Hello all!

About how long should I expect it to take for the oil to separate from the mass when making basic curry 1? What will that look like? At what level (electric stove 1-10) should I have the fire?

Thanks so much!

Jenny

Welcome Jenny,

The point of oil separation is difficult to describe (sure Mamta will give a better answer!) but when the curry is at simmering level there will be a moment when an orangey oil appears on the edges of the pan.

That's when I tip the pan and use a ladel to remove the oil so you get a proper Mamta's Curry and not some horrible oily restaurant dish

Winton

This is my reply to someone who wrote to me last week about this topic;

"I don't use a lot of oil in my cooking, so it won't separate like it does in restaurant curry. You will see it just around the edges and the whole mass will look shiny when ready, because the oil comes to the surface. If you look at the second picture here; Basic curry sauce, out of the first composite picture, you will see what I mean. If you like more oil in your dish, do feel free to add a couple of tbsp more."

Here is a good video that might help:

Sanjeev Kapoor demonstraing how to make a North Indian gravy (in English)

Sid

Great video. He does many cookery programmes on TV.

You know where he adds water to the caramelised onions and then fries them again; I was taught this by a 17 years old only a few years back!