The Gravy:
8 Onions
500 ml oil
1 Large carrot
1 Green pepper
2 Tbsp Tomato Puree
1 Tin plum tomato
2 Desert spoons garlic & ginger puree
1 Heaped desert spoon cumin
1 Heaped desert spoon coriander
1 Heaped desert spoon turmeric
Half Desert spoon garam masalla (optional)
Salt (not sure exactly how much but a lot)
Water just below the onions

Boil up everything except the spices, once boiling add the spices and stir in.
Keep stirring and boil until the carrot has gone soft.
Blend the mixture with some added water.
Return to the pot and cook again, adding boiling water to get the right consistency.? It should be runny.
Keep cooking until the oil separates.

The Vindaloo:
3 tbsp Veg oil (approx, if you like it oily add more)
1 tsp Garlic & Ginger puree
Half a tbsp Tomato puree
3 or 4 tsp Chili powder?
Tsp Curry Powder (mix)
6 Ladles of gravy
Small handful of chopped coriander (include the stalk)
Salt to taste
Pre-cooked chicken or meat?

Heat the oil and fry the garlic and ginger puree. Add the tomato puree and fry for a minute. Add the chili powder and curry powder, cook for a further minute. Add a ladle of curry gravy and cook through, add the rest of the gravy. Add chicken and allow to simmer.
Just before serving sprinkle in the chopped coriander and stir in.

There a few pics of the above here https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=177.0

Yep ive just eaten it and it was lovely, to me it tasted great but I had the whole just cooked it didnt enjoy it as much thing.  My GF and mate both had some and said it had the restaurant curry taste.

A few other tips I was given:

Instead of adding plain boiled water to the blended sauce you can add some whole spices, green pod, stick and bay leaves to it first, seive them out and add that as well.
He said when cooking the spice keep the heat low as it can burn, this I thought was strange as ive always asumed that everything is cooked on high??
Always reheat the gravy before using it
The garlic and ginger wasnt browned in the gravy or the curry, I asked him about this and he said it wasnt needed
One big thing was that he said scooping the oil of and reusing it was a no no for one its against health and safety regs, anyone know anything about this??

As promised heres a few pics, ive just made the vindaloo and its lovely!!  Please post any comments if you make it.

Cheers
cK

I cooked a vindaloo on saturday with a bombay potato side, I had a vindaloo takeway last night while I was out and im cooking another vindaloo tonight along with a madras.  On average I must eat 3 or 4 currys a week, more at the weekend.

Yeah its worth it im just about to whip up a couple of currys with my fresh base, il take some pics of the base and final dish etc..   

Yeah it had the taste but as said before the 2 restaurants near me produce completly differnt vindaloos and this one is different again.  Im not sure why it didnt taste right the first time i tried it but second taste it was lovely, i think that the gravy tastes better after being left and we made the vindaloo staright after making the gravy so that probably didnt help.

Hi ghanna,

Yeah it was lucky I kept hassling him for the recipes and he turned round and said I will come round and show you!!

There was no fenugreek leaves in the gravy and none in the vindaloo.

Another thing he didnt mention any measurments at all, it was a bit of this a lttle of that, also I missed out salt, he put put some in at the begining and more after it was blended.  For the spices it was approx a heaped desert spoon of each execpt garam masala which was under half that.  Oil was about 500ml and water as needed, 8 onions, 1 carrot, 1 tin of toms and 1 pepper.   If anyone trys it please post back, ive just got another batch on the go.

Quote from: Yellow Fingers on March 28, 2005, 03:50 PM
These two statements are contradictory. If it can't be done at home how did it have that special taste?

That "taste" was there but you could tell it was home made, if you know what I mean. ?I think its as good as its going to get, theres no secret ingredient and no secret society of chefs. ?When I mentioned this to him he thought it was quite funny, also when I told him about all the people who are trying to recreate it who couldnt belive why we would go through the hassle.

Yes its true he came round and showed me the gravy and vindaloo.

The gravy is the same as before, garlic and ginger (he said use a blended paste so u can see how much goes in) oil, water, onions, tinned toms, carrot, green pepper, tom puree and spices (coriander, cumin, turmeric and half the amount of garam masala).  I asked him about packet curry powder and he thought I was joking when I said I used to put in the gravy, no curry powder at all in the gravy!!!  Cook everything except the spices until boiling then add the spices.  When the carrot is soft blend it and then return to the heat adding water until the oil seperates and its a runny consistancy.  The gravy is done about an hour and a half it took!  The curry, using about 3 tablespoons of veg oil fry a little garlic and ginger paste, I asked about browning it and he said they don't do it just heat it through.  Add a little tom puree and stir in (this is for colour), now add chilli powder and spice, he said my spice mix was fine (from the curry house magazine) but he would put them in seperatly.  Cook this for a minute and then add a little gravy stir in and add some more until you have enough sauce, add your precooked chicken and a little fresh coriander and its done, 4 mins it took.  First taste I thought mmm nice but not right then I tried it again and it did have the taste, the consistancy and look was spot on.  To be honest though I got more from watching how he cooked everything than the actual recipe, I think you could get a decent curry with any base if cooked right. 

He did say though that you cant reproduce it at home, hes tried it before himself and couldnt get it exactly the same,  he didnt really go into detail as to why but im happy that he wasn't lying or leaving anything out.

Quote from: Yellow Fingers on March 27, 2005, 03:55 PM
There's no logic in your arguments.
Where's your proof that there's no 'secret' ingredient in the curry when no one has ever seen the base sauce being made?

Each chef has his own recipe and little tricks that make his gravy different from someone else's which they keep close to their chests, this is probaly due to the fact that if the restaurant owner finds out how to make it they would get replaced by someone cheaper, maybe.? The 2 restaurants near me produce completley different vindaloos yet they are both fantastic and have "that" taste.?

That in mind I cannot belive that every single restaurant chef has a little bag labled "curry secret" that they just add to their own paticular gravy to give it "the taste".? I have spoken to a few chefs over time about whats in the gravy and they have all said pretty much the same thing with slight variations.?

I think its all about technique and practice rather than any secret ingredient, I know if a I make crap curry any amount of secret ingredient won't give it "the taste"