How to Make Curry Stock

Derived from "kari," the Indian word for sauce, curry has come to be an all-encompassing term for many different types of Indian foods. Curry powder appears as a common ingredient in many Indian dishes, but most dishes are made using a curry stock or sauce as a base. While curry sauce has a sticky, paste-like consistency, the easy-to-make curry stock is more like a thick broth.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Stock pot
• Small bowl
• Large bowl
• Fine mesh strainer
• 6 cups water
• 2 yellow onions
• 1 tsp. garlic puree
• 1 tsp. ginger puree
• 1 tbsp. ghee (clarified butter)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 10 cloves
• 10 green cardamom seeds
• 6 pieces cassia bark
• 6 bay leaves

Locate and Purchase Ingredients

1. Locate an Indian market or ethnic food store from which you can purchase specialty spices and ingredients. Curry is made from specialized ingredients that may not be easily found at your local grocery store. Ask the proprietor of a local Indian restaurant where he purchases ingredients or whether he would be willing to sell some to you if you are unable to find all of the spices you need.
2. Purchase a small container of ghee and six pieces of cassia bark at the specialty market. Ghee is clarified butter that can be stored without refrigeration. Cassia bark is sometimes referred to as "Chinese cinnamon." It has a distinctive, woody, spicy smell and taste.
3. Gather the rest of the ingredients you need to make curry broth. The rest of the ingredients are not nearly as specialized and can be found at the local supermarket or health food store. You will need green cardamom seeds, cloves, bay leaves, yellow onions, garlic puree and ginger puree.

Prepare the Curry Stock

4. Peel and chop 2 yellow onions. Place them in the stock pot along with 1 tbsp. of ghee, 1 tsp. garlic puree and 1 tsp. ginger puree.
5. Heat over a medium-high burner and caramelize, or cook until the onions are soft and brown.
6. Add the remaining seasonings and 6 cups of water.
7. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
8. Cover the stock pot and let the curry mixture simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The stock will reduce by nearly half during this time.
9. Remove the curry stock from the heat and place a strainer over a large bowl.
10. Strain the liquid into the bowl and discard the remaining solids.
11. Use the stock to make your favorite Indian dish or store it in the freezer to use within the next few months.

Tips & Warnings

• Ice cube trays make great storage for frozen stock. One cube's worth of stock is just the right amount to use as a base for curry gravy or curry sauce.