1 T. turmeric

1 T. ground cumin

1 T. coriander (seeds)

1 T. fenugreek seeds

1 T. paprika

1/4 t. ground nutmeg

1 small 1″ piece of cinnamon

3 whole cloves

2 green cardamom pods- crushed

1 large bayleaf

10 onions- baseball sized- sliced pretty thin

2 carrots – peeled and coarsely grated

1 red bell pepper, sliced

12 cloves of garlic, finely minced

2 in. piece of fresh ginger, minced

2 c. chopped tomatoes

2 1/2 c. water

2 T. vegetable oil

4 T. ghee

salt/pepper to taste

Mix together the first six ingredients (turmeric, cumin, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, paprika, nutmeg) to make your spice mix. Set aside.

Prep all your veggies.

In a large frying pan, cook the onions in the ghee and oil until browned. Add the ginger and garlic and cook briefly (~30 seconds). Add the spice mix and stir until onions are coated with the spices and spices are fragrant. Pour onion mixture into a large (6 qt.) crockpot. Add the rest of the veggies (carrots, bell pepper and chopped tomatoes) to the crockpot. Pour the water into the frying pan to loosen up any spices or onions that have stuck to the pan, then pour the water into the crockpot. Add the rest of the spices (cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods, bayleaf) to the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours.

Remove the final spices (cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods, bayleaf) from the curry base, if you can, and then puree the curry base in a blender or food processor in batches. You should end up with ~12 cups of a thick, creamy curry base. Freeze the curry base in batch-size containers (3 c. per batch, or less, if you want to make smaller batches of curry later on).

My Fancy Pantry: Curry in a Hurry! Simple Curry Base Recipe