Make Your Own Base Curry Sauce.

Yes, sure you can go to the supermarket and buy a jar of curry sauce. And yep it’s going to be a gloopy brown concoction which might have a hint of taste. Making your own is cheap once you’ve got all your spices, it’s quick and dead easy.  This recipe is an FLS favourite, two stages, first of all, a marinade so that your meat or fish can soak up all the flavours and then the curry sauce.

Tandoori Marinade

6 oz Thick Natural Yoghurt (Longley Farm brand works well)
5 tbsp Olive OilJuice of 1 lemon or lime
3 cloves Garlic-chopped
3 Red Chillis-chopped
2 tbsp Fresh Coriander Leaves
1 tsp Roasted Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Garam Masala
2 tbsp Tandoori Masala Paste
1 tbsp Tomato Paste

Method – Place all ingredients in a blender & blend until smooth.

Then simply marinate scored, skinless pieces of chicken. Cubed lean leg of lamb also works well and is good for a change.

The best flavour comes from cooking on the BBQ but if it is your typical British summer day and it’s raining then oven cooked is fine.

 

Curry Sauce

Ingredients for Stage 1. Onion, ginger & garlic puree.

1lb Sliced Onions
2oz Garlic Puree
2oz Ginger Puree
2 level tsp Salt
2 litres water
3 tbsp olive oil

 

Ingredients for Stage 2. Tomato Sauce

1 tin chopped tomatoes, blended (use Napolina or Frankie Dettori but good quality supermarket own brand is fine)
1 tsp tomato puree
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
3 tbsp Curry Masala or Bolst’s Curry Powder ( You can buy Bolst’s Curry Powder here )

 

Method:

Stage 1

1. Place all ingredients for stage 1 in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan
2. Bring to the boil and cover with a tight fitting lid & simmer for one-hour stirring occasionally.
3. Leave to cool slightly & then blend the sauce until smooth.
4. Divide the puree in half & use one half for cooking the meat & the other half for stage 2.

Stage 2.

1. Place all ingredients except the curry masala in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan & bring to the boil.
2. Cover the pan & simmer gently for 15 mins.
3. Now add one half off the Onion puree from stage one to the tomato sauce.
4. Bring to the boil then simmer the sauce for 10 mins.
5. Skim the sauce as a froth rises to the top of the sauce.
6. Now add the curry masala & whisk into the sauce.
7. Simmer gently for 15 mins & continue to skim the froth off the top.
8.  After 15 mins, turn off the heat, cover the pan & leave to cool.When cool place in fridge overnight.

The sauce will keep for 4 days in the fridge.