Right, here we go - dead easy, dead quick
I use a stick blender and the plastic beaker it comes with.

Put in
1 tin chopped toms
100g - 200g sliced white cabbage (more you put in the thicker it is)
2-3 table spoons branstons spicy Tom relish (used to use Bicks but they sold to Branson - same recipe)
5-10 finger chillis (again practice to what you like - I've tried chilli powder which works but is just not as good as real chillis)
1/2 teaspoon basil
Salt
Loads of lemon dressing
Sweetener/sugar to taste - this takes the edge off the bitterness from the toms

Don't put raw onion or garlic in as you just can't eat it, it's too strong

Blitz with the stick blender - done

Play around with the chillis to get it as hot as you like, I now put some fresh coriander in as well but that's just coz I like it in there, you don't get coriander in kebab shop chilli.

Hi
I cracked this a few years ago and live in the northeast, in fact I was trying to match a one from wallsend and got it perfect - I'll dig out my recipe and post it on here as soon as

Hi chaps, been a while since I've been on - but ready to try again (sigh) on the quest.
My first Request I'm after ( there will be more I'm sure) is onions.
I don't like a curry with no sweetness and a true base should have sweetness come from the onions not from having to add sugar or sweetener etc - I've made my first batch of base in ages using mild Dutch onions (the big ones that normally come in threes in smkts) and there was no sweetness at all.... So....
What success have you had with different onions (red, std, large mild, cheap)? Does how you cut them make a difference in relation to sweetness - can they all go sweet and it's down to technique? or are some just sweeter than others?? your experience would be appreciated.

Its all about preference I suppose, the thickness between us is probably not too different (just describing it is hard!)

Probably a good way to think about it is the difference between a takeaway madras in a foil tray and a restaurant version in the small balti dish, the takeaway has lots of sauce and is quite runny wheras the restaurant is a bit thicker and more intense - thats where I would say mine is once I see those craters.

The slow bubbling "lava" craters are really just telling me that the base in the sauce has been fried due to the excessive oil and has caramalised/sweetened - Im getting hungry now!!

Its a close one, too thin and its a bit boring but too thick and it turns sickly.

I look for the "lava" style craters which bubble away when it gets to the right consistancy

when you put it on the rice it coats the rice really well but doesnt kind of disapear into the rice so you have dry looking rice if that makes any sense

Hi
I started this post a while ago at the beginning of my quest and now feel I should answer my own question as I feel I have the answer! (after 8 months of learning) this was for my favourite, Madras

Basically there is more than one answer to this question and the more of these you apply to your curry the more "moorish" it will be.

In making order

Boil Onions in turmeric first for base 1st stage
Coconut cream in the base 2nd stage
Salt in everything
2 chefs spoons oil in final curry then skim off
Onion/green pepper tarka
Decent ratio mix powder (Balanced)
Burn/singe spices
Tspn Red massala paste in final curry
High heat on base at end until thick

Everything else is just padding or for colour, these are what makes it rich, however the biggest thing ive learned is not to make the base and final curry in the same day - not only does the base flavour get richer but just mainly that being immersed in curry smells for 3 hours just dampens your taste buds.


Any others please let me know what you think
Davee b

I was in ther for 3 hours, we made the grabbi, mix powder, fish & chicken tikka, pre cooked chicken, madras, korma, bhuna, keema pilau and the red massala paste - coconut cream in the grabbi, frying the spices to within an inch of their lives, 2 tspn mix in the madras, red massala paste in all the curries it was watching that was the best thing.

"salt!! It goes in absolutely everything and without it the food would be boring" he said and he was right he kept dipping into the salt like a robot!!

Ive made a curry since and it is exactly the same as his

yeah, this one was made from toms, tikka, tandoori, mint etc etc
He put tom paste in and massala in so I asked why he didnt just put the red massala in, he said the tom paste was just for colour!

Hi there, just an update as Ive found my answer

I spent a few hours in a takeaway last week and found out a few gems...

One of them was that he put 2 tspns if mix powder in a takeaway portion size of madras, however there was a tspn of red massala paste in there too!!

Just thought Id let you know

daveeb

Being a bit "Anal" as Iam when it comes to copying fast food (I make F&Bennys style pizza/garlic bread, authentic egg fried rice, very near doner kebab meat, McD`s hamburgers and kfc fillet burgers not to mention wasting most of my adult life away perfecting chicken madras and keema pilau) I will be investigating the indian style chip to the max...

However, this last post by stonecut was excellent - maybe not for my indian chips but defo for fries

If anyone has any more "secret" recipe givaways please feel free to share as Im always trying to copy something!