Curry Base
Well would you look at me with my Curry Notions about myself! I make a lot of currys .. and they aren’t bad .... if I whack an unseemly amount of butter into them they are even very good ... but ... it’s not the ideal solution! So I decided to make Curry Base .... I heard it’s a game changer ... which is hard to believe because it’s basically boiled onions! And let me tell you - whatever I think of my homemade curry … I never finish my dinner and and say … you know that was nice but with the addition of some boiled onions it could have been amazing!
Now there are a few things that I feel homemade curry lacks and here is what they are -
That mystery ingredient …. the search for this has helped me hugely in my curry spice mix …. I add extra turmeric and cloves which I didn’t always do. And while its better than any jar … I’m still missing something.
2. Butter - when working out how to make a decent butter chicken … I discovered how much butter you actually need! It’s scandalous! I still love my recipe but I just can’t make it because the amount of butter is obscene. And now, because we know the truth, if we are having Indian from a restaurant - even if we both want butter chicken we only get one and get something else less fattening and share the dishes.
3. The smokey flavour … well I don’t have a tandoor oven and I’m unlikely to … but in the summer I barbeque my chicken for my curry and for a jalfrezi instead of putting my peppers and onions in to the frying pan to cook …. I do them on the George Forman … even the smell while they are cooking and blistering will tell you that its the best way for a curry.
So I looked at all the curry base recipes that I can find - and ruled out making it with 101 onions - then I ruled out buying any new ingredients that I’ll never use otherwise and looked at what I have in my own store cupboard. I have to say - boiling a few onions and throwing in a tin of tomatoes and a few other bits is really no hardship on a boring day in lockdown.
So … what’s the verdict? Its a yes from me! Honestly … I made my usual Jalfrezi Curry and it was well worth it! First of all … it just did taste more authentic … we felt it was not just a step forward but a leap and to be honest … it was an additional 200 mls into the sauce … so the food just went further. I’ve frozen it in portions so I’ll be looking forward to making curry again soon! Maybe I’ll even see if I can make the blasted butter chicken again …. I’ll keep you posted!
See Recipe HERE
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