Hi CK
I made both the base and the Vindaloo yesterday and overall I was impressed.
The base was simply awesome. I used 6 fresh peeled tomatoes and a tinned of chopped tomatoes plus I added 300ml of the oil first which I heated up and added the spices to. once they had been sizzling in the oil for a minute I added the onions and vegetables and stirred until they were all covered in the spicy oil. I kept the heat on high for about 5 minutes stirring continuously, then I added the water and simmered for about 2 hours. I then blended with a hand blender left to cool while I went to the park with my kids for an hour, then I simmered again for another 2 - 3 hours until the oil split and I reclaimed for use in the curry stage.
The actual curry itself was a bit bland and I found it hard to get spicy enough. I think my hot chilli powder might be out of date as I had to keep banging it on the worktop to get it to come out. In all I must have put 6 or 9 teaspoons in but it still wasn't very hot. When I precooked the chicken I fried 4 hot chillis in some oil, added cumin and turmeric and the chicken pieces. I fried them for a minute to cover then added boiling water for 5 minutes. I then added chicken and chillis to the sauce, but it still wasn't very hot - not even Madras hot (unless my tastebuds are just ruined). In hind site I should have thrown in a Dorset Naga chilli, that would have sorted it out! Have you ever had a similar problem before?
Anyway, thanks for a great recipe, I have plenty of base left over for future attempts. It definitely tastes even better this morning then it did yesterday.