Corner-shop curry sauce | Jamie Oliver recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you make shop bought curry sauce better? ›

Add more spices: Store-bought curry sauces often lack the depth of flavour that homemade sauces have. To remedy this, you can add more spices like cumin, turmeric, coriander, and garam masala. Use fresh ginger and garlic: Fresh ginger and garlic add a lot of flavour to curries.

How to UseFor the most delicious curry, you want about 1/4 of a jar of paste per person. Why not try marinating your meat, fish or e paste before cooking for extra flavour?

Simply melt butter in a pan, add an equal amount of all-purpose flour, and stir continuously to create a smooth paste. Cook the roux for a few minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste. Then, slowly incorporate it into your curry while stirring to avoid lumps. It not only thickens but also adds a subtle nutty flavour.

Add tinned lentils, chickpeas or beans to make the curry go further. If you have any fresh herbs to hand, such as coriander, parsley or dill, finely chop and add to the sauce towards the end of the cooking time.

The actual sweetness and creaminess of such curries meanwhile, usually comes from fried onions and either cashews and/or dairy products. Instead of (or in addition to) onion, ground coconut may be used. White poppy seeds and/or watermelon seeds are also used in some creamy sauces.

Sizzle your spice:

Kick off your curry by heating whole spices in hot oil to unleash their flavor. Choose from cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and seeds for the perfect base to your dish. Fresh spices are the best choice and will keep for longer in the freezer.

The paste is mixed with coconut milk or water plus vegetables, meat or seafood, then served up on a bed of jasmine or sticky rice. You can also use Thai curry paste in warming soups and sizzling stir fries.

The whole jar is ample for a family of four but if you're cooking for two, the reminder can be stored in the fridge for 5 days or frozen.

Curry paste is a wet ingredient made with fresh chilies. It must be dissolved into a liquid during the cooking process. Curry powder is a dry ingredient that must be activated with a liquid or oil. It does not include fresh chilies, so it will be much less spicy than a curry paste.

Cornstarch or Arrowroot

Curries can be thickened quickly using starch. You can use cornstarch or Arrowroot starch. These are easily available at home.

Why isn't my curry sauce thickening? ›

It depends on the type of curry you are making. Curry becomes runny if it has more water content, so cook it for few more minutes to let the water evaporate and curry turns thick(this also turns flavors stronger). Also make sure not to overcook the curry. If it is more runny usually I add 1 tablespoon of besan flour.

You can give a curry depth by adding umami goodness. Umami is one of the basic five tastes and is often described as a meaty, savoury deliciousness that deepens a dish's flavour. Natural foods that peak umami taste receptors include tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and roasted spice.

The easiest way to fix a bland and tasteless curry is by adding spices like red chili powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, curry leaves and turmeric. Just make a quick tempering and pour over the curry to give it a nice punch of spices and herbs.

If you overcook and burn your spices your curries will taste bitter; if you undercook them then they will taste raw and gritty. To cook spices properly you need enough oil in the pan and for it to be at the right temperature.

You can also boost the flavor of a store-bought paste that you consider a bit “weak” by adding more of the spices and herbs it already contains. For example, I find store-bought massaman curry paste to be a bit light on the spices, so I add some extra.

Pungent fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and marjoram can liven up tomato sauce with their bold, distinctive flavors. Add 1 to 2 sprigs of one or more of them to your favorite sauce, cover, and simmer at least 5 minutes to allow them to infuse in the sauce.