Topic: Simply Basic - Base Gravy

[Samurai]

New to the site and am still wading through the volume of threads.  Such a vast information library - this really is an excellent resource for anyone interested in "upping" their curry game!  Glad I stumbled upon it.

For now, thought I'd pass along a simple and easy base gravy I've found that works very well in a variety of dishes and a basic chicken curry to go with it (next post).

The base gravy is adapted from a recipe that was posted on-line at Modern Tandoori Restaurant and Takeaway in Wallsend, Newcastle.  While I've made some subtle tweaks to the ingredients, the core of the recipe remains in tact.  What drew me to this base gravy was that it consists of mostly onions and is not coloured by a variety of other vegetables, which provides a bit more of a "blank slate" for creativity at later stages of the curry process.

INGREDIENTS
 
10 medium sized yellow onions
10 cloves of garlic
2 inch piece of ginger
1 1/2 litres water
400 ml can of diced tomatoes
10 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tbsp. turmeric
1 tbsp. cumin powder
1/2 tbsp. Spanish paprika
1/2 tbsp. Kashmiri chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. hing
1/2 tsp. Kasuri Methi powder
1 inch sized piece of jaggery
1 bunch cilantro stalks

METHOD

Place the ginger and garlic with about a cup of the water in a food processor or mixer and blend to a smooth consistency.  I use a Preethi mixer/ grinder (which is worth it's weight in gold).

Chop the onions into medium sized pieces and place in a large heavy bottomed saucepan.  Pour in the remaining water and the ginger and garlic paste.  Bring to a boil then cover, turn the temperature down and let the mixture sweat-simmer for about 30 minutes.

Add in the chopped tomatoes and cilantro stalks and blend with a hand blender for about three minutes until very smooth.  Otherwise, you'll need to let the mixture cool and use a blender to pulverize the mixture (which will take a few batches). 

Wipe the saucepan clean and add the peanut oil.  Pour in the paprika, chili powder, cumin and turmeric and fry over medium heat for about a minute to infuse the oil with the spices. 

Add the blended mixture to the oil and spices and bring to a simmer.  Then reduce the heat and cook for about 8 minutes.  Add in 3 cups of water to thin the gravy down, the hing, salt, Kasuri Methi and jaggery.  Cook on low heat for another 20 to 30 minutes (to the point the oil separates and rises to the top).

Once cooled, portion gravy into individual bags (sandwich baggies), about 2 ladles (or 300ml) apiece.  Freeze and store.

[snoopy]

seems good to me, but its not as basic as ive done. hows it compare to other bases you have made?

[curryhell]

seems good to me, but its not as basic as ive done. hows it compare to other bases you have made?

Would you care to share, or should we look elsewhere?