Curry Recipes Online
Curry Base Recipes => Curry Sauce, Curry Base , Curry Gravy Recipes, Secret Curry Base => Topic started by: Chilli Prawn on September 28, 2006, 01:38 AM
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A bit of a boast this, but was given to me by a friend who is an English chef who had the good fortune to work in one of our local high class Indian restaurants for a few years (and was highly regarded by the owners and patrons). Anyway if you try this make sure your kitchen door is closed, the extractors on, and the windows are open because it is very smelly, you have been warned ::)
THE ULTIMATE CURRY BASE! Version 2 (updated 27/02/07)
(A genuine Indian Restaurant Recipe)
Introduction
This is how the Asian restaurants and take-aways prepare the base for all their curry sauce based dishes. There are many variations, and it is those variations that make curries individual and set Asian chefs apart (the good, the bad, the tasteless).
The base will be bland when finished, but this belies its flavour burst and flavour depth when combined with other spices and ingredients that make up a specific dish. So don?t go trying to make biased towards any particular flavour, this is similar to the base sauces all Asian chefs use in their kitchens.
There are no specific measurements as such, so experimentation is recommended until you find the base you want that will make your ultimate curries unique!
The recipe calls for two bases; a vegetable stock and a spice paste, which are made separately and then combined after a period of a few hours (overnight).
Like most Asian food patience is required and plenty of time on your hands for cooking. You must pay attention to detail, keep your eye on the cooking process (don?t let things burn unless you are specifically asked to do so).
This recipe uses large quantities; sufficient for about 6 litres of base. You can increase this amount by just increasing the quantities give here, but it is not viable or economic to make a smaller batch. You should be able to freeze the base without experiencing too much deterioration in texture or taste, but it will definitely not be the same! Better, if you plan to make some Indian dishes in the same period and then freeze the end products.
Some Golden Rules
Always use wooden or plastic utensils
Always use the highest heat initially and reduce to simmer later
NEVER ever use utensils that have been used for meat when mixing or serving the base sauce, or it will go ?off? almost immediately. Keep each utensil for its own purpose, i.e. meat or vegetable only and make sure you thoroughly wash them in a dishwasher after use
Keep stocks, base in the fridge when not in use, the base should keep for about 5 days from initial production.
Always add stock, or any other liquids like milk or yoghurt, to spices a little at a time to let them absorb it and allow the oil to rise. Water is rarely used unless combined with other ingredients.
Be aware that one of the reasons for the restaurant taste is that the ingredients are cooked on a high heat in lots oil and with lots of salt; this what explodes the flavours. So don't cut back on these unless you have a dietry requirement.
Never let things burn unless it is required by the recipe; keep your eye on it!
If it doesn?t work, or doesn?t taste right; ditch it and start again. What is wrong will follow through to the final dish.
Patience is a virtue and economically sound!
Vegetable Stock Base
For this you will need a 22 pint stock pot. These amounts are only approximations; you do not have to be too accurate and you can experiment with them.
Ingredients
English Onions - Enough to almost fill the pot to about 4cm from top when combined with the other ingredients about 5 kilos (unpeeled weight) will do the job. Don't get hung up about the amount as you can always add onion base pulp later to top up and make it milder.
Capsicums Four large, colour doesn?t matter, deseeded and quartered.
Garlic Four to five whole heads, core removed and unpeeled
Mooli One large root will do, washed and coarsely chopped
Carrots About five large ones unpeeled, heads removed, coarsely chopped
Leeks About three large washed ones sliced (use all the leek)
Ginger One large root unpeeled, washed, and coarsely chopped
20 Bay Leaves (large sizes)
20-25 Green Cardamom lightly crushed (use husk and seeds)
12g Fennel Seeds
12g Cloves
12g Cassia Bark broken up
1 tsp ground Methi seeds (Fenugreek)
400g Tomato Puree single concentrate (not fresh or tinned or Passata)
115g Butter Ghee preferred, but veg oil will do
100g Knorr Vegetable Bouillon catering paste approx weight ? don?t make too strong!
1 tsp Black pepper (use more or less to taste)
1 tblspn Salt (use more or less to taste)
4 litres Water (approximately ? see recipe process)
Process
Peel and chop onions in halves
Break up the Garlic heads and remove the stalks but DO NOT PEEL the Garlic cloves
Clean and wash all other vegetables and prepare them as directed
Heat Ghee/oil in pan on a low heat until melted
Add all vegetables, salt, pepper, and spices and mix to coat with oil ? do not fry!
Check salt
Add sufficient water to just cover the onions, no more no less - about 5 litres
Add the vegetable bouillon slowly (and regularly check strength over the whole cooking process)
Mix everything one more time
Turn heat to high
Boil for one hour (keep stirring)
Simmer for a further half-hour (keep stirring)
Allow to cool and keep in the fridge or cool place overnight.
The following day bring stock back to the boil
Remove from heat allow the stock to cool down slightly.
Blend EVERYTHING to a very fine puree; use a stick blender or Magimix, a blender might work.
Leave to stand for one hour while you cook the spice mix.
Spice Base
This must be prepared tyhe day before i.e. while the stock is cooking, and left overnight to infuse. The following day both mixes are combined slowly to produce the final base product. You will need a large pan, e.g. the one used for the stock.
Ingredients
40g Garam Masala powder
40g Mild Curry powder
40g Coriander powder
40g Cumin powder
40g Paprika powder
40g Turmeric powder
20g Chilli powder (standard mild - not hot)
20g Cayenne powder (optional this will make the final base hotter)
250 ml Oil 1 - Vegetable or groundnut oil marinating
Extra oil Oil 2 ? frying, Sufficient for about half an inch in a large pan
Process
Mix all spices together with the Oil 1 and leave to stand overnight. Do not refrigerate
Pour sufficient of the Oil number 2 to cover the bottom of the pan to a depth of about half and inch or 1-2 centimetres.
If the spice mixture or spice/stock mixture start to catch or stick, then remove the pan from the heat immediately and keep stirring until the mixture has cooled. Then return the pan to the low heat.
Heat oil on low flame and when hot add all of the spice paste
Reduce heat to very low
Cook/fuse for about 5 minutes stirring continually. You should see the mixture separate and start to gloop.
Do not allow sticking or burning as this will completely ruin the paste, if it does ditch it and start again.
Then - on medieum heat
Add about ? litre of stock puree and stir in and allow the oil to rise
Add another ? litre, stir and allow oil to rise
Do this until all of the puree has been added
You must keep stirring this mixture all the time during this process
Then
Cook the mixture on a very low heat for one and a half hours. Check it is not sticking and stir regularly.
The curry base is now ready to use. It should be a very smooth sauce infused with lots of oil and taste very bland. Note the oil should rise to the surface and protect the sauce.
You can store the base in a fridge for about 5 days, and it may be frozen for up to 6 months
When using the base, heat it up first before you start making the curry dishes. Keep it warm throughout all the cooking.
REMEMBER - DO NOT CONTAMINATE THE SAUCE BY USING IMPLEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN OR ARE BEING USED FOR MEAT PRODUCTS.
You use the base as follows. Heat a lot of oil in a pan until smoking, add your meat, add spices required by the recipe, add any tomato base/puree if required, and then add a small amount of base. Add water (not my preference) or milk or yoghurt to thin out the sauce to required consistency.
Happy Cooking
C P
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Yet another twist on the base sauce recipe, excellent.
I notice there a no tomatoes in this, is that right?
Also where can you get the knorr catering paste?
cK
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Mooli, is another name for white Radish for all newcomers here.
I take it normal Radish in the Supermarkets will suffice Chilli Prawn?
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I will have to get used to this particular forum system!! :-[ I keep hitting a keyand losing all the text I have created; very frustrating.
Anyway Hi all.
You can get Knorr Vegetable Bouillon from all catering trade suppliers (sorry I forgot that I am in the trade and have accounts with them). I get mine from Bookers or Makro. I suggest you ask a friendly publican or professional chef to get some for you when they do their orders. It comes in a one kilogram tub (shaped like a Polyfiller tub), colours - green and yellow. This particular base is somewhat important in that it has a very good depth of flavour and requires very little in the mixing, it also keeps for ages in the fridge. You could try the ordinary stock cubes but you will need a lot of them! I use this bouillon because its asked for in the recipe and the chef who gave it to me says he tried others and they didn't work as well.
I have got this far without a restart (mis-key), great!
Now for Mooli. It is common question this, but it is down to you. The reason it is used is because it adds a subtle peripheral flavour and doesn't swamp other flavours; it is also quite mild. You could use salad radish I guess, but my opinion is that you would need lots, they would be too hot, and lastly they have a greater water content and thus the wrong texture.
As I say in other posts, this is a wonderful art and all art is experimental and pushes the boundaries. Life would be boring otherwise. So experiment and learn what all this flavours do on there own and to other flavours in the pot!
I will try to set up the Techniques Topic as soon as I get a break. I mentioned I was involved in writing an Asian Cookery book thatspecialised in techniques/methods. I didn't mention that we tested our recipes and methods by giving them to eachother to do and then the victim had to ask everone round to try their attempt. Sadly or frustratingly the Asian friends always did it better ::) :-[, but it was a good learning curve.
Lastly I found that one important thing is to get to know how spices and herbs interact with each other, e.g Cumin kills everything if overused but works very well in support. Curry cooking is a chemical process based on acids, heat, and emulsification.
Sorry i am getting carried away, so I will close. I hope the above has not been too long winded or boring.
Happy Cooking
C P
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Chilli Prawn, what a post!
I haven't posted for a bit (been watching from the sidelines), but just had to post and thank you for this!
The technique must be The Secret, there are too many variatons on ingredients from restaurants, but all can have The Taste
Please don't make us wait too long, or as some have done disappear once they promised to divulge The Secret!!
Thanks
Eric
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I forgot to answer the first question: What about the Tomatoes?
Well this is because of the techniques for cooking the dishes using this base. The 'product' e.g. the chicken pieces, are coated in a light tomato paste (usually concentrated paste with water added) before fast frying.
Also freshly made tomato base makes a dish much more enjoyable and digestible, so add it when you add the base. I think you will find (despite what you read in books or see on TV) that most Asian chefs add tomatoes in one form or another late in the preparation of the dish for this very reason.
Lastly when you add tomatoes late in the process it is much easier to get the salt & sugar balance correct.
Hope this helps. I am sure you all know that it is almost impossible to get the BIR flavour the same when you cook at home.
Happy Cooking
C P
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Hi Eric, I have the time to reply at the moment as I am at my other business (IT & Computer Consultants ???) so while I am fixing these silly boxes I am able to type up some stuff.
I do not pretend or wish to be regarded as some sort of Guru and I guess that goes for all on this forum. I searched for the 'SECRET' for years and then found I already had got (for years), when some good chefs in the biz told me how they worked. As I have said it is mostly to do with techniques; and methods that are specific to the curry-house trade, so hopefully we can all chip in on the new thread when it starts, and the light will suddenly dawn for many I hope.
Just a quick aside to keep you happy and patient; one of the main 'secrets' is flash frying. The taste that you get from good restaurants is due to the use of very high heat and allowing the oil to flash thus searing the contents briefly (a bit like flambe). Unfortunately you can't do this at home unless you have a very good gas hob and an extractor that is designed to resist flames. I didn't have the latter at first (in my new kitchen) and promptly set everything on fire and blew the extractor out like a V1 rocket motor.
Happy Cooking
C P
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I forgot to mention that I use TRS or East End 'Curry Powder' and 'Garam Masala' in the base. You can use anything you wish as long as it does not take over the base, e.g. not too aromatic or flavoursome.
If anyone is interested I also have a Bargha (sp) recipe that I created many many years ago and still use today in most of my recipes (sometimes as well as the base). Sorry a Bargha is a mix of whole spices fried in very hot oil, this releases the deep flavours and aromas locked in the spices (a bit like roasting). My recipe goes a step further to become a sort of base.
Happy Cooking
C P
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Thanks for that CP, very intresting reading I can't wait to try this base out now.
cK
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Excellent C P, will definately try this when i run out of the base sauces i made today
madrasandy
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What a really great and informative post CP, thanks.
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gg, watching this space!!
there are plenty of hungry guinea pigs here to try out your recipes.
Regards Ashes
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Hi Chilli,
Great post, on the assumption that you have a good base to start with I couldn't agree more re the "Secret" being related to high temperature flash frying. I flame off my curries outside using a large LPG (Calor) gas ring. I have experimented after making a batch, flaming off a portion and not the other, the difference in taste is unbelievable.
I also flame off the next day but that's a different story.
Cheers
Jockomalay
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If anyone is interested I also have a Bargha (sp) recipe that I created many many years ago and still use today in most of my recipes (sometimes as well as the base).
Hi Chilliprawn
Yes I am most interested in your "Bargha" Please tell me more sounds very interesting ::)
Layne ;)
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CP
Yes, what a great post! Before I try the sauce, could you please clarify the following points:
>...good fortune to work in one of our local high class Indian restaurants
Was that a high class BIR or more the 'authentic' style closer to 'proper' Indian cooking, like offered by 'The Red Fort' and 'Tamarind'in London, for example? I suspect they use base sauces of some description, too.
Red Fort: http://www.london-eating.co.uk/78.htm
Tamarind: http://www.london-eating.co.uk/152.htm
>There are no specific measurements as such, so experimentation
>is recommended
Understood, but a few more pointers would be great, namely what is the approx. weight of ginger root, please? In most base recipes, the weight and volume of ginger and garlic are about the same. Does that apply here?
>it is not viable or economic to make a smaller batch
I will try! Even though you may be right. I hope it will be viable and certainly more economic than investing in so many onions and other ingredients. These days, I always make a 2 onion variant of the MarkJ 35 onion base sauce, with everything simply pro-rata'd down. It tastes so damn good, that I can't be losing much by not sticking with 35 onions.
>Garlic Four to five whole heads, core removed and unpeeled
>Ginger One large root unpeeled, washed, and coarsely chopped
This must work, or you wouldn't have written it, presumably. But I have never seen any other recipe where garlic, ginger and onion(?) 'skins' go through to a final dish, albeit in puree form. Carrots can be scrubbed, I guess, to get rid of most dirt.
Thanks again
Regards
George
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I'm really enjoying your posts CP and can't wait to incorporate some of your ideas, thanks for sharing your knowledge. :)
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Hi George, I have embedded my responses in colour below
CP
Yes, what a great post! Before I try the sauce, could you please clarify the following points:
>...good fortune to work in one of our local high class Indian restaurants
Was that a high class BIR or more the 'authentic' style closer to 'proper' Indian cooking, like offered by 'The Red Fort' and 'Tamarind'in London, for example? I suspect they use base sauces of some description, too.
Red Fort: http://www.london-eating.co.uk/78.htm
Tamarind: http://www.london-eating.co.uk/152.htm
Sorry but we are talking Isle of Wight here not London ??? Anyway I do know the restaurants you refer to, but they are not your average High Street jobbies and their whole approach and methods are quite different.
>There are no specific measurements as such, so experimentation
>is recommended
Understood, but a few more pointers would be great, namely what is the approx. weight of ginger root, please? In most base recipes, the weight and volume of ginger and garlic are about the same. Does that apply here?
I use about 4 to 5 ounces of unpeeled coarsely chopped Ginger, but you could use equal weights to the Garlic. What you must aim for is what initially appears to be a fairly bland sauce, albeit very smelly; Too much Ginger at this stage could be overpowering.
>it is not viable or economic to make a smaller batch
I will try! Even though you may be right. I hope it will be viable and certainly more economic than investing in so many onions and other ingredients. These days, I always make a 2 onion variant of the MarkJ 35 onion base sauce, with everything simply pro-rata'd down. It tastes so damn good, that I can't be losing much by not sticking with 35 onions.
What I do is freeze in 1kg boxes for the business and in small 1/4 litre pots for home use. This small amount will make a couple of good portions.
>Garlic Four to five whole heads, core removed and unpeeled
>Ginger One large root unpeeled, washed, and coarsely chopped
This must work, or you wouldn't have written it, presumably. But I have never seen any other recipe where garlic, ginger and onion(?) 'skins' go through to a final dish, albeit in puree form. Carrots can be scrubbed, I guess, to get rid of most dirt.
The onions have to be peeled (sorry) because you have to check they are not rotten. I use large Columbian Onions for labour saving, they are sweet and not too fiery. However the BIRs prefer English or Polish because they are more fiery. The rest can be left whole with skins on (wash the leeks well though). I put all my result through a Magimix and sometimes also my smoothie blender!
Thanks again
Regards
George
You are very welcome
Happy cooking
C P
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Has anyone tried this base yet ?
I'm getting too fat for experimentation at the moment, but this does look the business.
CP can you confirm the amount of tomato puree ? Is it really 400g worth ? Do you have a brand name and tell us if it is double concentrate or not ?
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Has anyone tried this base yet ?
I'm getting too fat for experimentation at the moment, but this does look the business.
CP can you confirm the amount of tomato puree ? Is it really 400g worth ? Do you have a brand name and tell us if it is double concentrate or not ?
Hi J. All I use is Tesco's jars of tomato paste, or I buy a large tin of Napolena paste from my wholesaler if I am doing a big run. The latter is better because it has more flavour.
I do recognise that a lot of you require precision in the recipes, and I forget sometimes because I do this for a (small) living now and have got used to dealing with quantities. I suggest you try 400g to start with and play around with the quantities to suit your taste. The reason for the large amount of paste is beecause there are no tinned/fresh tomatoes in the recipe.
Hope this helps
Happy Cooking
CP
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Want to give this UCB a go, could someone give me a clue as to the amount of onions in weight so that I may at least be somewhere near the mark.
Thanks
John
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JohnBoy: hmmm.... the amount of onions is really proportional to the rest of the ingredients, but only in the sense that you top up the pan with them. I use a 14 Ltr Stock Pot, so I put in all the ingredients and top up with Onions. I will try and work it out more precisely next time. Mind you I didn't get a precise recipe in the first place ;D
Happy Cooking
CP
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Want to give this UCB a go, could someone give me a clue as to the amount of onions in weight so that I may at least be somewhere near the mark.
Hi John,
I also use a similar sized stock pot as CP uses and, judging by the rest of CP's recipe, I reckon about 2.5kg (about 12, or so, medium sized) onions would be a good starting point (pending CP's verification, of course).
Hope this helps a little :)
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Thanks guys, that'll give me a place to start.
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Sorry John, :-[
I just measured my pot and it is only 7 litres! Therefore, if CP's pot is 14 litres, about 5kg (about 24 medium sized) of onions would be a good starting point.
Sorry to muck you around...clearly I had dillusions of grandeur for a minute ot two there! ;)
Mine aint 'alf as big as I thought it was! ;D
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No probs, it takes a real man to admit that someone else has a bigger one. ;)
Thanks for taking the time.
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Yes, thanks Cory A, well done in sorting that out. Size doesn't really matter, I know from years of experience :-[. Its the ratios of the ingredients that are important and it is not proportional either, i.e. if you use a 7 litre pot instead of a 14 litre pot you don't just halve the quantities!
I am not sure whether the amount of onion is relevant either, as it eventually is only bulk with little flavour; the acids and thus the flavour is mainly lost in steam. I always have a simple onion base alongside my UCB so that I can get blends and sauce consistency right.
Wishing you success
CP
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...if you use a 7 litre pot instead of a 14 litre pot you don't just halve the quantities!
Doh, give me strength! Don't start this old chestnut again.
YF
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Do you have to add a raw nerve to the base recipe then ::) Sorry if I touched on an old subject YF.
Cheers
CP
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CP,
We had a big debate some time ago on wether or not certain recipes could be downsized, it can't be helped going over some previous topics. The only way it's not going to happen is if new members are forced to start reading every post from December 04 before they are allowed to post any new topics ;D
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Sorry I asked now :-[
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I have downsized my own base Gravy to 10 Onions (left other ingredients the same quantities) with no apparent detrimental effects on the flavor of the final dish cooked with Base gravy.
hope this helps you Johnboy. :)
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CP,
We had a big debate some time ago on wether or not certain recipes could be downsized, it can't be helped going over some previous topics. The only way it's not going to happen is if new members are forced to start reading every post from December 04 before they are allowed to post any new topics ;D
Are you going to organise and anniversary party for December then? ;D
CP
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I think last year we just had a happy birthday thread where we all posted what currys we would be making for xmas day :D
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CP, I just started prep for this base recipe and I know you say the amounts are approximate but there is something seriously wrong quantity wise. I'm making 3 pints so I've quartered everything for a 3 pint pot. By the time I'd added the carrot (1 large), leek (1 small) and pepper (1 large) there was no room left in the pot for anything else. Can you suggest where the error is please so I can get on.
Also you say any pepper can be used, but it's clear that a very different base will result from using a red pepper to one using a green pepper for example.
YF
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...I know from years of experience :-[. Its the ratios of the ingredients that are important and it is not proportional either, i.e. if you use a 7 litre pot instead of a 14 litre pot you don't just halve the quantities!...I am not sure whether the amount of onion is relevant either....
I'm sorry but I'm totally confused here! The original recipe specified a 12 pint stock pot and then said to use enough onions to almost fill the pot. Now, we're talking about a stock pot of about twice the size, at a whopping 14 litres which would give roughly double the weight in onions, yet the carrot amount, for example, has presumably not changed at "About five large ones".
This can't be right, can it? Please clarify almost everything again, in order to give your recipe the best chance of success here, by anyone who tries it.
I seek confidence in the large-volume original recipe. Once I have confidence in what that is, I will try and scale it back pro-rata to perhaps 2 or 3 onions, with ALL the other ingredients scaled back, too. But I need to know the starting point.
Regards
George
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Hi YF and George, I humbly apologies, the error is on my part I use a large stock pot which is about 26 pints to the top but i fill it to a mark I made which is 22 pints. I note my recipe says 12 pints! so I must apologise for the typo. So a quarter would be 5 1/2 pints! Which accounts for you problems YF. Sorry :(
The veg stock amounts are not that important, but the spice ratios and amounts are. If you want you can cut up the veg you have in half and cook each separately, reducing each down to a third and then combining them to reduce further. Now the sticky question about onions, my recipe says put all the veg in and top up with onions, which is not helpful to you guys. However I would still say do the same as you ratios will approximately equate in a cut down version. Onions do not add much flavour but are used mainly for bulk.
As far as the peppers are concerned I just throw in what I have available, which is usually a bag of Tescos Value mixed peppers, I don't use expensive stuff. I don't think it really matters as it is a long cooking/breakdown process, so the only possible difference would be sweetness. (green peppers become red or yellow peppers as the sugar reacts with UV). So if you are using green just add about half teaspoon of light brown sugar or Gur.
Sorry I can't be more helpful as we only cook in commercial quantities. I did get Mark to check my type-up of his recipe and got him to try it and he said it was perfect and all the quantities are correct (I had concerns also you know :D) However I am talking to Mark tomorrow and I will ask his opinion on reducing quantities, and post his response..
Good luck, and sorry to cause you this confusion. Please get back to me if you have any other queries.
CP
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CP can you confirm the quantities of spices in the spice base please. In your preamble you mention that the base should be quite bland, but this is a serious amount of spices, far more than in any other base I have made.
YF
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I can see your point and it has been raised by others previously (and answered I hope, but probably on a digression on another thread :o ::) ) Yes this base is a bit more beefy than most, but then you don't use very much base in the cooking. If you want to make it more mild then reduce the chilli by half (you can always add more later) and you can reduce the spice by 25% with out much change happening. If you are doing a 3 pint job then cut them down quite a lot. Sorry to be imprecise but I have never experimented with smaller quantities. And if I dare mention it, the original handwritten scrawl says use chef's spoons so I have had to do the conversions. ::) :-X, but as I said Mark has checked the recipe, tasted and approved it. Maybe it would be better to wait until I have had my meeting with Mark tomorrow.
CP
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Hey CP - wanting to try this but I also need to make a smaller amount.
Did you meet with Mark in the end?
Cheers
F
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Yes I did meet Mark, and we are going for a big bash with real time cooking/training/video in January sometime. He has offered to come to our place to do it. So I will get first hand info on how a real BIR operates and get some more recipes to boot. However, one drawback is that Mark doesn't want to publicise unless it is for charity, neither does he want to reveal his proper name (I am not sure if I have said that the name Mark is an alias) because he is worried about possible consequences (I am sure you understand). So be patient and I will get the basic gen here in the New Year, and I will try to get the video DVD for UNICEF off the ground also.
Happy cooking
CP
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Sounds good CP, thanks to you and 'Mark' for your effort, look forward to your post and the DVD.
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Yes I did meet Mark, and we are going for a big bash with real time cooking/training/video in January sometime. He has offered to come to our place to do it. So I will get first hand info on how a real BIR operates and get some more recipes to boot. However, one drawback is that Mark doesn't want to publicise unless it is for charity, neither does he want to reveal his proper name (I am not sure if I have said that the name Mark is an alias) because he is worried about possible consequences (I am sure you understand). So be patient and I will get the basic gen here in the New Year, and I will try to get the video DVD for UNICEF off the ground also.
Happy cooking
CP
WOW Chilli Prawn...I cant wait for that DVD, I will buy 2 copies since its for charity (http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c192/nairbs/popcorn.gif)
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Hi CP, is Mark Bangledeshi?
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Not saying, but not Bangladesihi.
CP
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::) ::) A Geordie by chance then Chili.
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No a real Scouse (which is why we get on) but I still won't reveal his Etnic origin :-X ;)
CP
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But presumably his ethinic origin is of the Indian subcontinent yes?
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:-X :-X :-X :-X ;D
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;D ;D I got to know a Japanese Geordie once, His name was hoyya hama over here hiney, Lol.
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Do you know why there are so many Chinese in Harrow?
It s because when they land at the airports here they flag a cab and then say 'Harrow Taxi' Think about it!
CP
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::) ::) That was worse then mine Chili. {Harrow Taxi } Ha.
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We are in danger of being shouted at for digression Paul ::)
CP
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I see that a number of people have threatened to try this recipe (including CurryKing, MadrasAndy, George, JohnBoy, Fandango and Lagathy)........... :P
.......but am I right in thinking that, after more than 3 months, 4000 views and 120 replies, no one has actually tried it yet?...... :o
......apart from YellowFingers, that is, who has made the base, with and without the spice mixture, but not reprted on any curries made from it yet? :-\
Is the recipe still unclear or something?
I'd be very interested to hear of the results of anyone who has actually tried it and made a curry from it? 8)
Regards,
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It's still on my pile of print out's to try, I will get round to it eventualy but there are still a load more in front of it first :o
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I was going to give the base a go, but was unsure of the quantities so I chickened out. I've had a go at the fusing technique, but haven't really been that successful with that. I'm sure this is down to me though.
I've have experimented with a few variations on bases now, and they all turn out pretty similar, so I'm thinking that the secret is in the technique that's used to make the individual curries, that's why I'm so keen to see the video.
A8
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I see that a number of people have threatened to try this recipe (including CurryKing, MadrasAndy, George, JohnBoy, Fandango and Lagathy)
Hi
Good question. Why do we get feedback on relatively few recipes? Here's my excuse for not yet trying the CP base sauce.
1. I haven't made ANY base sauce since CP's base sauce recipe was posted, so it MAY still remain my number one priority the next time I make any curry or base sauce. My progress is slow. There are so many other things to do. I see BIR curries as quite unhealthy so I would never make one a week or anything like that.
2. When I next decide to make a base sauce, which one will I try? Possible contenders are the recent 2 onion German one which looks nice and simple, and this CP base sauce. But the CP base sauce looks anything but simple. It looks like it needs quite a lot of effort, which is a bit of a deterrent, if I'm honest.
3. Of greater concern than the effort required, is a worry that the effort may be wasted if the recipe is less than totally accurate. I had earlier concerns about inconsistencies in the huge capacities and quantities, which may well have been sorted out now. I'm not sure. It would take me 20 minutes (say) to crawl through this thread and double-check back to the original recipe - to see if it now appears to stack up and is worth a try. That's more effort....
4. CP suggested that a pro-rata reduction in quantities may not work or be anywhere near as good in taste terms. There's no way I'm going to purchase a 14 litre pan and hundreds of onions just to try this sauce and then give over perhaps a quarter of my freezer to storing the resultant base sauce. I'm sorry but it simply isn't practical. Either the sauce can be scaled back to work with 2 onions, or it's a non-starter for me.
5. My current, long-standing 'reference' base sauce is based on MarkJ's. I scaled that back to 2 onions and it tastes superb.
Regards
George
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Hi all. I tried the UCB yesterday with fairly good results. I only have a 12 pint stock pot so halved all the ingredients and topped up with diced onions. As far as the boullion is concerned i hadn't got the time or contacts to get the caterers stuff so I opted for the Knorr vegetable boullion in the bottle (180ml) as a substitute.
I found the cooking instructions easy enough to follow and fairly comprehensive however there is one thing i would add to the cooking method which is this; after the vegetable stock has been liquidised /pureed, I would simmer it for about 20-30 mins and skim off any scum that appeared at the surface. I didn't do this and the end result was that the finished sauce developed a scum (oh well, i'll know next time :-\)
The resulting sauce I found to be far from bland as the recipe suggests though. It smells a little like a Pataks sauce and is very spicy (not spicy hot just spicy) which doesn't seem to give a lot of scope for altering the flavour of the finished curry. Personally i will reduce the amount of spice in the base sauce, probably by about 50%. I think this will result in a more versatile base but still quite flavoursome
However, i did attemp a finished curry with it which the family really enjoyed. (i was a little more critical but what's new?)
I will be trying different things with the sauce, especially seeing as how i now have a freezer full of the UCB toplay with ;D
It's probably worth mentioning again that I am new to this chat site stuff never having been on anything more complicated than MSN, so if i've posted this in the wrong place please feel free to let me know. I WON'T BE OFFENDED HONEST.
laters
Roundboy
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Hi Roundboy,
Your findings seem to tally with mine exactly. The base is far too overspiced as it stands, not too chilli hot, just too much spice overall. There's no denying it's a good base, but it doesn't have any subtlety to it. Would you agree that you would be hard pressed to make a korma with it?
I wouldn't worry about the Knorr vegetable stock, I've tried two varieties and I don't think it makes any difference.
YF
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Roundboy
You have already learned that you must keep skimming so your on the right road and you will probably be critical about your Curry's until you find THE TASTE
We All Are (well I am anyway) but Curry on you'll find your final product getting better and better :P
Layne
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Well done Roundboy. I concur with the others regarding spiciness, and yes you should experiment. As far as kormas are concerned I have used the UCB without any problems as I use very little of it and make up with some onion base. Not had any complaints from customers, in fact the opposite. However, there have been a couple of comments that it is very rich, e,g, tickles the jaw bones.
CP
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CP
I'm sorry I'm still uncertain about the starting point here for your base sauce, i.e. the pot size. This is important because it determines the approx volume of onions.
Post # 0: 28 Sept 06 12 pint stock pot
Post # 20: 11 Oct 06 14 litre stock Pot. (this is 24.6 pints)
Post # 35: 30 Oct 06 26 pint stock pot filled only to 22 pint level
You said: ?I did get Mark to check my type-up of his recipe and got him to try it and he said it was perfect and all the quantities are correct.?
I?m sorry I need to question his judgement. So if he is saying the original recipe is correct after all ? and I see you never edited/amended it, so perhaps it is, was it a 12 pint stock pot after all, and is that filled to only 10 pints or what, please? Or is it a 26 pint pot filled to 22 pints, or a 24.6 pint pot filled to God only knows what level?
Regards
George
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George my posts were updates to the originals as stated. The last pot size was the one Mark gave me at our last meeting. Yes it needs a tidy up and I will do it when I have a bit of time to myself, please be patient.
CP