Topic: Lightboy's Base Sauce

[lightboy]

Hi.. been meaning to get around to posting this for a while, it is a result of trial and error over the last few years ..
this latest incarnation produced what to me was the best homemade curry i ever tasted(a rogan josh which i will also post when i get time)..
some of the ingredients and amounts may surprise you but trust me its a goodun ..

the basic stew:

6 large spanish onions
1 jumbo bulb (yes whole bulb) of garlic (or 2 small bulbs, though the jumbo's are sweeter imho)
2-3 inch ginger grated
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 carrot
3-4 large mild green/red chillies (de-seeded)
1 tin napolina chopped toms
1 heaped tsp sacla sundried tomato paste (or 2 tspns if normal puree/ketchup)
1 whole coriander plant
2 tspns worcester sauce
2 tspns balsamic vinegar
a few good turns of the salt mill
1 cup (2-300ml) oil
2 tbls ghee butter (if not use double oil)

spice mix:

1 level tbls jeera (cumin)
1 level tbls turmeric
1 level dspn coriander
1 level dspn mild chilli/paprika powder
1 level dspn methi leaves
1 level dspn panch phoran (bengali spice mix)
1-2 level tspns garam masala
1 tbls ghee/oil

method:

chop all ingredients (coloured red) and gently soften in oil/ghee until reduced to about half original size..
add enough water to well cover contents then leave to simmer with lid on for about 30-40 mins.
add the rest of the ingredients (coloured blue) and cook a further 10-15 mins.
mix together the spice mix then gently fry in a separate pan for about 1 min or so (until you get a nice aroma)
DONT OVERCOOK/BURN THEM OR THEY WILL SMELL/TASTE HORRIFIC (it once took 4 days to get rid of the smell from my kitchen when i did this )
add the spice/oil mix to the gravy then cook/mix for about 5-10 mins
then thoroughly liquidise everything
add about a pint or so of water then boil quite vigorously for 30-40 mins until water has reduced and oil separated on top..

Enjoy ... and please any constructive feedback / results most welcome

addendum:



the sacla paste can be found at asda and most good supermarkets


panch phoran can be found here
http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/acatalog/Indian-Food-TRS-Panch-Puren.html
http://www.seasonedpioneers.co.uk/product.aspx?seasid=109

the above stores also sell the methi leaves and the TRS and Rajah spices i use ..

[Derek Dansak]

hi, whats essentially in the panch phoran ? i have not got this, is it essential? what could i substitute? cheers

[Curry King]

Thanks for the recipe lightboy, have you tried any of the base recipes on here and if so how do they compare to yours?

[lightboy]

Panch phoron
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Panch phoran (Bengali: পাঁচ ফোড়ন) (also known as panch phoron, panch puran, panchpuran, punch puram, punchpuram, and Bengali five-spice) is an Indian spice blend typically consisting of five spices in equal measure:

Fenugreek (methi)
Nigella seed (kalonji)
Mustard seed or (rai or shorshe)
Fennel seed (saunf or mouri)
Cumin seed (jira)
Some variations include wild onion instead of cumin, while others also include radhuni seed in addition. However, panch phoron is a slight misnomer when applied to blends that include radhuni (Trachyspermum roxburghianum syn. Carum roxburghianum), since in Oriya or Bengali panch phoran literally means "five spices".

Wild onion seed is a misnomer applied to nigella seeds (because they look like onion seeds). They do not replace anything. The only variation (though maybe only true panch phoran in Bengal) is the substitution of radhuni for mustard seed, everything else remains the same.

In the tradition of Oriya and Bengali cuisine, one usually first fries the panch phoron in cooking oil or ghee, which causes them to start popping immediately.[1] At this point, one adds vegetables (especially potatoes), lentils, or fish to the cooking vessel to coat with the spice mixture.

In Bengal, the cradle of this mixture, a spice called radhuni is used, not mustard seed. A better replacement for radhuni, hardly available outside of Bengal, would be celery seed.

[lightboy]

Thanks for the recipe lightboy, have you tried any of the base recipes on here and if so how do they compare to yours?

yes i have tried the most popular ones (and good they are) though admittedly i dont always follow recipes to the letter  ;D
personally i like the taste of this one as it is closest i have found to restaurant taste/aroma

[Curry King]

yes i have tried the most popular ones (and good they are) though admittedly i dont always follow recipes to the letter  ;D
personally i like the taste of this one as it is closest i have found to restaurant taste/aroma

I had a feeling you were going to say that, thats another one on my ever increasing  "to try" pile 

[lightboy]

Oh one final thing those amounts quoted are rough guestimates of what i used in my last most successful base .. im afraid im not very scientific about exact measurements .. tbh im usually on the merlot when im cooking  :

[matt3333]

Hi
What does a whole corriander plant equate to in terms of stalks, sorry to be thick but I've never seen one.
Matt

[lightboy]

Hi
What does a whole corriander plant equate to in terms of stalks, sorry to be thick but I've never seen one.
Matt

im talking about the growing herbs you get in a pot from most supermarkets .. basically enough to fill both hands when taken off plant .. or one good pack of ready cut ..

[Derek Dansak]

a whole cori plant from sainsbury is not much. about 6 8 inch stalks, and a small handful of leafs. you can freeze fresh cori and just wack it in frozen for the last 10  mins or so. dont overcook it or it all vanishes ,