Topic: How to Get That BIR "Smokey/Toffee-Like" Taste (Illustrated!)

[davidr]

This is an awesome post. I only started making BIR curry a few weeks ago and I'm really not far off. I found that the hotter the wok when the ingredients are added the better the taste (using CA's madras recipe). The problem is that even if I make a runny paste with the spices, they get close to burning pretty quickly. If using this method, how do you avoid burning spices, or tomato puree considering how hot it has to be? I assume adding water to stop the spices burning will lower the temperature?

[Chris303]

Spices in water will usually only cook at or just above 100oC.

It just takes practise, and a well seasoned pan will stop stuff sticking.

I use a pan which I think is carbon steel but I am not sure. When you are blasting things on a high heat you are adding so many ingredients quickly things dont have time to burn.

(just as an example)

30 secs garlic ginger.

30 secs onions and chiles

30 secs tomato paste

30 secs / 1 minute spices - keeping everything moving all the time

30 precooked meat and this brings more moisture in

then you are getting the base sauce in.

Also.....

I have mentioned this in a previous post..... My gas cooker is hot, but not as hot as I would prefer it so I heat my cast iron balti pans up till they are white hot - when you put a drop of water in it it should roll about and sizzle away in an instant.

Make sure your curry your serving is piping hot as much as you can get it and then ladel it all into the balti pan straight away -- this contact with the white hot surface gets the smoke and sizzling everywhere and serve while the smoke is still flying off the pan --- BIR taste and smell!

[Bobby Bhuna]

Wow! Why haven't I seen this before! CA - awesome degree of effort in what I like to call "BIR taste chasing". Can anyone put me touch with the right sort of wok. I bought this tefal non stick number from Woolies but I can't get the Chinese fried rice taste that I can get on my parents Wok that was ?8 from Somerfield.
I want one that can really hold loads of heat.

[Chris303]

tefal woks are crap -- get a cheap iron one and season it. Chinese food like Indian gets some of its taste from the heavily carbonised woks and baltis used.

The chinese have a saying - the blacker the wok the better the cook

[Bobby Bhuna]

get a cheap iron one and season it

How? Just use it a lot or?

[Chris303]

When you get it clean any coating off it - most iron woks come with a black tar stuff on them to protect from rust. This is the only time you will ever use detergent on it.

Heat it up very high - use a paper towel to rub oil all over it. Heat again for a while and let it cool. Repeat several times.

Anytime you finish using the wok - clean it under hot water but not with soaps or detergents. Heat it up. Coat in oil. Put back on heat and let it cool. A lot of places wipe it clean with water and just put some oil on it straight away - needs to be used a lot to do this and it is less hygienic I think - the additional heat after the clean should be enough to kill bacteria.

[Cory Ander]

How? Just use it a lot or?

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,1918.0.html

[ast]

Nice post, CA!  Somehow I'd missed this one too.

How many times did it take you to master the technique?  I guess the flames eventually go out of their own accord?

I think it'll be awhile before I get around to this experiment.  This confirms that I've still a long way to go to be a proper "curry master" (not that I didn't already know...)

Ah well... nothing to do but move forward, I guess.

Cheers,

ast

[Cory Ander]

The "Ring Burner" I use (yes, a very apt name isn't it!  ) is the "RB30 triple ring burner" made in China (surprise, surprise) and is supplied by a company called "Companion".  It runs off LPG/propane/natural gas and provides more than enough heat (i.e. about 30 MJ/h or about 8kW) for cooking curries using a 32cm wok/pan.

The smaller double ring burner (20MJ/h or about 5.5kW) would probably be suitable for smaller woks/pans (less than about 30cm) whilst the quad ring burner (59MJ/h or about 16kW) would probably be suitable for larger woks/pans (greater than about 34cm)

I've attached a specification sheet for these products at the bottom of this post.

I did email Companion but I didn't receive a reply :.  Here's a copy of my email to them:

"Dear Sir/Madam,

I am a member of a UK curry cooking forum, though I am currently living in Australia.  I use one of your triple LPG burner rings. 

Others (in the UK) are interested in buying them.  Please could you tell me who might sell them in the UK? 

Otherwise please would you tell me:

- if you would export them and, if so, at what cost (for your range of ring burners)?

- if you would sell them to me, with volume discount?  If so, what volumes and what discount?

Thankyou for your assistance"

They DID have a web site http://www.companion.net.au but it no longer seems to be functioning

Maybe someone might be interested in trying to source them in the UK?  I can always ship some over to those that might be interested (but the freight will probably cost a fair bit because they are very heavy!) 

[JerryM]

following CA's prompt have located 2 potential UK sites:

alas both are not quite the same a CA's which appears to have lugs for seating the pan without additional framework.

http://www.bes.co.uk/ under LPG burners they have some ring burners listed but no pan seat so would need to contact them about mounting. interesting for me they have 1.6mm replacement jet for my stove (0.8mm fitted) which might just get me to 8.8kw if i find the need.

http://www.birminghamburner.co.uk/items.php?catid=2&catname=Ring these have similar but no prices.

link back to Large Flame Cokker Post http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2894.msg25739#msg25739