Curry Broth Base Gravy – Indian Restaurant Style

This Indian restaurant style curry broth is a rich, thick base gravy used to make quick takeaway style Indian curry sauces at home. It cooks down into a concentrated broth that can be turned into dishes like korma, patia, chasni and South Indian garlic chilli in minutes.

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An Indian curry from a good Scottish Indian restaurant is truly a thing to behold. Rich, thick curry sauce, packed full of onion, garlic, ginger and spices. An indulgent delight just waiting to be mopped up with chapati or naan.

Indian restaurants and takeaways serving British Indian curries often use a pre cooked base gravy – in many parts of England, that base gravy is fairly thin and gets thickened in the pan as the final curry cooks alongside extra spices or mix powder. This Scottish style curry broth is different – it cooks down into a thicker, richer, more concentrated gravy with a deep onion flavour and a slightly toffee like finish. This makes it close to a finished curry sauce than its English counterparts, and means the end process of turning it into a variety of different curry dishes is ridiculously easy.

For clarification – this curry broth isn’t intended to be eaten as a finished dish. Instead, think of it as the ‘base’ or building block to all manner of different curry sauces. With curry broth prepared and in the fridge or freezer, cooking up finished curry dishes takes just a few minutes.

Ingredients For Curry Broth

Onions. You will need lots of them, and then a few more besides. This is the case for many curry base recipes, and certainly here. Once the onions are cooked, they are mixed with creamed coconut and a variety of spices and then blended until smooth. As a result of a long, slow simmer, the broth becomes caramelised, thick and toffee like.

• Onions: Larger onions make life easy for this dish, as the recipe calls for a lot of onion. Whilst large net packs of smaller onions are cheaper, you’re a more patient person than I am if you’re prepared to spend that time peeling tiny onions. God bless those kitchen chefs who do the painstaking prep work in busy restaurant kitchens before service!
• Spices: Tej Patta Indian Bay Leaf, Green Cardamom, Black Peppercorns, Cloves, Cinnamon or Cassia, Coriander Seeds, Cumin Seeds, Turmeric, Garam Masala, Smoked Paprika, Paprika, Chilli Powder.
• Other Ingredients: Garlic & Ginger Paste, Tomatoes, Water, Vegetable Oil, Tomato Puree, Creamed Coconut Block, Salt.

How To Make Indian Takeaway Style Curry Broth

Although making curry broth is a bit of a labour of love in terms of the time it takes, it is very easy. The majority of time is spent simply allowing the ingredients to cook away, making it good for a lazy day of cooking. With the curry broth portioned and frozen, you’ll be rewarded for your efforts with delicious takeaway style curry sauce in a matter of minutes whenever you desire.

Step 1: Oil

Pour 100 ml vegetable oil into a pot. Add 1 Indian bay leaf, 3 green cardamom pods, crushed, 4 whole black peppercorns, 3 cloves and 1/8 cinnamon stick or cassia bark or cassia bark. Heat the oil over a medium heat until the whole spices begin to bubble in the oil. Reduce the heat to low and allow the spices to infuse the oil for 5-6 minutes. Strain and set the oil aside.

Step 2: Onions

Put 1 kg onions, roughly chopped in a large stock pot and add 1 large salad tomato, quartered, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1 litre water. Cover with a lid, bring to the boil and cook over a medium to high heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 3: Spices

Add 1 1/2 teaspoons tomato puree, 10 grams creamed coconut block, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, 2 teaspoons turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon mild chilli powder and 1 generous teaspoon sea salt to the pot, stir well until creamed coconut block is fully melted, then add prepared flavoured oil. Mix well, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for another 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 4: Blend

Use a stick blender to blend curry broth until completely smooth. Reduce heat to lowest setting and allow curry broth to simmer for a further 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until broth becomes thick and toffee-like and oil begins to separate. Keep broth almost fully covered with a lid during this stage of cooking and be cautious. As the broth thickens it will begin to spit and splutter.

Step 5: Portion Indian Takeaway Style Curry Broth

Allow curry broth to cool completely, then portion into 200-250ml containers or food bags.

Takeaway Style Curry Broth Recipe Tips

Storing Curry Broth: Curry broth keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you plan to freeze the broth, you can let it mature in the fridge for 1-3 days first for more flavour. Curry broth can be used from frozen.

Use Straight From The Freezer: When you’re ready to eat curry, simply add the frozen curry broth to a pot and heat gently until fully defrosted and simmering and use it as per your favourite curry recipe. You’ll never be more than 10 minutes away from your favourite Indian restaurant style curry!

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Indian Takeaway Curry Broth Recipe FAQ

How do I make Indian curry taste like a takeaway?
This takeaway style curry broth recipe is the first step, especially if you like curry dishes from takeaways in Glasgow or Scotland. With the restaurant style gravy prepared, you can use it in any of The Indian Takeaway Secret curry recipes. Soon you’ll be making korma, South Indian garlic chilli and patia curry sauces with flavours reminiscent of your favourite curry house!

Do you like this Indian restaurant style curry broth recipe? If so, buying a copy of my book might appeal to you! In The Indian Takeaway Secret you can find a host of restaurant and takeaway style recipes that you can make at home. You’ll learn how to make onion bhajis, tandoori chicken, curry, rice and more! You can buy The Indian Takeaway Secret in paperback or kindle form here.

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