Thanks for your advice Stew, I think part of the problem with this base is the way I cooked it. I put too much oil in because the recipe called for 'cups' and I mistakenly used a mug! Als, I think I might of burnt the spices at the end.
I did however findthat the finished gravey was darker than anything I had seen before and it was more like a finished curry rather than a base!
I do have a recipe for chiken tika masala that is extreemly good and authentic to BIR curries. It was given to me by a friend and it is flawless. I would post it on here but it probably is already on here somewhere but if anyone wants it I ll post it.
Barry