Basic sauce for making curries

Stage 1 ingredients

This is my effort at making a basic sauce for restaurant style curries. The following quantity is for 8 people, as you may wish to freeze some for a later date.

Ingredients

Printable 🖨 shopping 🛒 list & 👩‍🍳 method for this recipe

• 120 ml vegetable oil
• 950 g or about 8 cooking onions, thinly sliced
• 175 g (about 3-4 bulbs) garlic, diced
• 50 g ginger, peeled and diced
• 1.5 litres water
• 2 good teaspoons salt
• 1 additional tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek
• 1 teaspoon chilli
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• 1 teaspoon tomato purée
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes, puréed

Method

Stage 1

1. Heat the oil over a medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion slices and fry for about 10 minutes, until they are starting to brown, and even stick slightly.
3. Stir vigorously, add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further few minutes until softened.
4. Add the water and blend thoroughly - the mixture must be absolutely smooth.
5. Add the salt, bring to the boil and turn down the heat to low.
6. Simmer, covered, for 40-45 minutes and allow to cool.
7. If you wish to freeze the sauce, do so at this stage.

Stage 2

1. Meanwhile, heat the 1 additional tablespoon vegetable oil in a clean pan, add the spices and tomato purée cook for about a minute - no longer.
2. Add the tomatoes, bring to the boil , reduce heat and cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Skim, allow to cool and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Variations

Combine spices to your taste.

Chef's notes

Make your the sauce two to three days in advance and refrigerate. This will improve the flavour and gives more of a restaurant aroma.