BIR curry sauce recipes wouldn’t be the same without the smooth base sauce or gravy which is used to make them. Make that and perhaps some pre-cooked meat and you can recreate your favourite curries at home, in minutes, whenever you want them. Can I vary these recipes? If you’d like to make this curry into a feast, you’ve come to the right place. You could just go for a side of riceand I have some popular rice recipes for you here.

What comes across in the book is enthusiasm and a sense of adventure - so any shortcomings in recipes should be seen as a challenge. This is not so much a follow-my-advice-to-the-letter instruction manual as a stimulus to enthusiasm. I can't see any need to buy another book on curries, I feel the author's energy is the key. BIR recipes were developed with flavour, economy and speed in mind. These curry sauces have become famous of many years. When people go out for a curry, these are the dishes they look for. I also take request! If you are not finding the recipe you want, please leave a comment and I will schedule it in to make. Stir in the cream and add lemon juice. Add the kasoori methi by rubbing it between your fingers into the sauce and season with salt to taste. Make it natural or bright red. Your choice and both are easy to prepare. What is the difference between this ‘from scratch’ recipe and the base sauce method?Yes! Taste them as you go. Feel free not only to use the main ingredient of your choice in them but also to vary the spices. Make your mild korma spicy with added fresh chillies. Cook up a not so spicy vindaloo by reducing the amount to chillies and/or chilli powder. Can I freeze these sauces?

Time. That’s about it as they both taste the same and both are easy to prepare. The curry house base sauce method can be cooked in about 10 minutes with the prepared base sauce. Don’t forget the onion bhajis to help make your curry into a feast! Do you have to make so much base sauce?Once your sauce is smooth, melt the ghee in a frying pan. Add the turmeric powder to the ghee. It will darken as it cooks. You want to brown it for about 30 seconds being careful not to burn the turmeric. Heat the ghee or oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. When visibly hot, stir in the chopped onions and fry for about 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. You could even fry them on a lower heat for longer which will bring out their natural sweetness but do not brown them. Most of the recipe in my books and on this blog that call for base curry sauce serve 4. These recipe call for anything between 500ml (2 cups) and 700ml (2 3/4 cups) of base sauce. That’s the diluted sauce! If you love the curries you get at the best curry houses, then why not try making them yourself. Try the BIR curry sauce recipes in this section and you will love the delicious results! What is BIR?

Throw in the sliced onions and fry, stirring regularly for about 20 minutes until the onions are soft, lightly browned and translucent. And that's why I'm impressed by this book. I had no idea who the author was - apparently he's been offering advice online and in newspapers for several years and is clearly well known, has clearly put in the mileage and the hours, talking to chefs and visiting restaurants around the UK (and beyond). A friend recommended I look at some of his stuff, I ended up buying the book. Scoop the mixture in batches into a blender and blend until silky smooth. I usually do this for about three minutes per batch. If you have a hand held blender, this stage will be much easier. But I digress. As I was saying, the idea of pre-cooking meat was a bit odd to me at first. After all, conventional cooking, as I learned it, relied upon slow cooking a protein, usually one that required low and slow simmering, in the sauce/broth/whatever, it would eventually be served in. That is a concept I could wrap my brain around. (Bear with me, there's a point to this rambling, I promise...)Note: In the photographs below you will find two photos demonstrating adding ghee to this recipe. These are photos from an earlier version of this recipe. Since writing ‘The Curry Guy’, however, it has become clear that many people wanted an easier version that could be prepared in one pan. Cooking the curries in a more authentic and traditional way just wouldn’t be possible in most restaurants as it would be too labour intensive, overly time consuming and not cost effective. A good chef’s knife: Using a good, sharp chefs knife makes cooking a lot more enjoyable. I highly recommend purchasing one knife you enjoy using rather than a knife set of inadequate knives. You could also add more cream for a creamier consistency or leave it out completely. Some people prefer to add yoghurt instead for a healthier curry.

On this blog you will find both authentic Indian recipes and BIR recipes which are like those you find at curry houses. If you want to make an Indian curry house style curry, you are most definitely in the right place. Absolutely not! I do recommend blending though if you want your curry to look and taste like those you find at Indian restaurant.

Can I see what the difference is between a curry made with base curry sauce and one made without?

By using this convenient sauce, which is made at restaurants fresh, daily, the chefs can cook a curry in about ten minutes. I like curry, I like spicy foods - I'm currently growing 18 varieties of chilli pepper and a range of herbs and garlics, etc. I'm keen, I'm enthusiastic - but I'm not necessarily very patient. I want a recipe that works for me, a handful of basic recipes which will become my staple diet when I want something spicy.