I do like chicken and lamb in a curry. Sometimes though you want a more traditional dish, cooked long and slow. Mutton is ideal for this. Mutton Curry is ideal if you’re looking for an Indian dish for a special occasion. We had this dish as part of an Indian meal.
Where To Get Mutton?
It’s not something you’re going to get from the supermarket!
Ask your local butcher or get some direct from the farm yourself.
If you’re in the Sheffield area you could pay a visit to Whirlow Hall Farm Shop. It’s where we got ours from but it is advisable to give them a bell first to make sure they have some in.
Be warned though. I only went in for Mutton and make a delivery but came out with mutton and a hefty piece of Sirloin steak! It was calling me!
If you are struggling to get mutton you can use lamb, just cut down on the cooking time. You could even use chicken thigh but again decrease the cooking time further.
What Cut Of Mutton For A Mutton Curry?
This is entirely up to you. I just asked for a little over a kilo of diced. I think it was shoulder. To be honest any cut will be good enough for a mutton curry. As it needs slow cooking any fat will render down and give a lovely rich sauce. If you want a really traditional Indian dish you could of course cook the mutton on the bone. This way you will get even more flavour in your gravy.
How Spicy Is Spicy?
Most of the spice in this recipe comes from Kashmiri chilli. This recipe isn’t blow your head off spicy. It’s quite easy to adjust the spiciness by either using more chilli powder or adding more fresh chillies. I added some whole fresh birds eye chillies towards the end of cooking to give it an extra kick.
If you like the look of this curry you may want to have a look at my recipe for Lamb Madras
Rich Spicy Mutton Curry
‘Ome
Slow cooked diced Mutton with onions, garlic and ginger in a rich tomato & yoghurt sauce, thickened with cashew nut paste.
Put the mutton to marinate overnight or for at least 3 hours.
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan
Add the sliced onion and gently fry until brown and caramelised. Once the onion is browned remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve for later.
Add the curry leaves, cinnamon and star anise to the pan (careful they may splutter)
Add the onion puree and 1 tsp of salt. Continue to fry gently for 15 minutes
Add the garlic and ginger and fry gently for 30 seconds
Add the curry Masala and fry for 20 – 30 seconds
Add the mutton and any marinade, stir and let seal
Add the watered down tomato puree, stir and let reduce back down to a thick paste.
Add the blended tinned tomatoes and chillies. Bring back to a simmer
Add the yoghurt and cashew paste, stir and again bring back to the simmer.
Turn the pan down and cover with a lid. Either cook on a very gentle heat on the hob (use a heat diffuser if you have one) or cook in the oven on a low temperature around 140°C. It wants to cook for around 2 ½ – 3 hours. If the sauce is looking to thick after an hour of cooking then you can thin it with a little water.
After 2 ½ – 3 hours you can add all the other ingredients, including the caramelised onions from earlier (keep a few almonds and coriander leaves back to garnish if you wish). Cook for another 20 – 30 minutes on the hob, lid off, before serving with pilau rice & Indian style breads.
I do love a good, hot curry. However a Vindaloo curry from the local Indian Restaurant or takeaway would never be first choice as it simply is a hot curry. Heat a priority, flavour secondary.
Vindaloo originates from the Indian region of Goa. This region is heavily influenced by the Portuguese settlers. It also has a quite large Christian population meaning that pork, a meat rarely eaten in India, can be found on the menu.
So a traditional Vindaloo Curry is made with wine, vinegar and copious amounts of garlic. The name Vindaloo comes from the Portuguese language. ‘Vinho’ meaning wine and ‘alho’ meaning garlic. Quite a few people think that the ‘aloo’ in Vindaloo means potato. Strangely enough many British Indian Restaurants do put potato in there Vindaloo, just to confuse things further!
Vindaloo Curry, How Hot Can You Go?
My recipe for Vindaloo is spicy but no where near as spicy as the dish you would get in a British Indian Restaurant.
If you want more heat it’s quite easy to adapt the recipe. Either add some chilli powder when you fry the masala off. Or add more fresh chillies. Birdseye chillies are great in this dish as are the thin Thai chillies which I believe are a type of cayenne. The other option is to add some chilli pickle towards the end. Naga Pickle, of course, is always going to add plenty of heat!
On the other hand you may fancy the sound of this dish but you’re not a fan of hot curries. If that’s the case then just add however much or little fresh chillies as you want.
But I Like Aloo In My Vindaloo?
If that’s the case then add some! Simply boil a few cubed potatoes so they’re not quite cooked and then throw them in your Vindaloo for the last 20-30 minutes of cooking.
If you like the look of this recipe you might want to check out the recipe for Lamb Madras
‘Ome Made Goan Pork Vindaloo
‘Ome
A rich, spicy Goan Pork Vindaloo based on a traditional recipe but with a touch of British Indian Restaurant influence. This is a far superior dish than you would find in most British restaurants and takeaways though!
6garlic cloves finely chopped or gratedor 5-6 tsp garlic paste
6red chillies finely choppeduse less or more to taste and depending on the variety. 6 birds eye chillies will be hotter than 6 snub chillies for instance. I used 6 birds eye chillies
200mlred wineplus a glass for yourself!
3tbspred wine vinegar
Curry
4tbspoil
12wholefresh curry leavesoptional
1stickof cassia or cinnamon
1wholestar anise
2tspblack mustard seeds
3largeonions finely choppedor blitzed in a blender/food processor for a more restaurant style
6clovesgarlic finely choppedgrated or blitzed in a grinder
3tspKashmiri chilli powder
2tbspmild curry MasalaI used ‘Ome Made B.I.R Curry Masala, obviously!
3tbsptomato puree added to 800ml hot water
2tspof tamarind paste/concentrateor 2 Tbsp lemon juice
1tbspsugarI used jaggary but any will do but the darker sugars work the best
1tbspGaram Masalaagain I used ‘Ome Made, other brands are available
1handfulchopped fresh coriander
3mediumtomatoes roughly chopped
6red chillies slicedAgain add more if you like heat, less if you don’t. I used 8 birdseye chillies, a few sliced and a few whole so they could be dished up to the ones that like extra heat
1tspsalt or to taste
Instructions
Marinate The Pork
Rub the salt in to the meat followed by the garlic and chillies. Add the wine and vinegar, give a stir, cover and refrigerate. Leave to marinate for at least 3 hours but overnight is better.
Cooking The Curry
Heat the oil in a kadai or heavy bottomed pan.
Add the whole spices (curry leaves, mustard seeds, star anise and cassia) careful as they may splutter if the oil is too hot.
Once the spices are sizzling and mustard seeds popping add the onion and salt. Continue to cook on a gentle heat for 15 minutes or so.
Add the garlic and fry for another couple of minutes.
Add the Kashmiri chilli powder and stir in, continue to fry until the mixture is a nice deep red colour. Add a splash of water if it starts to stick.
Add the curry Masala and continue to fry for a couple minutes. If it starts to stick add a little of the tomato puree/water mix.
Add half of the tomato puree and water mix. Turn the heat up and reduce back down to a thick paste.
Add the rest of the tomato puree/water mix and continue to reduce until you have a nice thick sauce.
Add the pork and the marinade and stir through.
Turn the pan down to the lowest you can. It wants to be barely a simmer.
Cook for around 2.5 hours after which time the sauce should be nice and thick.
Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for another 30 minutes. If the sauce is too thick for your liking just loosen with a little hot water.
Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed.
Serve with rice and Indian bread
Notes
This recipe takes a more traditional recipe but I have used the tomato puree in water method which gives the dish a nice rich sauce. The traditional method is slightly thinner.As far as heat goes this is a nice spicy dish but nowhere near as hot as you would get in an Indian restaurant. It also relies on fresh chillies for the heat. If you like it hot I would suggest adding a couple of teaspoons of chilli powder with your curry Masala or you could up the fresh chillies or add a few teaspoons of Naga pickle!Once you have added your meat this could be cooked covered in the oven on a moderate heat or you could put it in a slow cooker.If you are worried about using pork shoulder because of the fat, don’t. with the slow cooking all the fat renders down and gives you a lovely rich sauce and it shouldn’t be swimming in oil. You could of course use another cut such a s loin of fillet but cut down on the cooking time. This recipe will also work with chicken thigh but again cut down on the cooking time.
Chicken Jalfrezi is a favourite curry. It’s my go to curry when I have some leftover Tandoori Chicken. In fact it’s worth making some Tandoori Chicken Just to make a Jalfrezi!
What Makes A Chicken Jalfrezi?
Jalfrezi has it’s origins in Bengal. It was a way of using leftover meat or fish that was stir fried with onions, chillies and often peppers.
The B.I.R (British Indian Restaurant) version has more of a tomato sauce but it still has the onions, peppers, chillies and sometimes tomatoes.
I also like plenty of ginger in a jalfrezi, it gives it a lovely fresh ‘zing’
I used little Thai chillies in this version that pack some serious heat. It’s entirely up to you what sort of chillies you want to use and how you present them. Some people prefer their chilli to be chopped more, which is fine.
I prefer to use normal sized salad tomatoes for a Jalfrezi, cut in to quarters or sixths. On this occasion I had run out so I threw some cherry tomatoes in, you might prefer this option though.
Base Sauce
I’ve included a recipe for base sauce for this Chicken jalfrezi. It’s a very simple one but I love it!
If you have your own tried and trusted base sauce you can use that instead of the one in the recipe. If it’s not heavy on the tomatoes though you might want to add a little extra tomato puree or some tinned chopped tomatoes.
If you don’t use all the base sauce. Just pop it in a container for the freezer for another time.
Curry Masala & Spices
I obviously use ‘Ome Made B.I.R Curry Masala & Tandoori Masala when I was making this which are available to buy at www.omemade.co.uk
You can substitute your favourite brand or your own if you have your own favourite mix.
If you are in the Derby area you might want to give The Herb And Spice Emporium a look up for your spices. Great selection, service and very reasonable prices. Check out there Facebook page here The Herb And Spice Emporium
3tspmild curry masala(you could use 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp turmeric instead)
1.2litreswater
1handfulcoriander stalks(if you have them)
1400mltin of tomatoes
Chicken Jalfrezi
500gTandoori/Tikka Chickencut in to chunks
1mediumonioncut in half and then quarter each half
2wholepeppers (whatever colour you have) deseeded and roughly chopped
4clovesgarlicgrated or finely chopped
1inch cubedfresh gingergrated or finely chopped
4tbspoil or ghee
1tspKashmiri Chilli powder(optional)
4tspcurry masala
1tspTandoori masala
1tspground turmeric
1tspchilli powder
2tbsptomato pureediluted in 300ml water
1portionbase sauce mix
1tbspKasoori Methi (dried fenugreek) leaves
4largetomatoescut in to 4 – 6 (or around 250g of cherry tomatoes, left whole)
6-8finger type chilliescut in half and half again if large (or leave whole if small)
1handfulchopped fresh coriander
1tspsalt to taste
1tspGaram MasalaIf you don't have any a grind of black pepper
Instructions
To make the base sauce
Heat the oil in a large pan. Once hot add the onions and salt. Gently fry for 10 minutes until the onions are starting to soften.
Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a couple more minutes.
Add the curry masala or spices along with a splash of water. Give a quick stir around and then add the water.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
Add the tinned tomato and coriander stalks/
Bring back to the simmer and cook for another 30 minutes
Take the pan off the heat and blitz with an immersion blender until you have a very smooth sauce.
Put back on a low heat ready for adding to your curry. If it looks a little thick add some water. It should be the be slightly thicker than full fat milk.
To make the curry
heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan or karahi.
Once the oil is hot add the onion and peppers. Fry until they are just blistering and colouring. remove the peppers and onions from the pan with a slotted spoon and put in a bowl.
turn the heat down on the pan and add the garlic and ginger. Fry for a few seconds
Add the Kashmiri chilli and stir through. Add the curry masala, tandoori masala and other spices. mix in and fry for 20 seconds or so. If they start to catch add a splash of the water/tomato puree.
Turn the heat up to medium and add the Tomato paste and water. let this simmer and reduce down almost to a paste.
now add a couple ladles of base sauce, stir in a and let reduce. Now add 3 ladles of base sauce and let reduce. Now you can add most of the base gravy (leave around 200ml for adjusting your finished sauce) and simmer until you have a thick sauce and see little craters appearing. Don't stir to often as the sauce reduces. You want the sauce to caramelise around the edges of the pan and then the caramelised edges can be stirred in to the sauce. That's where all the flavour is.
Now you can add your chicken, Kasoori Methi, garam masala, tomatoes, chillies, peppers and onions. Heat through for around 15 minutes, if the sauce is too thick add more base sauce 'till you have your preferred consistency and then add your chopped coriander. Heat gently for another 5 minutes. Taste and add extra salt to taste.
Serve your curry with some pilau rice and Indian bread such as naans or chapatis.
I do love a Lamb Madras. The good thing about a Madras is it can be as simple or as complicated as you like.
The basics of Madras are tomatoes, something sharp & sour such as lemon juice or tamarind and plenty of chilli heat.
As we don’t have lamb curry all that often I decided to go to town with this recipe with a deep, rich sauce.
The Lamb Madras Curry Gravy
This recipe has a curry gravy which is made separately. There is enough gravy for the Lamb Madras and I had about 250ml left which could be frozen and used in another curry at another time. If you like plenty of sauce though you may decide to use all of it.
The Lamb
For this recipe I used lamb shoulder, off the bone. You could of course use leg or neck and it’s entirely up to you if you want to leave the meat on the bone.
I didn’t pre-cook the meat in this recipe. I added the lamb to 1/2 of the gravy which had been allowed to reduce so it was nice and thick. This coated and sealed the lamb before I added the rest of the gravy and allowed the dish to cook slowly, resulting in a deep rich sauce.
The lamb would be cooked after 45 minutes but in my opinion its best left for 1.5 hours so it’s melt in the mouth tender.
The Heat
We have our Madras reasonably hot but the level of heat can be altered to suit your taste with the addition of chilli powder for more heat or less chilli powder if you want something milder.
Of course you could add fresh chillies or if you like real heat try adding some Naga Chilli Pickle!
Add the whole spices and gently fry for 30 seconds.
Add the chopped onions and salt. cook gently until soft and light brown
Add the chopped garlic and ginger. Cook for 30 seconds
Add all the ground spices and the red pepper. cook for 30 to 60 seconds
Add the tomato puree and stir in
Add the tinned tomatoes and water. Bring to a simmer
Add the coriander stalks.
Cook for around 45 minutes
Remove the Tej Patia leaves if used and blend with a stick blender
Cooking The Curry
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan or Karahi.
Add the cinnamon and star anise. fry gently for 30 seconds
Add the onion and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the garlic and ginger and fry for 30 seconds or so.
Add the Kashmiri chilli, stir in and cook until the mixture is a deep red colour.
Add the curry powder and chilli powder, fry gently for 2 to 5 minutes. If the mixture is sticking add a splash of water to loosen the mixture.
Add roughly half of the curry gravy, stir and bring to a vigorous simmer. This wants to reduce to a thick paste. You can partly cover the pan if you don't want it firing off everywhere!
Once the gravy has reduced, add the lamb. Stir and coat with the paste and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add more gravy to the pan to create a thick sauce, you may have a little gravy left. This can be used to add later if the sauce is too thick for you. If it all goes in you can use a little water to make the sauce to the consistency you want.
Cook on a gentle heat, just simmering, for at least 45 minutes but 1 to 1 1/2 hours is better.20 to 30 minutes before your curry is ready to serve add all the other ingredients.
Serve with some pilau rice and bread to mop up the lovely rich sauce!
Pathia is a wonderful Indian dish that has it’s roots in Persia. Sweet, hot and sour it hits all the right notes in out household.
Obviously you can alter the level of heat to suit your taste by using more or less Chilli powder and fresh chillies.
Chicken & Paneer Pathia Made With ‘Ome Made B.I.R Curry Masala
For this recipe I used chicken thigh as the main ingredient with a little added paneer. If you are using chicken breast it may take a little less cooking.
You can use whatever main ingredient you like though. Prawns work really well. If you are using lamb or beef remember they will need longer cooking or try par-cooking first. If you want a vegetarian version You can use whatever you like. If using root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots try par-boiling before adding to the sauce. They will then cook quicker and take on more flavour from the sauce.
Obviously I used my own ‘Ome Made B.I.R Curry Masala for this dish. You can however use any branded curry masala or your own version.
Base Sauce
I’ve used a base sauce for this recipe but I’ve made one especially for this curry. It’s a bit heavier on the tomatoes than most base sauces.
If you want to use your own base sauce go ahead. Just add the tomato ingredients to the fried spices before adding your own base.
1teaspoon'Ome Made B.I.R Curry Masalaor any other brand of masala
3tablespoontomato puree
400gramchopped tinned tomato
1tablespoonCoriander stalkschopped
Spicing Essence
3podscardamomsplit
3wholecloves
1stickcinnamon
3wholeIndian bay leaves
3wholeAll spice
3TablespoonSugar
3tablespoonVinegar
500millilitreswater
Curry
4tablespoonoil or ghee
6clovesgarlicfinely chopped or grated
1thumb sized piecegingerfinely chopped or grated
3teaspoonkashmiri chilli
1 - 3teaspoonchilli powderto taste
1tablespoon'Ome Made B.I.R Curry MasalaOr any other brand of your choice
1kilogramchicken thighdiced
300gramPaneercubed
1tablespoonKatsuri methi (dried fenugreek leaf)
3teaspoonTamarind paste
1limejuice of
2teaspoonsaltor to taste
3 - 6smallchillessplit in half
3tablespoonfresh corianderchopped
Instructions
Base Curry Sauce
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the sliced onion and salt. Cook on a low heat for 20 minutes or so stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and ginger and continue to fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the diced carrot and pepper and again fry for a minute or so before adding the curry masala. Cook gently for a minute, stirring so it doesn't catch.
Stir in the tomato puree followed by the chopped tomatoes.
Add around 4 litres of water and give a good stir. Bring the sauce to a simmer, throw in the coriander stalks and continue to cook for 45 minutes or until the carrot is soft.
While waiting prepare the Spicing Essence.
Blitz the sauce with a hand blender until smooth. The sauce wants to be the consistency of (full fat) milk. If it's too thick add a little water. leave on a low heat while you prepare the curry.
Spicing Essence
Add all the ingredients to a pan. Put on the heat and bring to a simmer. cook gently for around 40 minutes. After this time the water will have reduced and you should be left with a thinnish syrup.
Drain the syrup in to a bowl until needed
Curry
Heat the oil in a pan or karahi and add the garlic and ginger, gently fry for 20 seconds.
Add the Kashmiri chilli, stir in and add the curry masala followed by the chilli powder. Cook the spices for a couple of minutes. If it looks like its going to catch, add a little of the base sauce.
Once the spices are cooked out add around 1/3 of the base sauce to the garlic, ginger and spices, using a ladle. Careful as it will probably spit and splatter.
Cook on high until the sauce has reduced to a thick paste. If you are worried about the mess, partly cover the pan with a lid. You only need to stir very occasionally as you want the sauce to caramelise. Make sure you scrape the caramelised bits round the edge back in to the sauce!
Once the first lot of sauce has thickened, add the rest of the base sauce to the pan. Continue to cook until this has reduced to a thickness that you are happy with. You can now add the chicken. Cook gently, for chicken thigh around 40 minutes, chicken breast around 20 minutes.
Once your main ingredient is nearly cooked, add the rest of the ingredients and spicing essence. Continue to cook for 15 - 20 minutes more.
Serve with rice of your choice and some naan bread or chapatti.
British Indian Restaurant Curry And how to Make It!
Scroll down for a basic recipe for Curry Base Gravy and how to use it!
Just like any other food curry has it’s trends and opinions on how to make it. In this article we will find out what British Indian Restaurant Curry is and how to reproduce it in your own home.
I have been following the trend for British Indian Restaurant (BIR) style curries for many years, starting in the 90’s when Pat Chapman started his series of books. Recently Dan Toombs,Misty Ricardo and a handful of other curry aficionados have taken over the mantle.
The British Indian Restaurant style of cooking curry relies on the use of a basic curry powder and a special ‘mix powder’ as well as the use of a ‘base curry sauce’.
Base Curry Sauce
The base curry sauce is basically a thin type of stock/soup. Onions, garlic and ginger are sautéed in a pan before a little spice is added. Carrot and peppers are often added along with fresh coriander stalks and I’ve even seen cabbage added, in fact I’ve used it myself!
The problem I have with the British Indian Restaurant Curry method is that;
1, it usually relies on cooking base sauces and ingredients in bulk and then freezing in portions.
2, it’s best cooking one or two main dishes at a time as it relies on high heat to reduce the base sauce quickly and caramelise in the pan. this is difficult to achieve if like me you are cooking for a family of six (even more if I’m cooking extra for another day!). Also do you want to spend the rest of the night cleaning your cooker top after curry has spat everywhere? I mean it’s bad enough when I just normally cook!
If you’re cooking for just yourself or two people and you haven’t got Kids to look after, the second point may not bother you too much, in fact, I remember those days! If that’s the case you can find some great recipes online. Here’s a couple places to get started:
Curry Personalities
Romain at Glebe Kitchen has some amazing recipes. Easy to follow and explains every stage in detail but without the process sounding like you need a science degree to put some food on the table!
Misty Ricardo has some great recipes on his You Tube channel, or check out his books on Amazon.
Dan Toombs also has some great recipes on his website and again he has a few great books out.
Julian Voigt is somebody else that is worth having a look at. Again he posts lots of ‘how to’ videos on You Tube.
However If you are like me, sometimes you just can’t be bothered to follow a recipe, and personally I don’t think it’s necessary, if you remember the basics.
And I think the most important thing is that there is no right or wrong way of doing things providing you are getting great end results!
The BIR Curry Masala is a cheeky little thing. I’ve combined the ingredients you would normally find in a standard curry powder (minus the copious amounts of salt, flour and all the other fillers it would have) and added extra spices that would make up the Indian Restaurants ‘special mix’. Obviously they would add more or less of the curry powder and mix depending on the dish but I have found this is a pretty happy medium and we’ve had fantastic results with it when I was trialling it at ‘ome.
Obviously there are plenty of standard curry powders out there for you to try and it’s really easy to find out what the basics are of a BIR ‘special mix’ powder are if you want to make your own. Or you could just use a standard curry powder without the extra spice mix.
Back To Base!
Now on to the Base Curry Sauce.
If I have the time I do, nowadays, make one.
Do I follow a recipe? No. I don’t always have everything that ‘should’ go in to it so sometimes you just have to go with what you have.
Oh, and here’s a tip. If you really can’t be bothered with making a base sauce try using one of those fresh, chilled Carrot & Coriander soups you find at the supermarket. Never done it myself but I’ve read it gives great results! I have also just developed a Curry Bouillon which is a dried blend of onions & vegetables. This is simply fried for a few seconds before adding water and simmering for 10 minutes. You then have a curry stock which you can add to your curry or use as a substitute for base gravy if you haven’t had the time to make one or you’ve emptied your freezer supply!
So, even though I don’t use a recipe myself, here’s two recipes for a base sauce! If you haven’t got some of the ingredients leave them out or replace with something else. See this recipe as a starting point, adapt and customise it how you will and to your taste. It’s the best way!
The first recipe is a bit more complex. The second is about as basic as it comes and you should be able to memorise it after a few goes. If I was honest I use the second one more than the first!
Base curry sauce No. 1
Makes enough for approximately 12 portions of curry. It will keep in the fridge for 3 days or can be frozen. if you don’t want to make so much just halve the ingredients.
coriander stalks (if you have them, basically if you are using fresh coriander to finish your curry off cut off the stalks now to add to your base!)
big dollop of tomato paste (you could use a squirt of tomato sauce if you don’t have any)
2 litre of water, ideally hot from the kettle.
1 heaped teaspoon of sugar/jaggery/palm sugar
optional extras; few fresh tomatoes, white cabbage, extra peppers, a little coconut powder (or coconut milk or creamed coconut)
Method.
Heat the oil in a pan and add your onion. fry gently for 10 minutes before adding your garlic and ginger, fry for a couple minutes more. Add the curry masala/powder and fry for a minute or so. If it’s sticking add a splash of water. Now add your carrot and peppers and give a stir around. Add the tomato paste and cook for 20 seconds or so. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Now add the coriander stalks and cook gently for at least an hour (and up to 2 hours). If it’s starting to look a bit thick or the liquid is disappearing just add some more water.
Once all the veg is soft you need to puree the sauce. The best way to do that is with am immersion/stick blender. It can be done in a blender but let it cool a little and don’t overfill!
Once your sauce is blended it needs to cook for 30 – 60 minutes more. it should be the consistency of a thin soup.
Base Curry Sauce N0. 2
This is a handy one for us as it does enough for 6, exactly the number of people in our household! It can be doubled up and again it will keep in the fridge for three days or you can freeze it.
Ingredients
4tbsp of oil
3 large onions, sliced
1 tsp salt
3 cloves of garlic
1 inch cubed piece of fresh ginger
3 tsp ‘Ome Made B.I.R Curry Masala (or another curry masala or 1 tsp each of ground cumin, coriander & turmeric)
1.2 ltr water
a handful of coriander stalks (if you have them)
1 x 400ml tin of tomatoes (chopped or whole as they get blitzed)
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Once hot add the onions and salt and gently fry for 10 minutes or until the onions are starting to soften. 2. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a couple more minutes 3. Add the curry Masala or spices, along with a splash of water. Give a quick stir and mix and then pour in the water 4. Bring to the simmer and cook for 45 minutes, lid off 5. Add the tinned tomatoes and coriander stalks 6. Bring back to the simmer and cook for another 30 minutes 7. Take the pan off the heat and blitz with an immersion blender until you have a smooth sauce 8. Put back on a low heat ready for adding to your curry. If it looks a little thick add some water. It should be slightly thicker than full fat milk. 9. Use in a curry recipe as directed.
Notes
I have made this sauce in less time than it says, giving it 30 minutes before adding the tomatoes and coriander and then cooking for only another 20 minutes. It was still good! Of course you could fry your ingredients off and then add to a pressure cooker or soup maker along with all the other ingredients and it will still be just as good. Just follow the cooking times for a soup. This base works really well in a curry when you use the method of adding diluted tomato paste to you cooked out spices. For 4 people use 2 tbsp of tomato puree diluted in 300ml of boiling water. Add this to your curry when you have fried your onion, garlic, ginger and spices and let it reduce down so you’re left with a thick paste. Then you can start adding your base sauce as normal.
Basic Medium Curry British Indian Restaurant Style.
serves approximately 4
Ingredients.
2 tablespoon of oil (not olive) or ghee
1 1/2 medium onions, roughly chopped
4 fat cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
small piece of ginger (to taste) roughly chopped
4 heaped teaspoons curry masala/powder
a half portion of Base sauce No. 1 or all or nearly all of base sauce No. 2
600g of your main ingredient (uncooked chicken, lamb, vegetable, prawns etc)
fresh coriander, chopped
a pinch of garam masala or grind of black pepper
salt to taste
Method
Blitz your chopped onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor, grinder or blender (you may have to add a little water to help) to make a paste. If you haven’t got a food processor you could use a pestle and mortar or just chop finely.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion paste, careful as it may spit a little. Fry the paste gently for 10 minutes or so, don’t worry it will probably turn green!
Add the curry masala/powder and cook gently, if it is sticking add a splash of water, a little at a time. You want the spices to ‘cook out’ the oil will start to split from the paste when this happens and the mixture will spit in little eruptions.
Now add your main ingredient and give it a good stir. Add just enough base sauce to just cover the main ingredients and simmer gently until cooked, if it’s looking a little dry add more sauce. once your chicken, lamb or whatever is just cooked turn the heat up and add more of the base sauce a little at a time until you have your desired consistency. If it’s to thick add a little water. Add the chopped coriander and season to taste with garam masala or pepper and salt.
And that’s it! not exactly BIR style but good enough to give your favourite Indian restaurant a run for their money!
Once you have the basics it’s easy to tweak a recipe to make a lot of different dishes.
There’s some variations you can follow further down the page. Keep Checking Back as I will keep updating and adding recipes and ideas.
Tandoori
The ‘Ome Made Tandoori Masala can be used to make your favourite Tandoori and Tikka dishes.
If you just wanted something quick you can literally rub a little of the Masala in to some chicken, prawns or whatever you fancy before grilling, frying or barbecuing.
For a simple tandoori or tikka marinade just add some of the masala to plain yoghurt to coat your main ingredient.
If you want to go the whole hog, fry roughly 1 heaped teaspoon of Tandoori Masala per 200g of main ingredient (chicken, king prawn, lamb, paneer etc.) in a little oil. This then needs adding to some plain natural yoghurt (Greek yoghurt is fine).
For four people you want roughly 800g of main ingredient and 250g of yoghurt.
If you want a truly authentic flavour add a splash of lemon or lime juice, a teaspoon of grated garlic and ginger, some chopped chilli and coriander. You may want to season with salt and pepper or Garam Masala.
‘Ome Made Tandoori Masala has some beetroot powder in it to give it a slightly more reddish colour but it won’t be the vibrant, garish red that you get in an Indian restaurant. If you want that you need to add a small amount of red food colouring.
To cook I use the oven on a relatively high temperature. Once your chicken, lamb or whatever is cooked, you may want to just give it a blast under the grill to get those nice charred edges. I actually use a blowtorch. Of course if the weather is good Tandoori and Tikka is great cooked over charcoal on the BBQ!
Madras Curry British Indian Restaurant Style
This is as simple as it gets for a British Indian restaurant style Madras curry!
Follow the Basic Medium Curry above to frying the onion, garlic, ginger and spices. Once you have done this add the following;
400g chopped tinned tomatoes (blitz smooth in a blender or food processor if you want a restaurant style curry)
2 Tablespoons Tomato Puree
Cook this for a couple minutes then add your main ingredient. Add a little water or base sauce to thin the sauce a little then leave to cook.
Once your main ingredient is nearly cooked you need to add the coriander, garam masala, salt and the following;
1 tablespoon ground almonds
2 tablespoons of lemon juice, fresh is best but bottled will be fine
3 teaspoons of sugar
2 – 3 teaspoon of chilli powder.
Cook for another 15 – 20 minutes before serving. Simple!
Ceylon Curry British Indian Restaurant Style
Again follow the above Basic Medium Curry recipe. go easy on the base sauce as you are adding more liquid later.
once your main ingredient is nearly cooked add the following;
1/3 of a block of creamed coconut (i usually grate it straight in t the pan) or 3 tablespoons of coconut milk powder
150ml of milk
1 tablespoon of lemon juice, ideally fresh but bottled will work as well.
1 – 4 fresh green chillies chopped (or more or less to suit your taste)
cook for a couple of minutes before adding the garam masala, salt and fresh coriander and cooking for another 15 minutes or so before serving.
Again once you have mastered the basic recipe for a curry you should be seeing now how easy it is to tweak it and make lots of variations.
Chicken Karahi
Ok, this is another easy adaptation to a basic medium curry.
To me Karahi is about the lovely fresh taste of ginger along with some nice fresh peppers and tomatoes. I usually add fresh chillies as well. To be fair when you add fresh chillies this dish is virtually indistinguishable from a Jalfrezi so this is almost a two in one curry!
So follow the recipe for medium chicken curry above EXCEPT add more fresh ginger. You want a piece roughly as big as your thumb. Also add a teaspoon of turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon of chilli powder (more if you like it hotter) when you add your curry masala.
about 15 minutes before you’re ready to dish up add some chopped peppers (1 red, 1 green or whatever you have), 4 tomatoes cut in to quarters and some optional fresh chillies, and of course the chopped fresh coriander.
I’d love to see and hear about your own variations. Remember to post your creations on my Facebook page – www.facebook.com/omemade or Twitter account @Omemade
Remember to keep checking back here as I will add more recipes!
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