Todays experiment went truley well, its opened a big barrier in my books, the  taste and smells are superb, i think this may offer what some of you may be looking for besides myself, the smell was certainly more bir smell than i could imagine and im sure its with the addition of cucumber thats been added to this base gravy, dont be so suprised! it is only a vegitable after all, and ive tried them all almost, the base is ready to eat for those who like a basic curry and the little touches needed for your other bir dishes. hope you enjoy it.

Ingrediants:
7 medium onions, peeled and chopped
5 cloves of garlic, grated
1 peice of ginger, 1 inch square
1 peice of cucumber, 7" long, peeled, deseeded and chopped, chop both ends off a cucumber, you will be left with the centre part. peel, chop in half down the centre,scoop seeds out with a spoon.
1/2 a good bunch of chopped fresh coriandor, chopped from the roots up.
1 tbls of ghee
just under 1/2 pint of cooking oil

spices:

2 tsps of all spices:
tandoori powder
cumin powder
corriandor powder
mangal kitchen king masala
turmeric

1 tsp panch phoran mix
3 star anise
1 levelish tbls tomatoe puree
2 beef oxo's, saves cooking meet stock

method:

Add your oil, ghee, star anise, panch phoran mix and onions to your pot, gently fry the onoins until yellow and clear, add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 5 mins. remove the star anise.

Next add the chopped cucumber and gently cook for another 5 mins.

Add all the spices and tomatoe puree and keep cooking gently for about 5 to 7 mins.

Now add the oxo's

Then add the chopped corriandor and simmer for a couple of mins.

Add water, ive got a big pot so im using about 3 pints or so, so try to use your own imagination, if its to thick after blending add more water to make it thinner, but not too thin!

Simmer the mix for 30 mins leave to cool and blend until super smooth.

Once blended simmer again for another 30 mins, i add my meat at this stage, it adds flavour but most of all it saves cooking it seperatley, and it tastes superb! just fish it out later.

Base sauce is now complete and ready to use.

Enjoy!

mick i say water droplets as they were pretty much all the way throu the sauce, almost like water lying on an oil patch, this is what makes me think its something along these lines, ive tried butter squash, good, adds sweetness but not the same effect, so i can see there is something  fruity/watery veg used, ive googled indian cucumbers and the ones ive seen on google ive seen lots of them in asian supermarkets, i think i can feel a pan bashing session coming on tommorow. ill try the cucumber in my base tommorow and give the results tommorow evening. ive tried all sorts of veg little and lots but all become to dry tasting. most birs ive had have a softer feel to the palet.
steve.

Ive always brought ready mixed powders, and i cant see any bir/takeaway standing there for hours mixing there own mixs/masala etc. but we can only keep trying our best, im sure something will turn up.

I do do think that there are many many good ghefs on here without  doubt but for the chef on the video/s we only replicate what he does and surley that would be enough to get anywhere near for starters, i know that the main thing is the base, and i can asure everyone from what ive tasted in the past it does have a good cuury taste to it, not weak or slightly flavoured, again i know the main taste is in the main gravy, in another thread of mine this month was cook month, ive been trying new things, but at the moment no go! just one thing thou, the curry we had tuesday looked as thou it had a lot of water droplets in it, real smooth, wonered if they were using cucumber as part of the ingrediants of the base gravy, has anyone tried it???

QuoteI question whether we're really being told the whole truth or anywhere near the truth in the videos.

George, i think exactly the same, im 100% correct that we are not seeing the real deal, ive watched that many videos, recipes/books plus tons of money spent and all turn out more or less the same, we had a takeaway tuesday night and my curry didnt  taste nothing like the takeaway one, i'll repeat myself untill im blue in the face any video with a bir name, ie zaals, viceroy, currys 2 go are all for there own free publicity. if these were the true recipes we wouldnt need this website anymore. We will claim victory!

Brine is a dodgy subject, it has to be correct, it makes you sick if you get the salt content wrong, mind you i have added brine from a can of hotdog sausages to a base gravy and to be fair was very tasty.

I went to have my eyes tested today, i walked in and said to the chap behind the counter ive come to have my eyes tested, he said yes mate youll have to go next door your in the butchers!

Infact i suppose the only way you could really find out whats in a base gravy would be food DNA testing or analysis, but! that would cost a fortune to get the exact analysis, why not raise a fund with admin, and find out the truth! it can be done with todays technology. 262 users online today, 10 quid each, price of your takeaway! money raised

Quote1st post newbie here
I recently asked one the staff in my local favourite takeaway if I could have a sample of their base gravy for me to compare with the gravy I made at home (Julian's c2go base) he looked very bemused and said of course you can. I got the base home and was very surprised that it was so thick and quite a lot more spicy than mine, almost like a finished curry without the meat.

Burning ring, ive been trying to explain this for a long time, but no ones excepting that it is almost like a finished curry, ive tried the base gravy here in wolverhampton on a couple of lucky occasions years back so what they are cooking elsewhere im lost mate!apart from i know its for publicity! one springs to mind, now selling, (Julian's c2go base)

http://curryclub.synthasite.com/      check it out, not bad, loads of books too. interesting read.