How to Make Restaurant Style Curry Sauce For Use in Many Different Curry Recipes
This is an easy and delicious restaurant style curry sauce!
Curry gravy or curry sauce... This is what you need.
Almost every Indian curry house has it’s own curry sauce recipe. These curry sauces are made in large batches and used as a base ingredient for many different curries.
The curry sauce makes it possible for chefs to cook, plate and serve mouthwatering curries which would normally take much longer to make. By adding different ingredients to the base curry sauce, Indian chefs can make everything from mild kormas to violently hot phall curries in no time.
Over the years I have tried many different recipes for curry sauce and most of them are quite similar. This curry sauce is the one I use most often when asked to cook restaurant style curries. I’ve also been experimenting with a low fat curry sauce recipe which is very nice. You can view it here.
This curry sauce recipe makes enough for eight curries. Each of the British Indian restaurant style curries on my site serve 3 to 4. If you have leftover sauce, it freezes well. It also keeps in the fridge for up to four days.
Preparation and cooking time: 90 minutes
INGREDIENTS
10 tennis ball sized cooking onions – finely sliced
250ml vegetable oil
10 cloves of garlic – smashed in their skins
2 inch piece of ginger – finely sliced
1 carrot – peeled and chopped
1 cup shredded cabbage or lettuce
1 red bell pepper – diced
water
400ml ( 1 tin ) chopped tomatoes
4 tablespoons ghee
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon ground fenugreek seeds
1 tablespoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste ( I usually leave this out and simply add it to the final dish)
Method
Place the ginger and garlic with about a half pint of the water in a blender and pulverize to a smooth paste. Set aside.
Now pour the oil into a large heavy bottomed saucepan and heat until bubbling.
Throw in the sliced onions, bell pepper, carrot and cabbage/lettuce and cook slowly over a medium heat in the oil. Allow the vegetables to fry – stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. You want to brown the vegetable lightly but not burn them.
When the onions are translucent and soft, add the ginger and garlic mixture the rest of the spices except for the turmeric.
Finally, add the tomatoes and just enough water (about 2 cups/ 500ml) to cover cover the vegetables.
Bring to a boil and then cover turn the temperature down. Simmer for about 30 minutes. As you do this, a froth will rise to the top. This is okay. No need to skim.
After 30 minutes, remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
You’re almost there now.
Scoop the mixture in batches into a blender and blend until silky smooth. I usually do this for about two minutes per batch. Actually I cheat and use one of those hand held blenders which I strongly recommend purchasing if you don’t have one.
Once your sauce is smooth and looking good, melt the ghee in a frying pan. Add the turmeric powder. It will darken as it cooks. You want to brown it for about a minute.
Now add the turmeric/ghee mixture to the sauce and bring to a simmer again. Once it is bubbling away, turn down the heat and simmer for a further 20 to 30 minutes
Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to four days or freeze.
I made this restaurant style curry and it looks exactly like the picture.
Now I’m wondering what Herbs spices to add to it to make it suitable for what other dishes, as It’s only a base.
Cheers,
John.
Hi John – I have posted a couple of lamb and chicken restaurant style curries which you will find in those sections. They use the restaurant style curry base. In the coming weeks I will be posting a lot of new restaurant curries from vindaloo to Rogan josh. I just posted a restaurant style chicken korma. Be sure to stop back by and give them all a try. Thanks for your interest. Dan
Hi Dan
Please could you add a Chicken Jalfrezi & Chicken Masala receipe for this base sauce?
Regards
Dean
Hi Dean
Thanks for your request. I have a really good Jalfrezi recipe for you which you will find here. It is a traditional Jalfrezi like what would have been served during the days of the Raj. I’m still working on a restaurant style jalfrezi which I will be publishing in the next couple of weeks.
I also have a restaurant style chicken tikka masala recipe which is really nice. You will find it here.
Let me know what you think. Hope you like them!
Dan
Hello Dan,
Ive been looking for a good base curry for a while.
Great website you have.
I’m going to try your prawn madras, vindaloo currys.
As they’re my favourites.
I was wondering though.If you have any advice or
recipe on how taking the base to a Jaipuri sauce.
Thanks again
Ally.
Hi Dan,
I’ve been on the BIR trail for more years than I care to remember – it’s become an obsession, but still eludes me. That’s part of the obsession I guess?!
I will try your base and onion paste but I have a couple of questions…will the addition of cinnamon powder work in your base? It seems to crop up in lots of BIR bases as one of the taste ‘secrets’. Also, you don’t use Dhania leaves/stalks – I always assumed this was essential?!
The final mystery surrounds Jaggery Goor. Used normally in Asian sweets, but seems to have that toffee/caramel smell and flavour my local Punjabi restaurant produces in their savoury dishes. Any thoughts please?
Thanks!
Martin
Hi, i have made the curry listed and find it very peppery. Is it tablespoons or tea spoons that should be used?
Hi Steve
Thanks for stopping by.
I do use tablespoons but please don’t think of my recipes as being carved in stone! You should amend them to your own tastes. Use teaspoons or even omit the chilli powder all together.
The most important thing is that you use the freshest ingredients you can find.
Thanks
Dan
Hi
Are the water quantities correct for this? I seem to have around 750ml left over? Otherwise some great recipes, keep up the good work!
Hi Keith
I always have some left over which I either put in the fridge or freeze for another time. The sauce freezes very well.
Dan
I meant the water to add during cooking – it says 3 pts but you only describe adding half a pint to the gingr/garlic paste and then about 2 cups/ 500ml to the cooking onion/veg mix?
I see now.
You’re right thanks. It really doesn’t make much difference though I will go fix it. To be honest, I don’t work to exact measures. Instead I go by look and taste but this needs to be fixed.
Thank you Keith for bringing this to my attention.
Dan
Many thanks – I can go ahead with my mass cook-in!
Used this as a base and added my own touch! Great inspiration!
Thank you JD! Great to hear.
Dan
I’ve been looking for this recipe and now I’ve found it! I made it last night and WOW everyone loved it. My hubby is delighted I’ve finally found a recipe that actually tastes like the restaurant sauce. The only change I made was adding some fried chilli powder and garam masala (I’d fried them in a tbsp of ghee) and added at the end. I’ve managed to keep half it back and now wonder how long it will stay in the freezer before everyone is begging me to make another!
Thank you for this, I’m going to have a go at your tandoori chicken and naan and pilau rice tomorrow.
Good luck with your healthy eating too x
Thank you very much Yvonne for your nice words. Feedback like this makes it all worthwhile.
I’m really glad you liked the recipe. Please keep in touch. I hope you’re trying my stovetop naans. My son makes them all the time and loves them. I’ve got a video on my site to show you how they look when finished.
Dan
Hi followed steps until it says add rest of spices, added all spices but then you say add turmeric with the ghee as well as the tablespoon thats been added in ad all spices cheers
Hi Andy
Thank you for bringing that to my attention. All fixed now. To be honest, I’ve been leaving the last step (The ghee/turmeric step) out lately. I hope it still all went well for you.
Hi Dan, I’m going to make this sauce over the weekend. I was wondering if I have to use Ghee? Will oil be ok? If so, would you suggest vegetable oil? Thanks, Jo
Hi Jo
You don’t have to use ghee. Vegetable oil will do the job just fine. In fact I often make the sauce without ghee. Good luck with it. Hope you like the recipe.
Dan
Hi, i really like the recipe
You said that this would be enough to make 8 curries
So you use 400ml in one curry?
Hi Rose
I usually use 400 to 700ml of sauce per curry. It really depends on how many curries you are making. I you look at the restaurant recipes section of my blog, you’ll see how much I use when making just one.
There really is no rule. The sauce is so good that you should just add it as you like. Then just adjust your seasoning and you’ve got a great BIR curry at home.
Please let me know if you have any further questions. Thank you.
Dan
Wow,that is an interesting take on Indian curries.I love the texture and the color!:-)
Making the curry sauce in advance is so much better.Once you have done it,the actual cooking of a dish is almost a joke!
Hi Fahad
Thank you very much for stopping by. I really like the sauce and it does make everything a lot easier. I have cooked ten different curries for ten different people using it. Did it all in minutes.
Thanks
Dan
Made restaurant style curry base and hubby said, “tastes just like restaurant curry sauce”, which means – excellent. Thanks so much for posting. I’m a brit. living in Minnesota and they so do not make curries like back home. Really loving your website.
Is it okay to mix restaurant rogan josh with some of the other spices from your recipe for rogan josh to impress? I wanat to add the cardamom and curry leaves to your restaurant recipe, what do you think?
Hi Kit
Thank you very much for that. I’m really glad you like my recipes.
To be honest, you can’t really go wrong if you are using top quality fresh ingredients. If you were to add curry leaves and cardamom to the recipe, I think it would taste really good and probably better. I love curry leaves.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting and please let me know if you ever have questions about my recipes.
Dan
A couple questions. How long do you think these would stay good in the freezer. Also, what is the sie of those tins. I want to make this and am quite excited to give it a try. Thanks Dan!
Hi Steve – Thanks for stopping by. I have never kept the sauces in the freezer for more than a month because I’m always using them. I see no reason why they would last for much longer – up to six months. The tins all hold 3 cups (750ml) of sauce. That is the perfect amount for most of my restaurant style curries.
Good luck with it all and be sure to ask if you have any questions. I’ve made this recipes hundreds of times now.
Dan
Made this to the letter and it turned out great. Made Tikka Masala to start with. In France at the moment so can’t get Ghee but substituted with Vegetable Oil.
Have enough left for another 6 curries.
Amazing change of texture and colour from pre-blend to blended. Looked like vegetable soup, now looks like curry (using 300W hand blender only). Thanks for the tip of scooping out and doing this in batches. I’m sure that’s the most efficient way and didn’t make a mess either
Cheers!
J
Only made half the quantity as wanted to try it first…wish I’d done the whole lot! Made your chicken jalfrezi using it and it was absolutely delicious, my son took the rest and made your korma for his girlfriend which they raved about. Gonna make a full batch this week and have a bash at your tikka masala, mmm so looking forward to it!
Hi Andi
I’m really glad you like the recipes. Thanks for letting me know. The tikka masala is a real favourite around my house. Good luck with it.
Dan
Can you please confirm quantity and how many final dishes this will make? Have made bir a long time ago following bruce edwards I think(?)
Also, can your recipes be double up as I would like to make a madras for 12 people!
Thanks
Hi Daz
My recipe should make enough for about six curries for four people. It depends on how many you are making and how much sauce you prefer in each. You can double up the recipes for more people. I generally recommend using my recipes as a guide and add less or more sauce until you have the perfect curry for your tastes. Good luck with it.
Hi Dan
Going to try this at the weekend. Do you use any particular type of cabbage?
Hi Mick
I use savoy cabbage but any cabbage will do. I even used marrow instead once as it was fresh. It worked perfectly. This is really an onion sauce with some fresh veg thrown in. Good luck with it.
Really impressed with the sauce,i have been trying for years with no joy!! One problem i have is that the ghee i have used has made it too buttery and sweet,do you have any remedies for this,thanks again!!!!
Hi Neil
Really glad you like the sauce. I think if it is too butter and sweet, you could make a bit more with out the ghee. Then blend the two together. The problem could also go away when you go to make the different curries. Remember, this is just a base sauce. Adding other spices and ingredients could solve the problem. Thanks for letting me know.
Made a half batch of this today as there were only two of us for dinner – so glad we have leftovers… it was AMAZING as part of the chicken chilli garlic dish!!!
Thanks for sharing this…off to look at more recipes I can use it in!
Just made this and would like to say that after many years of cooking different curry sauces this one is the best I have found so far. Now looking forward to trying more of your recipes on this site.
Cheers Dan
Thank you very much Simon! I’m really glad you liked the recipe. Please be sure to let me know if you have any questions about my recipes.