We put Curry Base Gravy to the test!
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- We're testing to see if a curry tastes better using the base gravy method.
Using a curry base sauce (or gravy) is a method used by many British Indian restaurants to speed up the process of making curry. This curry base gravy can be used for many different types of curry to give a luscious sauce and an instant hit of flavour.
Store this curry base in portions and if you use ready-cooked chicken, you can have any number of curries on the table in 10 minutes!
Free printable recipe is available on our site: www.kitchensan...
Ingredients:
120ml (1/2 cup) sunflower oil
1 kg onions (about 6 medium onions), peeled and roughly chopped
8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp garam masala
2 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1 ½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
¼ tsp ground cardamom
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
400g (14 oz) tinned tomatoes
2 litres (8 cups + 1/3 cup) chicken or vegetable stock (water plus 3 stock cubes is fine)
Method:
1. Heat the 120ml (1/2 cup) oil in a large casserole pan over a medium heat.
2. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes, until they start to brown and caramelise slightly.
3. Add the 8 cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp minced ginger, 2 tbsp garam masala, 2 tbsp coriander, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp ground cardamom and 2 tbsp tomato puree.
4. Stir to coat the onion and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring often.
5. Add the red pepper, green pepper, carrot, tinned tomatoes and stock.
6. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 1 hour.
7. Turn off the heat, allow to cool, then blitz to a smooth liquid using a stick blender.
This base makes approx. 2 1/2 litres (approx. 10 cups).
Using the Curry Base Gravy:
I use about 120ml (1/2 cup) per person when making a curry. So if you often make curries for two people, freeze in portions of 240ml (1 cup). If you often make curries for four people, freeze in portions of 480ml (2 cups).
Since this recipe makes approx. 2 ½ litres (approx. 10 cups), this should be enough for approx. 20 portions of curry (1 portion per person).
Heat up the sauce before using it, then ladle it in as an when you need it.
See my Jalfrezi recipe for how exactly I adapted my Chicken Jalfrezi to make a super speedy curry with this curry base gravy. www.kitchensan...
#Curry #Recipe #BIR
Would you make a curry base gravy? If so what's your favourite curry you're going to try it with?
I will definitely give this a try. I like a bit of heat in my food so I'd like to try. I really like Jalfrezi as I like having the veg in my curry
Hi there - this has just popped up on my feed - I have been making a base gravy for 30 yrs having learnt to make it in the takeaway all those years ago. It is a great foundation to making bir British Indian Restaurant curries - however there is a place for the more traditional recipes as well - personally i like using base gravy which i have stored in the freezer all year.
I’m Bangladeshi and hav done before, it’s not authentic but a curry made with base gravy is different and still so good.
Lamb sounds good. Can you show us how to make a lamb sag/spinach curry?
Got some king prawns I need to use up so there going in.
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WARNING -- If you are using a jug blender with a lid , allow the cooked base to COMPLETLEY COOL BEFORE blending. A hot base will cause a thermal reaction that can blow the lid off , resulting in you and your kitchen being covered in hot curry sauce. ( I'm a retired chef and I learned this the hard way.)
You curried yourself!
Yeah, don't get curried away in the heat of the moment.
The reason to use the base is NOT to make the process quicker. The reason is scientific in that when the base gravy hits a hot pan, caramelisation occurs, a chemical reaction which infused the whole dish with this classic BIR taste. This is known as the Maillard reaction. For years me and my brother have been making curries (pre internet) using all of the correct ingredients but never once did it hit the mark. We believed the secret lay somewhere with the onions and until we both discovered the Maillard reaction (ironically at the same time but in different countries), we got quite excited and never looked back
I have been using a base gravy for about two years now after I saw it on Latifs Inspired RUclips channel. I also make, and freeze, the Indian tomato purée. It certainly makes everything so much quicker, particularly if I’m doing vegetable accompaniments. I just love your recipes and the Tuscan Chicken is a family staple! Thank you
Same here
Iv used latifs channel asswell, curries are bang on BIR style. Als kitchen is a good channel asswell
I made the Tuscan chicken for the first time tonight and my family loved it. 😁
@@davyg8864 Same to both.
When freezing the gravy what quantities do you do it in? I'm guessing at least 200ml per curry needed?
Great to see you doing this Nikki. I've been doing this for the last decade or so. I bought a 20 litre stock pot to do it and makes enough base sauces, which I freeze to last about 6 months. What this means is that I can knock up a curry on a Saturday night in around 20 minutes and like Indian restaurants I can make whatever one I like. Also making batches of pilau rice helps speed things up. I got a lot of info from Julian Voigt's channel and his curry ebooks.
Thanks Paul, my first question was can I freeze it? cheers
@@bannedspencer Yes, absolutely you can. I'm still using base gravy that I made ages ago. Must be at least a year. That's the beauty of doing a large batch. It takes a while to do but when it comes to making a curry, you can knock one up faster than ordering one and having it delivered.
Worth a shot, do you have a Korma recipe you do with the base gravy?
@@bannedspencer I use Julian voigt's recipes also under curry academy so worth looking here at those. Also Al's kitchen and Latif's inspired are good channels but to be honest there's hundreds to choose from that use base gravy. Once you have the base, the rest is fairly easy.
Thanks. Dying to try it! Love your accent.
A Canuk.
Hi Nicky,
Great vid as always, thx. I always use a base gravy for every Indian meal which is not dry. I even make up a base gravy sauce to sit chicken tikka on top of, that works really well.
Thanks Simon, Chris and I are definitely going to experiment more with it, the base gravy was really tasty :)
It’s Sunday 24th April at 1.58pm and I’m making this right now. Smells lovely simmering away.
An interesting point another RUclips chef made is that if the curry base is so "flavourful" there will be a sameness about every dish that includes it. His base is more generic to allow greater flavour flexibility.
The curry guy
Latif’s Inspired.
I couldn’t wait to try this so after work I went to the supermarket and got all the spices I needed ‘ followed your recipe and WOW ! It came out amazing I managed to get 6 containers for the freezer each container will serve 2 , going to do a beef curry , a chicken jalfreze and a vegetable curry ,my kitchen smelt amazing … thanks Nikki for another amazing recipe .. ❤️
Excellent 👌🏻 Greetings from Scotland 😊 Have a wonderful day everyone 🌻
Base gravy should be cooked in preferably an aluminium pan so it sticks to the sides and the onions in the gravy caramelise.
No not really, curry should be made in a aluminium pan so the curry sticks and caramelises
@@AT-jk1nz correct
@@AT-jk1nz I totally agree it's the onions from the actual base gravy that caramelise when you cook the curry.
I make BIR style curry all the time using my base gravy. Having 2 fussy kids and a fiancee that likes more heat than me this is simple to do. Base gravy can make pretty much any dish from a korma / masala to a madras / phall as the heat and spices are added depending on what you want to make. Also caramelizing your base gravy in the cooking process (adding smaller spoons of base and letting it caramelize before adding the next) makes a huge difference while making BIR style curry. Also look into making yourself a mix powder it makes a difference :)
Some people may not realise that many Indian restaurants use tomato soup in the curry base. I've seen 5 gallon empty drums of it out the back of my local..
I’ve been cooking BIR curries now for many years and tried various base gravies. I use Misty Ricardo mark 2 version which is amazing. This looks delicious and one that I will definitely try 👍🙏
So how did it compare?
Hi kitchen sanctuary my name is paul Roberts congratulations on your success love watching your youtube channel absolutely outstanding on RUclips absolutely amazing congratulations to you love from paul Roberts yummy yum
Also so happy I stumbled across Nicky!!!!!
Thanks so much
Thanks Bradley
Great idea I'm really looking forward to watching this.
Hope you enjoy it!
i made this the other day, so easy once i wrote down the recipe, i continued to make the Jalfrezi with the base and it was wonderful, but have you other curry instructions using this base please.
Chicken or veg stock is a no no, just use tap water. Also should have added best part of a bunch of fresh coriander to it at the start too. Not a bad effort though.
How is it a no no? I've used both salt and stock. I'm unconvinced that stock is a no no.
Hi Nicky. Loved the video and love doing the base gravy as well. House smells amazing after! Haha. I also add a little block of coconut which is lovely. Another quick way I've found is to par cook some chicken with garlic and ginger paste, ladle of base gravy and freeze. 👍 Take Care Nicky, much love, Andy and Karen 👍
You may have sold me when you said "Freeze in Portions".
There is another contributor think it is "The Curry Guy" who also advocates this but to be honest I have never eaten an Indian Meal in an Indian Resturant, just a very few "Take Away" type ones, apart from my own stumblings.
You mentioned something about make ahead Chicken Tikka combined with this. Need to watch some more but I believe I will do this.
They say that the best Indian Food in the world is made in Bradford.
Latifs inspired is my favourite recommend him so much also he's from that area and there's a Facebook group British Indian Restaurant (BIR) curry at home that's brilliant as well
Hmmm, I find it odd that all the Indian shops that people buy millions of curries from daily, use base gravy, and NONE of them use chicken stock!! But I guess there is nothing wrong with experimenting!!
Other recipes I have seen have a few more ingredients in, such as cabbage in the base gravy..
I wish someone would create a spice pack with all the items needed for the base gravy in one pack .. 😪
I know Dan Toombs (the curry guy on youtube) sells packets of the spices needed to make his base gravy, just add water to them and your good to go. He sells them on spice kitchen about £2.50 a pack.
Have a look at Julian Voigt's channel. He's done a couple of ebooks which are a great source of info.
Thank you so much for your videos! I'm not a great cook. I've been watching your videos for 8 days now and making what I watch. My husband thinks it's take-out. =D Nope, it's me! Super easy and delicious! Thank you.
How interesting!!! Never thought to prep curry sauce before but it is something I’ll do, as you say a good way of getting a curry on the table quickly, however I think I’ll marinate the chicken then go with the paste.
Looking forward to trying this. Many thanks as always for the video
100% agree the marinated chicken was way tastier
Please: use ghee! what is really expensive are the degenerative illnesses caused by using commercial oils
A nice BIR Base Gravy - I add a bunch of coriander in my gravy too and make it a lot thinner ...
210k subscribers...and truly well deserved. 🤗
great recipe. I've been using the curry kid one for a few years and it always makes a great curry
Super Wooow. Amazing video😍👍
Honestly loving your videos and recipes Nikki, Tried loads since finding you. I have been making BIR curries for a while now, and base makes so much difference!
This looks a good variation which I have tried many but this one I will try when my base stock runs out. Excellent!!!
Nice video, base gravy is something I've been making for a while and there are certainly a lot of methods and ingredients that vary between chef to chef.
And your right, the blitzed down soup is enough on it's own it tastes so nice.
May I suggest to people that once you have blended your veg down you should have about enough room to add another half of water, you want the gravy around a single cream consistency then put it back to medium boil for a further half an hour.
If you like curry cooking may I suggest a few channels to follow.
Julian Voight
Latifs inspireed
Al's curry kitchen
The curry guy
Misty Ricardo
Steven Heap
The Bengali cook
Britishian food
Nope, there is only one Authentic method!
Sorry I ment to like. Changed it now.
Hi kitchen sanctuary I absolutely enjoyed watching you on youtube yesterday absolutely magnificent congratulations to you please keep making more fantastic videos on RUclips absolutely awesome congratulations to you have a wonderful day love from paul Roberts God bless
definitely use it for chicken pathia
Oh dear, here's another one I've just got to try. What makes it even more inviting is the way you really do enjoy the finished results. It's got us all hooked.
She's not exactly going to say her recipe tasted shite is she 🤔
@@justarandum7959 No, only some of the crude comments!
I usually use a curry paste, I am going to try this curry base to make my chickpea, cauliflower, and spinach curry.
Hello again from south africa….oh nicky i love your recipes. That curry base looks amazing. I wish i could smell it from here as it really looks delicious. Thank you….be safe as always
Saving and making 😋
Never orderin from a restaurant again, I've tried many curry recipes which was ok but this is by far the best! Nicki this is amazin!!! 😮 on to cookin the Chicken now, that's if I'll have any Curry Base left cause I'm eatin it off out the pan 😂😂😂 it's so good!!! It's time consumin preparin it all but well worth it and cookin your own food gives discipline. Thank you so much Nicki
Hi kitchen sanctuary I absolutely enjoyed watching you on youtube yesterday absolutely brilliant please keep making more amazing videos on RUclips absolutely awesome congratulations to you love from paul Roberts have a good day
Weekend supper sorted ..... thanks .
I see Jamie Oliver has been bashing the dislike button again 😂
That looks delicious. I'm going to make this tomorrow.
How strange. I made a chicken katsu curry tonight, and I went to the trouble of making a sauce from scratch.
I was thinking to myself, was it really worth the trouble of getting the ingredients and making the sauce when I could have picked up a sachet in the supermarket.
I have to say, it was worth it as it tasted fantastic, and I shall be making a batch and freezing it next time.
I may well do some of your curry base as well.
That looks absolutely lush, I'm gonna make the curry base gravy at weekend, brilliant for winter and great for freezer, chicken curry is our favorite, thanks Nikki. 💕😀👏
Hope you enjoy
Hello Nicky,
I made your recipe. I have never made a base curry sauce before - to be honest my attempts at curries have been less than memorable. Therefore based on my past performances, I didn't really expect it would be as delicious as I hoped , but it IS. I'm bagging the sauce today to freeze. I also made the Chicken Jafrezi, marinating the chicken first - another excellent recipe. I made your pilau rice- my goodness the whole world of Indian cuisine has opened up in front of my eyes. Thank you so much for brilliant time savers that don't compromise on taste.
So this is a big ask; please can you add some recipes utilising the curry sauce for vegetarian curry, also regional style curries for example, using coconut, tamarind and other delights that would distinguish them from just curry.
If anyone has some suggestions for Indian dishes especially utilising the curry base sauce that I can make with the intention of freezing ahead to use for quick family meals I would be most grateful.
Im now reading your posts to green as much as I can.....
Curry based chicken looks great. Love the way you get on with it, no fiddle farting around!!°
I’m sure it taste’s great, but home Indian cooks give time to caramelise the onions and toast the spices for complexity of flavour. See Chetna Makan (Food with Chetna) by way of example.
I’m looking forward to trying this! Thank you for sharing!!!
Wow yummy
Hi Nikki, loved the video. How long can it be kept in the freezer, please, will be giving this ago this weekend. Thanks for sharing.
I cook loads of BIR (british indian restaurant) style curries. Key to success... Lots of oil, high heat at every ingredient frying stage, reduce base gravy to concentrate flavour. Additional tip.. Study curry making methods for years on end and you'll achieve perfection!!
I'm the same and agree. The oil is key.
Spot on Richard. An aluminium pan is also key for me so that there's lots of caramelisation during cooking.
This is incorrect; it's nothing like a restaurant gravy (garabi). The problem is that the quantities of spices are way too high. Also, there's no other vegetables such as carrot, peppers, cabbage etc. The issue with the spices is that the intensity created by so much spice means every curry will taste the same as the base is way too strong. Restaurants don't do this, they keep the gravy light and in the background allowing for all the different types of curries.
Meal prep, batch cooking here I come. Cheers Nicky. I'm just gonna make a massive batch of the sauce and add it whenever. Brilliant 👏
Great idea. I made the curry based gravey tonight for a Chicken Rogan Josh tomorrow, it tastes amazing and so many bags for the freezer. Thanks Nikki 👍
never rated curry bases - every dish virtually tastes the same
If you overspice/overcomplicate the base gravy, use similar amounts/types of spices, and don't think outside the box (e.g. making a special vindaloo paste, adding worcestershire sauce for madras, using mr naga, caramelized onions, ketchup, etc.) then every dish virtually tastes the same.
Great 👍
Hi! Russ here from New Zealand. A nice recipe. But, can I suggest you cut your chicken larger? I use chicken thighs, and cut them (boneless) about 5cm cubes? I used to live in Luton, and picked up many hints and tips from my local restaurant. I'm sorry to say as well that I find your "spicing" a bit heavy.
We all know that stews of any type tastes better when cooked for longer. The way I see it with base gravies is that the overall gravy cook time is 1hr (gravy cooking) and allowing it an extra 1 to 3 hrs or overnight of slow heat to cool down before blending. Then the time the gravy matures in the freezer, then reheating and cook for the final dish. Thus the gravy cooked stew, although only cooked for 14mins, has actually been cooking for a min of 1.5hrs (if main dish is cooked straight after the gravy cook.. and if left overnight and letting it mature, then for 12 /24 hrs at least.
Where as the 30mins stew probably has 30mins + 15mins on the table, unless left for longer to idle..
People falling over themselves about making this I would suggest you avoid this and search Al’s Kitchen, Glebe Kitchen, Latif’s Inspired, Julian Voight for their base gravies. This is way off. It’s super thick and coarse when should be like milk-like and ultra smooth. It shouldn’t taste like a “delicious soup” as she puts it but rather almost bland-like since the flavours and textures develop when you build your BIR curry in a seriously hot pan.
I love all things Curry! I use fresh Garlic, Ginger, Hot Peppers in my Curries. I turn ordinary All American Meat&Potatoes dishes into exotic Cuisines.
I've tried many of your recipes and loved them. I watch a take away style curry base recipe with tbis Asian guy. It was weird because he didn't do any frying. He bunged everything into a pan of water to soften it all, then blended it.
Hi Nikki you said your curry base make 12 cups or 24 individual servings, but in your jalfrezi you use 2 cups which suggests 6 individual servings. Can you clarify this for me as I will be making this and want to get the freezer portion correct. Thank you.
Jonathan Dann
Thank you. I needed a push to make a batch of sauce for quick meal prep. This recipe will be great for chick peas and veggie recipes.
Chickpeas in curry base gravy are awesome it's like Chana aloo from my takeaway. I buy frozen roti at my local Indian cash and carry where I also buy the spices ( it's also where they are freshest and best and can literally have a meal in 15 minutes
Absolutely amazing I’ll definitely be trying your curry base and I definitely will be making your Chicken Jalfrezi recipe as I really love Chicken Jalfrezi thank you oh can I ask what make and model is your worktop stove 😀😀
Wow this is brilliant, please make more videos using this amazing gravy. Thanks
I've been using base gravy very similar to your one for a long time now but having to make up such ;are quantities and freezing it is inconvenient. I recently bought a soup maker and can now make up a batch for a single meal in 20 minutes. While it's cooking, I prepare the ingredients for my curry. So quick and easy.
Certainly going to try this method, Nicky. I'm a fan of curries and will probably use this base with chicken, eggs or vegetables. If I'm catering for myself or my wife doesn't fancy curry, a portion of this with one of the mentioned additions and an easy flatbread or naan instead of rice will keep me full and happy. Thank you for a great idea.
Definitely going to try your base gravy. However, the "sealing" of chicken or other meat is a bit of a cooking myth.
I tried the curry base method a few years ago. It was good but you have to be organised and have plenty of freezer space. I'll need to give your normal Jalfresi recipe a go. Love the Channel!
You have to add Garlic & Ginger paste to every meat or Chicken curry.....and Garlic to every veg curry, curry is not a curry without Garlic and Ginger.....
What a great idea Nikki ! I’ve just wrote down all the spices I need ! Really looking forward to making the gravy 😀 can’t wait ! Would like to make a beef madras
True madras is super hot and not for the feint hearted.
I made this last night and have to say... perfect! Thanks for a delicious recipe 😋
The base sauce is too thick when you added it, it should be boiling and sizzle when you add it. Then let the sauce adhere to the side and keep scraping it off until it’s thickened. Then add another ladle of hot base sauce:-) also, when I make a base I fry everything until it’s got some colour before adding the water and boiling.
Hi nikki ime just experimenting with liquid veg stock from sainsbobs, fried onion red lentils toms spud and all the spices, makes more managabled amount! For the amount I need will freeze in small portions.
Hi kitchen sanctuary please can you give me some love and respect please because I have enjoyed watching you on RUclips absolutely amazing love from paul Roberts congratulations to you
you have not really done the base gravy any favours. You need to thin it out, 1 to 1 ratio, and cook the chicken prior in a nice herb mix. all you have done is make a base gravy too thick, effectively making a soup to add to the chicken and pepper mix. You need to relearn BIR before you post another video on BIR.
Misty Ricardo emphasises the need to cook the curry on as high a heat as possible, and letting the sauce stick to the pan (which needs to be aluminium). Misty goes on to say that this gives the essential caramelised BIR flavour. I wonder what your thoughts are on this?
I'm surprised you can do a jalfrezi as good, or nearly in 30 mins, I'd give it at least 1.5 hrs to be as good from scratch.
Hi kitchen sanctuary please can you say hello to me please because I always enjoy watching you on youtube absolutely amazing making some delicious meals on youtube absolutely awesome congratulations to you love from paul Roberts God bless
Great video. I've been making base gravy for years now . Definitely the way to go 👌
Ive been using Misty Ricardos BIR method, absolutely fantastic!
I made base gravy a couple of times. Based on the Curry Guy and Al’s kitchen. The Curry Guy was keen to stress that base gravies are supposed to be bland. He mentions some restaurants perhaps only use a very bland onion and water base. And they add in the spices and flavours when you make the curry at the end. But this is for restaurants where gravies will be used to make any curry sauce and can’t be too specific. Your gravy looks to have more spices included and, if I make base gravy again, I think I’ll do that, too. Too be honest, I couldn’t tell the difference between a base gravy curry and a non-base gravy curry. I’ve still got about 10 portions in the freezer which I’ll probably throw away. For the home cook, I’m not sure how much of a time-saver it is, but then again I like the process of making curries as well as eating them.
If you're not noticing a difference in taste, then you're probably making the curry incorrectly.
Oh man I'd clap both those bowls of curry right now, but here I am sitting with a bag of crisps.
I've just made the curry base gravy and it has turned out a little thinner than this. Should I boil up some more onions, blend them and add them to thicken it a little?
Hi would you do a chicken madras with the base gravy please if you haven't already done one ? Thankyou in advance
Great video, we have been using base gravy at the British Indian Restaurants what seems like for ever now, every efficient way to make Curries of demand.
Try thinning your base sauce down to a milk consistency.
Looks delicious.
Thank you 😋
No garlic and ginger in the base or jalfezi? Missing a complete flavour base there.
it’s similar with mine but I don’t use black pepper.
Its criminal to call that a chicken Jalfrezi. No garlic/ginger ?
I can't afford a KitchenAid. Can I use something else?
You don't use the gravy properly and your hardly going to say your normal curry tastes like leather
Please watch - The curry Kid - als kitchen - latifs inspired - Misty Ricardo - the curry guy - more authentic and more like BIR curry’s
This is a quicker way to make Nikkis curry and not to make authentic BIR curries
Sorry Nikki you need to go back to the drawing board on that one
The camera angle at the start , made the onions look like your knees and that you were very small . Sorry.
I never heard of putting bell peppers and carrots in a curry base.
I use Al's kitchen base gravy 2 it's superb, no need to chop onions just half them or mince garlic/ginger as it all gets blitzed.
Latif's gravy is also excellent.
Al from Als kicthen is the king followed very closely by Latif. Latif has a BIR and Al has worked in lots of them. These guys curries are as near to if not the same as the BIR style curry.
@@johnswan6759 With all due respect, neither of them are the best. Both make great curries but there's a lot better if you dig deep enough, not only on RUclips, but also on curry forums (where users have been experimenting with different recipes for years).
@@andyjames632 Any links?
@@andyjames632 ??????