I want to try this base, but I really would like to know exactly where you think you made the boo boo first time around.
Firstly,
no curry I ever make at my gf's house tastes very good. She has a gas hob - which is no doubt better - but I am not used to using it. Her pots and pans are of the quality you would expect to find with a furnished flat.
Also I use pre-ground spice there (bad pre-ground spice at that). I find the Tesco and Morison's own brand pre-ground either tasteless or stale and always overpriced. At home I am near several Asian shops selling cheap, fresh ingredients, including both whole and pre-ground spice. This means my spice cupboard is always stocked with an excellent variety.
Also, instead of using the Schwartz (as I did last time) I used Rajah Mild Madras (which I finally found in a Chinese store of all places). I think this made a very big difference.
Another significant factor in the marked improvement, is that I studied the recipe a little more, and although it doesn't say exactly where to add the Passata, it is in stage 3 - the final curry stage. I concluded from that, to include it when I added the base to the main curry, little by little.
I would also say that since our discussions over sticking to the recipe etc, that I have been far more careful with my measurements and methods. Although I cooked this base on a low heat after it was supposedly finished, from my experience with previous base sauce attempts, it really needed it!
I'm confident that leaving the base on a low heat to bring the scum to the surface, darken and allow for the oil to separate really improved the look and texture of the base.
Remember when I experienced my lack of success I blamed it on my poor implementation of the recipe? Well this time I followed the recipe more closely and it turned out a treat!
I still have a few tubs of Saffron base, so I don't mind doing the Darth Madras side by side with the Saffron base. My question (if you are interested in the results) would be whether to add Passata when using the Saffron base, considering it already has tomatoes added.