I had a night of cooking last night and ordered a take away from a restaurant, at the end of ordering I asked if I could have a portion of base sauce, he wasnt sure what i meant, but when I explained further he said "you just want the gravy?, Ill go and ask if you can", he came back and said I can, ?1.75.
  Couldnt wait for this to arrive, and it didnt disappoint, the smell was like no base sauce I have ever made, the smell was just fantastic, BIR smell, It made me seriously question everything I have learnt about cooking base sauces, or whether I even want to make them again, I think we are so far of the mark. The missing % in your final curry is from the base sauce and nothing to do with the final recipe.
  Anyway I froze the base and next Friday I will dissect it, photo it, compare it to my base, make 2 identical Madras's, and document everything I can, and hopefully LEARN something.

Andy

Exactly what happened to me last week.My own gravy simply couldn't compare with that from the restaurant,and I bet if I tasted most genuine gravies from chefs they would be the same.There's something that these places are doing to their gravy,and I bet they're all doing it in a similar way.Why is it so hard to find out though?

I've been down this road so many times.
Like you two, I've bought (or been given) base gravy
And it's nothing like we can make at home
It has a more "rounded" flavour
There is a smell to it, and yes, an extra taste which is "I have no idea what"

I have spent days trying to match my gravy with theirs
My gravies looked the same, and contained many of the charactaristics of the original
But a dead match?
No way

I still believe the difference, is the oil they use in the base
After all our collective experience, it is truly amazing there is anything unknown
But there is
And it's the most important thing
If you haven't got the base right, the curry won't taste right

Only once did I get what I wanted
That was using old oil from a kebab shop, and copying a base recipe I had watched at a takeaway.
That particular takeaway used old oil too
The oil on it's own had very little character about it
But as soon as it was added to the boiling onions:-
Wow!
Instant BIR aroma
Just like the takeaway bag smells
or the aroma that fill your car, as you drive home with it

Hi Haldi, I am going to try the "old Oil" in my next batch of gravy, it has been used to cook onion bhaji and poppodoms, I think I may boil onions on their own and then drain water before adding any other ingredient. Were missing the Umami taste("pleasant savory taste") from the base , Cabbage and chicken creates Umami, so maybe I'll use chicken stock and cabbage in my gravy.

on that note, I tried adding a quarter of white cabbage to my last base, it added no difference to my finished base - the quest continues

Quote from: madrasandy on April 27, 2014, 11:45 AM
Hi Haldi, I am going to try the "old Oil" in my next batch of gravy, it has been used to cook onion bhaji and poppodoms

Many of us have already been down this route and, for me at least, it made no discernable difference. Whatever flavour and aroma was in the oil to start with just disappeared when used in the base. It may be part of the puzzle but I seriously doubt it's the whole answer.

You never know though, perhaps you'll be the one whose specific mix of ingredients finally solves the puzzle.

Yes SS but maybe everything we know about base cooking methods is actually wrong and the whole process is different and the old oil thingy works !!!! ;D

My local takeaway defo uses white cabbage. I have seen them leaving my store (Tesco) with it along with their 100 bags of value flour (for the naans)

Quote from: LOUP on May 02, 2014, 07:32 PM
My local takeaway defo uses white cabbage. I have seen them leaving my store (Tesco) with it along with their 100 bags of value flour (for the naans)

Some BIRs do use cabbage in their base Loup.  Also the main ingredient for Bangladeshi pre-cooked veg/veg bhaji etc., in many places.  Pakistani BIRs pile it into their salads.  Very nice too.   

Rob 

I don't know what base recipe you are using but BIR do put white cabbage in their base gravy. Also carrot, peppers, sometimes a potato too. Coriander stalks, and of course onions.

Try frying-off those ingredients together in the saucepan with the oil before adding the water.