Recipe ingredients
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 medium onion - finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic - peeled and sliced
- 1.5 inch piece root ginger - peeled and thinly sliced (it should look about the same volume as the garlic)
- 2 mild fleshy green chillies (optional) - de-seeded and veined then chopped
- Half teaspoon turmeric powder
- Half teaspoon ground cumin seed
- Half teaspoon ground coriander seed
- 5 tablespoons plain passata (smooth, thick, sieved tomatoes, US = puree) or 1 tablespoon concentrated tomato puree (US = paste) mixed with 4 tablespoons water
Recipe method
- Heat the oil in a heavy pan then add the chopped onion and stir for a few minutes with the heat on high.
- Add the ginger, garlic and green chilli (if using).
- Stir for 30 seconds then put the heat down to very low.
- Cook for 15 minutes stirring from time to time making sure nothing browns or burns.
- Add the turmeric, cumin and coriander and cook, still very gently, for a further 5 minutes.
- Don't burn the spices or the sauce will taste horrid - sprinkle on a few drops of water if you're worried.
- Take off the heat and cool a little.
- Put 4 fl oz cold water in a blender, add the contents of the pan and whizz until very smooth.
- Add the passata and stir.
- Put the pureed mixture back into the pan and cook for 20 - 30 minutes (the longer the better) over very low heat stirring occasionally.
- You can add a little hot water if it starts to catch on the pan but the idea is to gently "fry" the sauce which will darken in colour to an orangy brown.
- The final texture should be something like good tomato ketchup.
- Warning: It will gloop occasionally and splatter over your cooker.
Other indian recipes:
Basic curry sauce recipe
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