Quick curry sauce
For a creamy curry in under 10 minutes, add this super simple curry sauce to stir-fried chicken, lean meat, fish or seafood, mushrooms or vegetables.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 20g/¾oz fresh root ginger, finely grated
- 2 tsp curry powder (any kind)
- ¼–½ tsp dried chilli flakes or 1 finely sliced fresh chilli
- 1½ tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp flaked sea salt or ¼ tsp fine salt
- 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and very gently fry the garlic and ginger for about a minute, stirring constantly. Don’t allow them to brown.
Stir in the curry powder, chilli and tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly until the tomato purée looks glossy.
Add the sugar, salt and plenty of pepper, then stir in 150ml/¼ pint water and the cream. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside.
Stir-fry your choice of other ingredients (such as strips of chicken or meat, prawns, vegetables) in a large frying pan or wok until cooked through.
Pour the curry sauce over the cooked meat or veg and return to a simmer. Cook for 1–2 minutes more, or until hot throughout. Add an extra splash of water if needed. Serve with freshly cooked rice or naan bread.
Recipe Tips
Use extra chillies or cut down on the cream for a more fiery curry.
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.
If you don’t have any curry powder, use 1 teaspoon each of ground coriander and cumin, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric and a few roughly crushed cardamom pods. Alternatively, try 2 teaspoons of garam masala and ½ teaspoon of ground turmeric.
To freeze: cool the curry sauce and freeze in lidded containers or ice cube trays. Once solid, transfer to a resealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To use, place in a non-stick saucepan over a low heat, add a splash of water and heat through, stirring occasionally, until hot throughout.