Topic: My curry base and Rogan Josh sauce

[Ian777]

Hi everyone.

Here is my version of a curry base sauce and my version of Rogan Josh sauce. All feedback and comments are welcome. 

Curry base

Ingredients
6 onions halfed
1 Bulb of garlic pureed
2 inch piece of ginger pureed
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
12 dessert Spoons of vegtable oil
1 dessert spoon of Tomato puree
1 tspTumeric
1 tsp Curry powder
2 tsp Tandoori powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Garam massala powder
Water


Method
Peel and rough chop the ginger. Peel the garlic cloves and leave whole. Add the garlic and ginger along with a small amount of water to a food blender and blend to a smooth paste. Then add in 1 a dessert spoon of tomato puree and blend again. Half the onions and add to a stcok pot mine is about a 10 litre pot. Then add in the tomato garlic and ginger purre from the blender. Cover the onions with water (just enough to cover) in my case the water level was about half way. Add the salt. Then boil the onions garlic ginger and tomato puree for about 1 hour until the onions start to break down and are very very soft. Take off the heat and add in the spices and the oil, stir well and place the pot back on the heat and simmer for about 30 min. Leave to cool a little then blend to a smooth liquid, it should not be too thin, about the consistancy of soup. Taste and check seasoning. Once left for about 3 hours the flavour will be much deeper. The finished flavour is not too strong and is a little sweet from the onions.

Rogan Josh sauce (serves 1)

Ingredients
Vegtable oil
1 Small or medium onion sliced.
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger finely chopped
Salt (to taste)
1 Dessert spoon of tomato puree
1 level tsp of curry powder
1 level tsp of tumeric
1 level tsp of cumin powder
1 level tsp garam massala
1 heaped tsp of tandoori powder
2 ladles of curry base sauce.

Method
Heat quite a bit of  vegtable oil in a wok or good frying pan, I cant be sure of the exact amount of oil I used, but you will need quite a bit because I think the key to the BIR taste is proper frying of the spices and tomato puree in hot oil, in the past I have not used enough oil and the spices tasted a little sour. So heat the vegtable oil in a wok and then add in the onion, chopped garlic and chopped ginger and fry until golden but do not burn. You will know if you have enough oil in the wok because the onions garlic and ginger will nearly float in the wok rather that sit on the bottom burning. Mix together in a bowl all the spices, then add them in to the wok and fry a for a couple of min. Then add in the tomato puree and stir well and fry for another few min. At this point the mixture will be quite dark and oily, keep with it the magical part is next. Then add in two ladles (or whatever you think) heated curry base sauce and stir well. Cook for a further few minutes, check seasoning and serve.

Conclusion
Now I just knew when I added the curry base sauce it looked like the real thing, and the taste was superb, very nicely spiced and rich. You can see the oil had turned orange because of the spices (tandoori powder) probably. Just like the real thing. This is by far the best one I have ever made. I still have lots of base sauce left over and I will be going to my sisters tomorrow evening to cook her and her husband this Rogan Josh (chicken). Instead of doubling up quantities for 3 people I will use 3 seperate pans because she has a massive cooker. That way I know it will be spot on.

Please let me know if anyone uses this recipee and method I would like to know what you all think. If you dont want too much spices then simply put in half tsp measures and half the tomato puree, but for me its perfect.

[Cory Ander]

Hi Ian,

Thanks for sharing your recipes with us, much appreciated!  Would love to see those photos too! 

[mike travis]

Hi Ian,  nice one chap, it`s down on my to do list.  ;D

[Chris303]

Interesting, however I am not sure this is Rogan Josh though 

Where is the black cardamom and clove? Essential for Rogan Josh 

[haldi]

Hi Ian
      I am intrigued by your recipe
Where did you get the idea to use Tandoori powder?
It's in the base and finished curry
Is this something you have seen?
I guess it's the amount of garlic used, that makes this a rhogan josh
I've seen three rhogan josh recipes cooked
All of them involved ,adding a healthy dose of garlic, at the very end of cooking
Thanks for the post, have you got any other recipes?