This is the base curry gravy recipe from my cookbook ‘The Curry Guy’.
With this authentic curry house style sauce, you can make everything from the mildest korma up to the spiciest vindaloo in minutes. This sauce is bland just like a good chicken stock is bland.
The magic happens when you use it to prepare your favourite curries.
This base gravy gets amazing results!
Curry gravy is an essential part of preparing curries at the best curry houses!
If you have followed my blog for a while, you will probably know that I have a few base curry gravy (or sauce) recipes on this site. The one that most people know, from my cookbook ‘The Curry Guy’, is this one.
This base curry gravy works really well and I use it often. The thing is, there are so many different ways to make base curry gravy. They are all quite similar though.
The curry gravy recipe you will find below is a down scaled version of the base curry sauce that features in ‘The Curry Guy’. It is the recipe I use most often and also teach at my curry classes.
What exactly is a base curry gravy?
The base curry gravy is essentially just an onion stock with a few other veggies and spices thrown in.
Popular curry houses prepare upwards of one hundred plus curries every night. The base sauce/gravy is used so that they can cook and plate each of their curries, from mild to spicy quickly.
If you visit the kitchen of any busy curry house or Indian takeaway, you are certain to find a big pot of base gravy cooking away on the stove to use as needed.
The base gravy is a convenient and economical way of preparing curries fast rather than having to make different base masalas for each curry.
Is this sauce used at authentic Indian restaurants?
Not usually though I have see it used at a few.
Most authentic Indian restaurants will have their chefs cook up the curries, creating each individually. This is fantastic but it’s also why more authentic restaurants can be quite a lot more expensive. Cooking that way takes more time and you see it on your bill at the end of the evening.
Why would I want to make a base curry sauce/gravy?
If you enjoy the most popular curries served at UK curry houses, you need to make this. The base sauce is what gives curry house style curries their unique flavour and texture. Without it, your chicken tikka masala might still be good but it won’t be like what you get at your favourite curry house restaurant.
The base curry gravy is the secret behind the curry house curries. With it you can cook everything from the mildest korma to the spiciest phal in minutes.
How long does the sauce keep in the fridge?
You can store the sauce, covered in your fridge for up to 4 days. It’s great to have on hand so make some now!
Can you freeze the sauce/gravy?
Yes! You can freeze the base gravy for up to 6 months. If you do this, I recommend storing it in portion sizes that are convenient for how you will be using it.
I usually store mine in 500ml portions which is enough to serve 2 to 3. It is a good idea to freeze the sauce before thinning it with water. This saves freezer space and you can always dilute it when you heat it back up.
When ready to use your base gravy, let it defrost and then heat it up in a pan
Start by pouring in the oil.
Adding the most important ingredient, onions.
Top with the remaining veggies.
Add the salt and give it all a good stir.
Top with water, almost to the top of the pan, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, add the spices. The liquid will have reduce some.
Stir in the garlic and ginger and then top up with water again. Simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, the sauce will look like this.
Blend the sauce until smooth.
It needs to be really smooth with not lumps.
Add water to the top. You will have 3 litres of base gravy to use in your curries.
Here are a few popular curries you can make with the base sauce.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Chicken Korma
Lamb Rogan Josh
Chicken Madras
Chicken Dhansak
Lamb Vindaloo
Chicken Chilli Garlic
Chicken Patia
Lamb Bhuna
Curry Gravy Recipe from The Curry Guy Cookbook
Ingredients
- 900 (2 lbs) (about 7) Spanish onions, roughly chopped
- 250 (1 cup) rapeseed oil*
- 1 tsp salt
- 110g (1/4 lb) carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 60g (2 1/8 oz) cabbage, roughly chopped
- 85g (3 oz) red pepper (bell pepper), deseeded and diced
- 85g (3 oz) green pepper (bell pepper), deseeded and diced
- 200g (1 cup) about 4 chopped tomatoes
- 5 tbsp garlic and ginger paste (see page 00)
- 1 ½ tbsp garam masala (see page 00)
- 1 ½ tbsp ground cumin
- 1 ½ tbsp ground coriander
- 1 ½ tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp ground fenugreek (optional)
- 1/2 tbsp ground turmeric
Instructions
- Place the onions in a 3-litre (3 US quart) stockpot over medium heat and add the salt and oil. Give it a good
stir and then add the remaining vegetable and just enough water to cover. - You will be simmering this for some time so do not fill the pan to the rim. The water level should be about 5cm (2 inches) from the top.
- Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, covered for about 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, your vegetables will be much softer and the liquid will have reduced some. Add the remaining ingredients and top up with water so that the water level is again about 5cm (2 inches) from the top. Take this as a
guide. If you don’t need to add water at this time, you don’t need to. - Continue simmering for another 30 minutes. When the oil rises to the top and your veggies good and soft, you’re ready to blend. Carefully skim the seasoned oil off the top for use in your curries or just leave it in the sauce
if you like. - Using a hand-held blender, blend for about 4 minutes until the sauce is super smooth, with no chunks and not at all grainy. This step can be done in batches in a blender. If you have a good blender, you might not need to blend
as long to achieve that smooth consistency. - At this stage, the blended sauce might be quite thick. Add water until the sauce is about the same consistency as full fat milk or single cream. Sometimes I need to pour the sauce into a larger bowl to do this.
- Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze in small portions of between 500ml (2 cups) or 750ml (3 cups) for use later. The sauce can be frozen for up to three months.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 62Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 307mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 1g
Paula Mccann
Tuesday 13th of August 2024
Hi can you use white Cabbage or is it green you are supposed to use Thanks
Dan Toombs
Tuesday 13th of August 2024
It doesn’t make too much difference, use whatever you have on hand. Thanks Dan
J
Saturday 15th of June 2024
Hey - thanks for all the great recipes! Is the 1 Tbsp fenugreek supposed to be the seeds, or the leaves? TIA!
J
Monday 17th of June 2024
@Dan Toombs, Thanks so much I really appreciate it.
Dan Toombs
Sunday 16th of June 2024
It’s the leaves. Thanks Dan
mark
Monday 1st of April 2024
What is the point of that large quantity of oil if you're not frying the vegetables before boiling them? And if you can skim it off at the end? How different would this be if I just boiled the vegetables with less or no oil?
Dan Toombs
Thursday 18th of April 2024
The oil just adds another dimension of flavour. You could reduce or even omit the oil but the base sauce would lose something I think. Even though you skim it off at the end, the oil has still imparted its flavour into the sauce. Thanks very much. Dan
Squirrelmummy
Thursday 14th of March 2024
Does it improve the flavour if you fry the onions first please?
Dan Toombs
Monday 18th of March 2024
There is no need to do that as all the flavour will come from the individual curry ingredients. The base sauce is meant to be bland to use as a base in your various curries. Thanks Dan
Susanna
Monday 9th of October 2023
I make this up, and can the sauce in pint jars so it is shelf stable. Then I just grab a jar when I am making Indian. Great recipe!
Dan Toombs
Tuesday 17th of October 2023
Sounds great, thanks for letting me know. Dan