Topic: base gravy - a bit at a time

[brum_57]

hi all - one thing I have noticed in most of the recipes on here is the addition of the base gravy to the main recipe in small quanties and warm - I never do this I chuck the lot in :O what is the reasoning behind this method ?

Cheers - Kev.

[Rai]

hello brum, to keep the cooking temperature high enough so as to properly cook the spices to realease their flavor and to evaporate the water i think

[chinois]

Ingredients generally combine better when hot, which is why cooking is usually done by heating things up (pretty obvious but bear with me!). It's the same principle with pre-mixed ingredients. Just because you've cooked the base sauce previously doesnt mean that the principal is any different. If you've cooked the aromatics well and the base well, you may as well combine them well to optimize the end result.
I see it as similar to the argument for seasoning with salt throughout and not just at the end. If you add an imperfect/unseasoned mix or sauce to another similar one you will end up with something that is 'ok'. If you season something that is ok then it becomes 'pretty good'. However, if you add a perfectly seasoned sauce or mix to another similar one and then adjust the seasoning of the mixture if necessary you will get a perfect end result.

What you're doing with a BIR curry is cooking the aromatic ingredients first (garlic, onion, spices, tom puree, fenugreek leaves etc) and then wanting them to permiate throughout the whole curry.

When you add the first small ladle of heated sauce to the mix it should start bubbling and sizzling quite loudly. There should also be a fair amount of steam. When stirred viciously with a spoon and with the pan shaken, everything should come together and mix perfectly, giving off v strong aromas. It seems obvious/instinctive that this has cooked better than if you add a load of sauce and nothing happens.