Tell me the curry secret!!?

[MermaidTears]

To ask if anyone out there knows the secret. Or has a husband who works in an Indian restaurant and knows?

We have a curry every single Saturday night, our long running tradition.
We just worked out we spend around 1300 a year on takeaways! 25 every Saturday (roughly)

I have tried every single recipe, every book, every supermarket Fakeaway they never taste like the restaurant ones!

We have been to Goa and the food was heavenly.
There must be a secret ingredient that I don't know? Anyone out there know?

We need to cut back our finances, and tbh what we spend on takeaways could pay for half towards our trip to Goa

Watching with interest. My friend makes wonderful curries but says its easy

Watching with interest.

I find coconut butter helps a bit but it's still nothing like a proper curry...

I don't really want to find out because I don't want to spoil my own curry habit either..

There is a book called "the curry secret"
😁 about three quid on eBay

It's probably ghee and lots of cream.

Um, I actually find that using jars of Pataks curry sauce are just as good as most curry restaurant curry.

Also find following recipes in rick stein's India is pretty amazing.

What specifically disappoints with your home made ones? Too runny? Not spicy enough?

Maybe some wives work in an Indian restaurant 🙄.

Ghee! Depending on which curry. But also a lot of onions. Onions are nearly the fill of the curry itself and give that thickness. Also lentil curries are easy to make authentic.

I'd like to know too. I used to have a recipe for Rogan Josh once and it was bloody lovely.
Can't even get close to emulating curry from the Chinese Takeaway though.

Like FabFiveFreddie says it is shit loads of ghee in restaurant curry. Like with all eating out - way more salt and fat than you would add at home!

Yes, what's your favourite dish and what's wrong with the version you make?

Are there any specific curry recipes you ate after?

It's the masala - mixing together spices in a particular way to make each dish taste as it should.

I make mattar paneer from an authentic Indian recipe and the masala has cumin seeds, turmeric, cinnamon, chill, cardamom and fresh ginger. The onions are fried with poppy seeds and mustard seeds. It's actually better than any mattar paneer I've ever tasted in a restaurant

Lots of frying/oil/fat and probably about 20 years training as a chef! Most places will have their own 'secret' spice mixtures

Ghee. You have to use so much! I follow the recipes but I just can't bring myself to put in 1/2 or a whole cup of ghee. And you see it swimming in oil when you get it. It's the only thing I change so I'm guessing it's that.

I want a curry now. Even though I had one for lunch...

I can never bring myself to put as much oil/ghee/salt in as the recipe requires. My Indian next door neighbour's curries taste like takeaway ones-she says that's what the difference. I am really going to miss her when we move.

Madhur jaffrey's books are really good.

Ooh, suburban would you be happy to share the recipe? Mattar paneer is the food of the gods.

The curry secret book is good. Basically all curry's are pretty similar and you start with the same basic sauce which is 500 onions cooked very slowly with some basic spices and half a tin of tom's. Then you blitz it and from there can make all sorts of dishes.
Buy the book, it's not 'authentic' it's curry house style.

I agree about Madhur Jaffrey's books. Her whole curried chicken recipe is curry perfection. I must admit that I've never had a takeaway curry though.

Which recipe books have you tried? I swear by Maunika Gawhardan's "Indian Kitchen".

Tbh, the food in Indian restaurants here is nothing like the food you would get in India or that is cooked in Indian homes. Most restaurants here are run by Bangladeshis, and the menus do not reflect the amazing regional variety of Indian food ( South Indian or Goan food is hardly ever found here).

As for essential ingredients, I often cook South Indian food - it uses fresh curry leaves a lot, but they have been banned by the EU! (but still just about possible to get hold of!).

Happy to, purple - it's from Jack Santa Maria's Indian Vegetarian Cookbook that I bought about 30 years ago!

I'm lying in bed mumsnet atm but will pm it to you in a bit

You can thicken sauces with cornflour paste if the ghee quantity scares you.

Thank you! Really appreciate that.

That's dinner sorted...

This book is very good if it's a Balti you want. The recipes come direct from the great restaurants of the Balti Triangle.

Hey rick stein has a great curry recipe. Half a tin of ghee and a tablespoon of salt But it has spinach in it. .. So super healthy. You can Google it for free.... Is lamb Korai. Our something like that. I often use chicken though as I can't be bothered with lamb. It is amazing....

Was taught to cook by Indian MIL

Good quality fresh spices, be generous with them.
Make sure you cook the spices well before you add the meat/veg - usually between 5 to 10 mins. Same applies if using a spice paste.
Don't add raisins, chutney or apple
Let the curry cool a bit before you eat it (ie not piping hot) to allow the flavours to mingle.