Topic: New Base Sauce Recipe -

[topconker]

Hi Guys,
Made the base last night, took over 2 hours but well pleased with the result, I'll try to post a pic later.
Have a couple of questions as this is my first real foray into the art.
How much base is a ladle? (mls or fluid ounces?).
How do I pre-cook the meat?
How thick should the base be, mine resembles thick tomatoe sauce, should it be fairly thin, can I thin it down with something?
Really appreciate any help.
TC

[Domi]

Hi TC

The sauce is quite thick but I wouldn't water it down, I made another batch of this yesterday (using hot CP and smoked paprika, tastes great )  and I ended up with about a litre of sauce.

Most home ladles hold around 100ml (I think  lol) although I never go by a "ladleful" simply because some people's are bigger than others lol (lucky buggers )....typically I make my batches up to 250 mls each 

Here are a couple of threads on pre-cooking meats...

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1232.0

OR

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=80.0

Hope this helps 

D ;D

[topconker]

Thanks Dom,
Am I right therefor to assume 250 mls would be the right amount for a single
curry or do I use 2? times the 250 mls?
Sorry if I sound thick but going to make a madras tonight once I work out how to pre-cook the chicken.
TC   

[Domi]

250 mls should be enough to make a curry for 2 (depending on their appetites lol) although it sometimes depends upon the recipe you're making, some call for more base sauce than others). The bhuna I made using one batch of base made easily enough for me & him indoors though ;D

[Curry King]

Hi topconker,

Have a look here for a method for precooking chicken:

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=158.0

You can also just bring it to the boil in some water with a teaspoon of turmeric, will come out nice and tender but won't have as much flavor.   I use both methods depedning on time.

Still not quite sure on this base yet I ate my madras and although was very nice seemed to be lacking something.  I am going to make one of fav's a lamb bhuna tonight so that will be the definitive test.

[Cory Ander]

The spice mix can be hot if it contains Chili Powder anyway.

....but it doesn't Stew  ....unless I'm looking at the wrong one? (i.e. Bruce Edward's) 

....the curry base has a tablespoon in it, of course, so it's going to have a reasonable bite to it (and possibly unsuitable for mild dishes, such as Korma, Tikka Masala, etc?)

[Cory Ander]

How much base is a ladle? (mls or fluid ounces?)

Hi TC,

How long is a piece of string TC    I've assumed that 1 ladle is 142ml (i.e 5 British fluid ounces) and hope that Stew is able to confirm this (or not!) 

How thick should the base be, mine resembles thick tomatoe sauce, should it be fairly thin, can I thin it down with something?

As Stew suggests, I would add sufficient water (or stock) to maintain a fairly thin "soup-like" consistency.  I would leave a lid on to prevent evaporation of water.

[Domi]

lol I've always thought that a standard ladle was 4 oz or 113 ml Yours is bigger than mine Cory

Also I wouldn't add water to the base, instead I'd add more liquid to the final curry if it needed it It's horses for courses again I guess lol

[Richard W. Rinn]

I made this base last night as my frozen stocks of the last base I made had run out. One thing I was concerned about was that the onion absorbed the 1/2 cup of oil and then when it was pureed with the tomatoes etc and put back in the stock pot it wasn't very oily. I added about a tablespoon of veg oil about half way through simmering, but didn't want to push it, and didn't see any oil rising to the top after about 20 minutes cooking post-spice adding. Wasn't quite sure what sort of soup to aim for consistency-wise :-0, so kept adding water along the way and ended up with roughly a litre and a half of sauce. It's not runny?maybe sort of yoghurt-like consistency (just a little weight to it). At a guess, it could take a little more water, but not sure. Also wasn't sure how much stirring to do, so I erred on the side of more stirring to make sure nothing stuck to the bottom of the stock pot.

R.

[Curry King]

I added some boiling water when cooking after the blending, if you think about it most reports we have are that base's are fairly thin.  I find that if it's to thick the final curry doesn't come out right as I like a lot of runny sauce with mine.  As for the oil it does take quite a while to rise, about an hour and half for me.