Indian Restaurant Hacks
Have you ever wondered how it is that Indian restaurants can produce these amazingly complex and wonderful dishes and deliver them to you within 15 minutes? It is because they cheat smartly. We can cheat smartly at hone if we prep the way they do. That means premixing spices and a curry base that you adjust based to what curry you are cooking.
India Restaurant Spice Mix – common to almost all Indian dishes
Ingredients:
2 Tbs coriander powder
1-2 tsp kashmiri chili powder(or sub Cayenne pepper adjust depending on heat tolerances)
3 Tbs paprika
4 Tbd turmeric
2 Tbs ground cumin
2 Tbs mild curry powder
1 pinch ground cloves
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coarse ground pepper
Directions:
- Mix all ingredients together with a whisk.
- Store in an air tight container,
Indian Curry Base – Can be used to build any Indian curry.
Ingredients:
8 large onions – about 2.5 lbs peeled weight, quartered and broken up roug
6-8 cloves garlic peeled
1 1/2 Tbs ginger coarsely chopped
1 1/2 Tbs cumin powder
1 1/2 Tbs coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp salt
12-15 fresh cilantro stalks with leaves – roots removed
1 cup vegetable oil
12 cups boiling water
15 oz can diced tomatoes – one small can
Directions:
- Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
- Combine all ingredients except tomatoes and bring to a slow boil. Loosely cover and cook for 1 hour.
- Add tomatoes and simmer for 20 additions minutes, Remove from heat and allow to cool,
- Blend contents of the pot until smooth. Wipe pot and return blended curry base to pot and loosely cover.
- Allow to rest for one hour. Oil will separate out but remix and divide into 2 cup portions and freeze.
“This makes or 10-12 curries (2 cup portions) .