Topic: More recipes from a chef

[Curry King]

During my usual trawl of the net for anything curry I haven't seen, I stumbled across this posting on a forum that I happen to be a member of and never knew was there? ;D

This is the link to the post on the forum, I'm not sure if you need an account to see it but I've cut and paste it all below anyway:

http://www.anothersubcontinent.com/forums/index.php?s=df29a3130e77636723f8f3a819c662d4&act=ST&f=10&t=1343

I haven't tried it myself yet but probably will give it a go this weekend, here is the posting including a two part base and a few curry ideas at the end.

Speaking of Indian restaurants, I once took a cooking class from an Indian restaurant chef (who claimed he was the chef of indian cuisine served on British Airways, BTW) who used the concept of a Mother Sauce to create restaurant style Indian dishes. He taught us two mother sauces: one tomato based and the other onion based. You create a batch (like they do in restaurants) of each, freeze (if you are a home cook) and use in various proportions. From these two mother sauces you get mixed vegetable curry, chicken/beef/shrimp curry, vegetable or meat korma, or a meat pasanda. All you do is add the main ingredient(s) and either coconut milk, yogurt, or cream to the combination of mother sauces.

While this explains why food in most Indian Restaurants tastes the same, I have to admit the sauces make a decent quick meal when one is not up to spending the time for a good slow-cooked meal.

Mother Sauce #1

2 cups chopped fresh onions
3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
4 OZ ginger-garlic paste (see below)
1 t cumin seeds
6 whole cloves
4 pods large (black) cardamoms
1 T corriander powder
1 T cumin powder
1 t chile powder
4 OZ vegetable oil
1 T garam masala (see below)
2 OZ turmeric powder
to taste salt

1. Heat a thick-bottomed pot, add oil
2. Add all the dry spices, saute
3. Add onions, saute until golden brown
4. Add turmeric powder + some salt, stir for 30 seconds
5. Add garlic-ginger paste
6. Add tomatoes and all the remaining ingredients, simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours
7. Let it cool. Blend in a blender.


Mother Sauce #2

1 28 OZ canned crushed tomatoes
1 T garlic ginger paste (see below)
1 t turmeric powder
1/2 t chile powder
5 pods large (black) cardamoms
5 whole cloves
1 t cumin seeds
1 stick cinnamon
oil

1. Heat pan, add oil.
2. Add cumin seeds, cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon stick. Saute
3. Add garlic-ginger paste. Simmer. Add salt.
4. Add tomatoes. Cook for 1 to 1.5 hours until oil rises.
5. Remove cinnamon stick and cardamom, and puree.


Storing Mother Sauces for easy use

Typically, you will be using the two sauces in each dish. So,
it is more convenient to pre-mix the sauces and freeze them
in usable portions. Then you can use as desired.

10-12 4 OZ sealable jars (use the ones you get for storing baby-food servings)
Mix 2 OZ of Mother Sauce 1 and 1 OZ of Mother Sauce 2 (or any other proportion,
experiment!!). Altenately, just mix the entire batch of the two sauces and
divide into the containers. Freeze.

You can add the frozen sauce directly to the dish at the time of preparation.

Some Recipes for dishes


Mixed Vegetable Curry

1 to 1.5 lbs of mixed vegetables (blanched)
choose any, for example: mushrooms, peas, carrots,
1 cup diced onions
2 OZ of Mother Sauce 1
1 OZ of MOther Sauce 2
OR a mixture of the two in any proportion
oil

1. Heat oil, fry onions until golden
2. Add vegetables stir fry
3. Add the mother sauces, a little water if desired
4. Simmer until vegetables are tender, not overdone

Chicken/Beef/Shrimp Curry

12-16 oz of meat, cut in bite sized pieces
1 t cumin powder
1 t corriander powder
2 OZ of Mother Sauce 1
1 OZ of Mother Sauce 2
oil for saute

1. Heat oil in a pan, add meat and saute until brown
2. Add the cumin and corriander powder, saute another min or two
3. Add the mother sauces, a little water if desired
4. Simmer until meat is just done.

Korma (vegetables, meat)
Follow all steps in the above recipes.
Add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream towards the end for a really nice
and creamy texture.


In the meat recipes above, feel free to add some vegetables: peas, tofu,
carrots, fresh tomatoes, etc. Experiment and play. Adding a bit of yogurt will give you a very different dish (pasanda?), or try (cream) for a heavier sauce.

[raygraham]

Thanks C.K.

Yet another one to add to my growing archives! Very interesting. Keep em coming folks!!

Ray

[raygraham]

Hi C.K.

Actually, now I have sat down and properly read through it this is yet another interesting method. On the face of it the finished sauce looks like it will be full of many flavours with the addition of some of the more aromatic spices, black cardaomoms, cloves, cinnamon etc.

On the face of it the first "Mother Sauce" looks a bit familiar ( don't they all ) but the addition of a second sauce in differing proportions ( suggested 2/1 ) makes me more curious still.
It will be interesting to have a review from you once you have made it C.K.

Will look forward to that

Ray

[Curry King]

Yep I will hopefully get round to it this weekend, im not so sure about keeping the sauces seperate but I will try one curry like that and probs just mix the rest all in together.

The only thing im not so sure about is the lack of any pepper's in either of the sauces as im sure this is a key ingredient to a good base. 

cK

[Yellow Fingers]

I've posted here before about the use of two sauces for the base because I had heard that it was used in some restaurants, but as far as I know no one who has posted recipes from restaurants here has ever seen a 2 stage base sauce used. I have a feeling that this method may have been used in restaurants many years ago, but for convenience the '2 part' base sauce has now become a one pot affair and this might also explain why the different curries are all starting to taste the same.

If you look at Kris Dhillon's curry base, she uses a 2 part method quite similar to the one you have posted, but she then combines them to make the final base sauce. I still rate the Kris Dhillon base quite highly even though it is quite simple and lacks most of the extra veg we now seem to think a base sauce needs. If you have never used the 2 part method it is definitely worth a try. The tomato part is very interesting because it is essentially fried for a long time and it gives the tomatoes a very intense, very savoury, almost smokey flavour.

I've been looking for a recipe or ideas for the very mild veg curry that usually accompanies a Biryani and I think the veg curry in this recipe sounds like it might fit the bill, so there's another curry I need to make.

I also noticed on some menus that the bhuna is described as being made with a 'separate double strength sauce', now what's that all about?

[Curry King]

I've always assumed that a Bhuna is the same as a standard curry except less sauce goes in but the same amount of spice, thefore you end up with a fairly dry and extra spicy curry.  Thats how ive been making it, along with green pepper and onions thrown in its my second favorite now. 

[Yellow Fingers]

I've always assumed that a Bhuna is the same as a standard curry except less sauce goes in but the same amount of spice, thefore you end up with a fairly dry and extra spicy curry.

This is exactly why I want the restaurant review section!? I know what you mean by a dry curry and this is how an authentic bhuna would be cooked, but I personally have never had a dry bhuna in any restaurant. The bhuna's I have had have been spicier and richer than a standard curry, which is why I like them, but they have never been dry, they have generally had just as much sauce as say a vindaloo. Infact if a restaurant served a bhuna as it should authentically be made I think it would be sent back by your average curry house punter.

If you are saying that you personally have had a dry type of bhuna in a restaurant, I can only think that you have gone to one that serves more authentic curries. This is exactly the sort of thing that I hope the restaurant review section will show up.

[Curry King]

Yes your right, when I first had a Bhuna from a restaurant it was when I moved and my new local serves up a mix of the authentic and contemporary, according to its menu gumpf anyway.  There not authentic by any means just a bit more posh than your standard BIR.  I think dry is probably the wrong word as well it would better be described as a thicker sauce but there is no where near as much as their vindaloo.

[Mark J]

Superb read CK, cheers. I always thought a Bhuna simply had the sauce reduced more than a normal curry, which would presumably also have the effect of increasing the spice density in the dish

[Mark J]

If you have never used the 2 part method it is definitely worth a try. The tomato part is very interesting because it is essentially fried for a long time and it gives the tomatoes a very intense, very savoury, almost smokey flavour.

This sounds like a good description of the smell/taste we are after