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Mild Curry Paste

This recipe is from Pat Chapman's 250 Favourite Curries and Accompaniments

This mild paste can form the base for many curry dishes. Using vinegar (rather than all water) to make the paste will enable you to preserve it in jars. As with all pickling, sterilise the jars (a good hot wash in the dishwasher followed by a dry-out in a low-heat oven will do). Top off the paste in the jar with hot oil and inspect after a few days to see that there is no mould.

Makes about 11/2 lb (675 g)

Ingredients

1 recipe Mild Curry Powder

6-8 floz (175-250 ml) vinegar (any type)

6-8 floz (175-250 ml) vegetable oil

Method

1. Mix together the curry powder spices.

2. Add the vinegar and enough water to make a creamy paste.

3. Heat the oil in a karahi or wok.

4. Add the paste to the oil. It will splatter a bit so be careful.

5. Stir-fry the paste continually to prevent it sticking until the water content is cooked out (it should take about 5 minutes). As the liquid is reduced, the paste will begin to make a regular bubbling noise (hard to describe, but it goes chup-chup-chup-chup) if you don't stir, and it will splatter. This is your audible cue that it is ready. You can tell if the spices are cooked by taking the karahi off the stove. Leave to stand for 3-4 minutes. If the oil 'floates' to the top, the spices are cooked. If not, add a little more oil and repeat step 6.

6. Bottle the paste in sterilised jars. Then heat up a little more oil and 'cap' off the paste by pouring in enough oil to cover. Steal the jars and store.