Any tips for making a 'takeaway' style Indian curry?

[DaiseForDaise]

Big curry fans and love a dupiaza or rogan josh from our local but its gone so expensive for our large family.

To my shame my own curries come out of a jar.

I bought a load of spices to have a go myself and it was alright. Nicer than a jar I'd say, but still nothing like a 'proper' curry.

Any proper curry chefs about to give me some pointers please?

Find Sobia's spice on FB, she makes good authentic recipes on her page. I'm Pakistani so make them from scratch. My base is simple.
Thinly sliced onions fried in oil until golden brown. Then I add ginger and garlic (pureed) and brown that off too. Keep stirring because it really starts to stick. I then add my base spices. Salt, turmeric, red chilli powder, fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds. Fry all these together and then add tomatoes and stir until the oil separates from the mixture. If I want a thicker curry sauce then I use tinned tomatoes and puree my onion in a blender but I find this takes ages to brown then and sticks a lot and I need more oil at the beginning. If I'm making chicken I'll add it next and cook/stir for a good 15 mins so I can't see any raw bits anymore and it's brown on med-high heat. I'll then add water to make the sauce, bring it to a boil and then turn the heat down (we like a saucy soupy curry, so I'll put quite a bit in). If you want to keep the curry thick don't add any water unless the mixture is sticking/burning just to help lift it from the pan. I'll let this cook on low with lid on for a good 20-30 minz depending on quantity used. Check if it's cooked and then sprinkle on fresh chopped coriander.

Yes I second this.

You need to add a LOT more salt and fat than you think is reasonable 😁

that is why takeaway tastes so nice to most people

honestly, double or triple the amount of oil and ghee you think is reasonable X

You're so right. The curry club book I linked to earlier uses a gravy base, makes all the difference.

My husband was given a spice kit from The Spicery. The curries I have made from their recipe book so far have been amazing - so much better than jars or supermarket takeaway boxes. Husband made the pilau rice and dhal from it too and they were lovely. Just need to add the few extra ingredients to each dish (meat or veggies, ginger, yoghurt etc). I highly recommend this.

Fenugreek seeds are the key. Add them to whole spices, if toasting off in a dry pan before grinding, or saute them with the onion, garlic and ginger mix, if using curry powders.

We are massive fans of The Spicery - you get a book and 4 tins of different spices to combine in varying proportions. We’ve been using it for years and it gives you delicious and healthy curries.

Just come back to this after having a homemade curry tonight (Mowgli butter chicken 😋) and the other thing I'd really recommend is learning how to make the sides and extras.

I went the lazy route tonight and bought ready made stuff but there is absolutely no comparison between shop bought and homemade bhajis, naan and samosas. None of the are difficult to make and you could always do a batch and freeze them (although onion bhajis best fresh and properly fried!).

Chetna Makhan’s paneer jalfrezi is amazing. So much nicer than anything I’ve had from a takeaway.