You can add the main ingredient/s of your choice to this Ceylon sauce
Inspired by the flavours of Sri Lanka, this ceylon sauce is definitely one to have in your curry house recipe library.
It's so good.
Ceylon sauce is just as easy to make as the others but has a lot more ingredients in it. Please don't let that put you off making it.
How is ceylon sauce based on Sri Lankan curries?
Star anise, real cinnamon, curry leaves and black pepper are all popular ingredients in Sri Lankan curries.
Coconut is too so this really is a British version of a Sri Lankan curry.
That said, it doesn't look like any curries I had while travelling around Sri Lanka. This curry is 100% British.
The base sauce.
All curry house curries are made with a base sauce. This base sauce is what gives the curries their famous flavour and texture.
My 'go to' recipe is here.
You need to make the base sauce if you want to make curry house style curries. It only takes about an hour to make. Once made, you can cook up a ceylon sauce in minutes.
What if you don't have time to make a base sauce?
Let me just stress here that making the base sauce is not difficult at all. Your stove does most of the work. If, however you would like to make a curry house style curry without having to prepare a base sauce, I've got you covered.
Try one of these no base sauce curry recipes.
If you like this BIR (British Indian restaurant) style Ceylon sauce, you might like to try some of these curry house favourites too...
Tikka masala sauce
Korma sauce
Pasanda sauce
Chasni sauce
Chilli garlic sauce
Pathia sauce
Jalfrezi sauce
Keema sauce
Bhuna sauce
Methi sauce
Madras sauce
Vindaloo sauce
Phaal sauce
Ceylon Curry Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil
- 1 star anise
- 1 x 2.5cm (1 inch) cinnamon stick
- 2 cardamom pods - smashed
- 10 fresh or frozen curry leaves
- 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- 1 green bird's eye chilli - finely chopped
- 1 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tbsp mixed powder
- 2 tsp tandoori masala
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 70ml (1/4 cup) tomato puree
- 300ml (1 1/4 cup) base sauce (heated)
- 50g (1 1/2 oz) block coconut
- 1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 tbsp mango chutney
- 1 tbsp cashew paste
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- Juice of one lime
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp coriander (cilantro)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. When hot, add the star anise, cinnamon, cardamom pods and curry leaves. Fry for about 30 seconds and the add the garlic and ginger paste.
- Stir the garlic and ginger around in the oil and then add the bird's eye chillies, coconut flour, chilli powder, mixed powder, tandoori masala and black pepper.
- Stir in the tomato puree and bring it to a simmer. Then add about half the base sauce and simmer for a few minutes, only stirring if it looks like the sauce is sticking to the pan.
- This is the perfect time to add your main ingredient of choice. Or if you are just making the sauce for later, continue on to the next step.
- Add the block coconut and the remaining base sauce and simmer it down until you are happy with the consistency of the sauce.
- Add the fenugreek leaves by rubbing them between your fingers and then stir in the mango chutney, cashew paste, sugar, lime juice and garam masala.
- To finish, garnish with the coriander (cilantro) and season with salt to taste.
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Nina Barker says
Hi I have a couple of questions.... I own two of your cookbooks The Curry Guy (red cover) and Curry Easy (blue cover) I was considering purchasing the Curry Bible but wondered how many extra recipes there are, as I don’t want a new cookbook with all the same recipes. Also, if there are new recipes how many if any many contain coconut as I avoid all coconut products (allergy)
Which brings me to my second question could I make this Ceylon Sauce curry (which looks delicious) and omit the coconut block and the coconut flour? (Could I use regular flour) Or is it best to just bypass this recipe completel? I wondered if I could add some cashew cream (home made) or a oat cream (Oatly) instead of the coconut block? Finally, do you make the cashew paste or do you buy it as a cashew nut butter? Ie., similar to Meridan peanut butter or almond butter ? Many thanks and good luck with the release of your new cookbook. Stay safe and keep well....
Dan Toombs says
Hi Nina
There are 50 new recipes in the Bible and the older ones are mostly improved upon so you would not be wasting your money.
You could omit the block coconut and add a little coconut flour or even thick coconut milk if you can get that.
I think you could definitely add cashew cream, that would be delicious. I make my own cashew paste just by blending plain cashews with a bit of water.
Thanks very much
Dan
Patrick says
Hi I am akeen cook always up for something different but you professional chefs often use ingredients that is amateurs are not familiar with and often can't find in deepest rural England So mixed powder what is it Also how long will your sauce last in the fridge
Dan Toombs says
You can order all the spices online or travel to your nearest town with an Asian supermarket as they are great and sell all the ingredients required.
The sauce should last up to a week in the fridge I think.
Thanks
Dan
Karl says
I would have assumed "tomato puree" to mean the kind of concentrated tomato paste that comes in tubes, but I'm confused by the instruction to "simmer" it - are you in fact referring to something more like a passata or crushed tinned tomatoes?
Dan Toombs says
I use passata mixed with a bit of water.
Thanks
Dan
Tel says
Hi
I purchased The curry guy bible, Im just wondering how I go about making a curry if i was to take shortcuts by getting a commercial curry paste.
I know the base curry must be homemade, but say I get a ticka massala or madras curry paste for example, how do I add this into the recipe?
Thanks
Dan Toombs says
You would need to read the instructions on the jar as I wouldn't know I am afraid as I am sure each brand is different. I would imagine you could just add them to the base sauce with some meat but I think you would just have to test it and see.
Thanks
Dan
Tel says
Thanks, I think I might just try from scratch, do you know of any good online sites to get curry ingredients, not got anything local to me apart from supermarkets which may not have everything I need.
Dan Toombs says
Hi
http://www.spicekitchenuk.com sell my spice blends.
Thanks
Dan
Chloe says
By "block coconut" do you mean a creamed coconut block? or just regular coconut? Thanks 😀
I was tired of Indian food as all the restaurants where I live in Cincinnati, OH serve the same exact items but your cookbook reawakened my love of Indian food. I never even considered trying to make something that looks so difficult at home but it wasn't nearly as complicated as it looks. Now I'm totally addicted to warming spices, rice,lentils, and ghee. Thank You for showing me that my favorite type of food is actually obtainable at home.
Dan Toombs says
Great you are enjoying my recipes.
Yes, it is creamed block coconut.
Thanks again
Dan
Michelle says
Hi,
I love curry’s though I like it mild .
Mild Lamb Ceylon is my favourite curry dish and would love to make it myself which I have tried but haven’t had much luck it tasting the same as what I tasted the first time I had lamb Ceylon at the Sitar restaurant Albion Brisbane Australia
That got me hooked on it.
I was wondering how I could keep Ceylon lamb mild but taste the same with your recipe?
Dan Toombs says
Thanks for your message. Just omit the bird's eye chilli and the chilli powder if you don't like heat.
Dan
David says
Tried a number of your dishes, Dan, and I love them! With this one, can I substitute the lime juice in your recipe for tamarind? I'm trying to incorporate tamarind into a range of curry recipes as I'm very fond of it! 🙂 Thanks again and good luck with everything.
Dan Toombs says
Yes, I am sure using a bit of tamarind instead of the lime juice would work well.
Thanks
Dan