I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a good curry. My favourite has to be either chicken or lamb, but vegetable curries are massively underrated also. You can’t beat a warm curry scooped up with a lovely naan bread or chappati, especially if there are sides to go with it! Its one of those meals I always look forward to and go back for seconds every time. I can honestly say I never buy a takeaway curry anymore because you can make really healthy, delicious alternatives at home in next to no time which is far cheaper to buy the ingredients for, healthier to cook and actually far tastier to devour!
I have even started attempting making naans and chappatis which have turned out really well so I am making a curry a week at the moment because I love them so much!
This recipe is for the sauce. This is so easy to make and really tasty. Once cooked you can freeze this in whatever portion size you want or just use it. It will keep in the fridge for a good few days also if you want to make it ahead for a mid-week meal and the beauty of it is you can literally just add anything to it to make it your own personal curry with all the time-consuming bits already done. I have used the base and cooked chicken in it from raw which means it doesn’t take long simmering in the hot sauce and is lovely and tender when it’s cooked through. Or throw in ready-cooked leftover meats from roasts etc. Today I did a vegetable curry so I defrosted some of the sauce I had made last week and added frozen mushrooms and spinach, which cook in minutes, plus some tinned butter beans to fill it out and I had a homemade vegetable curry in no time at all. Adapt it however you like but by keeping this in your freezer you have a ready-made curry base which is good to go whenever you need it.
This one has been a big hit with family and friends and its something I come back to time and time again for a quick crowd pleaser. You don’t have to be exact to the recipe either. The great thing about a curry is that you can add or leave out as much or as little of the extra flavourings as suit your palette. The key is to taste as you go along and see what you like. Add more chilli if you like it spicy. Add more honey if you like that sweetness. Add more coriander if you love the stuff like so many do. I’ve found this recipe gives a good flavoured not over spicy all round sauce and its a perfect base to use as it is or to be adapted for different things. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Sunflower Oil
2 Red Onions (Finely chopped)
2 Inch Piece of Fresh ginger (Finely chopped)
1 Large Red chilli (Finely chopped)
3 Medium Garlic Cloves (Finely chopped)
1 Heaped Tablespoon Mild Curry Powder
400G Chopped Tomatoes
500G Passatta
1 Tablespoon Runny Honey
Juice of half a Lemon
Pinch of Salt
Big bunch of Fresh Coriander (I keep frozen too for when I have none!)
Method
Heat sunflower oil in large pan. Gently fry the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes until they start to
Gently fry the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes until they start to appear see through. Add a little water if necessary at any point its needed to prevent sticking.
Add the chopped ginger and chilli to the same pan and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes, passatta, curry powder, honey, lemon and salt. Simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on.
Ladel the mixture into a blender (I couldnt live without my glass blender!), adding a big old handful of fresh coriandar. Whizz it up. All of the individual chunks of vegetables will blend up to give a lovely natural thickness to the sauce, so theres no need for any added thickners or anything! Love to keep things simple and natural!
Add the blended mixture back to the pan and simmer for a further 5 minutes or so.
THAT IS IT!! How easy was that?!
Now either freeze a batch, fridge a batch, or if you’re cooking to eat now, now is the time to add your chosen ingredients to the already hot base sauce. Chicken, fish, vegetables, it all works with this.
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