Have you ever tried to recreate a British restaurant style curry at home and found it didn’t taste anything like the curries served at your local Indian restaurant?   That’s because British curry houses have a closely guarded secret recipe that gives their dishes that characteristic taste.  That secret is in the base gravy.  The base gravy is the foundation of all  British restaurant style curries, so chefs can quickly whip up various dishes for customers.

Every restaurant has its own secret gravy, but the recipe below authentically recreates the perfect curry base. It takes a bit of effort, but it’s definitely worth it if you want to recreate that genuine British curry restaurant taste.

British Restaurant Style Curry Base Gravy Recipe

Ingredients

•  5 large onions, roughly chopped
•  3 large carrots, roughly chopped
•  2 green peppers, roughly chopped
•  4 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
•  1 whole bulb of garlic, peeled
•  2-inch piece of ginger peeled and chopped
•  1 cup vegetable oil
•  2 tbsp ground turmeric
•  2 tbsp ground cumin
•  2 tbsp ground coriander
•  2 tbsp paprika
•  1 tbsp garam masala
•  1 tsp ground fenugreek
•  2 litres water
•  Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and green peppers. Fry until the onions become translucent.
2. Add the garlic and ginger. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Add turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, paprika, garam masala, and fenugreek. Stir until all the vegetables are coated.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the water and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and let the sauce simmer for 1 hour.
6. After simmering, use a blender to puree the mixture until smooth. You may need to do this in batches. If you don’t have a blender, you can push the mixture through a sieve, although this will take a while!
7. Allow the base gravy to cool, then store it in airtight containers.  You can keep the gravy in the fridge for up to a week or freeze it for up to three months.

The base gravy is the secret to restaurant style curry

Authentic Restaurant Style Curry Recipes

These recipes will serve four people with a side such as rice or naan.

Chicken Bhuna

Ingredients

• 500g boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
• 2 cups base gravy
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 2 green chillies, slit
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece ginger, grated
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste
• Fresh coriander, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces and sauté until browned. Remove and set aside.
2. In the same pan, add the sliced onions and green chillies. Cook until the onions are golden brown. Add the garlic and ginger, cooking for another minute. Add the cumin, coriander, and paprika. Stir well.
3. Pour in the base gravy, stirring to combine.
4. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.
5. Stir in garam masala and salt to taste.
6. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve with rice or naan bread.

Lamb Madras

Ingredients

• 500g lamb shoulder, cut into chunks
• 2 cups base gravy
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp Madras curry powder
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 can of coconut milk
• Salt to taste
• Fresh coriander, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the lamb chunks and sear until browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.
2. In the same pan, add chopped onions. Cook until golden brown. Add garlic and ginger, cooking for another minute.  Stir in Madras curry powder, turmeric, ground cumin, and ground coriander. Cook for 2 minutes.
3. Pour in the base gravy and coconut milk, stirring to combine. Return the lamb to the pan and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, until the lamb is tender.

Vegetable Jalfrezi

Ingredients

• 1 cup base gravy
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 courgette, sliced
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 2 green chillies, slit
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece ginger, grated
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• Salt to taste
• Fresh coriander, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add sliced onions and green chillies, cooking until the onions are golden brown. Add garlic and ginger, and cook for another minute.
2. Stir in ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala, and turmeric. Cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add green pepper, carrots, courgette, and cauliflower. Cook for 5 minutes until vegetables start to soften.
4. Pour in the base gravy, stirring to coat the vegetables. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
5. Season with salt to taste.

Although the base gravy takes a long time to make, it’s definitely worth it if you really want that authentic curry house taste.  Shop bought sauces just aren’t the same, you really have to cook it from scratch.

Make and freeze a big batch, so you will always have some available whenever you fancy a curry. And, with the average restaurant portion of curry now coming in at around £10, making your own authentic restaurant-style curries at home can save you a fortune on your regular takeaways.