Homemade Curry Sauce: Chinese Style

Homemade Curry Sauce: Chinese Style

I have noticed now for a while that most of the curry recipes in cook books are normally Indian style curries, but I honestly prefer Chinese curry so that why I taught myself to cook this one. This is a vegetable curry because let’s face it we don't need meat in all our dishes and when while may not be pushed on particular veg this is a great way of getting them because the curry flavours stick out more than the veg. Choose whatever veg you like, I normally go for cauliflower, butternut squash, mushrooms, courgettes etc. and trust me, you won’t even miss the meat!

Serves 4:

6 tablespoons of vegetable oil

3 onions, finely chopped

Thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

4 mild fleshy red chillies, seeds removed and chopped

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 tablespoon chilli powder

2 1/2 teaspoon curry powder

125 ml water

2 1/2 tablespoon plain flour

400 - 500 ml vegetable stock

1 teaspoon onion seeds

Method

For the sauce: Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan or wok over a high heat. Add the onion and stir-fry for 3 mins, or until starting to soften but not brown. Add the ginger, garlic and chillies and continue stir-frying for 30 seconds, then reduced the heat to very low and leave to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened but nothing colours. 

Stir in the spices, so the turmeric, cumin, coriander, chilli powder and curry powder and continue cooking very gently for a further 5 minutes. Don’t burn the spices, sprinkle on a few drops of water if you’re worried. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool a little. 

Put the water in a food processor or blender and add the contents of the pan. Blend until everything is smooth, then add the flour and blend again. Put the puréed mix back into the pan and simmer for 20–30 minutes (the longer the better in fact) over a very low heat, stirring occasionally. Add a little hot water if it starts to catch, but the idea is to gently ‘fry’ the sauce so that it darkens in colour to an orangey brown.

Once you have a thick paste, gradually stir in the stock and simmer, add in which ever vegetables you wish and allow them to cook while the sauce reduces and thickens, for 30 mins or so. Add in the onion seeds… for the image.

Serve immediately with some brown rice.