Curry Recipes Online
Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: Whandsy on May 05, 2013, 01:40 AM
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The reason for my question is there are a lot of people with knowledge, a lot with ability, a lot with delicious looking pics and a lot with memories of curries from the 70's and 80's
I, personally, feel i can cook a lot of things to an excellent standard but my curries (whilst seemingly excellent to everyone else) are missing massive depth of flavour. :-\Just when i think its good, the next visit to the takeaway blows it out of the water, I no longer buy in to the spice overload anymore as i can walk out of a restaurant 2 hours later feeling stuffed and still thinking "wow, that smells ace!"
Big Boaby seemingly has done it for a few, Chewy talks like he's walking the walk (and maybe so) but i'm now left thinking "Where's this ebook Chris?" Final jigsaw piece?
I'm only a few miles from him so maybe his takeaway is nearer to my goal ?
If this doesn't help then i'm giving up :'(
It cant be this hard can it?
W ( after a few beers)
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What I would suggest you do is let someone else compare your cooking side by side with your favourite TA/BIR. Many of us are able to cook a curry with excellent results but we never appreciate this. Through the cooking process, our senses are numbed. Take that out of the equation and ask a trusted friend to judge your dish. One that hasn't been in the kitchen whilst it cooks. ;)
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The reason for my question is there are a lot of people with knowledge, a lot with ability, a lot with delicious looking pics and a lot with memories of curries from the 70's and 80's
I, personally, feel i can cook a lot of things to an excellent standard but my curries (whilst seemingly excellent to everyone else) are missing massive depth of flavour. :-\Just when i think its good, the next visit to the takeaway blows it out of the water, I no longer buy in to the spice overload anymore as i can walk out of a restaurant 2 hours later feeling stuffed and still thinking "wow, that smells ace!"
Big Boaby seemingly has done it for a few, Chewy talks like he's walking the walk (and maybe so) but i'm now left thinking "Where's this ebook Chris?" Final jigsaw piece?
I'm only a few miles from him so maybe his takeaway is nearer to my goal ?
If this doesn't help then i'm giving up :'(
It cant be this hard can it?
W ( after a few beers)
Thats sad to hear Whandsy don't give up, i'll tell you what i will do for you if you want. Come to your house, i will watch you make a curry, then i will make the same curry using the same things as you. then make a curry using the things i brought with me.
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Thats sad to hear Whandsy don't give up, i'll tell you what i will do for you if you want. Come to your house, i will watch you make a curry, then i will make the same curry using the same things as you. then make a curry using the things i brought with me.
Nice one Chris, I'll pm you ;)
W
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Curry nirvana? Probably yes. It's all very subjective of course. I'm now happy with the knowledge that I will never be able to achieve the quality results of the Bengali chef at local TA. Not far off sometimes, I've made some stunning currys, but somehow there's always a little bit of the magic missing. Even after spending months watching the chef at work.
Rob :)
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From the curries I've attempted I would say yes I've pretty much mastered them and its a majority of the traditional dishes and a few speciality ones. Compared mine to a number of outlets and mine are better than some.
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Chicken Ultimate is going to get us there boys - be patient.
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Chicken Ultimate is going to get us there boys - be patient.
yeah of course
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I've stuck with the Taz base pretty much for the past two years (along with my own base which is derived from Taz with a few tweaks of my own, though the method is the same. I think my curries have improved dramatically during that time. I'm happy with them and think they equal any curry I've had locally in the past year, and they are better than some.
the key points for me are:
- practice practice practice - I've managed to cook at least two curries a night, 5 times a week for the - past two years
- sticking to the same base and spice mix
- sticking to a few core recipes then expanding incrementally
- feedback from others, mainly my g/f, who will provide constructive criticism, not always positive, e.g. "needs more salt, too mild, too sweet, too sharp"
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Is curry nirvana just off junction 6 of the m25 ? ;)
Totally agree with Stephen lindsays comments.
About a year ago I really do find comparison with local ta's is no longer a source of misery.
This took 5 years to arrive at this point.
Settling into your own style is the key.
For what its worth I would try the following if you are not at curry nirvana yet.
try and choose one base and then stick to it always. (very small adjustments are ok now and then, but record them and note what works)
regulary practice the madras, as its a great way to assess how good your skills are, and also see where they are lacking. I still do this, as a learning exercise.
if you cant make a good madras sauce then its time to get back to basics, and ask the following
1) is the base sauce somehow too over powering and ruining the madras. If answer = yes try a plainer base.
2) is the madras lacking taste? if answer = yes, try lots of other madras recipes, spice mixes etc.
This approach will teach you to incrementally change the taste, which is important part of learning curve.
When making base sauce pay attention to how much water you add, and base spicing etc. The base is so important as a madras contains mainly base sauce, a little meat and a touch of spice, garlic and lemon.
etc. If the madras tastes disappointing I found the base is usually a culpritt. Try a new base and never return to that old base, even if other people at cr0 swear by that base!! don't be a sheep !
Once you have experimented for a year or 2 you should have a decent madras sauce. Then stick to it and make tiny incremental changes each month, for example what happens if I add some adjawin spice to the base, does this add or detract to the taste of the madras. Or what happens if I use 100% garlic paste instead of 70/30 garlic ginger paste. Or what happens if I use ghee instead of rapeseed oil? Or what happens if I make the base with white onions instead of brown onions?
Once you begin to answer these questions the madras will really begin to shine !
Hope this helps , you wont learn this in any e book !
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All good points, Derek, and well made. On which base have you standardised, may I ask ?
** Phil.
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hi phil
well its similar to many of the thin plain bases on this site, e.g saffron base, its my own base , and is high in onion, low in tomato, a modest amount of oil, very low on spicing, thin and soup like, and tastes unremarkable on its own, but the texture is good. The texture is gained from a nice blend of vegetables and onion. its worth experimenting with the veg onion ratio
after a year of use I found it is ideal as it ticks all the boxes, as follows.
produces good Bombay potato,
perfect dansak
ta quality madras (replicates a London madras I used to buy)
good at rogan josh, and balti.
works well with nearly all the major spice mixes on this site.
I used to like the kris dillon base, but it just did not tick all the boxes for me so I discontinued using that base.
after a period of limbo I arrived where I am know.
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It does seem like sound advice thanks Derek, maybe i need to revisit the madras, i havent ordered one for years so ordering one and learning to get the balance right is important im sure.
Thanks for the input!
W
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Whandsy
try ordering a madras from 4 or 5 local bir , and you will learn more than simply trying one madras from 1 bir. Its a great way to learn what a good madras should taste like.
report back your findings too so we can all enjoy the curry porn ! lol
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I've now settled on BigBoaby's Glasgow base as the best and most consistent base for me to easily create a decent madras.
I have done the rounds of all my local takeaways and now feel that my madras usually compares well, though it's not quite the same as any of them.
I did however rule one T/A out of the equation completely, as the madras they produced was like a thin, insipid vegetable soup.
On the other hand, it did wonders for my confidence, as I felt that my own madras was incomparably better than the one that particular restaurant supplied.
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Wayne,
Slightly off topic but relevent I think? For your next Madras, order one from Seven Stars, Stockport rd (339 0519)
This is the closets madras that I've come across that replicates an "old school" Madras. It has a very familiar flavour which is hard to put your finger on? Very savoury, good depth of flavour and not lemony at all! I think that their souring agent is possibly tamarind in one form or other. I also notice that, when you pull the lid back off the foil container, there is a golden paste that has formed around the top of the foil. It's very light and very very savoury. It's almost like a spiced onion paste?
Anyway, back on topic, this Saturday evening (my birthday) my mate and his much better half came round for some curry and nibbles. On this occasion, I decided to cook the curries in front of them as he is also a curryholic. Now, well over twelve months ago, I written a load of recipes and instructions down for him to try and he loves them and has had many compliments from his family and friends on 'his' curries. Well, as I proceeded to cook my curries in front of him, it became very apparent that we do thing very differently! he was asking loads of questions and quizzing me on this and that, the upshot being that, even though he is using my recipes, our curries our very different, and his wife confirmed that by commenting that my curry was much more flavoursome than his (went down like a lead balloon :o)
So, the point that I'm making is (i think) recipes are only a guide, practise and developing a dish it what turns it from good to great! Don't completely adhere to the written down recipe, experiment and be creative. Push youself to the limits, you will learn far more from your mistakes than you ever will by playing it safe.
Good luck fella and stick with it.
Ray :)
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Cheers Ray
Maybe it would be easier if my local takeaway was crappier, lol. Mine are good but not up to their standard and unfortunately thats the benchmark my tastebuds are setting for me. :'(
W
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hi phil
well its similar to many of the thin plain bases on this site, e.g saffron base, its my own base , and is high in onion, low in tomato, a modest amount of oil, very low on spicing, thin and soup like, and tastes unremarkable on its own, but the texture is good. The texture is gained from a nice blend of vegetables and onion. its worth experimenting with the veg onion ratio
after a year of use I found it is ideal as it ticks all the boxes, as follows.
produces good Bombay potato,
perfect dansak
ta quality madras (replicates a London madras I used to buy)
good at rogan josh, and balti.
works well with nearly all the major spice mixes on this site.
I used to like the kris dillon base, but it just did not tick all the boxes for me so I discontinued using that base.
after a period of limbo I arrived where I am know.
Recipe? :-)
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I'm getting there, some I have cracked and are better than the local, some recipies Istill work in progress.
Cracked: Pathia, CTM, madras, seekh, tandori chick, yog mint sauce, mango, spicy sauce, rice.
WIP: Nan's, dopiaza, jalfrazi, balti