So I've made curry a few times before but I've always had a problem with the sauce. So before I try and make one again I want to know, how do you make the sauce thick and flavourful rather than almost non-existent and overly tomatoey?
When I last made curry I remember adding almost a full ramekin of spices and quite a lot of onion and yet after boiling down the curry I was left with very little sauce. I had tried adding more tomato pulp to give it more body, but that to ends up mostly gone once boiled down; and even if much tomato remains, I find it overpowers some of the other flavours in the sauce.
Does anyone have any curry tips for this amateur?
Best Answer
Ground almonds are one thing I've used in the past (usually in a yoghurt-based sauce, but not always). They give a richness without overpowering the flavour. Roughly the approach was:
In a tomato-based sauce you don't need the cooling step; that's to avoid splitting the yoghurt.
Coconut flour or alternatively dried coconut milk. It's a significantly different curry because the flavour comes through, but adding either of these gives a good thickening effect (more so for the flour) that's very compatible with curries.
A sauce base using onions as I mentioned in the comments: a base sauce made from boiled, blended onions (plus garlic/ginger/tomato and a little spice) is also a good way of adding richness. This is rather time-consuming to prepare, and pungent, but freezes well.
Mango chutney is a good last-minute cheat addition, especially if you find a very sticky one and blend it first. It adds flavour and has some thickening power.
I am also an amateur, and care more about enjoying my cooking and food than about authenticity!