This recipe will make enough sauce for 8 servings, so you only need half for a standard curry of 4 people. Left-over and additional sauce can be can be frozen.
Course: curry, Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: curry
Servings: 8
Author: Mina Joshi
Ingredients
1tbspcinnamon powder
1tbspground coriander
1tspturmeric
1tsppaprika
1tspgaram masala
2tspground cumin
½tspchilli powderor fresh green chillies
1tspmustard seeds
2-4tbspoilflavourless like sunflower or vegetable
1large onion
3-4clovesof garlic
2tspfinely grated ginger
3-4fresh tomatoes or half a can of tinned tomatoes or passata
Salt to taste
3-4curry leaves
¼tspground cardamom powder
1/2lemonjuice
Instructions
Prepare the onions, ginger and garlic. Chop the onions in slices, the garlic in small pieces and grate the ginger
In a saucepan, add the oil and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds pop, add the curry leaves, onions, ginger and garlic. Keep stirring and make sure the garlic doesn't get burnt or it will ruin the taste of the sauce.
In a separate hot griddle or frying pan, lightly toast the spices: cinnamon, ground coriander, turmeric, paprika, garam masala, ground cumin and chilli powder together. Keep the heat low and keep moving them with a wooden spoon until you get the fragrance of the spices. Remove the mixture in a bowl and allow to cool.
Once the onions, garlic and ginger mixture is cooked, add the spice mixture and lower the heat.
Now add the tomatoes with one cup of hot water. Also add the salt, lemon juice and cardamom seeds and allow this to simmer on a low heat.
Once the sauce has thickened and looks rich, take it off the heat and allow to cool.
Once cooled, remove the curry leaves and use a hand-blender to make it smooth.
Notes
You may find the Balti Sauce quite spicy but the heat can be adjusted by adding water or cream to it once you use it in a curry.
This sauce can be made in advance and frozen to use in curries when needed.