Curry Recipes Online
Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: spiceyokooko on January 21, 2013, 08:38 PM
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Which BIR style dish have you cooked at home that comes closest to your local BIRs equivalent?
For me strangely enough it's Saag Bhaji and Tarka Dal. Both of them are either close or equal to my local BIR takeaway in my opinion.
There's no special ingredients in either of them and strangely neither necessarily contain any base sauce, sometimes the Saag one does if I have any to hand, but frequently it doesn't. And oddly they both start with fried onions, or at least the Dal contains fried onions as part of its tempering and most of my chicken BIR main dishes do not start with fried onions. Which got me thinking.
What are other peoples experiences of dishes they've cooked at home and got really close to their local BIR?
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Chicken Punjabi Masala (my recipe)
Chicken Pathia (my recipe)
Brinjal Bhaji (curryhell's recipe)
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Stephen
Any thoughts as to why? Any common denominator between the three dishes?
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Chicken Madras. Really, that is my staple. Although I might occasionally make a sag aloo, and even more rarely a chicken tikka or a tandoori chicken, I basically live on Chicken Madras. Some are good; some are very good; some are pretty average (like tonight's). On a good night, all will say it is better than my local BIR, which is in itself a good one. One a bad night (like tonight) I will admit it is way off without anyone else needing to say anything.
Actually, I've just realised I've given the wrong answer (although all the above is true); the BIR style dish that I have cooked that comes closest to my local BIR's is pulao rice. Comes out perfect every time, and is just a joy in its own right : all it needs is onion salad and lime pickle to make a complete meal.
** Phil.
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Stephen
Any thoughts as to why? Any common denominator between the three dishes?
Well I have to thank curryhell for the brinjal recipe which my g/f says is a 100% clone of what she used to order in Northamptonshire. In that sense I got lucky on the back of CH's efforts, fine chap that he is.
As for the PJ and Pathia, it's been down to extensive and meticulous experimentation with notes taken at each stage. By meticulous I mean changing only one ingredient each time the recipe has been revised. By extensive I mean persevering for weeks if not months until I got what I thought was as close as possible. G/F and I had a PJ and Ceylon tonight and she said the PJ was as good as any curry she's ever had. I won't argue with such praise 8).
I know there's been a bit of a debate on the site about whether cookery is art or science. I tend to think it's both and that empirical process of testing, reviewing, refining and then completing this loop again and again is the science bit, which with some experience behind you can become art like due to judgement calls about what goes with what.
I play guitar and it's a bit like you have to get the technique first but when you couple that with creativity (i.e. choice of notes) then that's where music starts to happen.
I also think I've nailed the Chasni (the tartan curry as some call it) and a few others but the one's I mentioned first have become my highlights.
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Phil
Interesting.
I agree with pilau rice, I can get mine pretty much identical to my locals as well.
I just wondered by asking this question whether a pattern might emerge. It's curious that so far 3 dishes can be cooked at home with no or little difference to the local BIR when none of them use the base sauce many people feel is one of the 'keys'.
I also agree that 'Chicken Madras' is pretty much my standard dish too, but sometimes I vary it and turn it into a dhansak with some dal (I love lentils) which strangely moves it closer to the BIR flavour I'm after.
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I also agree that 'Chicken Madras' is pretty much my standard dish too, but sometimes I vary it and turn it into a dhansak with some dal (I love lentils) which strangely moves it closer to the BIR flavour I'm after.
Oddly, I /don't/ like lentils but I love dhansak (but it must be mutton, not chicken). So what I mean by not liking lentils is that I don't like them on their own, or in just a tarka, but integrated into a dhansak they are out of this world !
** Phil.
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Stephen
Can't say I'm a great fan of aubergines! I don't dislike them, but it wouldn't be high up on my list of dishes to make, I tend to stick with spinach.
I agree 100% with experimentation being the key to creating great tasting dishes, which is one of the reasons in my opinion many of us home curry cooks actually produce dishes that may not necessarily be exact clones of our local BIR's but in their own way taste just as good if not better.
I also think it's great fun once you've mastered the main techniques to take common ingredients and start creating unique dishes from them. I made a potato and dal dish yesterday that tasted great but you'd never find on any BIR menu!
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Phil
I think you have to give tarka dal a good boot up the arse with some fairly robust spicing to get it tasty and spicy. The insipid sloppy watery creations you sometimes get in BIR's will put you off dal.
That could be why you prefer your lentils in dhansak where the other spices in the dish dominate them. Lentils on their own are pretty bland and many of the recipes I've seen for dal aren't heavily spiced enough for me.
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CT's madras and CA's vindaloo. Chicken, lamb, mutton, beef, king prawn, tikka, scrag end. Makes no difference. All better than what's on offer locally. And quite a few other dishes as well.
Rob :)
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Stephen
Can't say I'm a great fan of aubergines! I don't dislike them, but it wouldn't be high up on my list of dishes to make, I tend to stick with spinach.
I agree 100% with experimentation being the key to creating great tasting dishes, which is one of the reasons in my opinion many of us home curry cooks actually produce dishes that may not necessarily be exact clones of our local BIR's but in their own way taste just as good if not better.
I also think it's great fun once you've mastered the main techniques to take common ingredients and start creating unique dishes from them. I made a potato and dal dish yesterday that tasted great but you'd never find on any BIR menu!
spicey I'm no great fan of aubergines either but the brinjal bhaji is just so tasty, in past because I think the brinjals soak up the curry sauce and so they become little nuggets of curry greatness!
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Rob
Are your local BIR take-aways particularly bad ones then? ;)
Just kidding.
But I do think people's experiences will vary somewhat given there's good and bad BIR's out there. All my home cooked dishes would beat the bad ones, none would better the best BIR's I've been to. Somehow the best ones manage an incredibly complex depth of flavour I've never come close to achieving at home. But I put that down to the many layers they add to a dish - I'm just not prepared to put that much work in.
I think Cory's whole suite of dishes, base, mix powder etc are pretty hard to beat and set a very good bench mark for anyone wanting to create these kind of dishes at home.
My own BIR style dishes are based on his base and mix powder modded slightly to my own personal tastes. I generally add more fenugreek and garlic powder and less salt and fenugreek leaves than his recipes.
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I've had a few successes which are pretty much as good as the better TA meals I've had -
Chicken Korma (recipe with carnation)
CAs chicken jalfrezi
C2go chicken mogul
Chicken Tamarind balti (cook4 one)
C2go takes dhal (spiced up a bit!)
One meal I wish I could produce is a chilli chicken bahar from my local TA - fantastic tasty spicy dish which I have no idea how they make! Anyone know this recipe?
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Meggeth
I'm glad I'm not the only one that gives dal a bit of wellie!
Chilli chicken bahar, I've never heard of before. Have you checked the main dishes section of the forum for a recipe? Chilli chicken is a fairly common dish, what's the bahar aspect of it? I'm sure with a bit of ingenuity you could probably reverse engineer it!
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Glossed here (http://www.iqbalsbaltiraj.com/80040/info.php?p=4)as "Apna-style dishes" :
20. Apna Style Dishes:
Hot & spice cooked with green chili, green peppers, coriander & methi.
Chicken Chili Bahar -
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Spicey - yes I think it adds to the flavour. For a good size portion of dhal (4-5 portions), I add half tsp each of spice mix, chilli, and methi, plus a touch of lemon juice to taste. Oh, and I've tried one of the garlic chilli recipes on cr0, and it was very good, but not as good as the bahar.
Phil - not heard of apna before, but it is one of the best Curries I've had anywhere. It is quite a thick sauce - love it. Just wish I could cook it!
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For me it's CT's Madras, which more often than not (depending on pre or post pub production) is way better than the rubbish served by many BIRs these days.
For that true 1980's Glasgow style intensity and depth of flavour, it's CT's Madras with the addition of a good bunjarra paste (I use my own, which is a fusion of the Ashoka and CBM's recipes).
For those with a slightly sweeter tooth it's CA's Ceylon (with a bit less sugar and more chilli for me).
As for sides, as mentioned above it's hard to go wrong with tarka dhal and saag bhaji (my own and others' recipes) and CH's mushroom bhaji.
There are others, but the above are my staples...
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Depending where you look, "Apna" is glossed as "home style", "house style", "Bangladeshi style" or "extra spicy" -- take your pick !
** Phil.
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Did find this for a bahar recipe, probably not like my local BIR, but might give a few ideas of what to try....
http://whatanindianrecipe.com/east-indian/bhetki-begam-bahar-recipe.html (http://whatanindianrecipe.com/east-indian/bhetki-begam-bahar-recipe.html)
One thing I have never tried yet is onion paste (bunjara?) in my cooking. Does this add anything to a good curry?
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Rob
Are your local BIR take-aways particularly bad ones then? ;)
Just kidding.
But I do think people's experiences will vary somewhat given there's good and bad BIR's out there. All my home cooked dishes would beat the bad ones, none would better the best BIR's I've been to. Somehow the best ones manage an incredibly complex depth of flavour I've never come close to achieving at home. But I put that down to the many layers they add to a dish - I'm just not prepared to put that much work in.
I think Cory's whole suite of dishes, base, mix powder etc are pretty hard to beat and set a very good bench mark for anyone wanting to create these kind of dishes at home.
My own BIR style dishes are based on his base and mix powder modded slightly to my own personal tastes. I generally add more fenugreek and garlic powder and less salt and fenugreek leaves than his recipes.
The TAs local to me mainly range from shockingly bad to OK after a few pints. A couple are fairly good. I can get much better if I travel a bit though.
Rob :)
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Here's a couple of pics of a recent Bangaldeshi TA home-delivery I ordered. The dish on the right almost out of camera view is shown in the second pic. This is about as good as it gets within a 3-4 mile delivery range. These were not by any means bad taste-wise (I was rather disappointed with one), but I can easily make all of these better myself (taste, appearance, texture), and I haven
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Out of interest, can anyone guess what these dishes are? They are all different. I
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Out of interest, can anyone guess what these dishes are? They are all different. I
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Not far off Phil. However one is a semi-dry veg side dish, according to the menu.
Time to move house, Rob. Don't worry about the crime rate, whether the local school is up to scratch, whether you can see the Sky satellite at 28oE, or whether you are within range of BT Infinity -- just make sure there are some decent BIR T/As in the neighbourhood !
** Phil.
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One meal I wish I could produce is a chilli chicken bahar from my local TA - fantastic tasty spicy dish which I have no idea how they make! Anyone know this recipe?
Been using this recipe at the moment
Bahar-E-Chicken 1 (Curry Lounge)(CA)
Portion Tandoori Chicken
2 TSP Oil
30g Pineapple, Chopped
2 TSP Tomato Puree
4-5 Blocks Frozen Spinach Leaves
2 Blocks Frozen Spinach Puree
200g Chickpeas
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
2 Green Chillies, Sliced Vertically Or Left Whole
20g Cashew Nut Paste
125ml CA Base Gravy
1 Chef
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Not far off Phil. However one is a semi-dry veg side dish, according to the menu.
Time to move house, Rob. Don't worry about the crime rate, whether the local school is up to scratch, whether you can see the Sky satellite at 28oE, or whether you are within range of BT Infinity -- just make sure there are some decent BIR T/As in the neighbourhood !
** Phil.
Ha ha! Yes, a move might help. The dishes from left to right are: Chicken Vindaloo, Balti Chicken Tikka Shatkora, Madras Sauce, and Aloo Ghobi (I think). The madras sauce was identical to the vinders, minus the chicken. The shatkora tasted remarkable similar to the madras/vindaloo, with less chilli powder and a few bits of lemon peel chucked in. The aloo ghobi was a dead ringer for the the madras/vindaloo/shatkora sauce, with no chilli/mix powder, or seasoning of any description. To be fair the TA owner did agree this wasn't perhaps their finest hour. The worrying part is this really is the best place near me, with maybe the exception of one other (which can also be a bit hit or miss). On the plus side this does provide motivation to get one's own pan out of cupboard.
Rob :)
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Unclefrank - ta for the recipe, gives a few tips of what might be in there - but deffo no pineapple, spinach or chickpeas. I've looked at the TA menu, description is "prepared with sizzler onions, ginger, garlic and naga chilli in a hot sauce". Hmmm, I have some naga pickle, might try to make something up using descriptions.
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Hi meggeth it's that regional thing again.
What TA is it from?
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Its from the Al Halal in Stoke on Trent - one of the better take aways in this area. I find many are quite bland and samey, but this one is pretty good.
The best curries I have ever had have been from Redcar while working away on business. There were 2 restaurants I used to use - both were quite exceptional. Never had anything as good locally in Stoke, unfortunately.
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Ah, Redcar : a whole programme about it on Radio 4 today. Blast furnace closed in 2010 after over 90 years, re-opened in 2012 under new overseas management/ownership (SSI). Wonderful news.
** Phil.
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Never been to Redcar steelworks, but spent many, many hours at Teesside. Not sure if that's a good thing or not.....
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For me it's the Chicken Korma and Chicken Tikka Masala with Taz Base. Pilau rice is only subtly different.
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Stephen
Any thoughts as to why? Any common denominator between the three dishes?
Well I have to thank curryhell for the brinjal recipe which my g/f says is a 100% clone of what she used to order in Northamptonshire. In that sense I got lucky on the back of CH's efforts, fine chap that he is.
As for the PJ and Pathia, it's been down to extensive and meticulous experimentation with notes taken at each stage. By meticulous I mean changing only one ingredient each time the recipe has been revised. By extensive I mean persevering for weeks if not months until I got what I thought was as close as possible. G/F and I had a PJ and Ceylon tonight and she said the PJ was as good as any curry she's ever had. I won't argue with such praise 8).
I know there's been a bit of a debate on the site about whether cookery is art or science. I tend to think it's both and that empirical process of testing, reviewing, refining and then completing this loop again and again is the science bit, which with some experience behind you can become art like due to judgement calls about what goes with what.
I play guitar and it's a bit like you have to get the technique first but when you couple that with creativity (i.e. choice of notes) then that's where music starts to happen.
I also think I've nailed the Chasni (the tartan curry as some call it) and a few others but the one's I mentioned first have become my highlights.
I play guitar too and I can see where you are coming from Stephen. I've made a conscious decision not to learn theory so that my ability to compose would be 70% feeling and 30% technique. However, I think I need to disagree with you that creativity cannot be an essencial element to discovering the BIR taste. It can be, if you are doing it on a trial and error basis and using your brains to fill the gaps of your recipes. Then again, this is me thinking loudly. I'm also an engineer and I tend to think everything in mathematical terms, so sometimes I tend to follow a "scientifical approach to cooking".
This also makes me realize something interesting after revisiting this thread. Some of the "highly spoken" members of this forum claim they don't attain that taste reliably everytime, to paraphrase Phil, "on a good/bad day", etc. Not that it is a bad thing, but seeing how far I've come with only a few successful recipes (and a ton of appreciation for everyone leading me in the (hopefully) right direction to BIR taste) I feel quite proud and grateful for the efforts of many. I am not as ambitious as some of you, having mostly stuck with the bangladeshi curries in Cambridge, but I know it is a hard path, especially when you are starting fresh like me :)
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Well, I've just polished off the left-overs from another home delivery from the TA I referred to on page 3. They now have a new chef! Anyway, ordered 2 pops, a chicken pathia, a chicken rezala, and a portion of boiled rice. Got 3 pops, bought-in onion salad, and yogurt mint dip. Freshest pops I've had in ages; perfect, as was the onion salad. The previous chef did a bright green mint dip, which despite the colour was basically OK. The new Chef