How to Make the Perfect Curry Sauce:

Choose the right ingredients and products:

• Most supermarkets sell spices in misleadingly small containers. You can buy bigger packets from Asian supermarkets, which will encourage you to spoon in the spices with a freer hand. (You can store them in the freezer to stop them going stale.)
• Older chickens have more flavor and these can be used in dishes requiring long slow cooking, which will tenderize the flesh. Quicker cooking dishes call for young ones that are more tender. Overcooking chicken ruins it -it gets dehydrated, tough and stringy.

Use Right Pot

Large, heavy pots with thick bottoms are also necessary for cooking ingredients that must be simmered over medium-high heat over time. This method of cooking allows sauces and stocks to reduce at a higher intensity than the normal slow simmer, which builds the complex flavors that are Indian cooking`s rich hallmark.

Use Food Processor

A food processor with both wet and dry functions is the first thing you will need. Many Indian spices are used in as fresh a state as possible, which means that things like coriander are kept in their whole seed shape until the chef is ready to use them. Garlic and ginger tend to be mashed rather than minced, which has a subtle effect on the flavor.

hey’re also great for pureed soups, whipping up sauces and pestos (you’ll know exactly what you’re putting in there) and nut butters.

Decide what is going to give your curry sauce its body.

• Flour is rarely used as a thickening agent in India. Many dishes depend on one, or a combination of the following: finely diced or pureed onion, tomatoes, pureed peppers or chillies, yogurt or cream, coconut milk, spinach.

• Browned onion paste, added at the end of cooking to thicken and add depth of flavour, is a cook's best pal. To make it, finely slice a couple of onions, lightly salt, and leave on one side for 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry with kitchen paper. Deep fry in hot oil until russet brown, before draining. Tip into a food processor, moisten with hot water, and process until smooth. Freeze in ice cube trays and use from frozen when making dishes such as kormas.

• When making a paste, grind ingredients such as onion, ginger and garlic with a dash of water. This ensures a silky-smooth finish.
• For lighter curries, swap the cream for whipped Greek yogurt or crème fraîche. Instead of ghee, use vegetable oil for cooking.
• If you like a smooth-textured dhal, blend plain-cooked lentils in a liquidiser before returning to the pan.

Spice it correctly

• Be generous with your spices. Spices not only bring flavour but texture to dishes.
• Practise toasting spices. You can't miss the acrid aroma of spices as they catch and burn on a griddle. If this happens, best to dump them and start again. Similarly, if spices are not cooked enough before grinding, you'll miss out on their full-bodied, almost nutty-tasting flavours.
• The greatest heat is in the seeds, so if you find the taste too stron, remove the seeds by slicing the pepper lengthwise and easing them out with a pointed utensil.
• The longer chilies are cooked, the hotter the dish will become.
• It is best to use a whole chili so you can remove it at the end of cooking.
• If you burn your mouth by adding too much chili to a dish, take a mild or cold beer to reduce the burning – the water will not help.