Topic: My local restaurant base sauce

[merrybaker]

Nice work, Pete!  I hope this works out.  About how many onions did you end up using?

[poppadom_pete]

Well I when I got home I found I didnt have enough tho do the full recipe that Ive posted so I did a cut down version, probably about half the quantity of what he told me. I would say 8 or 9 medium onions. Which made me roughly 1.5L of base sauce.

The chap who gave me the recipe said that he allways worked by eye and it would be difficult to write down so the cooking of this base for me was mostly about technique and ingredients, although quantites are obviously important I reckon give or take a little bit here or there shouldnt make too much difference.

I also think the fact that I got this recipe first hand from an Indian chef who must be no older than 25 and it tastes the same as a few other recipes some dating back over a decade makes me think that the ingredients in the base is not the key were looking for, I think we have that bit sussed. In my opinion its technique, and perhaps thechnique used in the later stages i.e the actual making of the curry, not the base.

Thats just my opinion though, its probably totaly wrong.

[George]

Thats just my opinion though, its probably totaly wrong.

No, I think you're more than likely spot on!

Also, I suggest it's a matter of balance between each restaurant's base sauce and their final dishes, e.g. if they put minimal ginger and garlic in the base sauce (like this recipe), they probably add more to each final curry, to compensate. Perhaps they prefer the impact of plenty of freshly fried ginger and garlic to too much of a boiled mush.

Regards
George

[Ian S.]

Ian before writing it down he asked how much I would be making and I just looked through into the kitchen at what looked to be an industrial size ghee/oil tub which I would say was about 4 litre and said "about that much".

Thanks, Pete - I understand now.

[merrybaker]

Thanks, Poppadom_Pete, for guidance on the onions. 

I agree that the real differences occur in the final cooking, and, as George says, balancing the garlic and onions (and spices) of the base sauce to make the final dish.  I have two base sauces in my freezer, one bland and one spicy, and that's what I do.  Or should I say, that's what I try to do.  ;D

[marie]

 i have just made it looks the part will let you no!

[Yousef]

Marie,

Please let us know how you got on as this base sauce is next on my list

S

[lorrydoo]

Has anyone tried this sauce yet and if so was it good?