Indian on Bruce loves to cook

Base curry gravy

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a restaurant-style base for takeout curries.

Mechanic

This is a BIR (British Indian Restaurant) base gravy: a neutral, lightly spiced vegetable purée that acts as the liquid foundation for takeaway-style curries. Most BIR curries start by blooming aromatics and spices in oil, then adding this gravy to build the sauce. The gravy itself is deliberately mild; the individual dish recipes add heat and character on top.

Butter chicken

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Butter chicken was a gateway curry for our kids. This recipe is our best attempt at the warm, delicious curries from our local takeout shops.

Mechanic

This is a BIR-style (British Indian Restaurant) butter chicken, built on a pre-made base curry gravy rather than starting from scratch. The gravy does the heavy lifting; this recipe adds the butter, cream, and finishing flavours that make it distinctly butter chicken.

Curry powders and related spice mixes

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

These are common spice blends for UK-style Indian curries.

Garam masala

2 tbsp green cardamom seeds (from shelled pods)
1 tsp black peppercorns
3 tbsp black cumin seeds
½ tsp whole cloves
⅓ whole nutmeg
1 medium Ceylon cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
1 medium stick cassia bark
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 star anise
4 tbsp coriander seeds
¾ tsp ground bay leaves

Toast the whole spices in a dry pan over medium-low heat, stirring, until fragrant, 2–3 minutes. Let them cool. Grind them fine with the nutmeg, then stir in the ground bay leaves.

Ginger/garlic paste

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This paste is a common base for many South Asian dishes, including Indian takeaway-style cooking. Use a spoonful in soups, gravies, and on meats.

Ingredients

1 cup garlic, peeled (2–3 heads)
1 cup ginger, peeled or scrubbed (about 150 g)
1 bunch coriander
1 green pepper
4 green chilies
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 cup neutral oil, plus more as needed

Method

Put the garlic, ginger, coriander, green pepper, chilies, turmeric, salt, water, and oil in a blender. Blend until smooth, adding more oil until it has the consistency of soft peanut butter.

Indian takeout tomato purée

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Making Indian-style dishes quickly is much easier with a few base ingredients prepared ahead of time. This takeout-style tomato purée adds depth and body to many types of curries.

Ingredients

about 100 ml neutral oil
320 ml (small tin) tomato purée
250 ml water
2 tbsp [[Ginger/garlic paste]]
2 tbsp English-style curry powder
1½ tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp kasuri methi
½ tbsp ground chilies
½ tbsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric

Method

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the ginger/garlic paste and stir until fragrant.

Korma/qorma

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a simple korma paste, which is combined with [[Base curry gravy]] and other ingredients to make various braised dishes.

Ingredients

About 8 onions, finely sliced
6 tbsp green sultanas
1 tbsp [[Ginger-garlic paste]]
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp ghee
Water

Method

Heat the oil and ghee in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook slowly, stirring often, until soft and deep golden, 40–60 minutes. Add a splash of water whenever they start to catch.

Onion base for curries

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Many curries have a chunky onion base (like Balti). We use this when riffing on curries, as it’s an easy build, freezes well, and adds a bunch of flavour to any gravy-like dish.

Dal tadka

Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

This is a warming, filling, vegetarian delight.

Mechanic

Red lentils cook fast and dissolve into a creamy base. The ratio matters: 1 cup lentils to 4–5 cups water. Less water (1:4) gives a thicker dal you can heap on rice; more (1:5) gives something looser.

Chai

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This is my favourite tea towards the end of fall. It’s warming and mellow.

Mechanic

This breaks English tea rules on purpose. Boiling the tea with spices for 5 minutes and then “boiling over” the milk three times produces a different flavour than standard steep-and-strain: more caramelized, less grassy, with the spices fully integrated. The goal colour is caramel sauce.

Naan

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Naan is a simple, delicious bread, best covered with garlic and ghee.

Mechanic

Yogurt is the key acid and tenderizer: it produces the slight tang and soft interior that sets naan apart from other flatbreads. Portioning into 100 g balls and cold-proofing overnight gives the dough time to develop flavour and makes the bread easier to roll and cook.

Vindaloo paste

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Vindaloo is my favourite curry, so I developed this paste.

Mechanic

In this version, the fenugreek and dried chilies set the paste apart from a generic curry paste. Toast all whole spices first: the heat activates their oils and deepens every flavour in the final dish.

Vindaloo wing sauce

Fri, 01 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

This is a mildly spicy, warm, and tangy wing sauce.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1½ tablespoons [[Vindaloo paste]]
1–2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons mild chili flakes (Korean gochugaru worked well)
2 teaspoons garlic, minced or grated
2 teaspoons onion, minced or grated
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced or grated
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
½ teaspoon MSG
salt, to taste
water, to thin

Method

Whisk all ingredients together. Transfer to a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until thickened and the oil begins to bubble at the edges, about 3–5 minutes. Add water a tablespoon at a time until the consistency coats a spoon but drizzles off.

Coconut lentils

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000

A comforting, lovely lentil stew. Or is it curry?

Mechanic

1 part lentils to 3 parts liquid (coconut milk + broth combined) produces a thick, spoonable consistency. Red lentils break down fully; green or brown lentils hold their shape for a chunkier result, but need 35–45 minutes and a splash more broth. Freezes well and reheats without losing texture.

Onion bhaji

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000

These are delicious fritters, best served with coriander-mint and tangy tamarind date chutney.

Mechanic

Bhajis are a spiced onion fritter bound with egg and gram flour. The potato adds body and absorbs some oil. Keep the batter loose rather than thick: tight batter produces stodgy centres. The salted onions release liquid that wets the batter; if the batter ends up too loose, add the extra flour before anything else. The frying oil does double duty: spent oil is fragrant and makes a good base for curries like [[Base curry gravy]].