 seconds
- Add a little more curry sauce
- Add pre cooked chicken or prawns
- cook for 1 min or so
- Add curry sauce (2.5 ladles)
- Add Balit Paste
- Add fenugreek
- cook over high heat for 6 minutes
- Add coriander
- Leave to cool a couple of mins, serve
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That looks nice and simple.
Now I need to adapt the recipe to change a madras to a vindaloo or whatever.
The less complicated the better ;D
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Thanks for the recipes Stew 8)
...a Madras with no chilli powder (or even fresh chillis) in it Stew? :-\
And how big might your ladles be? 2.5 ladles = about 350ml would you say?
By "Chef's Spice Mix", do you actually mean Bruce Edward's Spice Mix Stew?
FAQ's (for Bruce Edward's Spice Mix) here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=776.0 and othewise in the "Supplimentary Recipes" section here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1546.0
Wouldn't it be much easier (and cleaner) to post the Madras recipe in the "Recipes - Main Dishes" Section and just post the link to it in this thread here Stew, just to maintain the integrity of the forum and make searching easier?
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Oh,
Sorry guys, Yes add maybe 2 teaspoons of Chili Powder to heat it up to madras strength.
The spice mix can be hot if it contains Chili Powder anyway.
Stew
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Hi Guys,
Made the base last night, took over 2 hours but well pleased with the result, I'll try to post a pic later.
Have a couple of questions as this is my first real foray into the art.
How much base is a ladle? (mls or fluid ounces?).
How do I pre-cook the meat?
How thick should the base be, mine resembles thick tomatoe sauce, should it be fairly thin, can I thin it down with something?
Really appreciate any help.
TC
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Hi TC ;)
The sauce is quite thick but I wouldn't water it down, I made another batch of this yesterday (using hot CP and smoked paprika, tastes great :D) and I ended up with about a litre of sauce.
Most home ladles hold around 100ml (I think ??? lol) although I never go by a "ladleful" simply because some people's are bigger than others lol (lucky buggers :P )....typically I make my batches up to 250 mls each :)
Here are a couple of threads on pre-cooking meats...
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1232.0
OR
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=80.0
Hope this helps :)
D ;D
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Thanks Dom,
Am I right therefor to assume 250 mls would be the right amount for a single
curry or do I use 2? times the 250 mls?
Sorry if I sound thick but going to make a madras tonight once I work out how to pre-cook the chicken.
TC
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250 mls should be enough to make a curry for 2 (depending on their appetites lol) although it sometimes depends upon the recipe you're making, some call for more base sauce than others). The bhuna I made using one batch of base made easily enough for me & him indoors though ;D
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Hi topconker,
Have a look here for a method for precooking chicken:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=158.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=158.0)
You can also just bring it to the boil in some water with a teaspoon of turmeric, will come out nice and tender but won't have as much flavor. I use both methods depedning on time.
Still not quite sure on this base yet I ate my madras and although was very nice seemed to be lacking something. I am going to make one of fav's a lamb bhuna tonight so that will be the definitive test.
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The spice mix can be hot if it contains Chili Powder anyway.
....but it doesn't Stew ;)....unless I'm looking at the wrong one? (i.e. Bruce Edward's) :P
....the curry base has a tablespoon in it, of course, so it's going to have a reasonable bite to it (and possibly unsuitable for mild dishes, such as Korma, Tikka Masala, etc?)
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How much base is a ladle? (mls or fluid ounces?)
Hi TC,
How long is a piece of string TC ;) I've assumed that 1 ladle is 142ml (i.e 5 British fluid ounces) and hope that Stew is able to confirm this (or not!) :P
How thick should the base be, mine resembles thick tomatoe sauce, should it be fairly thin, can I thin it down with something?
As Stew suggests, I would add sufficient water (or stock) to maintain a fairly thin "soup-like" consistency. I would leave a lid on to prevent evaporation of water.
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lol I've always thought that a standard ladle was 4 oz or 113 ml ??? Yours is bigger than mine Cory :P
Also I wouldn't add water to the base, instead I'd add more liquid to the final curry if it needed it :-\ It's horses for courses again I guess lol :P
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I made this base last night as my frozen stocks of the last base I made had run out. One thing I was concerned about was that the onion absorbed the 1/2 cup of oil and then when it was pureed with the tomatoes etc and put back in the stock pot it wasn't very oily. I added about a tablespoon of veg oil about half way through simmering, but didn't want to push it, and didn't see any oil rising to the top after about 20 minutes cooking post-spice adding. Wasn't quite sure what sort of soup to aim for consistency-wise :-0, so kept adding water along the way and ended up with roughly a litre and a half of sauce. It's not runny?maybe sort of yoghurt-like consistency (just a little weight to it). At a guess, it could take a little more water, but not sure. Also wasn't sure how much stirring to do, so I erred on the side of more stirring to make sure nothing stuck to the bottom of the stock pot.
R.
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I added some boiling water when cooking after the blending, if you think about it most reports we have are that base's are fairly thin. I find that if it's to thick the final curry doesn't come out right as I like a lot of runny sauce with mine. As for the oil it does take quite a while to rise, about an hour and half for me.
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Did you add much water along the way, Greg?
I simmered for an hour before adding spices, then about another 20-25 minutes. Would have tried longer, but it was after midnight by this time and I still had to cool the base down and refrigerate it.
R.
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Hi Guys,
here's a pic of the base I made last night.
Is it too thick?
What about the colour?
Appreciate and comments.
TC
Edit: Resized it for easier viewing :)
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here's a pic of the base I made last night.
Is it too thick?
What about the colour?
No offence TC, but it looks a little like Sweet and Sour Sauce to me (colour AND texture)! :o
I've just made it, and it is darkish brown (and gets darker the longer you simmer it for....i've been going for 3 hours now....and it's still too bitter) and should be the consistancy of soup! (and that's plain "single" tomato soup, not "cream of" tomato soup, RWR!)...i.e. it should pour easily off a spoon! ;D
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Hi CA,
I was planning to try this base sauce at the weekend.
Three hours seems a bit long. :o
I was hoping to get out for a few pints at some time. 8)
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Three hours seems a bit long. :o
I was hoping to get out for a few pints at some time. 8)
You can do both Swampy! Just put the hob on a very low simmer and leave it.....stirring only once in a while......
....and, yes, BIR's simmer their curry base for hours! 8)
...anyway, 30 minutes is enough time to down a few pints! :P
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and that's plain "single" tomato soup, not "cream of" tomato soup, RWR!
What brand, CA? ;-)
Re: the colour - mine was quite a light colour, orangey, when I blended it (gave it a good few minutes in the blender, with rests so as not to blow the poor thing up), but got darker not long after I started simmering, ending up a sort of medium brown with an orangey tint.
R.
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and that's plain "single" tomato soup, not "cream of" tomato soup, RWR!
What brand, CA? ;-)
...I can see we're going have to get our viscometers out! ;D
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Hi TC,
Hope you don't mind but I resized it so it was easier to see in the thread.
That does look a little thick to me, as for the simmering I usually stop when the oil rises to the top, took me about 1.5 hours, ended up a dark red\brown. If your going to freeze it you will no doubt reheat and simmer it before use as well.
cK
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Here's what I've got after 3 hours.....
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Thanks CA and everyone,
Looks like it's back to the drawing board for me.
Sorry about the size of the pic, just been shown how to resize in future.
Should I throw this base away and start again or can I still use it tonight?
Hope you dont mind all the questions.
TC
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Should also ask,
can I put this through the food processor again and re-simmer?
TC
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Hi TC,
Stick it back on the heat, bring to a simmer and stir in some boiled water until it's thinned out a bit. You can then just leave it simmering until the oil rises, keep stirring and checking to make sure it doesn't thicken up to much.
cK
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I would add half a pint of chicken stock instead of water, makes all the difference.
Glad the base is working for you lot.
More pics would be good so we can compare
S
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Never seen a base sauce brown in colour before. The restaurant kitchen I went into, the base sauce was orange and more often than not when been mentioned on this forum has been an orangey colour too. Wish Pete was about, he would confirm this as he has been into more bir kitchens for demo's than all of us. With regard to the thickness or not of the base it should be quite runny. If you have a thick base and start adding spices to it when making a curry it will thicken too much and you would have to let it down then with either water or stock. CQ
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...wish Pete was about, he would confirm this as he has been into more bir kitchens for demo's than all of us....
Hi CQ, glad to see you back in action again! 8)
I agree with your comments about the colour and consistency of a BIR curry base. And, don't fret unduly, I feel confident that Haldi will be able to confirm BIR observations on behalf of Pete! ;)
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Here's a photo after I had got to work with a stick blender, it's much more like a thin gravy now.
Added ? pint chicken stock and simmered for a further 45 minutes, the oil certainly has come to the top now.
Made the Madras recope as given and apart from being a tad dry it tasted brilliant, the best I've ever made.
Thanks guys.
TC
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Looks good TC let us know how your curry comes out.
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So I made four curries with some of this base last night (two each for me and my girlfriend, one each for last night, one each for tonight). They were fantastic, as usual (!) I'm always trying different recipes, so can't really comment on what I thought of the base versus other bases because I have no benchmark curry really, but I did like the fact that the base was smaller, and pretty simple to make, so will no doubt use this base recipe again.
Next time I make this base I will:
? Have a better idea of what consistency I'm aiming for (ended up adding more water last night and it 'seemed' right). Might experiment with adding stock instead of water, although I can't use chicken stock as my girlfriend is a vegetarian.
? Experiment with longer simmering (I let it simmer a while more before I used it last night, but would be interesting giving it a few hours).
? Blend in two batches, as I think the whole thing was a bit much for my blender to do a good job on, even though it fitted in the jug (re-blended it before use last night as it wasn't quite smooth enough, I thought).
R.
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Greg - I made two chicken ceylons, a mixed vegetable ceylon* and a mixed vegetable chilli masala (only four chillies, not ten!), from another site, although the veggie ones were based on chicken recipes. Not quite following the rules, heh, but tasted great.
* - across the three ceylons, I managed to use the whole wee pot of cream and the whole lemon's juice, which I was most pleased with. :-) Even managed to put a good dent in my creamed coconut block! :-)
R.
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Heres the lamb bhuna I made with this base.
This has to be one of the best currys I have made it had more of a natural sweetness than my usual base which worked a treat for this, not so well in the madras I made so next time I will add a little lemon juice.
Great base that I will be using again and will try tweaking it a little.
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I have just made this base sauce as we have people coming around for a curry later. Has been simmering away for a couple of hours but I cant believe how bitter the taste is. Seriously thinking about binning it while I still have time to use some other bases that I have got frozen.
Has anyone else found the taste to be like this or have I mucked it up somewhere?
regards
Ian
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It was really sweet for me Ian no bitterness at all so somethings gone wrong along the line.
Don't know if theres a lot you can do with it if it's that bad ???
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I have now made this base and it is excellent, the best Ive tried up to now and Ive tried a few, including Darths and ifindforu. It beats them both hands down, particularly were the authentic BIR taste is concerned. I made Curry Kings Bhuna with it and it was brilliant.
Lorrydoo.
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.....I cant believe how bitter the taste is. Seriously thinking about binning it while I still have time to use some other bases that I have got frozen.
Has anyone else found the taste to be like this or have I mucked it up somewhere?
I found this too Ian :(
I usually find this when I fry the onions rather than boil them. I generally boil the onions (in the base) accordingly. It seems to me that onions can also be particularly bitter if they are a little green/unripe.
I also find that tinned tomatoes make the base bitter. I generally don't use tinned tomatoes accordingly.
You might try cooking the base for longer (it will go darker too). This may remove some of the bitterness.
You might also find this thread helful: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1907.0
....Ive tried a few, including Darths and ifindforu. It beats them both hands down, particularly were the authentic BIR taste is concerned
It's great that you've tried this base and found it so much to your liking LD! 8)
However, I've found that Darth's and Ifindforu's curry bases are significantly better than this one :P
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I have made the base and froze it (ran out of time)
I found it lacked sweetness, too
This could be down to the onions
Perhaps I didn't cook them long enough (20 minutes)
Or the onions had a particular bitterness about them
One chef, I spoke to, said he sometimes needed to add sugar to the base, so why shouldn't we?
The other option could be, too much spice
Spices are bitter and there are a lot in it
Stew's base seems good, though
I will post when I have used it
I compared it with two other bases I had to hand
If you look at the picture
1 is an experiment base (no good, no subtlety)
2 is Stew's base
3 is a bought base from my favourite takeaway (note different colour)
Bases do come in all colours, it has no reflection on their taste
However,I must say, that the bought base is so much better than anything I can make.
Once again, it is this extra flavour
So frustrating
To be specific, the flavour and smell seems like "poppadoms" (which I love)
I have experimented with using oil that poppadoms were cooked in
I have also added ground cooked poppadoms to the base
No luck!
Maybe it really is just the intense heat of their cookers
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Here is another picture of Stews base at two stages
Left is just after pureeing the onion with tomato,garlic etc
Right is after an hours simmering
It actually went even darker after that
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Hi Guys,
Being a relative newcomer to the site and having read through the numerous posts re base sauces on here am going to have a go at this one today. Will report back and let you know how I get on. Keep everything crossed for me,lol.
windsor
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This is Admins excellent base that I made yesterday, I let it simmer for 2 hours and blended with an hand blender, keeping it submerged in the sauce at all times so as not to let in any air.
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This is a finished lamb Bhuna using Curry Kings recipe, I have found that it is very close to the real thing.
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If your onions are bitter it's better to add salt rather than sugar ;)
I've made 3 lots of this base this week and not had any bitterness, the only difference between the three batches was the heat (I made one hot, one medium and one very mild, all excellent :D
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I have now tried this curry cold (breakfast curry) and it is so good I cant believe it is so close to a GOOD quality BIR curry whilst being so simple to make. I just hope I can recreate it when I make another batch but I should be able to given that I followed both recipes to the letter. Like everyone else on here, I have searched for years to create a curry of this standard and this is by far the best one ever, would recommend to all.
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I have searched for years to create a curry of this standard and this is by far the best one ever
That's amazing LD! 8)
Whatever happened to that chicken taste you were so eagerly pursuing then? For the past 10 years? :o
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I've made 3 lots of this base this week and not had any bitterness, the only difference between the three batches was the heat (I made one hot, one medium and one very mild, all excellent :D
Hmmmm...I wonder what you might be doing differently to others then Domi? Maybe it's the salt! Do you add any to counteract the bitterness? If so, how much?? :)
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CA, this I feel is a stand alone good quality BIR type curry that is close to the real thing. That said, it does still need tweaking for personal tastes.
In an earlier post I mentioned that chicken stock was needed and was in fact added to my final curry, along with a further adjustment of kerwa. I also left the finely chopped onions out on the work surface for two hours, as a means of mellowing them and subsequently developing the natural sugars. The final sauce was also vigorously simmered for two hours and boiling water was intermittently added to maintain the correct viscosity.
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Hi Cory ;)
I haven't had any bitterness using this recipe luv ??? I've only added the amount of salt that's required in the recipe. ;) I was just saying that adding salt to onions is better for counteracting bitterness than sugar as the salt leeches the natural sugars from the onions and kills off the bitter taste (although if your onions are bitter because they're burnt, there's no saving 'em lol just start over). Sugar is usually used to counter sourness (something to do with the tastebuds lol).
I've made madras, bhunas and dopiazas with this base and they've all been fantastic, - just like 100% bir to me 8) and all using the same recipes that I've used with the other bases, some which gave very good results but just lacked that sweetness for me, this base ticks all the flavour boxes for me :D
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Hi Dominatrix, I too find that this base is very good and its actually taken me by surprise at how close it is to a BIR. One of the strange things I have found is that it produces subtle tastes that are normally attributed to other spices i.e cardamoms.
The other bases I have tried have been good and I particularly liked ifindforu's base but this new base takes it up a level in my oppinion. I could be talking a load of hot air and what I produced yesterday was just a fluke but I sincerely hope not. The only thing missing is the chicken flavour and I added some rose water which gave it a nice exotic depth.
Admin did say this was a real Bradford base and if it isn't, then it is certainly doing a good impression of one, particularly if you tweak it to your personal tastes.
Lorrydoo.
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Hi guys, ;) Well Dom I gave this a go today based on your enthusiastic recommendation, and you wasn`t kidding! I really enjoyed cooking this.
Started at 12.30pm getting ingredients prepaired and frying the onions. By 1.30 the blended puree was back in the pot. Can`t believe how quickly it started to darken. Left it cooking for an hour and a half, adding a little chicken stock now and then to keep the consistency and then added the spices. Cooked for another half an hour but didn't see any oil rising to the top.
3 Large onions = 2 lb 1 3/4 oz
1 pint of chicken stock.
Cooked a basic curry tonight and was very impressed, might give that Bhuna a go with it. Now the pictures..............
Picture 1 Puree in the pot...
Picture 2 After 1 1/2 hours...
Picture 3 The final base...
Thanks Boss it was Stewpendous! (get it. STEWpendous)..
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Good pictures mike. If I were you I would leave the base simmer until the oil does appear and keep adding hot water to keep the viscosity right. I found adding rose water helped with authenticity with the final Bhuna and I simply flash fried and then boiled the lamb in a little water without any spices.
Lorrydoo.
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I am so pleased that you guys like the curry sauce recipe, its a real one adapted from a full recipe.
I find it smells like curry just after the blending of onions/garlic/ginger and tomatoes its got that sort of tangy curry smell and thats without even adding the spices.
I always thought simplicity was they key here.
For those that are experiencing bitterness or acid, make sure you cook the onions for 20 Min's in the pot until the are going brown, then blend. The longer you cook them upfront the sweeter you final base.
Stew 8)
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Stew, I take it your recipe is based on using a hand held blender, thus not removing the stuff from the pot? I feel that because I transferred it from the pot to the jug blender, this was perhaps where my oil deficiency crept in (I think I rinsed the stock pot before putting the blended ingredients back in, and might have lost some in the blender).
R.
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p.s. Just remembered, one thing I found different about this base was that I felt it left me more 'garlicky' (i.e. breath etc) than I've felt with other bases, or indeed restaurant curries in general.
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Hi Richard, I personally prefer a hand blender because you can blend without adding air to the base (if you keep it submerged in the sauce at all times then it doesn't suck any air in).
Lorrydoo.
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Hi team, ;) I know what you mean about the smell Stew, I was passing my local BIR during the morning and they must have been prepairing stuff for the evening. The window was open and the smell that came from it was the smell you get when cooking the onion/garlic/ginger and tomato mix.
Richard, I also transfered the mix to a blender and washed out the pot, so maybe thats how we lost that oil.
As to the consistency this looked about right to me based on my local BIR. I had a Madras from there on Friday and it was hot,sweet and had that chutney look to it. I spent more time dissecting it mouthful by mouthful. It had bits of red/green chili peppers and thin slices of tomato. I also bit into two cardamom pods, don't know if they had been cooked with the meal or had come out of the base sauce. I might have a stab at making a Madras based on what was in that takeaway and use Stew`s base.
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Richard, I also transfered the mix to a blender and washed out the pot, so maybe thats how we lost that oil.
Wonder if there's another way then, short of buying a hand held blender... I suppose more oil!
By the way, my curry base was the same consistency as yours when I finished making it, but then next day I re-blended it and added more water until it stayed 'flat' on top, instead of leaving spoon trails/terrain (!!), aiming for the 'tomato soup' consistency mentioned elsewhere. Seemed to work well enough when cooking, and it thickened back up a bit.
Lettuce know once you've cooked summit with it what you think of the garlic level, Mike.
R.
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Hi Mike ;)
Yours looks exactly the same as mine, which is a thicker consistency than some other bases I've made (I think I said it before) but I wouldn't advise anyone to water it down further as it seems to lose a fair bit of the depth of the flavour (even though I didn't add all that much liquid :-\).
@RWR I'm a garlic lover so the garlicky taste suits me fine ;D but I wouldn't say that it was overpowering in any way :) I haven't managed to knock anyone down with my breath yet lol.
I think that walkers BBQ flavour crisps have a far more damaging effect garlic-wise on the breath.....I can smell when someone's had them from across a crowded street :o
But isn't that what extra strong mints were created for? ;D
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Yours looks exactly the same as mine, which is a thicker consistency than some other bases I've made (I think I said it before) but I wouldn't advise anyone to water it down further as it seems to lose a fair bit of the depth of the flavour (even though I didn't add all that much liquid :-\).
Seemed alright to me when cooking with it, more watered down, didn't end up with a watery sauce or anything. Whether a lot of flavour escaped via steam I can't say, but the curries I made with it were very tasty...
@RWR I'm a garlic lover so the garlicky taste suits me fine ;D but I wouldn't say that it was overpowering in any way :) I haven't managed to knock anyone down with my breath yet lol.
Yep, quite happy eating it, just haven't noticed that level of after effect with other curries, so thought it worth pointing out as I wouldn't expect to be that garlicky after a restaurant curry.
But isn't that what extra strong mints were created for? ;D
Will try adding a packet of them next time I do more base. ;-)
R.
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LOL! If the mint trick works, lemme know and I'll have a pop at adding toilet roll to my vindaloos :D
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Hi folks, ;) I find that if the base sauce is too smooth and creamy like I got with KD`s base, then to get that "chutney" look to my curry I have to stir fry then blend a couple of onions and add this to the base. This base already has that "chutney" look about it. I will have a crack at replicating that Madras I had from the local BIR at the weekend.
I think this is a big step in the right direction as this base is, simple, contains few ingredients, the ingredients are inexpensive and my house smelt like that BIR down the road.
I love garlic, so this amount was no problem.
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This is a link to the Rick Stein curry recipe that Admin mentioned concerning this new base. It claims to be the only curry recipe you will ever need.
http://www.arax15.dsl.pipex.com/
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Edited by CA. Chicken Curry recipe moved to recipes section here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1936.0
Hi, ;) couldn't wait till the weekend so gave it a go tonight.
It tasted very similar to Darth`s Madras curry.
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Sounds nice Mike, I gave Curry Kings Bhuna recipe a go using Admins new bas and it was fantastic.
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Its the best base I have tried so far ;D
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Its the best Ive tried also Mike, it's going to take some beating for it's BIR authenticity.
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Good base but cooking method needs changing in my opinion:
Made this base tonight but when ever i add spices to a sauce the smell reminds me of old socks, but if i fry the spices first like in kris dillions book then the smell comes out just like a BIR,,,,, i recon this is one of the places where were all going wrong.
Asian wouldn't add spices to a curry sauce... they'd fry em off before adding the rest of the ingredients.
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I tried the base using both methods - frying the spices & just adding to the base . From a taste perspective , I didn't find an appreciable difference . The base is awesome either way ! :) I think that the key to the flavor is in the correct cooking technique of the onion . But this is all basically a mute point - the recipe is of Stews origin and his results work - for those that beg to differ , take it up with Stew .
nrgh
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From a taste perspective , I didn't find an appreciable difference
Did you find any other differences, other than taste, then cc?
the key to the flavor is in the correct cooking technique of the onion
Can you explain what you mean by "correct cooking technique of the onion" please cc? I think that boiling onions produces more flavour and less bitterness. Maybe you mean that birs fry their onions? Im pretty sure they just whack them in a pot, with water or stock, and maybe a little oil, and boil them. ;)
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I have always found that caramelising the onions produces a sweet toasted flavor - boiling reduces the bitterness but doesn't quit add to the flavor as the other method IMHO . It may well be a matter of personal preference and acquired taste .
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I have found a difference between between boiling onions and frying them. I have found when boiled in water they taste stewed and ruin the taste somewhat but extended frying gives a lovely flavour and sweetness that is associated with BIRs.
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Edited by CA. Mushroom Bhajee recipe moved to recipe section here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1933.0
I've given this base a go now
I made a mushroom bhajee
Very good result
This base is very usable
In my picture
1 is the mushroom bhajee
2 is a bought veg vindaloo
3 is tarka dhall
4 is good old pillau rice
I have to say that although I was pleased with my home curry, the bought one still had this extra "taste"
What on earth is it?
We are using the same methods and ingredients
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Are you using chicken stock Haldi? I find this helps with the quest for the BIR taste as does the addition of rose water.
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I have just made a bhuna this morning using this base. It has been frozen for a week but this has not had much of an effect on the final curry, which is still excellent and very close to a BIR curry. So for me and a growing number of others, this is the best base by far, hurray.
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Hi all, ;) I have done another batch of this base sauce today and I must say all went well. I left the onions frying for about 45Min's, and this time used a hand held blender. I ended up adding just over a pint of chicken stock in total a bit at a time, especially after adding the spice mix as it made the sauce a bit thick and splattered the cooker. I did manage to get the oil to rise so am looking forward to giving it a try out mid week. I did cook a basic Chicken Curry on Saturday using this base(picture in the gallery) as I was a bit short on time. The result was most enjoyable.
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Are you using chicken stock Haldi? I find this helps with the quest for the BIR taste as does the addition of rose water.
I'm not using chicken stock
Are you using cubes?
I am doing a direct comparison, to a bought curry on my plate.
That is a very harsh test
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Hi Haldi, I dont use stock cubes as they can interfere with the separation of the oil. I personally think that this base works well without adjustments but I always fry the onions for longer than prescribed. Look forward to reading your next post,
Lorrydoo.
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I have been using this base for a few weeks now and in my opinion it has got to be the closest we have come to the real thing so far. Sorry Darth ( wherever you may be) but you just got relegated to second place my friend. I wonder what he, and some of the other older members who, sadly, know long contribute would have thought of this base.
A combination of, this base, a few simple spices and we are almost there......
I believe, through trial and error that, Fenugreek/Ground Coriander and Garam Masala
play an important part regarding taste/smell also ginger/garlic and green chili pepper....
After all, in a busy BIR kitchen you are going to want to keep it simple, makes sense to me..
Regards............mike ;D
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in my opinion it has got to be the closest we have come to the real thing so far
I accept that you think its the best of those youve tried mike but most people have only tried a couple of the many bases posted here. Id suggest its difficult to make this judgement without trying them all. Which have you tried?
Id be (am) bitterly disappointed to think that the best we can do, after 3 years and some 16000 posts, is to snaffle the recipe from a rick stein lamb and spinach curry recipe....you know, that well know Bangladeshi seafood chef from Cornwall :-\
A combination of, this base, a few simple spices and we are almost there......
Can you elaborate please? Are you saying that this base, with minimal additional spices, comes close to replicating the bir taste and smell of a decent bir curry? If so, I'll eat my......naah, id better not....im saving that for another occasion :P
The best curry base poll needs updating by the way ;)
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All I can say is I think this is by far the best base no matter where its origins are from. I have tried Darths, ifindforu, kriss dillon, a variation of salamandas, the nataco base, bruce edwards and a couple I bought off ebay.
Why this base works, I dont know but I do know its easily the best Ive tried, very close to the real thing.
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Yes, I agree, having tried KD`s /Darth`s /Stew`s / Onions and now this one. I can only imagine that all the preparation is done during the day so that when it comes to getting the meal to the table on an evening it`s achieved in a short amount of time with, maybe a minimum of ingredients. I don`t know that for sure it`s just my assumpion. I am not saying "That`s all there is to it" fry a few spices then chuck in a base sauce. These Chefs take pride in what they do. In my local BIR the chef comes to the table to ask if you enjoyed your meal.
If the curry base poll was updated this base would get my vote as it works for me...............
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All I can say is I think this is by far the best base no matter where its origins are from
All you can say lorrydo is that you think this is the base from those that youve tried....half a dozen or so (ie a pretty limited number) from over 25 posted on this site alone
...and its a bit like finding the holy grail in the argos catalogue i feel....made in china too no doubt ;)
very close to the real thing.
Sorry loorydo, but i dont know what you mean by this? Do you mean youve tried actual bases from restaurants?
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Woks up, yes I have tried several bases from restaurants, they were part of the curries I was eating. I am saying this is the best base that I have tried by far when combined with other ingredients i.e. Madrass, then it is very similar to the curries I have eaten over the years from various restaurants.
I hope this helps Cory.
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I have tried several bases from restaurants, they were part of the curries I was eating
yep, as i suspected thanks for clarifying that ;)
this is the best base that I have tried by far when combined with other ingredients i.e. Madrass, then it is very similar to the curries I have eaten over the years from various restaurants
which madras recipe did you use please? I would like to try the two together to see if its half as good as you claim it to be. Im not too convinced by some of the photos ive seen so far :P
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Hi Woks 8)
I've used this base loads of time using many different curry recipes and each and every one has been top notch ;D Give it a go Woks....You might think the same as us others who have tried it and give it two thumbs up ;)
You can't tell what a curry tastes like from looking at a picture luv :P and I disagree with your "try other bases" attitude.....I've tried quite a few bases from this and other sites and this is without doubt the best recipe, I have found my holy grail......and they don't sell them at Argos :P :-*
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(edited by CA - link to recipe added)
Woks up, I used the Bruce Edwards Madras (see http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1952.msg16847;topicseen#msg16847) but by far the best curry I have ever made was a Bhuna using this base and Curry Kings recipe for the Bhuna. The day after I made the Bhuna, I took some to work to hand round the staffroom as they know I am a curry freak and everyone thought I was pulling their legs and I had bought it from a takeaway and was trying to pass it off as my own.
At the end of the day, the best way to evaluate this base is to actually make it yourself or seek the advice of someone more knowledgeable than myself, say Cory Ander for instance.
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Just remembered, the first BIR I tried to make was the one by David Smith. I was quite impressed at the time but it only made a small amount of sauce.
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(posted by Mike Travis and edited by CA - comments on recipe moved to recipe section together with recipe)
I had a crack at David Smith`s and found the same.. ;D
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Give it a go Woks
i have given it a go dom 8)
You can't tell what a curry tastes like from looking at a picture luv :P
but if it looks like sh.....um...I mean a duck, then it probably is a duck. Though granted it would be best to hear it quack just to be certain luv ;)
I disagree with your "try other bases" attitude
i would call it more of an opinion rather than an attitude dom :P im pretty sure you cant say which is best unless youve tried them all. Others may have different logic and therefore opinion of course but it beats me :P
I have found my holy grail......and they don't sell them at Argos
thanks, ill try woolies then ;D
good that you and others find it the best though, i take my hat off to you...but im b*ggered if im gonna eat it though lol ;)
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Hi all - this looks spot on I cant wait to try it - one point tho I prefer to make up garlic paste then store it in ice cube fashion in the freezer any ideas how much paste would roughly equate to 15 cloves of garlic?
First post on here - greetings from Swansea (I'm originally from the baltilands of Brum)
Cheers - Kev
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Hi Kev, ;) welcome. Nice to hear from an ex Midlander, I work in Brum not far from Aston. Don`t know about the Garlic question, I just use a whole bulb, that normally has about 15 cloves and it`s blended anyway... Look forward to your input chap ;)
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Cooked this base again this weekend and did a Bruce Edwards Madras. :o :o :o That was a tongue stinger! Nice thou :P .
I know earlier in this topic I said, this base and a few simple spices and we have cracked it. What I meant was, I have cracked it. Because to me this is the best so far. Before that it was Darth`s base, and a long long LONG time ago it was a Vesta boil in the bag Chicken Curry and rice.
Obviously we are at different stages in our Curry Schools, and everyone has to start somewhere.......... ;D
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just made the base and its simmering away nicely - ill let that go for 3 hours then let it mature overnight before I freeze it - really smells the biz, not like any base ive made before and to answer my own question earlier re - garlic I found a whole tube of sharwoods garlic puree equates nicelly to 15 cloves :)
I forgot to get chilli powder when I visited my asian grocers today so had to use birds eye chilli flakes which ground up well in the grinder - may affect the final colour but not the heat - I like it hot ::)
Shall knock up a madras tomorrow - cant wait :)
Cheers - Kev.
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update - after 3 hours simmering it looks great and tastes yummy - by far the best base sauce I have done so far = next time i'll throw it in the slow cooker and leave it to cook overnight :)
Cheers - Kev.
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LOL @ Woks......Remind me never to go shoe shopping with ya luv ;D I don't need to try every pair in the shop to know what suits me and fits my style ;) and they say women are hard to please ::) :P :D
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Nicely put Dom ;D
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lol @ dom......were not talking appearance here dom, so its not really a particularly good analogy.
Anyway, youre the only woman i know who DOESNT try every damned pair on....AND buy them all ;D
I think it would be a pleasure to shop with you dom....im coming ;)
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Could someone give a rough estimate for the "some water" part of the recipe - how much water is added to this base?
The only liquids I can see are the tin of toms and 1/2 cup of oil - yet people seem to be getting 5x250ml portions out of it! What am I missing?
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i think that you add just enough water or stock to keep the gravy fairly runny like soup
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Hi pH ;)
Just add enough water to keep the sauce to a soup-like consistency, I like my soup like I like my men (a bit on the thicker side :P lol).
@Woks Up....I only go shoe shopping at the bondage warehouse ;D Are ya sure you wanna join me? I might make you try on an outfit or three :D although I dunno if you'd be able to totter about in my 8" spiked heels :o
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Hi :)
I made this curry base yesterday, I modified it marginally, I used 10 cloves of garlic and 2 teaspoons of chili powder because I prefer it milder, and it tastes very good, I simmered the onions for about 1 hour,(they were just nicely tanned ;D) pureed them with the garlic and ginger (instead of tinned tomatoes I used a 500G carton of passata) and returned the lot to the pan, fried gently for another half hour, added the spices and gently fried for nearly 4 hours, (adding water occasionally) (but the oil didn't appear on top), I ended up with a dark orange soup like consistency, and could have eaten it straight away it was that good, but I cooled it down and put it in the fridge, will make something tomorrow and freeze the rest, I want to thank all of you for this recipe, and indeed many of the other ones I've seen, I've only just found this site and have already spent a good few hours perusing the postings and recipes,
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Hi San, ;) welcome to cr0. The first time I did this base I fried the onions for about half an hour and it turned out a dark brown but no oil. The second time I fried the onions for at least an hour and ended up with an orange soup. Both made very good curries. ;D Glad you found us...Happy cooking.
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Thanks mike :)
This forum is the first thing I look at now,lol
It used to be my email. ;D
going to make a dopiaza with the base sauce today yum
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Hi :)
I made this curry base yesterday, I modified it marginally, I used 10 cloves of garlic and 2 teaspoons of chili powder because I prefer it milder, and it tastes very good, I simmered the onions for about 1 hour,(they were just nicely tanned ;D) pureed them with the garlic and ginger (instead of tinned tomatoes I used a 500G carton of passata) and returned the lot to the pan, fried gently for another half hour, added the spices and gently fried for nearly 4 hours, (adding water occasionally) (but the oil didn't appear on top), I ended up with a dark orange soup like consistency, and could have eaten it straight away it was that good, but I cooled it down and put it in the fridge, will make something tomorrow and freeze the rest, I want to thank all of you for this recipe, and indeed many of the other ones I've seen, I've only just found this site and have already spent a good few hours perusing the postings and recipes,
more garlic the better i've found with this recipe IMHO :) yep I use passata also and throw the lot in my slow cooker and forget about it for the best part of a day until oil appears - its a great recipe very tasty and good enough to eat on it's own :)
Cheers - Kev.
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Hmmm I have a slow cooker, but I thought the idea was to 'fry' the onions spices garlic etc for a loooong time to get those flavours, does it make any difference how long you 'slow cook' it for, could I leave it overnight and all day for instance, I wouldn't mind using this method when it's really hot outside. ;D
and please don't say "if you can't stand the heat get outta the kitchen :D
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Hmmm I have a slow cooker, but I thought the idea was to 'fry' the onions spices garlic etc for a loooong time to get those flavours, does it make any difference how long you 'slow cook' it for, could I leave it overnight and all day for instance, I wouldn't mind using this method when it's really hot outside. ;D
and please don't say "if you can't stand the heat get outta the kitchen :D
Hi San - the idea is to cook for as long as possible - the longer the better. I cook for the best part of the day on the slow cooker's high setting then leave over night on auto-warm setting.
As for the spices - I remember rick stein cooking his bradford curry (this sauce is based on that recipe) and I laffed - it'll never work because he hasnt fried the garlic and spices, I thought - but it does work and very well too.
kev
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Hi Brum_57, do you know of anywhere on the internet we can get hold of Rick Stiens Bradford curry making video?
Lorry.
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Hey,
I tried this at the weekend and it was fab. Didn't make a curry with it yet though I still had some of Darths base to use up so it's just what I have tasted so far.
It was so easy to make and was really yummy, could probably have had it on chips there and then ;D
Would definitely say this is the best out of the two I have tried, only because my other half didn't like Darths as much. Said it tasted a bit like soup, probably my fault though, I probably didn't cook it correctly.
Anyway thanks for the recipe.
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I thought I'd give this base a try this afternoon. Have followed the recipe (used 4 medium onions not 3 large) and used ghee instead of oil, just because I had some.
Here's a picture of it after pureeing the onions and adding the pureed ginger, garlic, tomatoes and spices:
(http://www.peardrop.co.uk/after_puree.jpg)
I'll post another after its had time to cook a bit more... then the intention is a chicken jalfrezi...
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So after letting the sauce simmer for an hour, it has gone a browner colour and the oil risen to the top. This is it (sorry about the contrast of the picture):
(http://www.peardrop.co.uk/sauce.JPG)
And here is a Chicken Jalfrezi made with about 3 ladles of the sauce. Enough for a large portion (tasting in the interests of science! ;D) and two more which are going into the fridge for tomorrow...
(http://www.peardrop.co.uk/jalfrezi.JPG)
I like this sauce, its easy to make, doesn't stink the house down and tastes pretty authentic. I didn't seem to have any troubles with it being bitter, I did cook the onions for about 25mins in the oil on the lowest heat with a lid on the pan and at the end they were sweet and very soft. Will definitely be doing this one again.
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Great pics fumble, your jalfrezi looks fantastic I hope it tasted as good as it looks! Thanks for sharing 8)
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Thanks CK it was definitely yummy!
One thing I forgot to mention... the original recipe says add 1 tbsp chilli powder, presumably because in the original Rick Stein recipe it was cooked with lamb and spinach as a complete curry not a sauce - so I'd have thought that for use as a base it would be better to leave it out, perhaps also the paprika too.
Also I sort of cheated and put the uncooked chicken in the sauce after all the pureeing, and let it cook for 45 mins then removed it with a slotted spoon before finishing cooking the sauce. The reason was the chicken was going to need cooking anyhow and I figured it might give extra flavour to both the sauce and the chicken!
My previous attempts have been the KD base (OK for a first attempt, the boiling of onions/garlic will stink your house out though) and Stew's base curry sauce (good but I fried the onions in a frying pan and they were nowhere near as good as cooking on lowest heat in ghee that I used this time). This sauce is by far the best I've tried so far.
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Hey fumble,
Good pics, I'm going to make a curry with this base sauce this weekend.
What Jalfrezi recipe did you use? Looks alot of curry for only 3 ladles worth of curry sauce??
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I used the Kushi Jalfrezi one, sort of. Added a green pepper and a couple of tomatoes and used more chillis (about 10 I think).
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Hi fumble, ;) nice pictures. I know what you mean about the KD base pong :o :o That smell was in the house for days. This is my favourite so far. Nice clean cooker by the way..
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Nice clean cooker by the way..
;D That's because I had the lid on the pot all the time the sauce was cooking!
Had a second batch of the Jalfrezi today, and I have to say it tastes almost exactly the same and is the same consistency as my local takeaway. Maybe I've been lucky, but I don't think so. I'm convinced this is authentic, as I just can't see why any BIR would use all manner of things in a base when a simpler (and hence cheaper) set of ingredients makes the taste.
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Hi fumble, ;) I 100% agree with you on the simple cheap base point. What recipe did you use for your Jalfrezi? ....mike. ;D
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I'm a lurker on these boards but I read it regularly and try out some of the recipes, but I feel compelled to post a message as I've just made a fantastic curry using this base sauce ;D If I'd been served it at a restaurant I would have been more than happy - in fact it was better than some curries I've had from restaurants. And I must say a big thanks to Cory Ander who's madras/vindaloo/phal recipe I used with the base, and also his naan bread recipe (which aren't far off restaurant naans and a lot better than the pre-packed ones you get in supermarkets).
When I was making the base at the weekend it smelled much like KD and Darth's base but it did have a bit of 'the smell' about it. I was encouraged, though, when one of my mates popped round while I was cooking it and said my house smelled like a proper Indians so I knew I must be on the right track :) Cheers again!
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Well flame me if you like, i have read the post and yes i a newbie... but was the quantity of Garlic correct? is it 15 Bulbs or 15 Cloves...
I am eager to cook the sauce.
Many Thanks
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Well flame me if you like, i have read the post and yes i a newbie... but was the quantity of Garlic correct? is it 15 Bulbs or 15 Cloves...
I am eager to cook the sauce.
Many Thanks
15 cloves methinks :)
Oh and welcome to the forum, let us know how you get on ;)
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Hi charva_gj , ;) Hi Essex-steve , ;) welcome to the gang folks. Yes it is 15 segments from a bulb of garlic. Happy cooking... ;D
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Hi Fumble, nice looking base and I agree with Mike Travis, nice clean cooker you have there!
I would reccomend making a Bhuna from this base using Curry Kings recipe, here is the link;
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1914.0
Enjoy.
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Thanks lorrydoo, that looks like a good recipe.
I might try it tomorrow!
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Just made a prawn saag with this base sauce and I am so happy, this is it. As good as my local and the best bit is, I know what is in it. So many thanks to the chef.
Bruce edwards spice mix 1 tablespoon, some tom puree bang in the main stuff add the sauce and cook for 6 mins.
Also add some extra water to compenstate for the spices and thickness of the finished sauce.
The house now smells, thanks again chef.
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Just made another batch of this base and it's still doing it's thing...... a good impression of a genuine BIR.
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I made up my second batch of this curry sauce last night.
I added 500ml of chicken stock (used 2 chicken stock cubes) before pureeing with a handblender.
I found that the taste of this sauce is just like a curry before you even add the ground spices.....
Tonight i am going for Curry Kings Lamb Bhuna (but with chicken).
Curry on folks....
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Admin, how did the curry go? Is still the closest to a BIR?
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I'm just trying this base now.
Can anyone tell me what size tin of toms please? ;D
Onions are done to a turn and are cooling. They are not bitter I added a tiny bit of salt and pepper to give them something else to think about. They were cooked on a very low heat for about 40 minutes as it turns out.
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There is no doubt this is a good base curry sauce.
However it still comes out a little thick so when compared to a madras from a takeaway its a little different.
perhaps i need to add even more chicken stock.
Still closer now than a few years ago.
Stew
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Well off I went and started cooking.
Bitter as hell so far. ;D Consistency looks rather good however. My stove runs on something like Calor gas back home, its very harsh and way too hot but there is nothing I can do about that. I originally placed the sauce in a dutch oven on the stove but the bottom of my sauce started to burn as usual. I've now moved it over to an electric dutch oven - Still bitter as hell.
I've tried a similar method many times but never with raw garlic.
I think too the recipe needs looking at to provide definite quantities since I used the tomato juice too since there was no mention of tin size. (Onions weight another).
Hope this helps someone when they try to do this too. Hope you don't mind me barging in on this?
Best.
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2 hours in and still bitter slightly.
I'm not that convinced about this to be honest. If there was a way I've tried it pretty much except the boiling onions method which seems quicker. I cannot see a restaurant leaving ovens on over night in any case frankly.
I did fry off the spices first and I used whole spices which I toasted then added them to a little oil in a pan. Before this I made a paste of the spices in water so they didn't burn while adding them to the oil in the pan.
It tastes pretty good but overpowered by raw garlic which in this sauce will take eons to cook.
If I try this method again which is doubtful I'll roast the garlic in the oven with its skins on so they become more mellow in flavor.
Certainly the onions were not bitter at all before adding the garlic.
Hope this helps.
Best.
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So I've been away for a while but got sucked into this unlikely base sauce and all the pages of feedback so then just had to have a go.
The pot is on the cooker as I type just passed the pureed stage. I have to admit I did fry the chopped garlic cloves and ginger just for a minute in the onions before plunging my hand held processor in and turning it to thick soup. I have added the tomatoes and spices although have kept the faith and not fried the spices.
Clearly many of you guys have had a result its really exciting if it turns out right given the endless other attempts and varied ingredients that you find exploring the mysteries of the base sauce.
Will feed back my results too, in any event well done for keeping this site at the top of my favourites. Its genuinely good to know that you can go away for a while and the whole thing just keeps rolling along. wonderful all the best Panpot
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Hows it looking now? ;D
By now the raw Garlic had taken over everything in my pot ;) It looks very nice but doesn't anyone think that it looks like the finished product already?
I'm cooking today a bit later so perhaps I'll have some images to share too.
Best.
So I've been away for a while but got sucked into this unlikely base sauce and all the pages of feedback so then just had to have a go.
The pot is on the cooker as I type just passed the pureed stage. I have to admit I did fry the chopped garlic cloves and ginger just for a minute in the onions before plunging my hand held processor in and turning it to thick soup. I have added the tomatoes and spices although have kept the faith and not fried the spices.
Clearly many of you guys have had a result its really exciting if it turns out right given the endless other attempts and varied ingredients that you find exploring the mysteries of the base sauce.
Will feed back my results too, in any event well done for keeping this site at the top of my favourites. Its genuinely good to know that you can go away for a while and the whole thing just keeps rolling along. wonderful all the best Panpot
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Can't wait to here your results CF. Are you going to use chicken stock?
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??? Mine are here I'm afraid. ;D
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1894.msg17292#msg17292
Can't wait to here your results CF. Are you going to use chicken stock?
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I took 3 hours of gentle simmering to get the oil up to the surface. I topped up with a couple of chicken stock cubes in hot water. The smell is apparently right according to my wife and it looks the business. I will cook with it tonight so really looking forward to testing it out. Bye the way I chose to use red onions since they have been praised on other areas of the forum. I will report the results in the morning. Panpot
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Thanks Panpot.
I'll try it again but like you cook the Garlic first. Will you write your method up for us please? I need stuff to compare what I do with.
Good luck and happy eatin! ;D
I took 3 hours of gentle simmering to get the oil up to the surface. I topped up with a couple of chicken stock cubes in hot water. The smell is apparently right according to my wife and it looks the business. I will cook with it tonight so really looking forward to testing it out. Bye the way I chose to use red onions since they have been praised on other areas of the forum. I will report the results in the morning. Panpot
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There is no doubt this is a good base curry sauce.
However it still comes out a little thick so when compared to a madras from a takeaway its a little different.
perhaps i need to add even more chicken stock.
Still closer now than a few years ago.
Stew
Yeah that's right Stew - last batch I made up used around 2 litres (probably more - I didnt measure it exactly) of stock (water plus a couple of knorr stock cubes)The original Rick Stein recipe was meant to be a full blown curry sauce not a base sauce so more stock would be needed to get the base sauce consistancy imo
I doubled up on my last effort which filled my slow cooker to the top, I used 2 spanish onions and 2 regular white onions and doubled up on everything else - turned out great :) although I didnt have any garlic paste in stock so peeling 30 cloves of garlic was a bit of a pain :-\
Kev.
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Well I cooked two separate curries with the sauce. Mark J's Dhansak and a medium curry from Andy. Having never had a Dhansak before I don't know how to compare it but it was genuinely wonderful. Both curries were spicy hot a bit more so than I am used to but it looked smelled and tasted the part. I would be interested to know if Chipfryer has included this base sauce in his grand experiment.
I have been particularly pleased with how easy it is to make. As I said allready, I did top up as I went with chicken stock made from cubes. I feel I will double up to get more next time for for the freezer.
Now on a separate note, when we get the chance to watch the professionals in open plan kitchens we always witness the flaming touch. If like me you cook on electric this is impossible so. Does anyone think we could take one of those blow torches to it and get a result? Anyway will continue to enjoy the site and the fun of cooking great Indian food thanks to all of you. Cheers Panpot
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Hi Panpot, I dont know much about blow torches other than they are used to caramelise ingredients, so potentially yes one could be used but how I dont know.
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I may try this again this week but I don't know what quantities of Tomatoes are being used? Whole large can, small can, just the toms or tom juice as well?
I figure this is important because this recipe is more than close to how I was trying to cook my final meal many moons ago. If its a base sauce then I can see it going somewhere. Mine ended up in the bin sadly.
Best.
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I may try this again this week but I don't know what quantities of Tomatoes are being used? Whole large can, small can, just the toms or tom juice as well?
I figure this is important because this recipe is more than close to how I was trying to cook my final meal many moons ago. If its a base sauce then I can see it going somewhere. Mine ended up in the bin sadly.
Best.
It does say in the recipe - "1 Can Tinned Tomato 400g tin chopped"
chopped toms - the lot goes in to be blended.
Kev.
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What a dummy I am sorry. ::)
Is that on the original message then? I'll look thanks again.
PS. Juice too?
I may try this again this week but I don't know what quantities of Tomatoes are being used? Whole large can, small can, just the toms or tom juice as well?
I figure this is important because this recipe is more than close to how I was trying to cook my final meal many moons ago. If its a base sauce then I can see it going somewhere. Mine ended up in the bin sadly.
Best.
It does say in the recipe - "1 Can Tinned Tomato 400g tin chopped"
chopped toms - the lot goes in to be blended.
Kev.
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It was edited on October 4th. Now I know I wasn't seeing things. ;D
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Has anyone ever posted a final recipe for this base sauce and if they did where is the recipe please?
This is in fact very near the Italian tomato sauce for Chicken Parm, that too a base sauce for a few things, I know I've done it and its good but does that mean its the real mack-oy?
I still have my doubts on this because too much is needed in the final stage as regards spices and since there are no final recipes using this base that I can find think Lemmings are afoot. ;D
Anyway will try it one last time and make a final sauce from it this week though I think I already know what the results will be.
Best.
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Ok my second attempt is on and tastes extremely nice even before cooking.
I did however change the method back to the original TV recipe in some ways.
Ingredient changes are in Red.
3 Tablespoons - Ghee (could use veg oil instead i think)
3 Large Onions - Finely Chopped
1 Can Tinned Tomato (I used crushed toms with no herbs)
15 Garlic Bulbs (I crushed and chopped these)
1 Cube Ginger
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon - Coriander
1 Tablespoon - Cumin WHOLE SEEDS
1 Tablespoon - Chili Powder
1.5 Tablespoons - Paprika (I dumped extra Paprika this time)
2 Tablespoons - Turmeric (I added one extra TBS)
1 Handful of Cilantro Chopped
1 Handful of Fenugreek Chopped (FRESH!)
1 Teaspoon Garam Masala
Coriander to Garnish
Method
1. I sauteed the Onions in the required amount of oil for 25 minutes constantly stirring.
2. I sweat ed the garlic in another pan at the same time for about 10 minutes
When cool I...............
Added all the spices - The tomato paste - The Chopped Fenugreek - The Chopped Cilantro and allowed to sit for a few minutes.
3. Blended the whole lot in an upright blender.
Tasted it YUMMY!
4. Now in pot on warm.
===========================================
Summary:
I think the water to oil ratio is extremely high given the yield. I think also that the boiling method using Garlic in a similar way would achieve a similar effect and be a little less unhealthy.
All of my dishes come with ground fresh herbs from the Restaurant and its my feeling only that adding these now can only better the final product through fusion and heat.
Tastes extremely nice having said all of that.
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Error.
I just noticed. No-one can edit posts now ;D
TEASPOON
1 TEASPOON - Cumin WHOLE SEEDS
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The sauce was relatively lumpy last night out of the fridge. Today I gave it a really good blending and re-heated the sauce.
It's extremely good now and has developed a tangy taste. Actually quite delicious in all truth on its own. You would never even know there was cilantro or Fenugreek in this sauce appearance wise. :o
I'll try a main sauce in a bit with this. Nothing fancy and post results up near my other posts in "Let's talk curry"
Best.
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Yeah it can turn out lumpy if you are not carefull - I add a good measure of stock and leave it overnight in the slow cooker on auto warm which also brings a nice deep pool of oil to the top ready to skim off.
Kev.
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I don't think this will work for me as a base. It tastes very nice but I've used 2.5 cans of stock just to get it pourable. It's a little like the boiling method in reverse to my thinking?
Certainly using is for Korma or Saag Chicken would be a non starter.
I'll not be trying it again but have a batch prepared for future testing. I have a couple of pics too - Later.
Thanks Brum
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After the great reviews I thought I would give this base a try.(It's been cooling ready to portion up for the freezer for an hour or so)My first impressions are: It is easy and straightforward to make, the colour and texture are great. I am not sure that the quantities of spice all being one tablespoon are in the correct proportions.I made it exactly as per the recipe given. The smell is not a perfect BIR and the overiding smell and taste is the Cumin. If I do this again I would cut back on this.It will not be as versatile as some bases especially for the more subtle flavoured curries as the 'heat' makes it more of a madras type-fine if that's what you cook.The oil rose to the top quite easily ,although I did let it bubble away for over 2 hours.I have reclaimed about a third of the oil that went in. It is quite sweet tasting and not bitter as some have described. I don't think it's quite as good as Darth's base but I haven't used it to make a finished product yet so who knows!!
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hi, my names mikey and i,ve just joined the crew. have been looking with great interest at the base sauces some of you chefs have produced. they look very tasty. trouble is , i live in the weald of kent and finding spices is very difficult (apart from the co-op type) any ideas where i may find them in these parts ?
keep up the good work !!
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hi mikey
i live in the weald of kent biddenden in fact and i have no probs getting the spices. there are three places i can source spices juliann graves in tenterden or ashford, ashdown chemist in beaver rd in ashford and just down the road is the gurhka shop also along beaver road. both worth as visit. although tescos in tenterden also do spices etc and also asda in ashford.what is your fav dish?
mine as you will gather is vindaloo.
enjoy your stay and if i can help let me know.
regards
gary
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Hey Parker21,
I regularly visit Tenterden as i have family there.
Biddenden has a great vineyard and celler door, small world.
Stew 8)
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hi stew
have you tried the indian at the end of tenterden high st called badsha it is opposite the william caxton pub. it has got a reputation for good food some celebrities get helicopters etc to deliver their fav dish to them. and remember phil godley he lives through the stone gateway also opposite. on your next visit try visiting Rajver (recipes posted) in biddenden on the headcorn road you won't be disappointed. they have just changed the menu it now looks and reads like the one from the Raja of kent which you pass on the way to biddenden from tenterden. the raja don't do deliveries but rajver do ;D. when i saw the new menu was alittle disappointed coz now they do things like mass( bangladeshi fish) haash( duck) and harin(venison). the raja of kent have a website so you can see there is also less dishes on the rajas menu again a plus for Rajver now. another downer is that my usual order was ?16.05 but now will cost ?19.35 :'(
regards
gary
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hi, i have just had a go at this sauce, everything ok untill the last part, i'm getting no oil rising from the sauce :-\. the sauce looks fine, dark and similar to my local dhansak. would it be ok to still use. :-\ thanks
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Hi Oil64 and welcome to cr0! 8)
It can take a really long time (i.e. hours) before the oil separates.
I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm sure your base will be fine as it is.
The oil will undoubtedly separate when you cook your final dishes :)
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Thanks CA, i have frozen 4 portions of this base sauce and im going to give it a go this wknd, going to make a vindaloo with it.
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Hi oil64, ;) welcome. I also missed the rising oil but as CA says, I did see it in the final dish.... regards mike. ;D
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I used to post on this site some time ago, I just check out this new base sauce a few days ago. I cooked a batch up to the letter. The only thing I didn't do was add chicken stock, I just used water.
This is by far the most simple and best base sauce I have ever cooked.
From the base I have made two curry's. I cooked a chicken korma. I just heated a couple of ladles of base, a ladle of coconut milk, a few table spoons of double cream. I added some powdered coconut and some ground almond. A little sugar... Oh I chopped up a chicken breast and cooked that in the base sauce for about 8 mins. Then I added the above. It is the best korma I have ever made!
I also made a chicken jalfrezi, this was also the best I have ever made. I will type up both recipes properly in the next few days and post them.
Thanks for this base recipe. I've tried a few over the last couple of years but by far this really is the best base!!! Try it you wont be disappointed.
Jim
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Welcome back Jimmyja 8)
I see it was over a year and a half ago since your last post here! :o
Looking forward to seeing your recipes for the korma and jalfrezi you cooked using this base! :)
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Welcome back indeed Jimmyja, ;) I too would be interested in your jalfrezi. I@t would be great if you took a picture of it. ;D
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Please see post on BIR main dishes. I have posted Korma and Jalfrezi there. I must add I have made this new base twice now. The 2nd time I cooked it I only added half a tablespoon of chilli powder (better for Korma) I also only added half a table spoon of paprkika.
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I'm not sure about this.
I made two batches and followed the instructions to the letter.
First question is on the measurements. I used a proper tablespoon and not a standard kitchen cutlery spoon of spices. In the first batch I used heaped teablespoons and in the second batch level.
In the first batch the flavour is probably too strong and in the second batch not strong enough. However in both batches you get the texture of the spices. Should they cook out??
The second point is oil. I used quite a lot of oil but the oil rising to the surface wasn't much about a tablespoon. When I look at the pictures on the first page from domi mine are no where near this.
His also has a vibrant deep red colour where mine is almost brown.
Any ideas?
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Delicious. Here's my attempt - just after blending, after darking and finished.
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Hope you don't mind Rob I resized your pics for easier viewing in the thread.
Looks spot on BTW 8)
cK
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I'm going to give this one another go tomorrow, as I am getting Jalfrezi withdrawal symptoms ;D
However, based on the last experience I think the spices could be cut down a bit as in the original recipe (http://www.arax15.dsl.pipex.com/) they were intended for a curry not a base sauce. My initial guess is something like
1 Teaspoon - Coriander
1 Teaspoon - Cumin
1 Teaspoon - Chili Powder
2 Teaspoon - Paprika
2 Teaspoon - Turmeric
maybe a teaspoon of dried methi as well?
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Hope you don't mind Rob I resized your pics for easier viewing in the thread.
Looks spot on BTW 8)
cK
Thanks very much CK. Lol, that'll save people being subjected to my 4 megapixel numbers! Oh well, now I know for future!
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OK so I started on this base again this afternoon. I weighed everything, these are the quantities I ended up with:
1Kg onions, chopped (4 large ones)
1 bulb garlic, peeled and chopped - 70gm
2 inch bit of ginger, peeled and chopped - 50gm
1 500gm carton of passata
300gm butter ghee
500ml water
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp paprika
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
1 heaped tsp ground coriander
1 heaped tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
pinch dried methi
pinch asafoetida
Here's the onions:
(http://www.peardrop.co.uk/stage1.jpg)
Next after cooking the onions in the ghee on lowest gas heat for 1 hour. The onions go lovely and soft and sweet.
(http://www.peardrop.co.uk/stage2.jpg)
Next after pureeing the garlic, ginger and tomatoes, removing and pureeing the onion, then adding all back to the oil with the spices and water.
(http://www.peardrop.co.uk/stage3.jpg)
Going to let it cook now for another hour until the oil seperates then I'll post some more pics.
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Looking good fumble, very similar looking to my last results when i made this excellent base.
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This is after simmering for about an hour and a half. Had to add water several times and give it a good stir as it gets a bit thick at the bottom of the pan.
(http://www.peardrop.co.uk/stage4.jpg)
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And the final result... Chicken Jalfrezi. Yum.
(http://www.peardrop.co.uk/jalfrezi.jpg)
Enough base sauce left over for 4 more of these... :P
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Great pic's, how did it taste compared to what you have tried before?
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Great pic's, how did it taste compared to what you have tried before?
Hi CK,
At first I was worried as the base tasted totally different from last time. I think that dried fenugreek leaves are pretty powerful and could definitely be tasted in the base - either that or the asafoetida, I'm not sure. The base tasted quite spicy, which I was not expecting as I'd cut down on the amount of spice!
However my fears were groundless as the final Jalfrezi tasted just fine, even better than last time. I used precooked chicken made the night before using the Kushi book recipe for cooking it, and for the Jalfrezi a very simple recipe with Secret Santa's spice mix and using some of the oil from the base for cooking. The taste was great - rich and deep.
Does it compare with my local BIR? Well, I had a takeaway last Sunday and it was not up to the usual standard, the only way I can describe it was as tasting too 'new', not enough depth and flavour. So even the BIR can get it wrong sometimes! ::)
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I had 4 portions of the base I made last time frozen, and tonight I unfroze one and made a king prawn dopiaza. Really simple - put 3 tbps oil in a pan on high heat, added 1 large sliced onion and 1 finely chopped clove of garlic, heated on high for about 3 mins. Then added a ladle of the reheated sauce and 2 tsp of spice mix and let reduce, then turned down the heat a bit and cooked the onions for another 5 mins until they were starting to go soft. Added frozen king prawns and the remaining sauce and let simmer for about 5 mins.
Now just comparing to a jalfrezi that I bought from the local takeaway on Friday evening, I think this was better!
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Hi all
I wondered if anyone has tried, or would consider trying the Rick Stein curry that this sauce was derived from? I will be definately be making this sauce next but the complete curry sounds like it could be good also.
Tom
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hi .
i have made a batch of this base sauce, how dark should it end up?. tastes good but really really dark. does that sound okay?. it was lighter when first made but has got darker in pot
thanks
merlin
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(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y23/ritchiemiller/DSCF0543.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y23/ritchiemiller/DSCF0544.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y23/ritchiemiller/DSCF0545.jpg)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y23/ritchiemiller/DSCF0546.jpg)
possibly the best looking base sauce i've made, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so the jury remains out for the mo'. Any suggestions as to what i should make with this base? links to recipes deffo appreeshed.
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ritchie,
Did you try any recipes?
Be interested to know how you got on.
S
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i made this base sauce but mine turned out to sweet any idea why
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Hi dean1800uk
No idea why it came out sweet, perhaps you cooked the onions to long and they caramalised?
Did yo follow the process?
Any pictures?
Did you try to make a curry from this base?
Stew 8)
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Hi everyone, :)
I made up a couple of batches of this base a few weeks ago and froze it. I finally got round to trying it out in a curry this afternoon.
In order to test it I used my usual madras receipe (which is a slightly adapted version of Darth's madras) but used this base instead of my usual (Darth's base).
The results were very impressive. My madras had a good balance between chilli heat, background sweetness and a hint of sourness (1 tsp of ambchoor - Darth doesn't suggest this but I like it). Fantastic taste - the best I've done yet.
I too believe that this base is better than Darth's on balance as it is simpler in terms of ingredients but seems to impart a fuller flavour somehow. In fact, the base alone is darker and tastier than some finished curries I've tasted!!! :o
The base is quite spicy though :P so I think maybe I'd have to scale down the heat if I was making a korma (which I never do for myself ;D).
Anyway - thanks to the Boss for sharing this one with us!
All the best,
Astronick :)
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hello evryone, newbie here,this is my first attempt at a base ,i think it looks ok compared with some of pics posted by others . but what is it supposed to taste like ?tasted disgusting after an hour and a half a bit bitter,the pics are after 5 hrs and its not to bad now,i guesse ill have to wait till i make my curry on friday then ill know if ive messed it up
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Hi geordie, great pics, I have just resized them for easier viewing ;)
Looks spot on BTW 8)
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here is the finished result.was the lamb bhuna but with chicken,and was nearly too hot to eat ,obviously did something wrong so i binned the rest of the base and made another today,this one is mutch better almost tastes good enuf to eat now,,sorry if pic is too big but i aint got a scooby how to make it smaller
photo resized by SnS ;)
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Hey man,
thanks for that!
I'll give it a go as my first attempt at cooking curries! I make a keema curry other day but this sounds great!
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Guys,
I just spoke to my local indian supermarketowner in Munich and he said he used to make the gravys (in a BIR) almost the same way as prescribed here in this thread.
He only said the he fried the onions until brown, then put in the garlic and the spices(1 turmeric, 1 coriander, 1 chili and maybe 1,5 or 2 cumin), fry a few minutes (almost dark brown) and THEN put in the water and let it cook for a few hours on a very low heat... the ginger he put in at a later stage.
Thank you very much for this recipe...
My girlfriend left the house a few days and I thought this is the right moment to try this recipe ;D Its already smelling great ::)
cheers
Jasper
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jasper, i wonder if true onion caramalisation (ie dark brown) is one of the secrets - like french onion soup. I always think there is a beef type taste from true BIRs.... maybe this is it.
I must try.
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Yes curious on the caramelisation idea.
Jeera - keep us posted!
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Caramalisation is the method Pat Chapman uses on his onions.
Matt
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You're up early!!
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there are a couple of good post's to have a look through,
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2678.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2678.0)
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2672.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2672.0)
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You're up early!!
The joys of a young family :)
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matt333
Ditto!
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Hi Haldi,
Well you know me, i only cook madras and i use the following recipe: -
MADRAS
Ingredients
- Pre Cooked Chicken or Prawns etc
- 2.5 Ladles Curry Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Chefs Spice Mix - SEE FAQ's
- 1 Teaspoon Pataks Balti Paste
- 3 Tablespoons Veg Oil
- Pinch Dried Fenugreek
- Chopped Coriander Leaf and Stalks (important the stalks)
Method
- Heat Oil over highest flame
- Add 1 Tablespoon of curry sauce
- Add Spice Mix
- Stir and shake for 30 seconds
- Add a little more curry sauce
- Add pre cooked chicken or prawns
- cook for 1 min or so
- Add curry sauce (2.5 ladles)
- Add Balit Paste
- Add fenugreek
- cook over high heat for 6 minutes
- Add coriander
- Leave to cool a couple of mins, serve
what size laddle is used here, i find people use different laddles on this site and never know an ammount of base to use, is it important to the dot or not?
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I am in the process of cooking this base now. Do I put the spices in after an hour (or so) of cooking the purified ingredients or straight away?
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ive just made this base with the madras recipe provided. Ive only made darthpalls base which i thought was great. I then did the sns/saffron base which was also good probably better for me than the darth one which i never thought id say. Anyway had a go with this one today but just added a couple of carrots. The base, unlike others, tasted nice enough to eat when finished. The extra garlic i think gives it more of the taste i look for. The finished curry was cracking really nice and the whole process i found was easier and more straightforward than the previous bases etc i have attempted
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This recipe calls for frying onion until softened, then pureeing.
I have not posted for a while but this recipe is very very close as a BIR curry sauce.
It just needs time to darken: -
Ingredients
1/2 Cup veg oil
3 Large Onions - Finely Chopped
1 Can Tinned Tomato 400g tin chopped
15 Garlic Bulbs Cloves (yes 15)
1 Cube Ginger
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon - Coriander
1 Tablespoon - Cumin
1 Tablespoon - Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon - Paprika
1 Tablespoon - Turmeric
Method
1. Take a stock pot
2. Heat veg oil
3. Add Onions fry until softened or until they turn a little darker (15 to 20 mins), this should take the acid out of them.
4. Blend onions with 1 tin toms, garlic bulbs, ginger & some water until become a puree / has a soup like texture.
5 Put the puree into the stock pot on a medium heat add 1 teaspoon salt.
6. Cook gently (medium high heat) until starting to become darker, this could be an hour or so, keep it going the longer the better, add water or cup chicken stock iif becomes to thick.
7. Add the ground spices (coriander/cumin/chili/paprika/turmeric) into the puree and stir
8. Cook until the oil rises to the top this is the sign the base sauce is ready, but make sure it is dark.
This is an adaption from this recipe which is real and from a restaurant in Bradford.
I was so impressed with the sauce i have adapted it above and now think this could be the real thing
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1846.msg16005#msg16005
Copyright CR0.co.uk
Can you tell me how much water I should roughly use ?
Best regard 8)
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What is a cube of Ginger?
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The extra garlic i think gives it more of the taste i look for.
alfieb,
i've not made this base. did u weigh the onion and garlic by any chance - just so i could compare the proportions that i use (30g garlic in 800g onion - i think 800g is approx 6 to 8 off medium onion and 30g a full bulb).
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This is my favourite base, and i triple the quantities when i make it, i use a thumb sized amount of fresh ginger. I also use chicken stock, and add a red pepper, a couple of fresh chilis but these changes aren't that important.
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I will be trying this base next week, got to cook a few dishes for my brother in laws birthday party... going to be fun :o
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4. ...some water until become a puree / has a soup like texture.
6. Cook gently (medium high heat) until starting to become darker, this could be an hour or so, keep it going the longer the better, add water or cup chicken stock iif becomes to thick.
Can you tell me how much water I should roughly use ?
Best regard 8)
I keep it as a slightly thick tomato soup. I find I need to add water a few times through out the simmer as you are simmering for a couple of hours.
I can't give you exact volume as I never measure it - just go by sight and feel.
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I'm giving this base a big thumbs up.
I've made it three times now and I'm very pleased. Everything worked out as it said it would. When I was first doing it, I didn't believe the oil would separate after all that time, but it certainly does happen exactly as written.
The only thing I have done differently is half the amount of curry spices to two teaspoons (half 1 tablespoon). I keep the garlic/ginger/salt at the same levels.
This keeps the spiciness down to a low level that I like when cooking very mild recipes like korma. Still plenty of flavour in there at this level.
When I'm cooking bigger curries like madras/vindaloo then I just adjust by adding more curry spices (usually a teaspoon of cumin, coriander, tumeric, and then a varying amount of kashmiri chilli powder) in the initial fry.
I just like to have a plainer base sauce and then add what I need when I am cooking the recipe.
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Going to make this tonight, got a party tomorrow and muggins here is doing the chef thing ;D :o
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going to make this tomorrow so fingers crossed
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I've made this base today and it tastes very good indeed, looking forward to making a Madras with it tomorrow. I will try this base with SnS's, Curry kings and Admins Madras and see how they compare. I use SnS's base a lot as I'm happy with it and use it as a bench mark for my Madras's. Having said that, I have not tried them all, so I might be in with a surprise with this base, as many posters have said it to be the best that they have tried. Will post results and photos when tried and tested.
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I made three Madras's today, using this base.
From left to right, Admins, Curry Kings and SnS's Chicken Madras.
All dishes used Uncle Bucks pre cooked chicken.
Admins came out on top for that smokey flavour and is almost there. I say almost there because I felt it needed a little chili powder for the madras heat.
The recipe was followed to the letter. A slight difference could be found if using a different curry powder in the spice mix or a different mix to the one I used. I used BE's spice mix and the curry powder used was MDH Madras Curry Powder.
Next came SnS's, had the heat but just lacked that smokey flavour. Sorry SnS, yours has now been relegated to second spot for me.
Curry Kings is not bad at all, but is not quiet there. The chopped Coriander came through to much for my liking.
All had a pinch of MSG in them.
On my next experiment with the Madras, I will make the same three Madras's, but with little tweaks here and there.
All in all, three very good curries.
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qprbob,
spot on trial. well looking fwd to follow up with tweaks.
interesting choice from the pics - i would certainly not have gone for Admins if it was on the buffet table (down to the darker colour).
i've not tried admins madras - is this the link http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1905.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1905.0)
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Hi JerryM
As discussed before, there are two versions of Madras, one red and the other a slightly darker red/brown colour. Admins contains no tomato puree/paste so that could explain the darker colour. There is also a teaspoon of Pataks Balti Paste in the final Madras, this also could be another reason for the darker colour. The base obviously did contain tomato, as all bases do in some amount.
One other observation, was that after reheating it, the taste did not seem so pronounced, but that could be that the taste buds had lost all senses, as had tried all three curries throughout the day.It was seriously good straight after cooking and the nearest I have been to recreating the curries of the 80's.
Where the photos are taken in the kitchen there is not enough natural light and the flash bounces of them, so don't do the curries real justice. Will have to take pictures somewhere else in the kitchen and take pictures you can almost smell and taste. ;D
Next I will make a Jalfrezi with this base and see if the results are similar.
Bob
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One thing I haven't mentioned, was that the base was not as thin as others I have tried.I simmered this base for well over two hours to get the oil to rise and kept thinning with water, but did not go too mad as I did not want to dilute the taste.
This got me thinking, perhaps the taste comes from the length of time the base is simmered. In BIR's the base is simmering all day and probably the next day as well. Any thoughts?.
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JerryM
Yes that is the link to Admins Madras.
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This got me thinking, perhaps the taste comes from the length of time the base is simmered. In BIR's the base is simmering all day and probably the next day as well. Any thoughts?.
qprbob,
i'm convinced on the important of this - what i call the 2nd stage ie post blending when extra water is added. i aim for between 1 and 2 hrs. it does not seem to change after that.
on the madras - i don't like the taste of pataks so i'm afraid i'll have to dip out on trying admins madras (why i've not made it before).
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JerryM
That's a shame that you don't like the taste of Patak's pastes, because you are to my mind, missing out on a truly wonderful Madras. There is only a teaspoon in it and although it adds to the whole flavour, I wouldn't be too sure that the individual taste can be picked out. As said before, my taste buds were probably shot to pieces that day, so perhaps I'm not the best to judge on that.
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The recipe calls for 3 large onions. When I made the base, I used 1Kg of chopped onion. I'm about to have another go today and will use as stated 3 large onions. Problem 1 large onion weighs 760g. Times that by three, and you end up with 2280g, way to much onion. It is one large mother ****er of an onion. ;D
Now I'm not going to use three of these, I will use 750g this time and see if there is any difference. Will not adjust the spicing though.
As you can see it is next to a 1Tbl spoon measure.
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I have now made this base for my last three curry batches. I have to admit it is by far the best I have personally tasted so far. I did notice it was more suited to spicier dishes more than the mild korma type curries. My Madras was very dark with a greenish tinge in the final dish. But the flavour was fantastic & all who consumed it enjoyed it very much (table conversation went to nil on serving up & remained silent for several mins.). Original base I used before this was the Kris Dhillon base. This now in my opinion falls way short of this base's quality & flavour. Seems suited more to mild dishes. As Kris Dhillon's first book was were I started with curry recipe's I was quite disappointed in the final dish each time finding it lacking here & there but with little experience I had no way of properly analysing. Since finding this forum I have grown in confidence & my experience with ingredients & their effects have also increased. Now being able to tweak with confidence on that elusive search for the 'Ultimate BIR experience' at home. This forum beats any book on my shelves.
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Smiley,
this base is one that i've not made.
just wanted to echo the rest of the comments which is pretty much me to the "t" as well.
best wishes.
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OK Ive just read the whole thread. Seems to me the key is cooking it long enough. Im gona try doing it in my slow cooker. 10 hours on low. It wont loose liquid this way so should not end up too thick.
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Hi all, for me this is bar far the best base i have tried to date.
over the past couple of years i have tried several and i must say that this one really doe's hit the spot ;D
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Followed the recipe to the letter....turned out REALLY REALLY REALLY bitter!!! ???
Luckily, my guests are not coming round until tomorrow and I can try again with a trusted base sauce recipe. I guess it must've been the ingedients!! ::)
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ok my first ever attempt at a proper curry that didint mean some mince with curry powder thrown in it.
got this base reciepe on the hob the now, photographing my attempt as i go on, will post the pics up soon as convienient.
fingers crossed
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I think this is the original recipe this base sauce came from - ;)
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Mumrez Khan?s Lamb and Spinach Karahi curry
Category: Food and Restaurants
This is the recipe for Mumrez Khan's Lamb and Spinach Karahi curry recipe from Rick Stein's "Food Heroes" series. Mumrez is from the Karachi Restaurant in Neal Street, Bradford, West Yorkshire.
It has been said that "this is the only curry recipe you'll ever need" ...I must say it is the best curry i have ever made at home, so try it yourself! You won't be disappointed.
The Ingredients
- 250g (9oz) Ghee/Clarified Butter
- 65g (2 1/2oz) Garlic
- 1 tablespoon Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
- 550g (1 1/4lb) Onions Chopped
- 50g (2oz) Fresh Ginger, peeled and chopped
- 900g (2lb) Boneless leg or shoulder of Lamb (1? in) cubes
- 120ml (4fl oz) water
- 3 tablespoons Fresh Coriander (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon Ground Turmeric
- 350g (12oz) Fresh Spinach washed with large stalks removed
- 4 medium sized Green Chillies with stalks removed
- ? tablespoon Garam Masala
- 1 x 400g (140z) Can Chopped Toms
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Ground Coriander
- A pinch of ground cumin and freshly ground black pepper to serve
Method
1. Heat the ghee in a large, heavy based pan. Add the onions and cook over a medium heat, stirring now and then, for 20 minutes until they are soft and a light brown
2. Put the tomatoes, water, ginger and garlic into a liquidizer and blend until smooth. Remove the fried onions with a slotted spoon, add them to the paste and blend briefly until smooth.
3. Return the puree to the ghee left in the pan and add the lamb and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes, by which time the lamb will be half cooked and the sauce will be well reduced. Stir in the turmeric, chilli powder, cumin, paprika and ground coriander and continue to cook for 30-45 minutes for shoulder or 45-1 hour for leg, until the lamb is tender, adding a little water now and then if the sauce starts to stick.
4. Meanwhile, put 175g (6oz) of the spinach leaves into a large pan and cook until it has wilted down into the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 minute, then transfer to the rinsed out liquidizer and blend to a smooth puree. Set aside. Rinse out the liquidiser again and add the green chillies and 2-3 tablespoons of water and blend until smooth. Set aside.
5. When the lamb is cooked, there should be a layer of ghee floating on the top of the curry. You can either skim it off or leave it there, whichever you prefer (leave it). Then stir in the spinach puree and the remaining spinach leaves and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Now taste the curry and add as much green chilli puree as you wish, according to how hot you like your curries. Simmer for 2 minutes more.
7. Stir in the fresh coriander and Garam Masala. Transfer the curry to a serving dish and sprinkle with a little more ground cumin and some freshly ground black pepper just before you take it to the table.
Serve with your choice of rice, Naan breads, Poppadoms and whatever else you can cram in.
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ok all done. here are my pics of making this base
all the stuff together, i added more onion as i measured out the amount wrong, the scales doing lbs i thought kg dohhhhh. but caught my mistake just in time.
(http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/153/base1.jpg)
here is the onions in the oil and starting to cook away
(http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/2006/base2.jpg)
onions after about 20 mins on a medium heat number 4 on electric cooker
(http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/1130/base3.jpg)
i now put the garlic and ginger and tomatoes into the pot
(http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/4497/base4.jpg)
gave it a right good going with a hand blender till it was in a good puree, at this point i added 2 cups of water as well, then stuck it on a low heat for about 30 mins then upped to a medium heat for another 30 mins. i kept the lid on except for a few stirrings at this point.
(http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/8607/base5.jpg)
this little devil came into the kitchen when my back was turned for a minute and started poking about with my spices!, you can see the chilli and cumin on his brand new jumper.
(http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/1737/base6.jpg)
stuck the spices in and let it do its stuff.
(http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/7808/base7.jpg)
oil starting to form on top and getting darker, 2 hours i
(http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/3944/base8.jpg)
just about there now 2hours 30 mins of bubbling away
(http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/6620/base9.jpg)
scooped this oil off the top of it, think i will keep it and use to make the curry with.
(http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/3850/base10.jpg)
all packed and cooling ready to freeze the final product
(http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/4445/base11.jpg)
except for this one, this is for making my first real curry tomorrow night, vindallo for me and a korma for the scared wife.
(http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/5236/base12.jpg)
tastes lovley , had a spoonfull. i halved the amount of chilli and paprika i put in because thought it would be better for kormas, and i can give as much heat as i require when making the vindallo.
will post pics of how i get on :)
many thanks
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Jimmy2x that looks Quality :)
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hi all
so i had a crack at making a curry with this base, and here is the result. i didint take as many pictures as it was full on work doing it.
couple of points
i was lacking a few things ie i had no garam masala or fenugreek, so i basically used a mix of spices as in the be spice mix and some garlic and chilli powder and tomato puree.
I also made a korma at the same time for my wife, i made a mistake in using a bag of grated coconut, this showed up poorly in the meal, though the taste was very nice.
also shown is my attempt to make some pilau rice, i was missing cardomon for this reciepe, though it tasted just right, and i messed up a bit with my food colouring.
washing the basmati
(http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/6403/rice1.jpg)
put the spices in, as i had no cardomon i put a touch of chinese 5 spice in, with bay leave, cumin, salt, sugar, 5 whole cloves. all thrown in on some hot veg oil
(http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/2235/rice2.jpg)
here is the rice drying out, i splashed some natural food colouring on. then set aside in the fridge for an hour, before i started the curry cooking.
(http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8144/rice3.jpg)
here is my stuff to make the vindalloo, i had no chillies, and was missing a couple of ingriedents. but used a tub of minced chillies for heat.
(http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/6956/vindo1.jpg)
At this point it was hectic, i was making the curries and was busy as heck and never took photos, i even forgot to take one of the korma. but i did take this final pic of my curry.
(http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7812/vindo2.jpg)
So wasint quite like a bir curry, but it wasint that far off, was very pleased realy with the end result, and ive learned a few lessons and gained some knowledge for my next attempt which will be on saturday.
1. getting the coulour in the rice is harder than i thought, easier to i think make couloured rice in seperate cups then let dry and mix all together before reheating.
2. almonds in the korma, i had a hard job justifying the 1.68 for the small bag of almonds from the supermarket, i bought almond extract instead for 58p a bottle, im not sure what diffrence this made to the overall dish. To me the curry shouldnt cost more than i could buy it for, infact it should cost a lot less, this is one of the main reasons for creating your own as well as the fun involved.
3. the cocunut in the korma should be liquid or this comes through unpleasant in the final dish, i think the milk of a coconut would do just fine next time.
4. i realy must get together the correct ingriedence, this is curtailing my effort, ive been buying all this stuff from morrisons and though ive had to make a huge outlay for spices ect, this will obviously get cheaper now i have so much and wont need much at all except some chicken for quite a few meals.
5. i need to when happy create a spice mix, this will save loads of bother dishing out a spoon full of this and that all the time. i realy need to look into this as it makes it so much easier and also more uniform.
will update how i do on saturday.
by the way both curries tasted realy nice anyway, just not quite what they could have been.
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Great post and pics Jimmy 8)
That rice looks very nice to me! Same with the curry!
Perhaps use a little less food colouring, if you think it's too colourful? You only need a couple of drops and then ensure that the rice is thoroughly dry before mixing (to avoid "bleeding" of the colours). Or, as you say, make yellow and white (and red, if you like) rice separately and mix them (I use the former method and it works just fine provided the rice is dry)
the cocunut in the korma should be liquid or this comes through unpleasant in the final dish, i think the milk of a coconut would do just fine next time
.
To my mind, coconut milk powder is best to use (it's what BIRs use).
i realy must get together the correct ingriedence
This thread might be helpful to you Jimmy: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1766.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1766.0)
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Made this ' New Base ' today and what a result ! The texture was Silky smooth and the Madras which I made after was sooo rich and what a depth of flavour :o I use the sNs Madras recipe and I tend to go a bit heavy on the Spices compared to the Recipe but today I followed the Recipe to the letter and I couldn't believe how rich the Curry was with just minimal Spices . Probably a drop of water either in the base or when I cook the Madras will make it perfect ;D Well done Admin (http://www.mysmiley.net/imgs/smile/happy/happy0034.gif) (http://www.mysmiley.net)
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so far so good, jus doin the puree cook atm, smells wonderful was very worried bout all the garlic but seems to hav calmed down lol bout 20 mins to go b4 the ground spices, will keep updated, this so far smells better than the rest i have tried, jus hope this one tastes like curry lol (had a few this week that taste like the smell of dead mans foot lol) :P
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after the base sauce is made is that edible or concentrate.i am lost do i now look up a recipe and use this base and the other recipe ingrediants.thanks
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after the base sauce is made is that edible or concentrate.i am lost do i now look up a recipe and use this base and the other recipe ingrediants.thanks
Hi Scoobydoo,
The base sauce is ready to use for making a main curry. So decide a main curry and recipe to your liking (from here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?board=3.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?board=3.0)) and add this base (as is) where the recipe tells you to.
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made this base today has great flavor and when my wife walked in she said my god it smells like an indian restaurant in here RESULT OR WHAT
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That looks amazing to me Jimmy. I like the look of this one admin, i like the look of the garlic quantity
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i love this recipe! its my fav curry recipe out of hundreds. i have been looking for it for months though hahah i only found it by googling 15 garlic bulbs haha. well done mate, nice dish there x
This recipe calls for frying onion until softened, then pureeing.
I have not posted for a while but this recipe is very very close as a BIR curry sauce.
It just needs time to darken: -
Ingredients
1/2 Cup veg oil
3 Large Onions - Finely Chopped
1 Can Tinned Tomato 400g tin chopped
15 Garlic Bulbs Cloves (yes 15)
1 Cube Ginger
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon - Coriander
1 Tablespoon - Cumin
1 Tablespoon - Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon - Paprika
1 Tablespoon - Turmeric
Method
1. Take a stock pot
2. Heat veg oil
3. Add Onions fry until softened or until they turn a little darker (15 to 20 mins), this should take the acid out of them.
4. Blend onions with 1 tin toms, garlic bulbs, ginger & some water until become a puree / has a soup like texture.
5 Put the puree into the stock pot on a medium heat add 1 teaspoon salt.
6. Cook gently (medium high heat) until starting to become darker, this could be an hour or so, keep it going the longer the better, add water or cup chicken stock iif becomes to thick.
7. Add the ground spices (coriander/cumin/chili/paprika/turmeric) into the puree and stir
8. Cook until the oil rises to the top this is the sign the base sauce is ready, but make sure it is dark.
This is an adaption from this recipe which is real and from a restaurant in Bradford.
I was so impressed with the sauce i have adapted it above and now think this could be the real thing
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1846.msg16005#msg16005 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1846.msg16005#msg16005)
Copyright CR0.co.uk
Can you tell me how much water I should roughly use ?
Best regard 8)
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had ago at this 1 seems to have got good feedback not sure how dark it should be thoughhttp://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/66a879273daead5fa1b76a1b8d5da02b.JPG
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sorry try again
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/66a879273daead5fa1b76a1b8d5da02b.JPG (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/66a879273daead5fa1b76a1b8d5da02b.JPG)
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That looks right to me, jamieb ;) this base is darker in colour than alot of other bases :)
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hope so ill give it a taste test at the weekend :D
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just made this base again. will be better able to apraise it now.
must be 6 months ago since last time and i think im a more educated cook now.
i take it many are still using and recommended this one?
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i take it many are still using and recommended this one?
I tried it again recently jimmy2x and while not a bad base it didn't take me forward in any way. Others highly recommend it though so I think it's one you have to try and decide for yourself.
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sorry try again
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/66a879273daead5fa1b76a1b8d5da02b.JPG (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/66a879273daead5fa1b76a1b8d5da02b.JPG)
Here it is:
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/66a879273daead5fa1b76a1b8d5da02b.JPG)
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I tried it again recently jimmy2x and while not a bad base it didn't take me forward in any way. Others highly recommend it though so I think it's one you have to try and decide for yourself.
This was the first base I tried when joining the site. While it was great then, it's not great for me now. There are, in my opinion, far better bases on curry recipes online.
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Which base(s) do you use now, BB? I still like this one for madras/vindaloo but I've been using Razor's base (last 4 I've made were his) which works out better across all curries for me....
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6. Cook gently (medium high heat) until starting to become darker, this could be an hour or so, keep it going the longer the better, add water or cup chicken stock iif becomes to thick.
I did 2 batches of this base, the first batch went dark brown like it was suppose to but the 2nd batch didn't change colour at all, the only difference was that the 2nd batch was made from those large onion strings you get from morrisons and the 1st was made with onions bought from the Asian supermarket.
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tried this base last night. it looks absolutely great! gonna make a madras with it tonight
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for some reason nothing is going down after i put the tinned tomatoes in e.g its been 45 mins and the garlic bulbs are still whole, is this ment to happen???
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Method
1. Take a stock pot
2. Heat veg oil
3. Add Onions fry until softened or until they turn a little darker (15 to 20 mins), this should take the acid out of them.
4. Blend onions with 1 tin toms, garlic bulbs, ginger & some water until become a puree / has a soup like texture.
5 Put the puree into the stock pot on a medium heat add 1 teaspoon salt.
6. Cook gently (medium high heat) until starting to become darker, this could be an hour or so, keep it going the longer the better, add water or cup chicken stock iif becomes to thick.
7. Add the ground spices (coriander/cumin/chili/paprika/turmeric) into the puree and stir
8. Cook until the oil rises to the top this is the sign the base sauce is ready, but make sure it is dark.
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Somthing tells me i read that wrong
D/w now currypot65 helped me out :D
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Moderator delete please.
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Just doing this now and it's my first attempt at making any base. I'm at the final stage now and it's been simmering for about 1 hour but I think I've added too much spice.
I followed the recipe but perhaps my tablespoon is bigger than most! It seems very thick so I'm adding chicken stock regulary but it's tasting grainy although it does smell superb.
Hopefully it'll be ok.
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Well after about 3 and a half hours simmering no oil has risen, all I'm getting is froth.
I couldn't wait any longer as I was starving so I made a very basic prawn curry using this base and Razors spice mix and it was very nice. Probably nearer to the real thing than I've ever made before but definately room for improvement!
I've turned the heat off now and will sort it out in the morning. It will probably taste better tomorrow night as I've been tasting it about every 10 minutes.
All in all fairly happy with my first attempt.
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Just noticed the time on the forum is an hour slow so it's been simmering 2 and half hours not 3 and a half. I was wondering where that time went!
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hcool,
i've not made this base but always had it in mind down to the higher proportion of garlic than i am pretty sure any other base on the site.
i reckon 3 large onions is ~500g (based on 170g ea) and 15 garlic cloves 110g (based on 7.5g ea). pro rata on an 800gm based which is my std size gives 175g of garlic c/w the most i've used at 60g ie x3 my norm.
i'm looking at upping my garlic and would appreciate your thoughts on how the garlic sits in your base and the dishes u make - do u get an after taste of garlic a few hours after eating or the next day. this i don't at the mo and would like to.
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Jerry, I`ve done this base a couple of times and its a very spicy base, good for hotter dishes but if you have mild curry lovers in the house like me then its too spicy, next time Im going to leave the chilli powder out and add that to the main dish, I did notice it was a grainy base, even after its been frozen then thaw`d I have to give it a 2nd zap in the liquidizer and add more stock. I didn't notice any considerable after taste of garlic... but my wife would be the best one to ask...
Andy
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I'm cooking a lamb madras with this now and am determined not to keep tasting it until it's ready. I put it in the fridge overnight and today it's realy dark brown and looks the biz.
I'll let you know about the garlic aftertaste in a couple of hours time although I always put lots of garlic in just about everything I cook so I may not be the fairest judge.
I reckon I must've put about 2 pints of stock/water tnto this base whilst cooking to stop it getting too thick. Can't wait til this madras is ready!!!
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Fi5H, hcool,
appreciate the info. i too use lots of garlic in general cooking. it may not be the amount but how/when its added - i'm not grasping at straws - there's is a definite difference in after taste from a TA dish c/w with my equivalent. adding extra "powdered" garlic at frying stage has not worked so far (i might not have added enough "extra") - hence my interest in adding more to the base and adding paste at frying stage.
hcool's madras should give me a better feel for which to try 1st.
ps 1 tsp of standard g/g ginger paste does not really have a lot of garlic in it. increasing the amount of g/g paste is not the answer either as the ginger goes out of balance in the dish. i use ashoka g/g paste but at 70:30 in favor of garlic (c/w 60:40 std).
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Well the madras was very nice, as for the garlic aftertaste and next day effects, I wouldn't say the garlic is evident like sometimes I know I stink. ;D
As fish said this base is very spicey and I reckon I put too much spice in as well but still very enjoyable. I've arrived after 20 years of making sub standard curries!!!
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i too use lots of garlic in general cooking. it may not be the amount but how/when its added
I think you're right there Jerry, it's when it's added that counts.
When I make a garlic chilli chicken I add some garlic/ginger paste in close to the end of cooking the curry. The later it goes in, the rawer and stronger the garlic taste and because it hasn't been fried it tends to give you that garlic after taste for longer.
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hcoool, Secret Santa,
thanks for feedback. given hcool's report i'm now tending towards Secret Santa's suggestion - particularly given that when i eat raw garlic (guacamole say or sasla) i feel u certainly get a stronger garlic taste. i will try it with garlic paste (with tom puree and then with base) - i don't won't more ginger to keep the balance right.
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How would I go about making a plain chicken curry from this recipe?
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Hi Aruba,
Have you made up this base sauce yet, and have you got a spice mix sorted out? If the answer is yes, then your not far away from a BIR standard curry.
Once you've replied, I will try to point you in the right direction.
Ray :)
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I am actually just about to set off to my local store for some ingredients. I was gonna try this base with the curry secret recipes??? would you reccomend or not. All I want is to make a decent plain curry like my local takeaway its so frustrating as i get so close yet so farrrr away .
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Hi Aruba,
The Curry secret has had mixed reviews on this site. It certainly was a breakthrough when it was first published but I believe that there is better on this site.
Ill, PM you a recipe for a plain chicken curry, keep checking your inbox.
Ray :)
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I have actually made better currys off this website than I have with the curry secret book.
I like the look of the ingredients in this base, do you know if there is a 'set' of recipes that this base works best with?
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Hi Aruba,
I don't think that there is a set of recipes that go with this base but, I could be wrong.
I've just sent you the recipe for my plain chicken curry.
Ray :)
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Hello Razor,
I've just had a go at this base mix this morning before leaving for work.
Cooked the onions for a good 45mins.
It's now in the slow cooker, & will remain there untill around 6pm tonight.
Hopefuly I will get some pictures posted on Friday.
Would love your recipe for chicken curry please mate.
CArl...
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Well,
To be totally honest, I much prefer CA's base mix, much more to my taste.
This sauce for me personally, has too much garlic in it. Maybe for me, I should leave out some of the garlic.
Sorry, just my opinion.
CArl...
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Hi CArl
I have never made this base, so I couldn't really compare it with CA's (which I have made, plenty of times) but if the garlic is an issue for you, just reduce or omit on the final dish.
You say that you want my, plain chicken curry recipe? No problem, I'll PM you it. Just one request though. If you already don't like this base, please don't critique the final dish if you are going to use this base, i'd be on a loser before you even got going lol, ;D
Ray :)
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Just one request though. If you already don't like this base, please don't critique the final dish if you are going to use this base, i'd be on a loser before you even got going lol, ;D
Ray :)
I might give your curry a go with CA's base mix Razor.
Then again, I might have another go at this base mix, & ease back on the garlic.
What ever, I would never criticise you personally sir. I appreciate all the help you give.
Regards...CArl...
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Hi CArl
What ever, I would never criticise you personally sir. I appreciate all the help you give.
Lol, I don't mind a bit of criticism, I'm big and ugly enough to take it on the chin. As far as I'm aware, this base (Admins Base) is a real Bradford BIR base, so you would hope it to be good.
Ca's base is an excellent base too, I often switch between his and my own base.
Ray :)
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I know this thread has been dead for a while, but has anyone found a good spice mix to go with this curry base??? 8)
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Just wanted to add my two cents worth. I've been using Kris Dhillon's base sauce recipe for seven years (since I joined cr0) and only recently found this one from Stu. IMO this recipe is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better. Love it. It's also a lot easier to put together. Thanks much!
:D
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Oh, Les, to answer your Spice Mix question I used this one from the cr0 FAQs:
Coriander 8 Parts
Turmeric 7 Parts
Cumin 5 Parts
Curry Powder 4 parts
Paprika 4 Parts (optional)
For "Parts" think tsp or Cup, whatever you like. There is no chili mentioned but I always find that individual recipes add the chili.
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So you mix these spices and fry them off in the oil then add the gravy base to make the complete curry?
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Oh, Les, to answer your Spice Mix question I used this one from the cr0 FAQs:
Coriander 8 Parts
Turmeric 7 Parts
Cumin 5 Parts
Curry Powder 4 parts
Paprika 4 Parts (optional)
For "Parts" think tsp or Cup, whatever you like. There is no chili mentioned but I always find that individual recipes add the chili.
Apologies for the late reply DD, Forgot about this thread, and my question :D
So thanks for the reply. I'll try it out and see how it goes, I'm glad someone else likes this base apart from me, I've tried a few, but alway's come back to this one ::)
Les
PS
Been using Abdul's 8 spice mix which work's preety well
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jonx1234,
Apologies for the late reply I've been here for years and only now saw the "Show new replies to your posts" option. Doh!
As for the wehn to use it part of your question, most recipe will tell you when to add it. :-)
Also, I've found that it's best to make a bumload (ahem, technical term) of the spice mix, say a 1/2 cup of each ingredient and store it in an airtight jar. If you're making more than three curries a week (like me) then it's just a great time saver to not to have to keep mixing smaller rinky dink amounts of something you need all the time.
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just one ? what do you men with "1 Cube Ginger" :)
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Any good recipes to go with this base?
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I?ve just cooked my 2nd BIR style curry, using a different base to this one - what a disappointment! I will definately be going back to using this base - it is spot on - not only is it rich and flavourful, but the consistency looks a lot better, and its simpler to make than some of the other bases. I?m still learning so I can?t blame the recipe of the one I have just made - perhaps I did something wrong during the cooking process? The finished Madras was bland and watery. I used it with same Veg Madras recipe that I used for my first curry. Will definately stick to this from now on!
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My first visit and this is the first base I have used other than from the two Curry Secret books, I have to say this worked out really well and I am over the moon with the result, so thank you very much for taking the time to post and thank you to all the contributors, I made the Kushi chicken Dopiaza using this sauce, thanks to Razor for posting it, really really pleased thanks again, now a convert :)
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Good to have you aboard Happychappy. Enjoy all that the forum has to offer. A wealth of information and an encyclopaedia of recipes to try
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Been using this one for years, and still by far my favorite.
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And me, Love this base ;D
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Even though I now live in the place where prisoners were once sent,
I agree, this is a good base.
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Hi Stew just in process of making a batch of this base for the first time, I must say having read the replies I am very optimistic about it.
I hope this is going to take my curries to the next level. I have made many different bases Dipuraji, 3 hour base , Darths, Kd1, Kd2, Bruce Edwards, Pat Chapman, curry 2 go,Taz, amongst others, my favourite been KD2 as it is very versatile and tasty.
It does smell very nice at the moment just have to add spice and wait for oil to rise, then its lads round for good few beers and curry night, not sure what curry it will be, prob a Madras as its always a good benchmark for a new base.
I shall post results tomorrow!!!! hang over permitting
Thanks for great post mate
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Looking forward to the follow up report and a few pics of the finished article ;D
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Good to see this recipe still going strong.
Madrasandy would love to see your pics of finished curries.
Good luck with the dinner party, let us know how it goes.
Cheers.
Stew
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Hi Stew, made a madras last night but after cooking the base all afternoon/teatime and after drinking too many beers and not eating till 10.00 im afraid I cant really comment properly on the results. Yes it was a lovely curry, friends ate it within minutes and took some base home with them, but Im afraid my senses were a little curried out!!!
I have a portion of base sat in the fridge and will be making another curry tonight for the Mrs, the best judge of all curries I make! As my favourite base is KD2 maybe the spicing of the base was a little strong to what I am used to, or maybe subconsciously thats what I thought while cooking, but the true test of the curry will be tonight when my sinuses are clear and I wont be too intoxicated to cook!!!
Sorry didnt take pictures of the curry last night, I always remember after it has all gone, but I will take some of tonights and will post results tomorrow
Regards
Andy
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Made a Chicken Bhuna with extra chillis last night and have to say it was a belting curry, full of flavour and as good as any take away according to the wife, Ive never had a take away bhuna so cant comment on that. I still think the base is a little too flavoured but it is an outstanding base and am so glad I made it.
Cheers Stew for the recipe
Take some pics and will upload them shortly
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(http://[URL=http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#9ce15998f327364c1ca922d7f6157a49.jpg][IMG]http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/9ce15998f327364c1ca922d7f6157a49.jpg)[/URL][/img]
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Chicken Bhuna with Green Chilli an pilau rice
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/bd540d0dc7b1fd95554e5d1f3309bd46.jpg)
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/ac74686b75ed1bbe160c012314b2d1d5.jpg)
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Delicious and yummy :D
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I am making this base today as I type for the first time. and going to make a madras with it this evening ;D
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I made this today - certainly looks the part and tastes nice. I'm pretty new to this. Can this base be used for a Korma?
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Yes.
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I only ask as the base seems a little spicy for the kids palette ( mines fine ). I know there are a plethora of recipes on here but anyone suggest a few recipes to make with this particular base?
I've seen a lot of BIR bases, all different so just testing the water here.
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I'd be intersted to know how many experienced members here actualy use this base (no disrespect to the guv'nor)- you might try one of the more recent ones? Or contrariwise, one of the originals, Kris Dillon or Brucey Babe :)
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I'd be intersted to know how many experienced members here actualy use this base (no disrespect to the guv'nor)- you might try one of the more recent ones? Or contrariwise, one of the originals, Kris Dillon or Brucey Babe :)
See previous page. MadrasAndy was using this base last year.
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This is the only base (Stew's) I have ever used, 5 years approx. (It's the nearest base to old school, for me that is) But I would think it was over spiced for Korma, but never having made a Korma, I don't really know. I don't cook BIR anymore, (found it all too much of a muchness (is that a word) ;D) stick to more traditional style. and Chinese now.
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much of a muchness (is that a word) ;D) s
Yes, and dates to at least 1728.
ON topic :o though it occurs to me that if you use the same base for five years, that's perhaps not such a surprise eh! Each to their own of course.
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I did try another base, can't remember which one now, but far to many veggies in there for my liking, tasted like veg soup ;D, (not what I was used too) might just have well used a veg stock cube ;) any base with cabbage in, I left alone. which is a good percentage of the new base's
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This does taste lovely, had that velvety sheen on it as it was finally cooked ( a few hours at least). Now all portioned up , approx 2 1/2 ladles to each container ind in the freezer.
I'll just take a punt and pick a curry recipe and have a go.....
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Hi DM,
I used this base and find it fine with all of the normal popular recipes, Madras, Vindaloo , Jalfrezi, etc. (But I would not use it for Korma's ;unless you like them spicy.) just pick one and give it a shot, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
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Well it's the first base gravy I have tried. What do you recommend for A base gravy for a Korma and milder dishes then?
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I don't really know DM, (having never made a korma), but have a look at some of the other members that make Korma, and see what they use. and try one that you fancy.
This one seems very popular,
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,3772.0.html (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,3772.0.html)
But there are others.