Topic: rajver vindaloo sauce - new chef/ and base sauce recipe

[parker21]

hi guys/girls
just lately when i have run out of base sauce i have been walking my dogs across the fields to my local to get a vindaloo sauce ( having already precooked the chicken). the other night i thought i would ask to see the sauce cooked(as there has been a new chef for a while now). Amin went through to the kitchen to ask if chef minded having an audience....me ;D he reappeared to say go on through. the chef was alot younger than me (36) and his name was the same as the last chef Miah.i shok his hand and then he proceeded to show me how he cooks it.
first he reached up to a shelf above the cooker to the stacks ot frying pans and put it on the gas ring to heat up about 40 seconds then added 2 tbsps of veg oil from an old ghee pot on the back of the cooker. he then reached into a pot and sprinkled chopped garlic 2 chefs pinches into the pan after about 30 seconds he stirred it and removed from the heat to add the other ingredients 1tbsp tomato paste (from a large tin and mixed with water ketchup consistency) 1tbsp chilli powder 1tsp salt 1 heaped tsp curry powder (bought in prepacked did not get the brand-but any good curry powder will do,rajah mild ) he then put the pan back on the heat turned up to full power then added 1/4 large ladle of runny base sauce(200ml ladle ) to the pan mixed well the he turned the extractor on ( i guess he smelt toffee :) then added 2 more ladles of base and then 1 chefs pinch of methi and shortly followed by chefs pinch of fresh coriander (cilantro) stirred in an then left to bubble away for about 5 minutes stirring occassionally.then he turned to me and said there it's done. he poured it into the foil container lid on.

as usual it tasted fab

i did ask how he makes his base sauce he said fill the pot to the top with onions 15 ltr pot cook for 1 1/2 hours with salt water and veg oil add green peppers fresh tomatoes ( i assume they slice the skin off and use this for the onion salad as well, waste nothing) curry powder, turmeric and .........coconut milk! cook for another 1 1/2 hours and then blend i guess. the gravy looks like most i have seen in colour and is quite runny. i have heard somewhere that the runnier the sauce the better it will be but have yet to try it out. i did make a sauce the other night had no fresh tomatoes i could use so had to use tom puree ( did not have 15 litre pot or the onions to fill one so used 5 large onions  chopped finely 1 heaped dsp tom puree,2 large garlic cloves, 1 green pepper, 3 green chillies ,1 carrot chopped, 3/4 tbsp salt 250ml veg oil a palmful fresh coriander and hot water 1 ltr , 2dsp rajah madras curry powder 1tbsp turmeric. cooked onions and garlic and salt with 2tbsp veg oil 5tbsp water with lid on for about 50 mins then added chillies, pepper,carrot,coriander,tomato puree and the rest of the water and oil mix well and fast simmer for 30 mins just until the carrots are cooked then add the curry powder and turmeric stir in well ( because i didnot have any coconut milk i put in 1 tbsp of creamed coconut) and simmer for 20 mins. take off the heat and blend. i added a littlie more hot water to make slightly runnier soup consistency. used to make chicken vindaloo very nice i just don't have the heat to make the most of this.

hope you guys/gls enjoy the read and my 3rd visit into the kitchen

regards
gary

[lorrydoo]

Excellent post Garry, did the chef mention anything about chicken stock?

[parker21]

hi sorry no he didnot but the curries i have made being very close to the vindaloos i have been getting lately and they seem to be meaty tasting i think it is the curry powder . i am going to try it with the coconut milk it got today.... tomorrow so will let you know it went

 

regards
gary

[Yousef]

Thanks for sharing this parker21,

I feel sure with this kind of info we must be so very close to achieving the real thing.
I will have to try this recipe out and report back.

I really need to get talking to my local curry man to see what secrets i can get.
Respect to you for actually getting in the kithcen mate....next time sneak a video camera in!!

Stew

[Curry King]

Will give this a go next time I make a batch, intresting that it's just plain curry powder as the main spicing.

[Secret Santa]

I can't help thinking that that curry powder is probably his own mix and will contain more than just a shop bought standard curry powder. Otherwise the only spices would be the curry powder, chilli and methi. It just seems too simple.

[Cory Ander]

Hi Gary,

Thanks for an interesting post of what you've SEEN go on in a BIR! 

Minimal spicing or what! 

However, I'm very intrigued by this comment that you made....

.....mixed well the he turned the extractor on ( i guess he smelt toffee  : ).....

I'm not sure what you meant by that?  Do you think that decent BIR curries don't smell a little like toffee? Or that high heat has nothing to do with developing this smell? Or both? Or neither?

Pray, please do tell! lol 

[parker21]

hi
what i meant about the toffee smell is that in order to release the oils in the spices the pan/oil must be hot so in goes the garlic when it floats remove the pan from the heat to add the tomato paste chilli salt and curry powder return to heat stir well keep stirring until you smell toffee like aroma remove pan from heat then add a ladle of base sauce and mix well when bubbling add 2 more ladles and then the fenugreek stir well........etc add chicken heat for couple of mins add potato alittle more sauce coriander 2 more mins garnish and cover and let it settle for 5 mins , then go outside to clear you nose.


regarding his own mix of curry powder this it was not i double checked .so it would be handy to get the brand he used.

made a base with 6 onions 1 pepper 1small carrot palmful of coriander 1 tomato deskinned and chopped 1 heaped dsp tomato puree 250ml oil 1 1/2 ltr hot water 1tbsp salt. 2 dsp rajah madras curry powder 1 dsp turmeric 2/3 tin coconut milk.

boil onions salt pepper carrot coriander tomato and puree oil and water for 1/2 hour add the curry powder and turmeric stir well simmmer for 45 mins then add the coconut milk simmer for 20 mins  blend then add water until thinnish soup consistency simmer for 45 mins with the lid on hopefully the oil will rise up do not worry if not . th eoil will rise when cooking the final dish. made vindaloo as above yummy.

regards
gary

[Richard W. Rinn]

Hi Gary,

Interesting post, thanks!

Couple of questions about the heat used when cooking:

first he reached up to a shelf above the cooker to the stacks ot frying pans and put it on the gas ring to heat up about 40 seconds then added 2 tbsps of veg oil from an old ghee pot on the back of the cooker. he then reached into a pot and sprinkled chopped garlic 2 chefs pinches into the pan after about 30 seconds he stirred it and removed from the heat to add the other ingredients 1tbsp tomato paste (from a large tin and mixed with water ketchup consistency) 1tbsp chilli powder 1tsp salt 1 heaped tsp curry powder (bought in prepacked did not get the brand-but any good curry powder will do,rajah mild )

Would you say the heat was at 'medium' up until this point?

he then put the pan back on the heat turned up to full power then added 1/4 large ladle of runny base sauce(200ml ladle ) to the pan mixed well the he turned the extractor on ( i guess he smelt toffee :) then added 2 more ladles of base and then 1 chefs pinch of methi and shortly followed by chefs pinch of fresh coriander (cilantro) stirred in an then left to bubble away for about 5 minutes stirring occassionally.

Was the heat left on full for the 5 minutes of bubbling, or turned down?


Cheers,

Richard.

[parker21]

hi rwr it didnot matter that the heat was only on medium because the pan and oil were hot. he turned the extractor on so he did not choke from the fumes (toffee smell) can be overpowering. because the base was runny it could be left to bubble.without fear of any burning taking place.plus the flame heats the pan differently because of the size of the flame "licks" the outside of the pan.
regards
gary