Mother Sauce for Indian Korma

Mother Sauce / Curry Base Gravy is a basic sauce that is the starting point for making various curry or gravy. This mother sauce is for making spicy Indian Korma to pair with roti / naan.

 

This mother sauce can be made ahead and freeze it in zip lock bags in small portions. For preparing a delicious Indian style korma, pick one of these base sauce pouches from the freezer and add vegetables or chicken to it.

 

 

 

 

For making vegetable korma : you can add potatoes, carrots, green beans to the base korma sauce and cook until the vegetables are soft.

 

For making Chicken / Mutton Korma : You can add chicken thighs or pressure cooked mutton to the base korma sauce.

 

Handy to have in the freezer to make quick delicious Korma on a busy day.

To Dry Roast and Grind

4 Tablespoon Fresh coconut slices

4 Garlic Cloves

1 inch Fresh Ginger piece

1/2 Teaspoon Fennel Seeds

1/2 Teaspoon Poppy Seeds

2 Cloves

1 Green Cardamom

1/2 Inch Cinnamon stick

8 Cashew nuts

4 dry red chillies ( adjust according to your taste)

For the Sauce

3 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
2 Bay leaves
1 Large red onion chopped finely
2 Large ripe tomatoes quartered
1 Teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
1/2 Teaspoon turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Directions

1. In a baking tray , add roughly chopped onions, tomatoes and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil. Sprinkle a big pinch of salt

2. Preheat the oven to 210 C / 425 F. Place the baking tray with onions and tomatoes in the oven and roast until they have a nice char and golden. It took about 15 to 18 minutes. Toss them in between so that they get roasted evenly on all sides
 

3. Cool down completely
 

4. Add roasted onions in a food processor and grind it to fine paste. Set aside in a bowl
 

5. Add roasted tomatoes in a food processor and grind it to paste /puree. Set aside in a separate bowl
 

6. In a pan/ tawa, dry roast ( without adding oil) the ingredients listed under ' To Dry Roast and Grind'  for a minute. Then add them to a food processor and grind it to fine paste by adding 1/4 cup of water. Set aside
 

7. In a pan / wok, heat the remaining oil. When the oil is hot, add bay leaves. Fry for 30 seconds

8. Then add ground onion paste and sprinkle a pinch of salt and fry on low flame for 10 minutes until oil starts leaving from the mixture and it turns light brown
 

9.  Add pureed tomato and fry until all water evaporates and oil starts to leave from the mixture
 

10. Now add the coconut paste ( dry roasted and ground ) and fry nicely until all water from the paste evaporates and oil starts to leave from the mixture
 

11. Once all the water evaporates, add 1/4 cup more water and cook the gravy further until there is no water in the gravy and oil starts floating from the mixture
 

12. Add Kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder and add 2 tablespoon of water and cook until oil starts floating
 

13. Switch off the flame. Mother sauce for Indian Style korma is ready. Cool completely. At this stage, you can freeze the base sauce. Divide the sauce in 3 zip lock pouches and freeze until further use. . Each portion of the base sauce will be sufficient to make 2 servings of the korma.
 

14. To Make Korma from the mother sauce : Thaw the sauce from the freezer for 20 minutes
 

15. Add the base sauce to a sauce pan. Add vegetables like potato, carrots, green beans to the base sauce and add 1 and 1/2 cups of water. Season with salt and cook until the vegetables are cooked through and soft
 

16. To make Chicken korma : In a pan , heat 1 Tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, add diced chicken breast pieces / thighs and fry on high flame until the chicken has a nice golden crust. Then add the base korma sauce along with 1 and 1/2 cups of water and salt. Cook until the chicken is cooked through and soft

17. Serve korma with roti or naan or bread of your choice