The Great Base Gravy Con

How British Indian Restaurants Traded Flavour for Convenience

— And Why We’re Reclaiming What Was Lost

At some point, British Indian Restaurants (BIRs) decided every curry should start with the same sauce.

A giant pot of beige onion sludge—known as “base gravy”—became the shortcut.
Every dish, from korma to vindaloo, began life in the same bland bath.

We’re here to say: That was the beginning of the end for real flavour.

🥄 What even is base gravy?

It’s a pre-cooked blend of onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, oil, and generic spices.
Watered down. Mass-produced. Reheated again and again.

Want a korma? Add cream.
Tikka masala? Add tang and colouring.
Vindaloo? Just dump in some chilli.

Every dish. Same tired core.
Different names. One note.

🍛 Real Indian food doesn’t work that way.

True Indian cooking doesn’t use one sauce to rule them all.
Each dish has its own personality. Its own rhythm. Its own spice structure.
Its own soul.

Using a single base strips away what makes Indian food extraordinary:
Complexity. Intention. Balance.
It’s like playing a symphony with only one instrument.

At Mrs Balbir Singh’s, we don’t do base gravies.
Because each of our blends is crafted for a specific dish—not for a shortcut.

🌶 The “Mild–Medium–Hot” Menu Nonsense

Another BIR leftover: the curry heat ladder.

Korma = Mild
Tikka Masala = Medium
“Madras” = Spicy
Vindaloo = Burn Your Face Off

Except—there’s no such dish as “Madras Curry” in real Indian cuisine.
It’s not from Chennai. It was made up for British menus.
Just like the idea that all Indian food lives on a tidy little heat scale.

This thinking turns a rich, nuanced cuisine into a cartoon.
Flavour ≠ heat.
Depth ≠ red dye and cream.

🎶 One Note vs. Symphony

Jarred sauces and takeaway curries often hit one predictable note:
Chilli. Tomato. Or cream.
Sometimes all three.

But real Indian food is a symphony.

It builds. It surprises. It lingers.
It tells a story.

We don’t believe in one-base-sauce-fits-all.
We believe in a blend for every dish—because every dish deserves its own melody.

✨ Why We’re Done With All of It

We’re not here to mimic a broken system.
We’re here to bring you back to the real thing.

• Every recipe we share is rooted in real kitchens, not convenience cooking

• Every blend we craft is for a specific dish, not for whatever’s on hand

• No base gravy. No “Madras.” No sauce-by-numbers

Just flavour—done properly.

🧡 Ready to experience the difference?

Explore our spice blends and recipe kits—no beige gravy required.