C50 Curry Base Sauce

This is a variation on the C46 base sauce, quicker to make and cooked without the carrot and green pepper but with a flavour that is almost indistinguishable from the C46 base sauce. It is the chopping of the onion into smaller pieces and the grating and crushing of the ginger and garlic that allows for the shorter cooking time with the red onions replacing the sweetness that the carrot provided in the C46 base sauce. This is really very good. The quantity produced is 1500 ml which is enough for 5 curries but will need to be diluted before use (see note 1). It is basically a boiled base with an initial 'frying' stage to sweeten and intensify the flavours. Other base sauces can be used instead.

Ingredients

Makes 1500 ml Continued...
70 - 75 ml oil ½ tspn ground cinnamon
500 gm red onions (prepared weight - see note 2) ½ tspn fenugreek powder (see note 3)
¾ tspn salt 15 gm ginger (prepared weight)
1½ tspn turmeric 15 gm garlic (prepared weight)
½ tspn ground coriander 200 ml chopped tomatoes (1 small 227 gm tin = 225 ml)
½ tspn ground cumin 900 ml hot water

Preparation

Cooking

  1. Heat the oil in a large stock pot (5L is ideal) and fry about ½ of the onion and salt, uncovered, for 5 min, stirring regularly.
  2. Add the rest of the onion and fry for an additional 5 min, stirring regularly.
  3. Stir in the turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground cinnamon and fenugreek powder and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 min.
  4. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, mixing well and stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
  5. Add the chopped tomato and 900 ml of hot water, bring to a boil, and simmer, covered, stirring about every 10 min, for 30 min.
  6. Allow to cool a little and blend until smooth.
  7. Bring back to a boil, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for an additional 15 min.
  8. Allow to cool a little and add hot water to make 1500 ml then blend again (can be transferred to a 2L measuring jug).
  9. Store in 300 ml portions (honey jars can be used) and keep refrigerated for a few days or in a freezer for future use.

Notes

(1) The sauce is thicker than required and should be thinned down before use by mixing 100 ml of water with the 300 ml of sauce and warming before being used. Not all recipes require the resulting 400 ml to be fully used. After defrosting the sauce may experience darkening and a texture change but can be rejuvenated by warming and briefly blending.
(2) About 5 red onions of about 6 cm max diameter are required.
(3) Fenugreek powder can be purchased already finely ground or can be ground from fenugreek seeds - these are very hard, so a decent spice grinder will be required.
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The main ingredients
ingredients
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The unblended sauce
unblended
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The blended sauce
blended
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300 ml sauce
300 ml portion
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