Are you constantly being teased for your impressive skills in boiling milk and making 2-minute noodles? Does the very idea of spice ratios and stir-fries make you go all shivery and weak in the legs? You should know though that your grandmother wasn't being completely truthful, when she told you cooking Indian food is really complicated and there are many masalas that you need to keep track of. At the risk of sounding like a garam masala ad, it is quite easy to floor your guests if you master some basics. Here's a list of five easy basic Indian gravies which is all that you need to get the hang of in order to earn your name as a fabulous cook. And these are pretty fuss-free recipes, for sure. Just make the gravy and improvise as you please. Either throw in some mixed vegetables, fried potatoes, chicken, mutton or egg and each addition will give you a new wonderful dish. It's that simple! Check it out.



Basic Onion-Tomato Gravy

Mutter Paneer, Image Courtesy - Pinterest







This basic onion-tomato gravy is the base for most curries across all states, whether it be a butter chicken, butter paneer masala, chettinad chicken or an egg curry. Master this and you unlock the key to at least 80% of the subjis made in India. It's sacrilege not to know how to make this, but the best part is its real easy-peasy. Make this gravy and thrown in some fried paneer and green peas for a simple earthy Mutter Paneer. Or cook it with chicken pieces or hardboiled eggs for a basic chicken/egg curry. This is also the gravy used for chole and the restaurant style dum-aloo (just add deep fried potato halves). Check out the recipe here.

Brown Onion Gravy

Mutton Roganjosh, Image courtesy-Shutterstock

This fabulous, finger-licking gravy has all the caramelised goodness of deep fried onions. And if you are making two or three curries to impress your guests, then make sure to include this among them because it has a distinctive taste that really stands out and makes the eaters keep coming back for more. Cook this gravy with mutton pieces and a simple addition of saunf powder and voila! You've got Kashmiri Mutton Roganjosh. Of course, if you are a vegetarian, or don't eat mutton, then it's no problem. Just add fried paneer or vegetables or koftas and you could even add boiled kabuli chana to make ‘Chole with a Twist'. Do try this recipe and you won't come up disappointed, we promise.

Palak Gravy

Palak Paneer, Image courtesy-Shutterstock







This is a no brainer and it's really healthy too. Of course, you know that you can make palak paneer from this basic gravy. But did you know you can also include boiled chana to it to make chana palak or pour this over cooked chicken or mutton. Mutton Palak is something that many people think can be found only in restaurants. But whip this restaurant-style recipe at home and you will surely win some hearts. Also, if you lay off the garam masala, substitute the curd for milk and add more garlic, you have a continental style spinach soup ready! Isn't that awesome? Check out this recipe here.

Goan Curry

Goan Prawn Curry, Image courtesy- Pinterest







The beauty of a goan curry is the addition of coconut milk to it, rendering this spicy curry a tad mellow and giving it a beautiful coconuty after-taste. Like Thai curries, there is a red and green version too, but the red version is used in popular goan staples like goan fish curry and goan prawn curry among others. But there is no reason why you shouldn't make a vegetarian or an egg version with it, if it pleases your fancy. Better yet, add in fried ladies-finger (okra) for a gorgeous lift in flavor to the curry. This recipe of goan prawn curry that we are posting actually combines fried okra with golden prawns. Check it out.



Salan

Bagara Baingan, Image courtesy- Pinterest





You are probably thinking of Mirch-ka-Salan here, the famous accompaniment to Hyderabadi Dum Biryani and you are quite right. The salan is the basis of Hyderabadi cuisine and while Hyderabadi Muslims don't eat biryani everyday, because it's too rich and heavy on the system, they do prepare various kinds of salan on a regular basis to be eaten with steamed rice. Mirch-ka-salan is a fabulous presentation dish, but deseeding the chillies is a chore. You can do what the Hyderabadis do and swap the chillies for fried small brinjals, which gives you the famous Bagara Baingan. Or just simply include hard-boiled and lightly fried eggs for Ande ka Salan or fried okra or even chicken for some good old protein. The tamarind in this gravy recipe will give a new twist to the chicken and acts as a natural meat tenderiser.

Basic White Gravy

Methi Mutter Malai, Image Courtesy- Pinterest

This is a delicious gravy with all the creamy richness of ground cashewnuts and poppyseeds. You can swap the fresh cream for milk, if you want to keep its calorie count low. But this easy gravy tops the ‘must-learn' list as it has the power to change a simple meal into gourmet fare. This white gravy forms the basis for indulgences like Malai Kofta, Methi Mutter Malai and that famous Rajasthani royal dish, Safed Maas (mutton). They go one step further in Safed Maas to keep it all white by adding white pepper powder instead of the usual red chilli powder. But that shouldn't be an issue. Make this gravy well and you have officially arrived as a chef. The recipe is simple, the rewards numerous. Check it out.

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