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Bhuna curry close up in small copper pan
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4.66 from 63 votes

indian restaurant bhuna curry

Indian restaurant bhuna curry is a thick, medium hot curry heavy on the tomato and long on flavour.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: bhuna, bhuna curry
Servings: 2
Calories: 446kcal
Author: glebe kitchen

Ingredients

The spice mix

  • 2 tsp indian restaurant spice mix or curry powder - recipe link below
  • 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder or 1/4 tsp cayenne mixed with 3/4 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp kasoor methi
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

The curry ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp oil
  • 1/2 onion coarsely chopped
  • 2 green chilies seeded and diced (or thinly sliced if you want a bit of extra heat from the ribs)
  • 1 Tbsp cilantro stems minced
  • 1 Tbsp garlic/ginger paste - recipe link below
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste with enough water to dilute to the consistency of pasatta
  • 15 oz curry base - recipe link below
  • 10-12 oz pre-cooked chicken or lamb
  • 1 Tbsp tamarind sauce - I use Maggi brand
  • 3-4 cherry tomatoes - cut in half

Instructions

  • Make the spice mix.
  • Dilute the tomato paste with enough water to get to the consistency of passata.
  • Heat your frying pan (don't use non-stick) briefly over medium heat. Add the oil.
  • When the oil starts to shimmer add the onions and stir constantly until the edges of the onions start to brown. This takes about a minute.
  • Next comes the garlic ginger paste. Add it into the pan and cook it, stirring constantly, until it stops sputtering.
  • Add the green chilies and cilantro stems. Cook about 15-20 seconds.
  • Turn down the heat and add the spice mix. This is the critical step. Stir it constantly for 30 seconds. If it starts to darken lift the pan off the heat. You want the spice mix to cook in the oil but not burn.
  • Turn the heat up to medium high. Add the diluted tomato paste and stir until bubbles form (the oil will likely separate). This takes around 30 seconds to one minute depending on the heat.
  • Add 3 oz of curry base. Stir until bubbles form (little craters really), around 30 seconds. Watch the edges of the pan. The curry can stick here.
  • Now add 6 oz of curry base and stir briefly. Let it cook until the bubbles form again. This takes 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the rest of the curry base and let cook until the bubbles form. Add the tamarind sauce. Turn the heat down to low and add the pre-cooked lamb, beef, chicken, tofu or vegetables.
  • Let the curry simmer for about 5 minutes. If it gets too thick add a bit more curry base. Don't add water. Add the cherry tomatoes for the final 2-3 minutes of cooking.
  • Garnish with a bit of chopped fresh cilantro and serve.

Notes

The recipe for curry base is here.
 
The recipe for indian restaurant spice mix is here
 
The recipe for garlic ginger paste is here.
 
If you haven't read about Indian restaurant technique yet, do that before you start cooking.
Have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go.
If you are making multiple curries, have your curry base warming in a pot on the stove. If you are just making one, microwave it to warm it up right before you start cooking.
Indian restaurants pre-cook their meat so it's ready for service. This recipe assumes the same. To pre-cook chicken, simply simmer it with a bit of curry powder and salt in chicken stock for about 10-15 minutes - until it's barely cooked.
To pre-cook lamb or beef, do the same but plan for 1 to 1/2 hours for lamb and 2 hours or more for beef. You are making stew meat so you are braising until tender. You will need to keep an eye on the level of the stock. For beef use beef stock.

Nutrition

Serving: 2servings | Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 1228mg | Potassium: 995mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1380IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 2.3mg