Ever wondered why homemade curries never taste quite the same as the restaurant versions? The answer is that Indian restaurants almost always use a ‘mother’ sauce as a base for all their dishes. A big pot of gently spiced gravy will be bubbling away on the range, to be added to everything from korma to vindaloo. With this recipe, you can make your own mother sauce, which you can freeze easily, meaning all you need to do to make that Friday night curry is take a tub of this out of the freezer ready to adapt to your chosen treat. Making this sauce is easy enough, but it does take a little time, so is a great way to pass a rainy afternoon.

01.

Ingredients

4 large onions
10 cloves garlic
thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled
6 large, ripe tomatoes
1tbs ghee
good slug of mustard oil
1tbs ground coriander
1tbs ground cumin
1tbs ground turmeric
1tbs ground paprika
2tsp ground fenugreek
2tsp ground cinnamon
4tsp garam masala powder
2tsp chilli powder

02.

Method

  • Chuck the onions, garlic and ginger in a blender and whizz until smooth. Heat the ghee and mustard oil in a large, heavy pan then add the three.
  • Saute gently, stirring frequently, until the onions take on a golden colour. This can be quite a lengthy process, up to half an hour, but it is essential.
  • When the onions are coloured, add the tomatoes and keep on sauteeing until they are cooked down, then add all the spices except the garam masala.
  • Stir well and keep on cooking until the aromas start to rise from the spices. When this happens, add 500ml or so of water.
  • Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, and let it bubble away for an hour or so, until it is thick, aromatic and unctuous.
  • Add the garam masala about 15 minutes before the end of cooking. Stir frequently to prevent sticking and burning, and add a little water if necessary.
  • Be sure to cool the sauce thoroughly before freezing – a good idea is to freeze the sauce in an ice cube tray, making it easy to have available just the amount of sauce you need each time. Two cubes will make a curry for two, and so forth.