BIR Base Gravy (Curry Base Sauce)

Name: BIR Base Gravy (Curry Base Sauce)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 105 min
Total time: 130 min
Ingredients: 2 kg brown onions (about 10–12 medium, peeled and roughly chopped); 150 g carrots (peeled and roughly chopped); 150 g green pepper (deseeded and roughly chopped); 40 g garlic (about 1 large bulb, peeled); 40 g fresh ginger (peeled and roughly chopped); 20 g fresh coriander stalks; 10 g ground cumin; 10 g ground coriander; 8 g ground turmeric; 8 g sweet paprika; 5 g garam masala; 3 g dried fenugreek leaves (methi); 150 ml vegetable or rapeseed oil; 400 g tin chopped tomatoes; 15 g salt; 2 litres water

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This base gravy is the secret behind takeaway-style curry at home: one big batch, frozen in portions, gives you a restaurant curry in about 15 minutes whenever you want one.

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1 45

Total Time 2 10

Servings: 11 portions of 300 ml

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

Vegetables

2 kg brown onions about 10–12 medium, peeled and roughly chopped
150 g carrots peeled and roughly chopped
150 g green pepper deseeded and roughly chopped
40 g garlic about 1 large bulb, peeled
40 g fresh ginger peeled and roughly chopped
20 g fresh coriander stalks

Spices

10 g ground cumin
10 g ground coriander
8 g ground turmeric
8 g sweet paprika
5 g garam masala
3 g dried fenugreek leaves methi

Everything else

150 ml vegetable or rapeseed oil
400 g tin chopped tomatoes
15 g salt
2 litres water

Equipment

stick blender
Dutch Oven

Grill Temperature

Surfaces

Method

Sweat the onions. Heat the oil in your Dutch Oven over a medium heat. Add the onions and salt and cook gently for 15–20 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent. You don't want any colour on them.
Add the aromatics. Stir in the carrots, green pepper, garlic, ginger and coriander stalks. Cook for 5 minutes.
Toast the spices. Add all the spices and stir for 1 minute so they cook in the oil without catching.
Simmer. Add the chopped tomatoes and 1.5 litres of the water. Bring to the boil, then turn down, partly cover and simmer for 60 minutes. Everything should be soft enough to crush against the side of the pan.
Blend. Take the pan off the heat and blitz with a stick blender for 3–4 minutes until completely smooth. Smoothness matters: any texture here ends up in every curry you make.
Finish. Stir in the remaining 500 ml of water and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Aim for the consistency of single cream. Add a splash more water if it's thicker than that.
Skim and portion. Let it cool. Oil will rise to the top; skim it off and keep it in a jar in the fridge, as it's full of flavour for frying your curries. Portion the gravy into 300 ml tubs and freeze.

Notes

Storage: keeps for 3 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer. Defrost in the fridge overnight, or straight from frozen in the pan.
Using it: a BIR curry is cooked fast and hot. Fry your spice mix in a little of the skimmed oil, add your protein and sauce base, then add the gravy a ladle at a time, letting it reduce and catch slightly between additions. That slight catch is where the restaurant flavour comes from.
On the Egg: the gravy is a hob job, but the curry itself loves the Egg. A cast iron or carbon steel pan over a hot, direct fire gives you the fierce heat a restaurant burner does, plus a whisper of smoke.
Keep it plain: the base is deliberately mild and lightly seasoned. Chilli, extra salt, sugar, cream or lemon go in when you cook each individual curry, not here.
Swaps: the green pepper and carrot add sweetness and body but can be left out. A 400 g tin of tomatoes can be swapped for 50 g tomato purée and an extra 350 ml water.