I just cooked up 4 double batches of this for tomorrow night. It's really interesting to see the difference in taste between the batches, using identical ingredients.

The first i used too much onion at too low temperature and it didn't have 'the taste'. The next batches were fine but there were still different levels of quality.

Cooking on induction is a bastard.

I didn't notice it in the recipe (1 cardamom for a double portion). I was just trying to compensate for it not being in my curry mixes and not having much reclaimed oil.

Just a word of warning with lamb. If you need a specific amount remember you lose about a third in water from pre-cooking!

Thanks Chewy,

The Madras was my best curry yet. I used your base which gives a good sweetness plus CA's mix powder + a little Balti garam masala. Lovely silky texture.

I found adding the puree to the oil first let me control the frying of the spices a bit more (and I'm cooking on Induction!)

Also coincide with the missus perfecting the timing of pilau rice and the best naans yet.

It was a good night.

The missus is on Cortisone at the moment and so can't have any salt at all. I don't normally add any extra, but she does like a bit.

I made a kinda fusion curry using CA's Vindaloo recipe but using Pat Chapman's special Balti base since I had some in the freezer. So a creamy/ vindaloo thing. It was good and I didn't miss the salt, even the missus thought it was good. I live in France and the TA stuff is pretty poor to dire, so she's only really tried curry a couple of times in the U.K.

She offered some of the sauce to a friend the following lunchtime who turned their nose up at  it , being without salt. Eventually the friend had a taste and pronounced it as good as Indian food she'd had in the U.K.

The French might not know much about curry but I was pleased as punch. It might give a taste but it's possible to make something O.K without the salt.