A Really Versatile Curry Sauce [+ everything you need to know to make a great curry]

The burst of flavour of a great curry, its silky smooth texture that coats the meat or vegetables it accompanies and its soothing comfort. Welcome to another recipe video, this time featuring my silky smooth and incredibly versatile curry sauce, a recipe that I’ve been working on for the past five or so years. Discover how to make it and how you can use it in various contexts. On top of the recipe, you’ll also find some tips on making a great curry. This is part 1 of a 2 part series, so stay tuned to see how I’ll serve this curry sauce – hint: lamb scotch eggs! 🥚

Here is how you can make the spice blend.

Dry roast, in a small pan, on the stove, until the spices start releasing their flavour:

– 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
– 1 tsp fennel seeds
– 1/2 tsp cardamom seeds
– 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
– 1 star anise
– 2 tsp coriander seeds
– 1 tsp black pepper
– 1/2 tsp cloves
– 1 Ceylon cinnamon stick

Then grind them finely, ideally in a mortar and pestle, together with the dried rose petals.

– 1 tsp dried rose petals

Finally, mix then with the following:

– 1 tsp sweet paprika
– 1/2 tsp chilli powder
– 2 tsp turmeric powder

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Here are the steps to make the curry.

– 30g butter
– 3 tbsp veg oil
– 500g yellow onions
– 5-6 garlic cloves
– 30-40g ginger
– 1 small handful of dried Fenugreek leaves
– Curry spice mix (the exact ingredients and steps are in the description)
– 1 can tomatoes, or use fresh tomatoes if in season(400ml)
– 1 can coconut milk (400ml)
– 150 ml veggie stock
– 2 tbsp tomato paste
– 2 tsp turmeric
– 1 tsp sweet paprika
– A handful of fresh coriander (reserve some of it for plating)
– Salt

1. Peel the ginger. The easiest way is using a spoon to scrape off the skin. Then, grate it.
2. Peel and chop the garlic.
3. Melt the butter in a large pan and mix with the vegetable oil.
4. Add the garlic and ginger, and fry on low heat, making sure nothing burns.
5. Chop the onions finely, then add them to the pan. Season with salt. Cover and cook on low heat until very soft.
6. Add 3 tsp of the curry spice mix, together with the fenugreek leaves and mix.
7. Add the canned tomatoes, coconut milk, vegetable stock and tomato paste.
8. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add more of the spice blend if you wish, plus some extra turmeric and paprika for a nicer colour.
9. Blend the sauce until silky smooth, with the coriander leaves. You can also add the coriander leaves in the last few minutes of it cooking, I forgot to do it so I did it at this stage. Make sure the sauce isn’t very hot, or else because of the heat the top of the blender will come off and the curry sauce will splash all over your kitchen.

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