Topic: Lasan chicken tandoori (from the F-Word)

[mickdabass]

Another reason why I like this recipe is because it doesnt rely on any of Mr Pataks pastes.
I accept that Pataks products are used in a hell of a lot of BIRs but Im affraid I avoid using them because I think its cheating! 

[Derek Dansak]

Hi Mick, yes i am also not using pataks anymore.  its suprisingly hard to get a good rich bir style taste, just relying on the key ingredients. but i am well pleased with this years results so far. last year was all about mistakes, but i must have learnt alot in the process. i am throwing out my last few pataks jars this weekend.   ;D 

[Stephen Lindsay]

I accept that Pataks products are used in a hell of a lot of BIRs but I'm afraid I avoid using them because I think its cheating!

I agree Mick, I have never used Pataks pastes as it seems a bit like cooking a bit of chicken and chucking in someone else's spice or sauce ingredients. To me this isn't really cooking, it's taking a shortcut and "assembling".

I always like to use masalas that I have roasted and ground myself. I enjoy it as part of the fun of cooking curries. I too accept that some BIRs will use Pataks but I also accept that they have to find a way of turning out dozens of curries of an evening. I don't have to do that and also want to know what is going into my curries.

Also feel the same way about chicken. I have read some posts where people are buying the cheapest broiler birds from Farmfoods etc and think it's a bit like computers - crap in crap out.

[Secret Santa]

I have read some posts where people are buying the cheapest broiler birds from Farmfoods etc and think it's a bit like computers - crap in crap out.

You couldn't be more wrong in this case. But I guess you'll continue to pay twice or three times the price for chicken that tastes exactly the same. Your loss mate!   ;D

[Stephen Lindsay]

I have read some posts where people are buying the cheapest broiler birds from Farmfoods etc and think it's a bit like computers - crap in crap out.

You couldn't be more wrong in this case. But I guess you'll continue to pay twice or three times the price for chicken that tastes exactly the same. Your loss mate!   ;D

In the end, you pays your money and takes your choice. If they want to pay as little as 50p a pound for their meat, they have little cause to complain about the farmers. This of course comes at a cost. Broiler chicken farms are simply protein factories; machines for turning chicken feed into edible fibrous chicken muscle as quickly and cheaply as possible. The typical broiler chicken has around six weeks to live. At hatching, the chicks weigh just a few ounces, but when they are killed their weight may have increased to nearly five pounds. The weight of all this muscle - which is the meat we eat - can break the immature bones of the bird's skeleton. It also puts pressure on its heart and can cause heart failure and lung problems.

Meanwhile the floor of the barn is thick with droppings, and the stench of ammonia is overpowering. Many of the birds die, and their carcasses contribute to the harsh atmosphere. It is estimated that nine out of ten birds are effectively lame by the time they are killed. The ammonia released in the urine and the faeces soaked straw and wood shavings underfoot eats away the chickens legs, causing the black burns that can often be seen staining the flesh of supermarket joints.

Enjoy!!

[JerryM]

Secret Santa,

the farm foods deal is on still in some stores but off in others. i'm not a fan of iceland as u need a 1? to park (i never have cash). i was back on the asda yesterday and may have to head stephen's advice.

et al,

glad the pataks is seeing sense. real good pies from wigan. hate the football team (friend is in the youth academy and this would change when he makes the 1st team) not a fan of the stuff in jars full stop.

stephen,
i think we all need to know more on the food industry and probably become a tad more veggie as a result and make the money still cover the needs.

[mickdabass]

I think you will find that a lot of this cheap chicken is reared on factory ships originating from China which hasn't exactly got the best reputation for human rights so it stands to reason their animal rights arent the most stringent in the world! Because the chickens are processed and packaged in UK or Europe (usually Holland), it can have a "produce of  EU" label on it
BTW under the mesh that the chicken stand on (all their lives) there is a container full of water containing..... wait for it...........prawns
You can guess what their staple diet is 
Sorry going a bit off topic but ultimately its the big supermarkets are to blame.
All this "Fair Trade" should start at home with British Food Producers

Soz guys had to get that off my chest. Im a farmer

[JerryM]

mickdabass,

nothing to apologise for - for sure. it's worse than that but don't get me going - supermarket profit ehh - i've not seen a poor one.

[PaulP]

I tried the Farmfoods 3 bags for a tenner of frozen chicken several months ago.

I found the meat was too salty and watery and had a poor texture, and ended up giving the remaining 2 bags away. You don't need to add salt to frozen chicken so why do they do that? I know the water is to increase the weight.

Each to their own I suppose.

Paul.

[Secret Santa]

I found the meat was too salty and watery and had a poor texture

I find no trace of saltiness, not too watery (despite the fact that they water injected), and texture similar to any other chicken at 2 or 3 times the price. As you say, each to their own!