Tarka (Main Curry Base)
This yummy base is essential to most of my curry recipes.
Video: Ale Armijos
Serves: variable - dependant upon each recipe
Preparation time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 30 minute.
Suitable for: Vegetarians, vegans (use vegetable oil instead of ghee/butter) and those on a gluten free diet
It is important to take the time to make the Tarka. The Tarka is at the heart of all the curries on this website.
Quantities of each ingredient may differ depending on the curry of choice and in some curries, some ingredients may be omitted and others added.
See each individual recipe for variations to these ingredients.
Ingredients:
Photos: Ale Armijos
Vegetable oil, ghee or butter depending on recipe
Cumin seeds
Whole cloves
Onion(s)
Tinned chopped tomatoes or fresh tomatoes skinned and chopped roughly
Chillies (green finger), chopped finely
Salt
Haldi (turmeric)
Garam masala
Garlic, crushed
Fresh ginger, peeled and grated finely
Method:
Heat the oil (butter or ghee) on medium heat until fairly hot (be careful with butter/ghee as these have lower smoking points). Add the cumin seeds and cloves and stir until they splutter (virtually immediately)
Turn the heat down to low/medium, add the onions and fry gently stirring occasionally until they soften.
Add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric, chillies, garlic, ginger stir. Continue to cook gently, ‘mashing’ the tomatoes until a paste like consistency forms. I use a potato masher.
Add the garam masala, stir and cook for a further minute or so or until oil oozes out of the paste when a wooden spoon is dragged along the base of the pan and there you have it, that all important base for all North Central Indian curries...