Making the perfect curry

A little cornflour will thicken - or just cut down on the amount of watery things in it. Think it happens particularly in a slow cooker as there is no steam coming off as it cooks.

I sometimes use Aldi jars of curry sauce, with spices in the lid and other various ingredients that I add to the pot. They are very authentic and cheap. Some have said as good as the Indian take- aways.

Malaysian curry always has potato in it

One thing I miss when I have a curry anywhere but at home or at my sisters.
The sambals, we always had lots of things to add- coconut,raisins,nuts...
Anyone else add these?

Loving the recipes!

One thing I cook which is sooo easy is chicken pieces coated with yoghurt and curry paste.

Just chuck in oven - can't go wrong!

We had a lovely Waitrose one today with Uncle Bens 2 minute microwave rice. Chicken something.

Sometimes I stir in some thick plain yogurt at the end of the cooking time, heat gently.

Our favourite at the moment uses chicken marinated in spices and yogurt, that gets baked in oven when needed. The sauce is butter, various spices (fenugreek, chilli, Garam masala etc) tomato purée and cream. Quick to make and chicken gets added to it at end. Not too hot or spicy so suits my OH, bit of a wimp over too spicy stuff lol.

Apologies to the proper "cooks" out there, but I love Thickening Granules. Sainsburys stock them. They don't "taint" the item your cooking whereas I find Cornflour can? Can't taste them at all. I use the for soups, casseroles, curries, the lot!

I don't use a slow cooker for curry either.

It depends if you want a tomato based curry, tinned tomatoes will thicken it.

Or coconut milk or a sachet of creamed coconut for a korma style curry.

If you like a sweeter taste then adding mango will make a thick sauce, nice in a chicken curry.

I don't think it reduces so much in a slow cooker, so use less water if making stock.

Turmeric is good for you too!
Hope it works out well

I agree with Fennel a good recipe, and I have a similar recipe from my Indian friend.I don’t use a slow cooker.

I used to make curry often - I got the recipe from an Indian lady who was attending pregnancy classes with me.
Fry chopped onion in oil, add spices and fry gently. These are cummin corriander turmeric chilli powder, cardomum pods.
The add your meat etc and cook for a few minutes. Tomato paste and stock to cover.
For thickening add some creamed coconut - you buy it in a block.
For fish curry add the fish near the end.
I don't think a slow cooker is suitable for curry, you need to fry a little first in a casserole pot with a cover and cook it on the stovetop.
In India their curries are quite different, often just onions certain spices in which the protein is simmered. Not like the thick sauce that we're used to. Much more delicate flavours.

I think you are probably simply using too much water in a slow cooker. I would try with the minimum liquid, you can always add a bit more at the end.

I make mine the same way as aggie - frying the onions, gently, and then adding the spices and frying them a well seems to be the best way to get a good flavour. If I need to thicken it I use gravy granules - chicken or beef as appropriate. I have never used a slow cook pot - mine is cooked in a saucepan.

Thanks for all your various ways of thickening a curry , will attempt to try next time a decide to make one.
Mick

I would say red lentils.

I agree with N&G that the onion, and the chillis and the garlic if you are using them, should be blitzed as fine as you can get them. One thing you could try is to coat whatever meat you are using in seasoned (salt and pepper) flour before you fry it (just put it all in a plastic bag with the seasoned flour and shake it up to coat it). This will help to thicken the sauce as it cooks. Some people thicken curry with ground almonds.

Try a little bran. It's very useful for thickening up soups, etc.

Fry onions till transparent. Using a chopper/ mixer, grind ginger, garlic, green chill, coriander leaf and mint. Add this to the oil and fry on low heat for a couple of i minutes. Then add ground spices (coriander, Cummin, turmeric, chilli powder and fry again for a few minutes. Add coconut powder and fry again, then add chicken, turn heat up and brown. Once this is done add kettle hot water , salt and a tablespoon lemon juice. Lower heat . When chicken is done, sprinkle garam masala. ( I make my own). Remove from fire.

Lentils are a good thickener. Or simply pop your stick blended into the pot and whizz it.

My elder son made the best curries I have ever tasted and he swore by two important steps.

1. Add finely chopped cabbage to the veg (preferable) or the water cabbage has been cooked in. It really does make a difference.

2. Leave the curry overnight in the fridge.

If he did the curry in the slow cooker, he left the thickening of it until it was needed the next day. Added lentils, or cornflour, or potato flour to coconut cream (sometimes) or just milk, and as it heated up, it thickened nicely.

I use potatoes too, pureed fresh tomatoes and sometimes light coconut milk. You could also add some partially cooked red lentils (a little goes a long way).

Depends what kind of curry you are making. For beef curry I chop and fry the beef and onions, then add the curry spices, made to my mother's recipe and fry those for a minute or two, then add a tin of tomatoes. Bring to the boil and place in slow cooker for 3 or 4 hours. No need to thicken.

I never add stock to any curry, although I may crumble a stock cube into the mix

oldgimmer1 I have a book called ‘ The Takeaway Secret’ ( from Amazon) written by a young man who has social anxiety disorder and tried to reproduce his favourite takeaways. The curries involve making and freezing a base gravy, then adding the appropriate spices for the various curries. I’ve found it very good.

Should of said I make from scratch, cook the spices etc.