Topic: Haldi's Curry Base (from a local restaurant)

[Cory Ander]

Posted by CA on behalf of Haldi.  The recipe originated from here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2078.msg17828#msg17828

Ingredients to make  5 lires of thick undiluted gravy
ten onions
half litres ktc veg oil
one tablespoon salt
one and a quarter tablespoon hot spice mix
one desertspoon spoon turmeric
a third of a 400 gramme can of tomatoes
a third of a 400 gramme can of chick peas
half bulb of garlic
enough water to come close to the top of the pan

Simply boil the lot for three hours
Cool a little and scoop off the oil
Blend the rest
Fridge both when cold enough

Dilute the thick curry gravy with the same proportion of water
This will also need a boil to bring back the flavour

If you do this, it will still make a lot of curry gravy after dilution
You're going to have ten litres!!

The hot spice mix is that "bassar" stuff we talked about a while ago
I have been chasing this flavour for so long now and have really been paying extra attention to the final curry cooking stage
Perhaps I am wrong, but I think that's where the magic lies

It's all these little igniting bubbles of oil, giving us this extra flavour
If you make the above base, I think you will be disappointed
It believe it will be accurate in flavour, but unless it is cooked at a very high heat with some of it's oil burning)it won't be right
I don't think you can mix and match recipes either
If a chef makes a certain type of base, then you should follow only his curry recipes afterwards

Sorry to sound negative
I've not managed to get the flames on my cooker big enough yet either
They need to cover the sides of the pan
I can't believe that something like this has never been accurately documented.

[Cory Ander]

Reply from Jeera moved to here by CA

Thanks Haldi. I've made up a batch yesterday with roughly the same approximation as you - I used 3kg of onions. so I used third used of everything.

Interesting the chick peas gave off a nice smell which is promisiong.

I blended first then re-boiled to get the re-claimed oil. I got loads of it this way.

I'm experimending on the family today so I'll make 2 or 3 final dishes ( I'll try one with no dry spices added and see what happens)

Thanks for the post.

[Cory Ander]

Reply from Jeera moved to here by CA

Haldi, I tried this base and was very impressed. I do like using a watery base and simmering until I get the right consistency.

The no spice final base attempt was actually very good although it did lack something. I made a vindaloo (parker21 recipe & method) - again very good.

my other version was the same method as parker21's vindaloo with 1/4 tsp chill powder and 1/2 tsp curry powder 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch of garamasala and sugar. I'd say this was my best of the three.

However my nose is so nuked that I can't be 100% sure if was truly BIR quality.

All 3 got eaten up by me and my family through

[Cory Ander]

Reply from Haldi moved to here by CA

I'm glad it went ok
I find that after I've been curry cooking, I really can't appreciate what I've made.
Sometimes I freeze meals and can't believe how good it is
(I am also stunned at how bad some are too!)
 

[Cory Ander]

Reply from Secret Santa moved to here by CA

Sometimes I freeze meals and can't believe how good it is
(I am also stunned at how bad some are too!)

It's that consistency thing haldi. I'm sure if we were cooking 30 or more curries every night like the pros we'd have it sussed, no problem.

I don't think you can mix and match recipes either
If a chef makes a certain type of base, then you should follow only his curry recipes afterwards

I'm with you 100% on that. You can try to mix and match bases to curry recipes but it'll be sheer luck if you get a good match. I think this is where a lot of us are/have been going wrong.

[parker21]

hi haldi
have you tried this base but frying garlic and ginger puree  until browned (remember this is what you said at the very beginning), or if you add like a tarka but at the start. i'm sure that this will add depth to you base so when it is reheated bir heaven. when i saw my madras sauce cooked @ rajver he showed me in the fridge in a bucket was thick undiluted base sauce just like you have mentioned. i assume that the oil or at least most was reclaimed before blending. it is then cooled down which in turn will thicken it and water is added when they need it. i think one key is to allow you base sauce to rest after you have made it for at least 2-4 hours before use this allows the spices time to develop.

just a few thoughts

regards
gary

[haldi]

hi haldi
have you tried this base but frying garlic and ginger puree  until browned (remember this is what you said at the very beginning), or if you add like a tarka but at the start.
regards
gary

Hi Gary
        That was something I was thinking of trying (the tarka)
I wanted to make the recipe exactly as he said, first
It's very good but nowhere in the same league as his gravy
Are you a hundred per cent satisfied with what you are achieving?

[lagathy]

hi,

  just curious..only 130 (ish) grams of tomatos for a 5 litre plus base?this seems very little?

[George]

If you make the above base, I think you will be disappointed. It believe it will be accurate in flavour, but unless it is cooked at a very high heat with some of it's oil burning)it won't be right

Haldi

Do you mean we should probably use high heat for the base, when it's cooking for 3 hours initially or do you mean to use high heat when we use the base for the 'stage 2' dishes?

Regards
George

[haldi]

Haldi
Do you mean we should probably use high heat for the base, when it's cooking for 3 hours initially or do you mean to use high heat when we use the base for the 'stage 2' dishes?
Regards
George

Hi George, I meant only the finished curry

hi,
  just curious..only 130 (ish) grams of tomatos for a 5 litre plus base?this seems very little?

Hi Lagathy, yes just a small amount
So the curry gravy is nearly all onion and oil
Having said that, my scaled down home made attempts, are nowhere near as good
It's been said many times that these bases do not "scale"
I have never totally accepted that
Perhaps I will have to!?
When I have time and a new pot, I will try a full sized version