Even for the most seasoned of home cooks, perfecting a curry can seem monumental, especially if you’re trying to replicate what you’d get from an Indian takeaway.
Whether the sauce is too thin or just doesn’t taste exactly right, there’s always something that just doesn’t quite hit the mark.
Well, according to one chef, it’s because we haven’t taken a crucial step in preparing the curry and made a “base gravy.”
What a base gravy is, and how to prepare it
Chef Dean Edwards, a self-proclaimed “CEO of Fakeaway Recipes” and previous contestant on Masterchef, posted on his TikTok to explain the importance of a base gravy and how to prepare it.
Edwards said: “Restaurants use a base gravy, which adds an incredible amount of flavour.”
According to Edwards, this is the starting point in Indian restaurants and the key to making your curries at home taste more authentic and flavourful,
The ingredients are:
- 50g ghee or oil
- 5 large onions sliced
- 4 carrots peeled and diced
- 1 large red pepper deseeded and diced
- 2 tbsp. garlic and ginger paste
- 1 heaped tbsp. garam masala
- 1 heaped tsp. turmeric
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
- 1 tbsp. tomato puree
It takes around an hour all in to prepare but it makes 5 portions, which can be refrigerated for three days or a massive four weeks in the freezer.
This base gravy is a foundation to build any curry on and the full recipe can be found on the Dean Edwards website.
A common mistake when cooking spices
On the Reader’s Digest, website the curry expers at DabbaDrop warned: “Sometimes spices are not cooked-off before other ingredients are added to the pan. Other times they’re added to a sauce which doesn’t allow the spices to cook.
“The best time to add spices is once the onion and garlic and any aromatics, such as fresh ginger and chilli, have been cooked.”
Noted!