Quick and Easy Base Curry Sauce

One of the questions a get asked most often is whether or not you have to make a BIR base curry sauce to achieve that famous curry house flavour. The answer is *yes*, but you can cheat a bit. I would like to stress that a base curry sauce is essentially an authentic Indian base masala sauce, like those featured in countless Indian cookbooks, that has been developed at restaurants across the UK for speed, ease and economy. It is the liquid needed to cook the curry. This recipe makes enough Base Curry Sauce for two to three curries that serve four people. This is a quick substitute for the large batch. It doesn't include as many ingredients but still works exceptionally well.

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Step 1

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. When hot, toss in the chopped onions and red pepper (bell pepper) and saute for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent but not browned.

Step 2

Add all the remaining ingredients except the water or stock, and stir it all up well.

Step 3

Fry for a further 30 seconds or so, then add 250ml ( cup) water. Turn up the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the water has evaporated by half and your veggie are nice and soft.

Step 4

Add another 250ml (I cup) water and blend this mixture- either with a hand-held blender or countertop blender - until very smooth. Depending on the blender you use, this can take a couple of minute.

Step 5

Once smooth, add another 500ml (2 cups) water. The sauce should be about the same consistency as full-fat milk, so add more water if needed.

Step 6

TIP: I often substitute some of the cooking stock from the chicken masala curry (see page 34) or lamb masala curry (see page 35) for the water, depending on the type of curry I am making. You can easily double up this recipe if you'd like to make more