Topic: the real base sauce taught by Indian chef

[adriandavidb]

Thank's ronnoc, your posts have been really informative.

I've been making a modified KD base for several years, I add some home made chicken stock that has been lightly spiced with bay, star anise, black pepper corns etc. Recently I've tried adding small amounts of celery and carrot.  The base I make looks VERY similar to 'curry-house' base, as do several of the other bases on Cr0. However, I never got the chance to taste the real base before its final modification into a finished dish, so I can't comment whether 'mine' is close or not.

I would say that in my opinion, a couple of the bases on here are completely 'wide of the mark'.  I accept this may sound a little arrogant, bearing in mind that I have not attempted them all.  But I have seen the REAL thing, and they not thick and dark.  The final dishes often are thick and dark (depending on what the finished curry is supposed ot be), but the base sauce is most certainly NOT!

Others here have said that they feel a base should be relatively unobtrusive, to provide the chef with optimum flexibility in producing a wide range of finished dishes, that is certainly born-out with what I've seen in restaurant kitchen!

I must say I am torn between the 'ronnoc' base or the 'saffron'.

I would be interested to know whether the garlic/ginger in the 'ronnoc' version is a pre-bought paste, or made by the chef?

I used my last batch of base, and tarka daal last night make a Dansak; so the choice of which base to make next is looming!  Having a take-away (curry of course!) tonight to celebrate the wife's birthday.  I just hope I get the chance to make some more base before I 'keel-over' from the effects of a high fat diet!!

[haldi]

I hope you are still out there Ronnoc
I made your base last night
It's come out very thick even though I boiled it with the lid on
The garam masala is very strong in it too
I used fresh ginger garlic puree
I had to make new ggp, so weighed the dry ingredients before adding water and pureeing them
It was about four cloves of garlic and an equal weight of ginger
I'm not sure what I will cook with this gravy

[JerryM]

Haldi, i (and am sure most of us) have great thanks and hopes for ronnoc.

since joining the site i've switched base from slight mod KD to parker21. initially i was a total disbeliever in carrots and green pepper but now totally sold (i think they add texture, smoothness and depth).

i intend to make ronnoc's base next. in the meantime i'd be very interested in your thoughts on what the celery and cabbage did - do they stand out or do you thing they are like garlic in that you can't tell that they are there but would miss them if they weren't.

[ronnoc]

hope you are still out there Ronnoc
I made your base last night
It's come out very thick even though I boiled it with the lid on
The garam masala is very strong in it too
I used fresh ginger garlic puree
I had to make new ggp, so weighed the dry ingredients before adding water and pureeing them
It was about four cloves of garlic and an equal weight of ginger
I'm not sure what I will cook with this gravy

i thought i wouldn't bother but can't help myself when people show some respect.
your base looks just like mine and just like the chefs at my local. and indeed any curry house i have came across where i have been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of their yellow sauce.
regarding it's thickness just add water but it should resemble soup. don't make it too thin. also boil it out for a little longer after adding enough water. it sounds like you have added too much garam masala. it should only be 2 grams on the small batch and 10grams of curry powder.
regarding the garlic/ginger. not sure how many cloves it is. i made a large batch of garlic ginger with a little oil to get my bleder going. the 25 grams you should use in the batch should roughly be about a rounded table spoon.
you should start by making the korma i mentioned earlier
ronnoc

[haldi]

you should start by making the korma i mentioned earlier
ronnoc

Thanks for getting back Ronnoc
I am not a big fan of Korma
Do you a have a madras/vindaloo recipe instead?
I'm hoping to make this tonight if possible

i'd be very interested in your thoughts on what the celery and cabbage did - do they stand out or do you thing they are like garlic in that you can't tell that they are there but would miss them if they weren't.

Hi Jerry all vegetables just blend into an all round non descriptive taste
The fried garlic ginger gives that amazing BIR smell/taste
That is very strong in the base

[Secret Santa]

Do you a have a madras/vindaloo recipe instead?

I was going to ask the exact same thing because I don't like korma, but I thought better of it as ronnoc seem to freak if you ask him anything.

[ronnoc]

one other thing in reading adriandavids post. the chef told me he made his own garlic/ginger puree. also what he dipped his spoon into from his fridge was far too big a batch of garlic/ginger for me to think other wise.

the saffron base looks bang on as well and i will definately be making it at some point. when studying it it looks almost the same as mine and some others that i have seen on here. which makes me come back to my earlier post where i mention the use of veg by the chefs as being their own variations. i believe that their will be little difference between mine and the saffron and so far it is the only other base on this site i so far will attempt. i would be cutting the batch in half though as it is far too much for me to use. but i can recommend this saffron base as i know what it tastes like before attempting it as i am sure he can on mine.
i really don't think the use of veg changes the base a great deal and i mention this somewhere else. no i don't meen that, i meen the variation of veg. i'ld be happy to use parsnip, potatoe e.t.c.
but i think the cellery, carrot and sweet pepper are a must. what you do after that is o.k. as long as you are not banging large amounts enough to over power things is my belief.
ronnoc

[Cory Ander]

Good to see you're still here and posting Ronnoc....and also joining in with chit chat, no less! 

Are you still planning on making your recipe this weekend, and posting photos of the whole process, as you said you would?

I do hope so, I look forward to seeing them 

[ronnoc]

hi cory. i made my sauce on thursday as i couldn't wait. like i said i came on line to post my photo's but spat out my dummy at some of the comments. anyways i just found it in my curry sauce. yes i will try now to post them.

i understand you may not like Korma. i don't either. but do you not have kids that do. maybe thats why you have time to take the p**
just having a joke before someone gets on my case

the reason i have mentioned korma is that this is the takeaway version for you to compare. i don't know how to do the vindaloo. but i am sure if you follow the KD book swapping her base for my base. then you should get a good result.
anyways going to try to upload my photos.
ronnoc

[haldi]

the reason i have mentioned korma is that this is the takeaway version for you to compare. i don't know how to do the vindaloo. but i am sure if you follow the KD book swapping her base for my base. then you should get a good result.
anyways going to try to upload my photos.
ronnoc

I appreciate your honesty
I will post results of whatever I cook
Thanks again