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

Salt

I have a few recipes from my auntie (she doesn't always use ghee) I follow her instructions but I do not add a tablespoon of salt I add just a pinch

And it does make a huge difference

Her curries are lovely mine are ok (and i will cut off more fat from the meat)

You don't need to cook with ghee, I use simple mild olive oil. You do need at least 3-4 table spoons of it though, otherwise the onions don't brown properly. Onions should be chopped up nice and fine, and browned on a low to medium heat. Usually takes at least 10 minutes. Also, always use fresh crushed garlic/ginger. Paste just doesn't cut it. Once onions are browned, then you can add the tomatoes and slow cook until it becomes a sauce. The process is quite similar to making tomato sauce for pasta. Then spices are added.

If you need more tips send me a message, I cook different curries often.

Amounts are for approx. 1lb of meat (just as good with veg).

Good amount of veg oil in large deep frying pan.

Chop one large/2 small onions finely and fry off slowly - they should be soft and translucent, not browned.

Add 3 heaped tsps of Gormeh Sabzi (THIS is the secret ingredient! Available online), generous tsp of Turmeric, Cumin and Coriander. 1/2 tsp Ginger powder (optional) good pinch of Cayenne Pepper (for heat).

Fry off spices for a few minutes or so then add 3-4 crushed garlic cloves and fry off again. Add a generous amount of Tomato Puree (3/4 squeezes).

Separately brown meat, then add above mix + salt (I use Lo-Salt, as don't normally use much salt but the recipe needs it) and some water (adding as required) then simmer until tender. Just before end of cooking add some greens, like peas, or my favourite chopped frozen spinach - trust me it's lovely in this. T

Try to make curry a day before eating as this lets the spices blend. It also freezes well. Enjoy

I find that (1) a handful of methi (aka fenugreek leaves) and (2) a pinch of asofoetida (aka hing) adds that extra, Indian umami dimension, even more than cups of ghee!

How to Cook Indian: More Than 500 Classic Recipes for the Modern Kitchen https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0052DNWYG/ref=cmswwrsmssawdxx_rF.Vxb5D4C05K

This book is fantastic.

Was just about to post about the curry secret!

Curry in the slowcooker. Of course! Any recipe recommendations for this? For us would need to be a long cook time.

I should have added, get a pressure cooker. You can cook dals and meat curries much faster and achieve the texture I think you are after with a pressure cooker.

I cook from Kapoors book a couple of times a week both veg and non veg and I no longer get take aways as these recipes are better.

It is Friday night here. I am curled up in front of TV/laptop with a rich rich rich homemade korma.

Mine is better than a takeaways because an Indian neighbour of mine gives me premixed batches of spices and herbs.

Also and INSANE amount of ghee/coconut oil, and salt, and time, have to slow cook the meat in the curry/stock so that it all falls about.

Then yoghurt AND cream at the end.

Is not an every day meal

Great thread OP. I am craving a curry now.

Ready mixed Tandoori masala from the Rajah range makes incredible chicken or fish tandoori but try and cook under the grill. Great with salad, naan bread and yoghurt and cucumber. I would love to try and cook it in a proper tandoor oven.

I'm off out in a minute so here's the mattar paneer recipe for anyone who wants it:

1 block paneer
4 tbsp ghee (I use sunflower oil)
1" piece of ginger, grated
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli or paprika powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 green cardamoms, skinned
1" piece of cinnamon, broken (I use 1/4 tsp powder)
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 cups frozen peas
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 cup water

This makes enough for three of us with rice and naan bread.

Chop paneer into cubes. Fry or grill until golden. Set aside.
Grind cumin seeds and cardamom in a pestle and mortar then add the turmeric, chilli, cinnamon and ginger to form a paste. Add a little water if necessary. Fry the onions with the mustard and poppy seed until the onions are golden. Add the masala paste and salt and fry for two minutes. Add the tomatoes and paneer and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 20-30 minutes, adding water if necessary. Add the frozen peas a few minutes from the end. The recipe says sprinkle with garam masala powder and lemon juice but I always forget!

As others have said, lots of onions and fresh spices but I prefer the drier curries so perhaps tonnes of ghee less important for those....I agree with Maunika Gowhardan book - her blog is online and Fresh India for new vegetarian recipes. Last night I made muttar paneer from online recior (next step is to try making my own paneer!) onion bhajis and paratha bread (from Fresh India) last night - was the first time I've been able to make the bread, was very happy!

realhousewifeoffitzrovia Ghormeh Sabzi is a mix of Fenugreek, coriander and parsley - agree that's what makes the difference in flavour.

I've never used ghee, only veg oil including olive oil if that's what I have. The recipe I posted is, apart from the salt, reasonably 'healthy'.

You can also experiment with different amounts of spices to your own taste, and add chopped tomatoes.

I use Kohinoor butter chicken cook-in sauce as a base - it's the closest I've even found to a takeaway taste, and build on it with other ingredients to change it up week to week. Everyone who has tried it has commented on how close it is to the real thing, especially compared to other pre-made sauces.
I tend to use slow cooked lamb in a tandoori marinade with it to make the meat fall-apart tender and tasty.

Already mentioned above in one of the first posts but

The curry secret by kris Dhillon
Indian restaurant cookery at home

It's a tiny cheap paperback that tastes exactly like restaurant curries as the sub title says. You make a huge pot of basic sauce with tons of garlic and ginger and that is the basis for all curries. Cook it for ages. It's freezable. I think there is something else to freeze too that coats each meat. Then it's different spices added to it for different types of curry. This bit is quick.

I haven't cooked from it for ages as it takes so long to cook the base sauce but it is very easy and if you cook the base sauce in huge quantities it's very quick to assemble lots of different curries. These are the only home made curries that taste like restaurant ones, I've ever had.

I came across a (no longer updated, it seems) blog and have made his/her southern Indian curry and it is wxcellent. Then this week I've had a look around the blog, it looks like she/he ahs some great curry recipes on it. Can't wait to try more. I'll Link the Southern Indian one.

Interestingly she/he thinks that ghee ruins the taste of the spices or curry or something.

it is, i took the lid off for the last hour, to reduce the sauce. Turns out way nicer than that photo looks.

Link lack of the word Here it is

I know what you mean, I've had the same disappointments and I've tried quite a few recipes but eventually got bored and given up trying. I think the best method is to do what they do in restaurants, but it's labour intensive in the beginning and difficult to replicate in small quantities so you need a big freezer.

They make up a massive, and I do mean massive batch of basic generic 'gravy' which is tons of pulped onion, garlic and ginger, caramelised for ages, a basic spice blend added, bit of water added and then cooked down for about a week a couple of hours so your house really does smell like an Indian restaurant for three days afterwards.

This can then be portioned up and frozen and each different type of curry requires the addition of specific spices and ingredients to turn it from a generic sauce into jalfrezis, dhansaks etc. I think this method works better than most but when I last tried it I over-measured my spices (used rounded or heaped instead of level spoons as the recipe didn't specify) and it they were gritty and overpowering and never quite cooked down enough so I ended up binning it after a couple of uses.

I find the hardest part is getting rid of that raw grittiness of the spices. I prefer to fry them on a low heat first for quite a long time, using a mixture of oil and a splash of water to stop them burning/catching. I never just throw in raw spice powders.

Having said all that, as nice as some of them have been, they have still tasted more like a homemade curry than a restaurant one.

God knows what they do, but I suspect it's something we will never know!

If I'm slow cooking I blend onions, garlic, ginger, chilli. Add roasted spice mix depending on what you want. Whack the meat in then add either coconut milk or tinned tomatoes as sauce base. Not very authentic but always goes down well. Saves on morning prep too, especially if you roast spices the night before.

Does anyone know about Pakistani home cooking? I used to know a family of Pakistani origin whose party food was legendary.

My favourite dish was a chicken curry style dish which was chicken in a sauce that was brown and quite thin like a gravy. It was medium spiced and not too tomatoey - I don't like dishes that have lots of tomatoes in.

I don't know what it was called but they almost always served it and I got the impression it was a fairly standard dish. Sadly I am not in touch with them any more so can't ask.

I cook Asian food quite a lot and have lots of books and spices but can't find anything that matches this dish.

Oh this thread is so bad for my diet...

We always used to make our own curries but they always tasted like "home made curry". I found The spice is right and got one of their kits as a groupon and we haven't looked back. Now we actually have curries that taste like different curries.

Blending onions to thicken the sauce helps as well. We also get ghee from the supermarket.

www.mamtaskitchen.com

I think they key is the onions, you need LOADS and to blitz them when softened and golden.

I also tried to get Indian MIL to teach me to cook but all her recipes are in her head and don't translate well! Also she is exclusively vegetarian and we aren't so I just had to learn by myself.

Agree with Wincarnis (especially about apple and raisins - bleurgh). Also RealhousewifeofFitzrovia makes a good point but be careful with the asafoetida (aka hing). I used more than a pinch some years ago (in my ignorance) and let's just say there was no need for laxatives in our house for a long time afterwards. Treat it with respect!

Above all - don't be scared of curry. Not all Indian food is hot. Too many people confuse the word 'spicy' with 'chilli heat'. It doesn't have to take the roof off your mouth. There are loads of good cookbooks recommended on this thread so, if you don't want to invest immediately, borrow one from your local library and experiment. Add to and takeaway (pun intended, ) from the recipes until you find what works for you. There are some good curry pastes around to start you off - I prefer Sharwoods to Pataks as the latter is too salty for our tastes and I will happily use them when I'm short of time.

Before I got together with dh, I hated curry. So glad I've learned to love it now!