British Indian Restaurant Style Cooking...
Love a good meal out at your local indian restaurant? So do I! Guess what? We’re certainly not alone! Over the years Indian cuisine has become massively popular with us here in the UK, and now you can learn right here how to create those aromatic and delicious dishes for yourself right at home!
I’m going to teach you how to make the Indian base gravy (think of it as a bit like an Indian stock which is used in 99% of curries in Indian restaurants) as well as the cooking techniques and share with you lots of recipes so you can cook yourself a proper feast!
Before we get starting in showing you some recipes, it’s important to learn about the proper cooking technique and what equipment is used in the restaurants. Without this you will never replicate the same flavours which we all know and love. Having said that, if you’re keen to see what recipes I have for you and want to jump straight to the recipe section then click here!
I’m going to talk you through some equipment you will need for cooking BIR curries at home and then explain the cooking process used so you can get a good understanding of how to replicate these BIR curries at home for yourself!
Recommended Equipment
There are various things you’ll need to make a banging curry! Some of which you’ll probably already have in your kitchen such as scales, measuring jugs or mixing bowls however I will list links to what I recommend. All of these can be found on Amazon at reasonable prices and I actually use these exact items myself so they are tried and tested!
Scales -
A decent, accurate and reliable set of scales is a must for weighing out your ingredients. These scales are made by a decent brand and at this price is a great buy… Click here to see the scales I use at home!
Measuring Spoons -
Inexpensive and good quality metal measuring spoons! Essential for accurately measuring out your spices! Click here to see the measuring spoons I use at home!
Measuring Jug -
You’ll need to measure out quantities of water when making base gravy. Have some of different sizes and use the smallest one possible as the smaller it is, the more accurate it is! These jugs are decent enough quality and a great buy at this price… Click here to see the set of mixing jugs I have at home!
Mixing Bowls -
Handy to mix up your marinades and meat in! Click here to see the set of mixing bowls I use for my BIR curries at home!
Stock Pot -
Stock pots come in various sizes but for making base gravy at home on a smaller scale a 8 to 12 litre stock pot is perfect. Click here to see what stock pot I use at home!
Aluminium Pan -
Pretty essential piece of kit this! An uncoated (ie, NOT a non-stick) aluminium frying pan! Part of the cooking process involves allowing the sauce to sit on high heat as it cooks. These pans allow even heat spread throughout the base and transfer higher levels of heat. This allows for the caramelisation that needs to take place during cooking. Click here to see the frying pan I use when making BIR curry at home!
Curry Dishes -
You’ve gone to the effort of making an incredible curry, don’t let the presentation ruin it! These are attractive curry dishes and offer good value… Click here to see what curry dishes I have at home!
Knife Sharpener -
You don’t really need fancy expensive knives however they MUST be sharp! I have one of these for my knives at home, it actually makes sharpening them quick and really easy! No I don’t use them for my professional knives (I don’t think you’ll want to spend hundreds on a sharpening system, although feel free to get in touch if you do and I’ll tell you what to get!) but for your knives at home this is a cheap and effective little sharpener which will do you just fine. Click here to take a look at the knife sharpener I use at home!
BIR Cooking Process/Technique
Lets talk a bit about the cooking process/technique used in Indian restaurants. Understand this and you’ll be able to cook up your favourite curries in no time! It’s fair to say that curry is extremely flavoursome and produces some incredible smells. This is achieved by the different stages of cooking which is what this section will focus on. 95% of the recipes you’ll find on You Can Chef! will be cooking in this same way…
Stage 1 -
Heat the oil in an aluminium frying pan
Stage 2 -
Fry the whole spices for around 1 minute. These are things such as Bay Leaves, Star Anise, Cardamon Pods, Cumin Seeds, in other words any dried spice which is not ground to a powder.
Stage 3 -
Add in the Garlic and Ginger frying for another minute.
Stage 4 -
Add in the onion and fry until it softens.
Stage 5 -
Add in the ground/powdered spices and fry for another minute.
Stage 6 -
Add in the Tomato Puree.
Stage 7 -
Add part of the Base Gravy.
Stage 8 -
Add the pre-cooked meat or vegetables.
Stage 9 -
Build up the sauce with remaining Base Gravy and allow to reduce to desired consistency.
Its actually quite simple to cook BIR curries! Follow these steps for each recipe (I have included a method for each recipe as well) and you’ll have some banging grub!
One very important thing to remember when adding Base Gravy is to stir it in then LEAVE IT! Allow it to dry out around the edge until little craters form. This is the caramelisation process happening and produces great flavour. Once this has happened then stir it, scraping the stuff from the sides back into the sauce before adding some more Base Gravy!