Topic: Stew?s Base Curry Sauce

[jasper]

I'm planning on making this sauce tonight, so now I'm reading the recipe very carefully.  Are your measurements level or rounded or heaping?  Do you discard the potato?  Thanks for your help.

Hi Merrybaker,

I found this after carefully reading:

    11.   Remove Potato

I think he just discards the potato

Cheers

[Yousef]

Sorry guys, yes remove potato, my measures are usually level.
Make sure you get those onions golden brown.

Stew

[George]

You can use this one sir, just add 1/2 TS to the base....Thats what i love about this old cooking game you can try anything and see what works, its not an exact science...

Stew

But is that the exact same spice mix which you used to get such a good end result? You don't actually confirm it is. With respect, sure we can 'try anything and see what works' but the permutations and combinations mount up and can consume an awful lot of time. It's better and very helpful, I suggest, to have tried and tested recipes with no options and clear fixed quantities as the starting point.

Regards
George

[merrybaker]

I think he just discards the potato

NOW you tell me!    I went ahead and made the sauce before you both answered, and I removed the potato, all right.  Then I thought I'd taste one of the pieces.  Well, it was delicious, so I thought I'd try a second piece.  Before you know it, no more potato! 

The final sauce was quite brown and quite flavorful.  Very unlike KD's.  Similar to Pete's 600 ml oil base sauce from the old in2curry days.  I worry that all dishes made with this will taste similar, but I assume that's not the case, is it, Stew? 

One thing I noticed, and this sounds odd, but it tasted better before I put it in the blender.  I should have followed your advice, because the texture was good enough, and it looked better before blending, too.  Live and learn!

Anyhow, since the potato (above) tasted so good, I cut up a few potatoes and cooked them in some of the sauce, along with fried garlic and ginger and some peas, and it was very tasty as a side-dish with Indian leftovers from the freezer.   

[Madrasandy]

 hi can you recommend a madras recipe to use with this (stews) base sauce,as i am trying this one out tonight, many thanks Andy

[Yousef]

madrasandy,

I just do the following to make my prawn madras, this makes a curry for 1 person: -

Heat a goodf glug of Oil until smoking
Add pinch cumin seeds and 1 teaspoon spice mix stir for 30 seconds
Add 2 tablespoons of base sauce
Add Prawns, cook prawns for 2 minutes (if it starts to get dry add more base)
Add 1 Teaspoon Pataks Balti Paste (I know cheating eh but it works)
Now add 2.5 ladles of base
Boil and bubble for 5 minutes
add chopped coriander stalk and teaspoon of chopped coriander leaves
Stir and cook further 2 mins
Allow to cool
Serve

I would love to know how you got on, don't forget you can substitute prawns for pre-cooked chicken.

Stew

[Madrasandy]

 Hi Stew,
 
   Well i made your base on sat night, and i was very impressed, my final curry was a vindaloo, cant remember where found it on here but i  already had print out of it. My wife absol loved it! I will definately be trying this again soon and will try your prawn madras Stew
   
 Regards Andy

[mike travis]

Hi Stew,  I am finally going to give this a try out the weekend. Will have camera at the ready and post my results. Just a couple of questions excuse me if I state the obvious.
               TS= teaspoon?
               Diced green pepper= bell pepper?
               Large onion? How large?

Will be doing this base and experimenting with the finished curry.

           Cheers chap.... ;D

[Bangra]

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?

[Curry King]

Hi Bangra,

I would assume the oil is taken out before blending to insure it sepereates from the sauce so it can be spooned off and used as spicy oil for your currys.  If you blend it with the oil in it takes a lot longer to seperate if it does at all.

cK