Magic Base Sauce
This is a Base Sauce that is taking influence from classic French cooking and secret Thai restaurant tricks of the trade to give a sauce that will help make your curry flavours sing.The light vegetable stock helps give umami to the finished curry. The cabbage releases a compound as it cooks which is a natural flavour enhancer with similar qualities to MSG. Celery is also another natural flavour enhancer. This stock is light enough so you get the extra background qualities of these ingredients, but they will not be strong enough that you will notice them in your finished dish.The demerara sugar and vinegar have the same effect as it cooks down, as the spicing essence reputedly devised by Escoffier to lift the flavours of sauces and coulis.Yes, some of these ingredients don’t belong in Indian cooking. But Base sauce didn’t originate in India either!
Ingredients
Light Umami Stock
- 1 stick of celery roughly chopped
- 1 small carrot roughly chopped
- ¼ onion peeled and diced
- 40 g white cabbage sliced
- 1 tsp black pepper corns
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 900 ml water
Base Gravy
- 4 tbsp oil
- 1.5 kg Onion sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- ½ green pepper deseeded and diced
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground paprika
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 400 g tin chopped tomato
- 1.5 tsp demerara sugar
- 1 tsp malt vinegar
- 400 ml water or the light vegetable stock
Instructions
Light Umami Stock
- Place everything in a pan and bring to a boil.
- Keep cooking on a gentle boil until the liquid has reduced by half.
- Strain the stock into a heat proof bowl, jug or container.
Base Gravy
- Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add the sliced onion and salt, cook on a moderate heat, with the lid on for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and ginger paste and cook for 30 seconds before adding the green pepper and stirring in.
- Lower the heat and add the ground spices. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato, demerara sugar, malt vinegar and light vegetable stock or water and bring to a boil.
- Turn the pan down and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes after which time the sauce can be blended.
Notes
To use the base gravy, use roughly 160ml diluted with 160ml of water for each single serving. Warming in a pan before being added to the curry
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
