7. THE NEW CURRY SAUCE
THIS IS the foundation of many of the curries served in Indian restaurants and is prepared in abundance and regularity by Indian chefs. Its recipe and method of preparation is also the most closely guarded secret of restaurant cooking. Indian cooking does not employ thickeners such as flour or cornstarch; it instead relies upon onions, ginger and garlic to give the sauce its substance, flavor and texture.
If you have purchased preparations of curry sauces from supermarkets or grocers and have been grossly disappointed with the end result, this recipe will be manna from heaven. This is the real thing. Have some of this curry sauce on hand, and you can prepare a delicious Indian meal in minutes, just like the experts.
The curry sauce is simple to make, and this method of making it, although different from the way it is made in many restaurants, smells pleasant during cooking. It keeps for up to four days in the fridge and can be frozen in serving-size portions for ultimate convenience.
These quantities make enough curry sauce for about eight main-course dishes.
Step 1
▪ Heat all but 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, and add the sliced onions. Stir on high heat for a minute or two and then turn the heat down a little. Continue to cook the onion, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes until the onion is transparent and beginning to brown at the edges.
▪ Add the salt, stir well and turn the heat down to as low as you can. Cover the pan and continue to cook the onion for about 20 minutes, stirring three or four times during that period.
The addition of salt will prevent the onion from browning and help it soften and break down, but be careful it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
▪ Add the ginger and garlic to the onion. Turn the heat up a little and cook for a minute or two, until aromatic.
▪ Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer the mixture, partly covered, for 20–25 minutes.
▪ Leave to cool.
Step 2
▪ Once cooled, ladle half the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. To ensure that the sauce is really smooth, blend for about 2 minutes. Pour the blended onion mixture into a clean bowl and repeat with the other half of the onion mixture.
▪ Wash and dry the saucepan. Reserve about 4 tablespoons of the sauce at this point to use for cooking the meat, as detailed in many of the recipes in this book.
Freezing: Freeze at this stage if you want to keep the sauce for up to 2 months. You can freeze the finished sauce for up to 1 month.
Step 3
▪ Place the contents of the can of tomatoes into the rinsed blender and blend until smooth, about 2 minutes.
▪ Place the cleaned saucepan onto medium heat and heat the remaining oil. Add the tomato paste, turmeric and paprika and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the blended tomatoes and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
▪ Add the blended onion mixture to the tomatoes and bring to a boil again. Turn down the heat so that the sauce simmers gently.
▪ As the sauce simmers, you will notice froth rises to the surface. This needs to be skimmed off. Continue to simmer, skimming as necessary, for 20–25 minutes.
▪ Use immediately or cool and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 1 month.
TIP
If you wish to speed things up a little, you can eliminate step 3. Simply add the spices, tomato paste and canned tomatoes to the onions in step 1, just before adding the water. Simmer for about 10 minutes before adding the water and proceed as suggested. Beware, though, that your blender will take on the yellow color of the turmeric. This will wash off more easily if you use a little dishwasher powder or laundry detergent dissolved in hot water.