Standard Curry Sauce

Ingredients:

1. 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter)
2. 1 medium onion - finely chopped
3. 4 cloves garlic - peeled and sliced
4. 1.5 inch piece root ginger - peeled and thinly sliced (it should look about the same volume as the garlic)
5. (optional) 2 mild fleshy green chillies - de-seeded and veined then chopped
6. half teaspoon turmeric powder
7. half teaspoon ground cumin seed
8. half teaspoon ground coriander seed
9. 5 tablespoons plain passata (smooth, thick, sieved tomatoes, US = purée) or 1 tablespoon concentrated tomato
10. purée (US = paste) mixed with 4 tablespoons water

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 mooth.
• Add the passata and stir.
• Put the puréed 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 sometimes splatter over your cooker,