Basic Curry Sauce

Overview

This curry sauce will be the base for many delicious curries you will venture into. Once you make in bulk, save it in the freezer or refrigerator. Its one time labor of love for 3 to 4 meals for couple of weeks. Because next time you hungry and out of time, you bring out the tub to make a delicious curry. It is easier to cook under thirty minutes rice and chicken curry than to order take out. And you may never eat take out once you taste your own curry sauce! Following will feel daunting with so many steps, and ingredients. Trust me, it is easy, if I can cook anyone can. Preparation ahead of time, organizing all ingredients, chopping, prepping is key to easy cooking. So plan, lay out all ingredients, set up your favorite Netflix series on phone and get cooking! If you have kids, involve them in helping chop and prep. Get a ceramic knife for the children and it is a fun bonding experience chopping, stirring, cooking while catching a your favorite show.

I have tried to make it easy with the ingredients to shop and steps. Hopefully you will make it and enjoy.

Ingredients

• 1 box of Campari tomatoes 🍅- I like this the best since it’s very sweet and cooks quickly

• 1 large red onion 🧅

• 3 to 4 inch of ginger root

• 12 to 14 cloves of garlic 🧄

• Few Thai green chilies - if you are sensitive to heat use Serrano peppers de -seeded 🌶️

• Handful or coriander leaves

• 1 tspn of sugar

• Salt to taste ( start with 2 tspn and work your way up as per your taste)

• 2 to 3 tbsp clarified butter ghee for cooking

• Spices:

  • 2 tspn cumin powder

  • 2 tspn coriander powder

  • 2 tspn turmeric powder

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 8 to 10 whole pepper corn

  • Salt to taste

  • 1 to 2 tbsp Kasuri Methi

  • Dagad Phool ( a kind of lichen - spice used to give a smoky flavor) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmotrema_perlatum

  • Spice to grind

    • Fennel seeds 1 tbsp

    • 1 cinnamon stick

    • 2 to 4 pods of green cardamom

    • 6 to 8 cloves

    • 3 to 4 dried red chilies - reduce to one or eliminate if you don’t like spicy food

    • 12 to 14 almonds or cashews grind separately

Preparation

• Grind the spice mix(fennel seeds, cinnamon stick, cardamom,cloves, dried red chillies) and almond separately

• Chop the onions

• Rough chop the ginger and garlic

• Chop the tomatoes into quarters

• Chop the green chilies

• Chop the coriander leaves

• Remember, at the end everything will be in blendtec, blended to a smooth paste, rough chop is ok.

Cooking

• Begin to heat the instant pot on sauté high

• Add the 2 tbsp of ghee/clarified butter let it heat up

• Add the bay leaf and black pepper corn and let it heat up

• Add the chopped onion and sauté for 3 to 4 min until translucent

• Add the chopped ginger, garlic

• Add salt and sugar to sweat the onion, garlic, ginger

• Sauté for 5 min don’t let it stick to bottom

• Reduce heat to normal if sticking

• Add the spice mix the turmeric, coriander, cumin, spice mix ground

• Add the chopped tomatoes, coriander, kasuri methi

• Now comes the labor of 💕 love

• Pick a Netflix series to watch while you stir and stir without sticking to bottom

• Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer around 30 to 40 min to cook down the curry sauce. You will see the curry is thick, started to stick to the bottom. Turn of the heat and let it cool down.

• Let it cool down, then fish out the bay leaf and pour into a blender and blend it into a smooth paste.

• Place into food safe containers and save for later.

• See chicken curry recipe for using the curry sauce.

How to use it

You can use this base for various kind of curries.

• Saute some shallots in a heated pan, add chicken thighs, salt to taste. Add 1/2 cup to a cup of curry sauce and let it simmer on low for 30 min. Don't. add water since chicken juices will add the water needed. Serve with basmati rice or naan. (See recipe here.)

• Saute some shallots in a heated pan, add shrimp, saute for no more than 3 mins, add 1/2 cup curry sauce, 1/2 cup coconut milk, salt taste and let. it simmer for 10/12 mins.

• Saute some shallots in a heated pan, add mixed veggies(cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, peas) and paneer, salt to taste. Add 1/2 cup to a cup of curry sauce, 1 cup water and let it simmer on low for 15/20 min until vegetables are fork tender.

https://shop.miramarcashcarry.com/products

With quarantine shopping, it is easier, you just have to add to your shopping list and they will either deliver or you can go pick up. So if you find it daunting, how to find all these spices in various aisles don’t sweat it. Just add to cart, pay using credit cards and just pick up your spices to enjoy cooking and eating for few years worth of curry sauces!

Enjoy cooking and Happy Eating! 🥂