The following is the sequence in which I generally (there are exceptions) cook the primary ingredients (where I am using them) of a curry
- vegetable oil (plenty of it!)
- onions (if not pre-cooked)
- garlic puree, ginger puree
- chillies, peppers, tomatoes (if not pre-cooked)
- whole spices
- powdered spice masalas, spice pastes, dried fenugreek leaves, salt, tomato puree (I generally make a stiff paste of these ingredients, in water, and add them at the same time)
- a little water (if necessary - to stop the spices from sticking and/or burning)
- meat (if not pre-cooked), yoghurt
- curry base (a little at a time)
- stock, tinned tomatoes, lemon juice, coconut (in its various forms), cream
- pre-cooked onions, chillies, peppers, lentils and other pre-cooked vegetables, pre-cooked tomatoes, pre-cooked meat, fish
- garam masala
- sugar to taste, salt to taste
- fresh coriander
Note: If I'm using them, I generally prefer to add pre-cooked onions, chillis, peppers, tomatoes and other vegetables towards the end of the cooking process. Otherwise, they add too much water to the oil during frying. This affects the subsequent cooking of the spices. The vegetables also become overcooked and mushy.
I would be very interested to hear people?s views on two things:
- What alternative sequence others may use and why?
- What sequence people know that BIRs use?
To clarify, I?m primarily interested in the sequence employed by a typical British (generally Bangladeshi owned) high-street Indian restaurant (in contrast to a traditional Indian restaurant)
I very much look forward to hearing people's views!
Regards,