Did you get a bit p****d watching the football last night by any chance Cory?

It's great to welcome everyone but most of them only join, nab a few recipes and bugger off without leaving any sort of feedback or comments.

Hi JerryM,

I'm really pleased to hear the base works well with other recipes. Did you have to reduce the amount of cumin / ground coriander / turmeric in those recipes compared to your usual amounts?

I think its a good point that if you are preparing this base just for mild curries then the chilli powder should be omitted. If you are using it for madras / vindaloos then it needs to stay in.

I can understand the thinking behind it as fried onions taste very different to boiled ones which actually taste pretty bland.

I agree its definitely not a BIR method but if the results are good - stick with it.

Next time I make it I'll make a Madras, Korma and CTM. My wife has a very low tolerance of chilli so it will make for a good test.

I'm sure you could reduce the amount of oil down, but I wouldn't want to. My final curry didn't taste overly oily and I would be concerned reducing this and increasing the water might throw the whole thing out of balance. If you ever give it a go like that I'd be very keen to hear your feedback. If it is possible to reduce the fat content while not compromising on taste then great!

The chef who showed me how to cook this said it can be used for any curry and that this is exactly how he cooks them at home for guests. Funnily enough, he also said he can't eat anything spicy. Even a Madras would be too hot for him to eat.

I'm sure with a bit more testing and refinement this could be up there.

Hi Billycat,

Assuming you use the base for 4 portions, each curry will contain half a green chilli and half a tsp of chilli powder. I dont imagine that could make anything too hot but as I have only used this for Madras I can't accurately comment.

Regarding the yoghurt, to quote JerryM's feedback he kindly emailed me:

yogurt - something gave the base a taste i'd not come across. i can only think it was the yogurt. i liked the taste and would probably go up significantly to prove or otherwise. too much would not be a good either so maybe say 4 tbsp. i would defo keep it in and will probably try it in my base.

PaulP - I agree there is the same amount of work involved, you just dont have to boil this one for 2 hours before it is ready. I can cook a Madras from scratch within 45 minutes. If you have a Saturday afternoon free to make a big batch of base then go for it, if you want a quick Wednesday night curry after work (assuming you dont have base in the freezer) then this is for you.

This recipe and method isn't here to replace what people already do, it just offers a quick alternative and tastes almost as good as BIR quality. For some (like me), it might be exactly what they are looking for. If you have all the ingredients then knock one up this evening and let me know your thoughts. Everyone who has tried it so far has been surprised by the results.

Do you guys like the taste of the Nagas? I find they completely overpower everything and the taste isn't that great. I put half of one on a pizza once and loved the heat but it tasted pretty gross.

This recipe should only be used with my quick Base recipe:

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3720.0

For a quick fresh curry it is hard to beat. It looks quite basic, but a lot of the flavour is already in the base.

Ingredients

- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1 heaped tbsp chilli powder (dependant on taste)
- 1 - 2 tbsp lemon juice (optional)
- 4 tbsp thick passata (or watered tomato puree 50/50)
- 225ml base sauce (1.5 ladles) (should be ? of the total base)
- 1 pinch of methi leaves
- chopped fresh coriander

Using the same dirty pan you used to cook the base in, add veg oil and chilli powder, lemon juice, tomato passata / puree, base sauce and a pinch of methi leaves. Heat this on high for a few minutes then add water to thin the base to desired consistency (circa 150 ml). Add in cooked meat or fish of preference and continue to cook until the oil starts to separate. This takes approximately 6 - 7 minutes. Once it is ready add a big pinch of chopped fresh coriander and serve.

To cook my chicken I usually use the quick method of boiling chunks in water and turmeric (1 tbsp approx). This takes around 4 - 5 minutes and you should always cut the biggest chunk in half to check it is cooked through.

Hi CA

I have just posted my base - https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3720.0

I'm sure you will have plenty of reasons to slate it, but I would much prefer if you could try it first and let me know if you have any constructive criticism. Not everyone has the time or equipment to make a huge batch of base, or the storage space to freeze it.

I think this recipe will appeal to a lot of people as you only need 1 frying pan, 1 blender and about 45 minutes to cook a delicious curry.

If you need to make a quick curry and you don't have any base in the freezer, this recipe is for you. It may lack some of the subtleties of the long cook bases, but it packs plenty of flavour and will produce excellent results. 1 batch will be enough for 4 - 5 curries.

Thank you to JerryM for trying it out and suggesting a couple of areas of improvement.

NOTES

- There is a lot of salt, cumin, coriander and turmeric in the base so when a curry recipe calls for a spice mix this should be reduced or left out completely (as with my Madras Recipe).

- It will produce a thick base and will need water added at curry cooking stage to achieve the desired consistency.

- There is a lot of oil suspended in the base sauce so you might need to reduce the amount of oil used in the curry. I only use 2 tbsp when I start my Madras which seems to work well. You know the sauce is ready to eat when the oil just starts to separate.

Ingredients

- 200 ml vegetable oil
- 450g Onions
- 100g green pepper
- 75g carrot
- 2 green finger chillies
- 2 tsp Garlic Ginger paste
- ? tin blended plum tomatoes
- 2 tsp hot chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 3 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp natural yoghurt
- 300ml water

Add the finely chopped onion and green pepper to a frying pan and add oil to completely cover (approx 200 ml). Turn heat to high and start to fry. After a couple of minutes add in two green finger chillies split lengthways. When the onion just starts to brown, add in chopped carrot and continue to fry.

After 2 minutes add ginger garlic paste cook for a minute then add blended tinned plum tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Then add the spices and salt and cook for 5 minutes then add the plain yoghurt. Add water (half a metal serving bowl) and simmer for a few minutes. Pour it into a blender to be finely blended.

This whole process should only take about 20 - 25 minutes. The finished base sauce couldn?t be eaten as it is like some bases. It is very yellow, quite spicy and very salty but this is normal as it gets thinned out by half with water at the curry cooking stage.

Hi Dave,

I made CA's on Saturday evening and it was excellent. I used most of the optional ingredients. My only comment was it was a bit sweet for my taste so next time I'll probably leave out, or reduce, the sugar.