I always have consistency issues with my curry. My ratios are off or something. It doesn't end up tasting authentic. My last batch of Dal Tadka tasted too fruity for some reason, and I can never get that savory umami type flavor that you get with real curry bases.
I've found that pureeing the veggies (onion, tomato, chili) can help thicken the sauce. The slower solution is to cook down the dal more, though that may be undesirable if you don't want them pasty. For chickpeas, smash a dozen or two and stir them into the masala.
"Fruity" could mean you didn't cook the tomatoes enough; the sweetness is tempered with umami with time. Cooking the tomatoes longer also releases the pectin, thickening the sauce. Too much of some of the sweeter spices like fennel, anise, cloves, or cardamom could be interpreted as fruity, though I'd say they're more of a flowery sweetness.
Great answer. It's really easy to underestimate how long to cook down the onions and tomatoes to get the right flavour profile. I know it took me a while to get down.
I wish I could truly enjoy a meal covered in cilantro like this one. I envy anyone who percieves the taste as nice. I'm one of those unlucky bastards with the wrong allele, so it's a detergent-like flavour for me.
It doesnt taste like detergent for me I just don't like it. It's one of a very short list of tastes that just aren't for me. On the other hand I love coriander.
Speaking of, does coriander taste like detergent as well?
Do you mean that you like the fruit but don't like the leaves? I'm getting lost in the terminology, I'm afraid. The fruit tastes ok to me, while just a little bit of the leaves makes me think someone forgot to rince the dishes. It's terrible.
Weird genetic quirks are like getting shafted by the mutant X gene. I have a photic sneeze reflex, which is the worst super power. Bright lights (Inc. the sun) make me sneeze... I'm still waiting for that acceptance letter Xavier
Yeah, everything I've done from this book is excellent. She's been putting up all these one pan baked versions, that, whilst not the same, are still delicious and soo easy