To those of you who have watched takeaway chefs make base sauce:
Did they use fresh oil or oil leftover from the deep-fat fryer?? I know chefs can be frugal, and it would save money to use oil that would otherwise be tossed out.? Meanwhile, it?could give the curries added layers of flavor (onion bhaji?).?

Saag Gosht with meltingly tender lamb and creamy, spicy spinach

So much of what we call "taste" is really smell.? So, if one is cooking a curry for a long time, those smells fill up one's nose, and there will be sensory overload, and the actual eating of the curry will just be more of the same.? Whereas curry from the fridge is reheated quickly, and the nose is still fresh, and the curry tastes new and great!

Pete, I'd think that a mildly spiced sauce would be more versatile.? The final dishes would have less in common.? But so far nothing has been predictable/logical about Indian cooking, so why should this be?

Timing may be the key factor, as you say.? Sometimes the food from our favorite Indian restaurant doesn't taste quite right, and we say, "Must be a different chef."? Maybe it's the same chef and his timing's off.

How much difference is there among the various base sauces in terms of taste?? Does it make a lot of difference to use Kris Dhillon's sauce for Pat Chapman's Bombay Aloo?? Isn't it the final spicing that makes the real flavor?? When you find a base sauce you like, do you then use it for all recipes that call for a base sauce, no matter where they came from?? Right now I have packets of Dhillon's sauce in my freezer, along with Pete's base sauce and his vindaloo sauce,?and it's dangerous to open the door!?

Tidebearer, what a great present!   One question, the green pepper that was added to the pan -- was it mild bell pepper or hot green chili?  Thanks. 

I love curry and have high hopes for this site.