I remember when Gordon Ramsey went to 'Save ' a BIR and he said the only thing they made from scratch was the breads,there was  lot of 'pataks 'pastes on the shelves, makes you wonder eh ?

I have had most sucess with a combination of both ( just to be awkward He He ) Ie put oil and water in the same pot

I would be Willing to Throw in ?50 ,But what happens if the chef cooks the meal and its crap ,but he still wants the money ,could cause a bit of bother

lo Corry,

            By cooking process ,I think its the right amount of spices added at the right stage  and cooked for the correct length of time ,
  I believe certain BIR's will get a distinct taste by using different oils ie mustard oil or ghee and adding extra bits and pieces, butI reckon if the main part of the dish is done right using Garlic Ginger and the main 5 spices ,Coriander,Cumin,Turmeric, chilli powder and maybe Paprika.
  I also think the addition of the tomato element is important ,i have tried puree,passata ,ketchup and combinations of all 3 but still cannot get it quite right but sometimes close

i don't think there is a secret ingredient .I have Several BIR takeaways near me one is excellent one is pretty good and the others are poor.

   Then again I could say the same about fish & chip shops ,pizza takeaways etc
I think its the cooking process ,Minimal spices and not too complicated preparation
Its all about making money so these chaps will want to do it as easily as possible ?

would you like to share the recipe with us

Stew,

You mention spooning off the oil before blending and then adding it back , forgive me if its a daft question but is there a reason for this?

I made it also but mine was a bit too salty and garlicky and the cardammom stood out a bit too much, maybe I was a bit hevy handed with the ingredients
I will try again and lower the quantities

Nice one tho ,thanks for the recipe

do you add any liquid to the base?
and where do you add it in the masala?

TA

I agree with onion

I can smell what i think is swede in my local takeaway curry ,does this sound feasible?