to think that a recipe for curry should not include "jar of curry sauce"

[SPBInDisguise]

I don't need a recipe to chuck pre-made sauce over meat or prawns. I feel they are missing the point...

haha, where is this "recipe" from?

Does it at least tell you to open the jar?

BBC good food
OK it's curry paste rather than a jar of curry (tho I'm not sure I fully understand the difference) but still

here

I hate that. have a tex mex cookbook that asks for 'a pack of uncle bob's mexican style rice'

even worse with american recipes, often 'mix a packet of ready made x with a packet of ready made y'

Change 'sauce' to 'paste', then it counts!

Curry paste and meat doesn't make a curry. It would be pretty revolting IMO.

Curry paste is just spices ground up with oil. You could grind them in a pestle and mortar yourself, or you can buy them pre-ground. You then use it as the base for creating your sauce.

Does the recipe include other stuff like veggies, yoghurt, coconut milk etc.?

Well, because it's Prawn Curry in a Hurry, like it says.

Actual curry sauce takes about 5 hours to make the base before you add other things to make a specific recipe.

I make it in batches and then freeze it so I have to make a curry at a later date.

Paste is different to sauce. You can get recipes where you have to add all the spices all right, but I wouldn't consider paste missing the point though

A couple of Jamie Oliver recipes ask for a couple of spoons of curry paste & sugar! Oh my god don't get me started on sugar & sultanas in curries! A complete no, no self respecting Asian would ever put sugar in a curry or turmeric in a korma. Kormas are supposed to be mild, different regional variations with regards to the inclusion of coconut, almonds etc. All agree that it should NOT contain turmeric or curry powder! Rant over.

you use curry paste in with the garlic and onions and probably chicken too,then add tomatoes or stock or something i would think,you dont just use it on its own.you can make your own curry paste its much tastier.

It doesnt take that long to make a curry sauce base,its a common misconception,we have an apartment in India and have learnt quite a lot about Indian cooking since going there,its actually dead easy.

Ah well :) Have found plenty of other prawn curry recipes that don't involve opening soething with a tamper proof seal

What on earth is this 'curry sauce' that takes five hours to make? And as a base?

Mind you I find using ready-ground spices an affront, let alone a ready-made -- shudder- 'paste' or 'sauce'.

I can make a rather terrific curry in about ten minutes. It then takes quite a long time to cook, mind.

(I should probably explain that my mother is from India so curry is Normal Food to me.)

That curry sounds revolting. I use curry paste as its just a short cut from grinding and mixing all the spices myself. I still add stock or coconut milk or tomatoes etc. you can't just use paste yuck

I agree - nowt wrong with bought curry paste. It would take a lot of time and expense to make it yourself. If you make a Thai curry would you make the red or green curry paste from scratch EVERY time?

Jar of paste and jar of sauce - completely different things.

i make my own curry paste when i have time. I open a jar of Pataks when i don't

motherinferior don't ever come here for dinner then

I've got a recipe in my soupmaker book for a rogan josh paste which contains onion & tomato (as well as the spices) and is heated. Is that a curry or a paste then? I've always just used it as the sauce to bung on whatever I'm cooking.

"If you make a Thai curry would you make the red or green curry paste from scratch EVERY time? "

I think that is the difference between us. You sound like you know what you're talking about. I google for the recipe that looks easiest and has ingredients I already have (or vaguely know where to buy) :o

Paste is fine as an ingredient in a speedy curry recipe - I couldn't make kedgeree without my Pataks Balti paste, and that's definitely a recipe.

If you have to chop veg and cook five or more ingredients in a certain order then it's a recipe in my book.

Curry paste is just spices in oil isn't it? I know my foodie friends are happy with it .(as well as making their own at other times etc)

I do the same as Badger. I made a delicious fragrant chicken curry yesterday with ground spices. It only took 20 minutes. I used this recipe, but used chicken breast instead of prawns and added peas to it. I served it with cumin pulau rice.

The difference is:

Thai Green Curry made with curry paste - 10 ingredients.
Thai Green Curry made entirely from scratch - 23 ingredients.

I made a complete curry meal with sundries from scratch yesterday for the first time. It took quite a while, but by GOD the results were amazing.

The sauces were quite quick to be fair. The things that took time were samosas and naan bread (which has to prove for about 8 hours)

The prawn curry I made only had a few ingredients (things like cardomom pods etc) but it was delicious and REALLY quick. Happy to post links if you like.

no asian would put sugar in a curry sauce ??

You mean apart from the vast swathes of SE Asia where they often use palm sugar in curry sauces?

I would never use a packet mix or jarred sauce because they are generally minging, but I use Patak's curry pastes. They are brilliant. DH is a total foodie and they are the only 'shortcut' he will use. Oh, and jarred pesto cause making your own is a major faff.