Brown stuff
Essential basic sauce for all your curries
Note that you will need a food processor or blender for this recipe. The whole process takes about 2½ hours so you’ll need a bit of time and a few beers to hand.
1
In a large, heavy bottomed pan, gently fry the onion, garlic, ginger & chilli in 1 tbsp oil for about 10 minutes, until softened and slightly browned. Add the water and simmer gently with the lid on, for one hour. Remove the lid and allow the mixture to cool down a bit.
2
Meanwhile whizz the tomatoes in a food processor for 2 minutes – essential for absolute smoothness. Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the spices for 30 seconds. Mix in the tomato purée and add the whizzed tomatoes. Simmer for 20 minutes, making sure nothing sticks.
3
Take the cooled onion mixture a bit at a time and whiz up in the food processor, again making sure it is absolutely smooth. Finally, add to the tomato and spices and simmer for another 20 minutes. A scum will appear on the surface of the sauce – try to remove this as it forms.
Using the sauce
The sauce basically replaces the tomatoes, onion, garlic and ginger in a curry. So to make your favourite dish, simply brown the meat or vegetables with a spice mixture of your choice, and add the brown stuff. Simmer for 20 minutes and you’re ready to eat!