I'm a complete disaster when it comes to cooking Indian food from scratch... I've tried and it never seems as nice as the take away I can get. And I'm no slouch in the kitchen, but I seem to be missing layers of flavor when I try to cook some Indian food myself.
That being said... perhaps I can cheat? Do you know of a good brand that sells ready made curry pastes? I've got Patak available to me in my country (Belgium), but I don't like the quality - there always seems to be some bitterness I can't fix when I use those jars.
There is a brand called “Maya Kimial” that has several different kinds of curries. I tried it on a whim and was pleasantly surprised on how good it was.
I tried the Tikka Masala and cooked up some onions, peppers, and mushrooms then added the curry with a bit of cream or coconut milk and paneer. I warmed up some naan as well.
Honestly, it was the best Indian food I’ve made. Despite trying from to make it from scratch for a while.
It isn’t quite as good as a GOOD Indian restaurant, but you could probably fool people into thinking it was some decent take-out.