Topic: On the BIR Cooking Sequence

[Cory Ander]

I hope you don't mind either Haldi, but I've also copied the following from your "vindaloo at home" thread. 

This also seems to be particularly relevent to this thread and, again, is significantly different to the sequence that I've described above....particularly with regard to the frying of the tomato puree first and the two-stage addition of powdered spices.

(From Haldi here:  http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1445.0)

I bought a carton of curry gravy and some spice mix from a takeaway.
I've seen them make vindaloo many times, and wanted to see if mine turned out the same.
I heated 3 desertspoons of veg oil (not curry gravy oil) and cooked 3 desertspoons of tomato puree.
You need to keep this moving round the pan, with the back of the spoon.
Cook for a couple of minutes until it almost burns.
By this time, the oil is quite red
I added a pinch of fenugreek leaves and a teaspoon of spice mix
I stirred briefly, then added half the carton of curry gravy
You must keep stirring
This needs to get really hot and should be bubbling and spitting
If it's not this hot, you won't get the flavour.
With this heat, if you don't stir, it burns very quickly
After a couple of minutes I added some thawed frozen prawns.
I cooked on high,stirring, for five minutes
I added  the rest of the curry gravy, a desertspoon of spice mix, and a teaspoon of chilli powder.
Bubbled away for five minutes, stirring

That was it, and it was a match to what they cook
I had a bought curry with it, and my curry was in no way inferior
The curry gravy supplied was very soup like with no visible oil

[Cory Ander]

I hope you don't mind either Andy, but I've copied the following from your "cooking methods" thread.

Again, this seems to be particularly relevant to this thread and, again, is significantly different to the other sequences descibed above...maybe most notably for the particular ingredients used though:

• no tomato paste or puree
• use of sunflower oil rather than vegetable oil
• addition of "aromatic" (i.e. spiced) salt
• addition of asafoedita

• possible addition of MSG

(from Andy2295 here:  http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1501.msg13098#msg13098)

Now on to a typical curry.

I will not list the individual spices as these will be posted later.

1)   The gas on one ring is turned full up.
2)   One ladle of oil is added to the frying pan. The pan is placed on the ring until the oil just starts to smoke. (By the way the oil is sunflower oil).
3)   2 chefs pinches of aromatic salt is added, ? of a chefs heaped spoon of very finely chopped onion is added along with a 2 chefs pinches of very finely chopped garlic and  a 2 chefs pinches of very finely chopped mixed red and green peppers. Very quickly and in a circular motion the back of the chefs spoon is pressed into the pan bottom effectively squeezing the pan ingredients. The ingredients are then tossed using the spoon. As the oil is so hot this takes only about 20 seconds as you will see the onions changing colour.
4)   Then the spices are added for the required dish, with chilli powder and a chefs pinch of fresh methi leaves added last along with a chefs pinch of asafoedita. The spices again are pressed into the pan as above and scraped across the pan with the edge of the spoon again for about 20 seconds(The scraping stops the burning of them)
5)   Then 1 ladle of base sauce/gravy is added and stirred in. When this bubbles a second ladle of base sauce/gravy is added and stirred.
6)   Depending on the smell at this point a chefs pinch of msg may or may not be added (experience of smell only tells)
7)   The meat is then added which is usually 10 cubes. Stirring continuously now to avoid sticking and to get the meat fully heated through.
   At approximately 5 minutes a teaspoon of pre-made cooked paste is added (recipe to follow) and stirred in immediately followed by a chefs pinch of chopped coriander leaves(cilantro) and stirred again.
9)   The pan is removed from the heat rested for 30 seconds and the curry is placed into the famous foil container with another pinch of chopped coriander leaves(cilantro), lid on and labeled. Hey presto all done. A quick rinse of the pan and onto the next order??