Curry Recipes Online
Curry Photos & Videos => Pictures of Your Curries => Topic started by: Kashmiri Bob on May 26, 2013, 11:11 AM
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Few pics of last week's efforts. Just two curries.
Methi chicken
Under way
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/9c6a4bb085bc15470fed8ea8fd5b0cc1.jpg)
Nothing fancy. Basically a madras sauce but with about 30-40 g of fresh methi, a little black cumin, and replacing some of the chilli powder with a tsp of Colemans English mustard.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/9cc3fc8d3c21fefd64964ebbce607a2f.jpg)
Cooked until pretty dry. Very tasty.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/34ff82b67e7cd07cc2bc6ec193823eac.jpg)
Ex hot lamb vindaloo
Under way. Another simple dish. A basic curry with 1 1/2 cs of ex hot chilli powder, and a squirt of lemon dressing. Awesome. Pretty fiery, so could only manage half a portion.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/b02cfe1a0341cef14b2165532cdd3fab.jpg)
Started messing about with the leftovers last night, after a couple of Cobras.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/b924c0711960616f60f3877a1b1db39c.jpg)
Ex hot lamb vindaloo with boiled basmati rice garnished with black cumin, and served with a fresh naga chilli pepper salad.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/5e977746c05f7aec2e5962f1ce27c1b5.jpg)
Realised at the last minute that uncooked naga and cumin was probably a bad idea, and had it with a ready-made garlic naan instead.
Rob :)
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Started messing about with the leftovers last night, after a couple of Cobras.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/b924c0711960616f60f3877a1b1db39c.jpg)
Look out Malc, you've got competition on the presentation front :)
** Phil.
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proper job that, looks great.
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As usual, your pictures never disappoint bb! How long did it take you to put the onion/cucumber mountain together?
I'm horrible when it comes to presentation, sometimes I try, but no matter how delicate I try to be, I always feck it up!
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Bob, that vindaloo looks identical to the one i cooked up on thurs :o :o . Like yourself i used a good rounded chef's spoon of extra hot chilli powder as i picked the wrong one up at the shop. Not a problem but i need to be a bit careful when cooking the milder dishes that contain chilli powder ::) . The meethi dish looks succulent and tasty. I can get fresh meethi so i'll give that one a go. The presentation - spot on. My mouth is watering and i've still got half my vindaloo in the fridge along with half an Elaichi north indian special cooked on friday :P :P
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Both those dishes look good enough to lick straight off the screen! :) I definitely like the look of the Methi Chicken, though, so that'll be next on the menu for me to try.
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Both dishes look fantastic, though I fear 1 1/2 chefs spoons of extra hot chilli powder would be somewhat troublesome, both on the way in and........
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Few pics of last week's efforts. Just two curries.
The vindaloo looks excellent. Also, good effort with the presentation, especially after a couple if Cobras! :)
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Splendid looking pictures there Bob
Nice Tip about the Colemans Mustard
When I shop in Tooting Ive seen big tubs of Commercial Colemans English mustard
And thought I must give it a try
So thanks for Jogging my memory :)
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Thanks all. Well pleased with these two efforts. Particularly the methi chicken as I've not made it before. The chef at my local TA would actually use dried methi for this one though. Also seen Coleman's English used to make methi gosht, chicken sharisha and, most recently, chicken shaslick. For the shaslick, the onions, peppers etc are first mixed with a dollop of the mustard, together with a little gm and turmeric powder, before being skewered ready for the tandoor.
At one time much less chilli powder in a curry would have wreaked havoc with my poor old giblets the next day. However, watching different chefs at work has really emphasised the need to cook the chilli powder/spices properly. This seems to be achieved (mainly) before any base is added to the pan, and gives a lovely "smoothness" to the heat/flavours. Plus, no significant next-day issues.
Rob :)
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The vindaloo looks excellent. Also, good effort with the presentation, especially after a couple if Cobras! :)
Alchemist - why do you feel it necessary to repeat Bob's excellent images, to accompany your brief post, or any size post? It's unnecessary duplication gone mad.
Would other members consider it a desirable extension of my moderator duties to remove duplications like that? How can anyone need to see the same images multiple times?
Phil's repetition of one image was OK, in my opinion, because it was directly related to his comment.
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I for one wouldn't be bothered if you deleted them, thats if you could keep up with them. :) I don't think its intentional as it just comes up with text in the reply with quote and its not just Alchemist that does it.
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It is indeed as Gav Iscon says : the default, when quoting in reply, is to include everything, images included. For those familiar with BB-code, it is but the work of a moment to strip out all but the essentials; but many of our members (perhaps most) are more concerned with curries than with IT, and therefore the intricacies of BB-code are beyond them. I agree most whole-heartedly with the need for trimming, but perhaps we first need to educate our members as to how to accomplish this.
** Phil.
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........ but perhaps we first need to educate our members in how to accomplish this.
** Phil.
I do think that would be the best way.
So listen in quoters, if you don't need the image in your reply just delete the [ img ] image url here..blah blah [ / img ] out of the quoted text which is above where you will be typing your reply. Hope that makes sense. :)
There is of course a mod available http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=373677.0 (http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=373677.0) which removes them automatically and replaces them with a link but that would be up to the forum admin to install.
And apologies for hijacking your delicious looking thread Rob.
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I for one wouldn't be bothered if you deleted them, thats if you could keep up with them. :) I don't think its intentional as it just comes up with text in the reply with quote and its not just Alchemist that does it.
OK, I'll live dangerously and delete what I see as unnecessary duplication of images, whenever I come across such posts. I can't see how anyone can see an advantage in having the same block of images appear several times.
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I agree no need to quote a thread you are replying to. I mod a largish form and we always delete these quotes with 'unnecessary quote removed' in red.
Helps keep the database slim as well.
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Thought i'd add to BB's thread as it contains some lovely looking dishes and one almost identical to that i cooked just before he posted the original thread. The extrahot vindi (you could easily call it phall) recipe is simply a winner. One and a quarter chef's spoon of extra hot chilli, tsp mix powder, g/g, diluted tomato paste, salt, fresh coriander, 10 roughly chopped chillis and a tsp of balti paste to see what it would bring to the party. Second time i've cooked this and enjoyed it both times as a nice change. A really thick sauce, just thicker than thick with virtually all the liquid removed, not quite paste like but close. Went down really well again tonight but not for the non chilli lover. A few pics
the simple ingredients
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/f5c2c289fb78b99cc9444336be8b45bf.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#f5c2c289fb78b99cc9444336be8b45bf.jpg)
After the first reduction and the chicken added
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/6b98071b01bf67658f64cc2737965fbb.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#6b98071b01bf67658f64cc2737965fbb.jpg)
Oil now beginning to show
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/00fe8f5f80461fa79790f02bb2bc7491.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#00fe8f5f80461fa79790f02bb2bc7491.jpg)
All done
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/be39be36823dce2cdead5b3fd1b26336.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#be39be36823dce2cdead5b3fd1b26336.jpg)
The vindi / phall
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/cfb00bfa1c2c6ec16a7e857c773d507d.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#cfb00bfa1c2c6ec16a7e857c773d507d.jpg)
the rice
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/935d0ce9efeefa8e0b164b9d32b0cbac.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#935d0ce9efeefa8e0b164b9d32b0cbac.jpg)
And finally my supper
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/27b5e969b581545e7f478002cca38726.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#27b5e969b581545e7f478002cca38726.jpg)
Served with a good portion of pilau rice as cooked using my own recipe but with added milk which provides the perfect pilau that i find in my neck of the woods. I don't know what it is about adding milk, but it kind of rounds off the flavour and provides the identical BIR smell to many of the pilaus rond here. The house just smells like a restaurant :P
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Fantastic dish there CH. Does look remarkably similar to my effort. I must be doing something right.
Rob :)
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It certainly does look nice although 1.25 chefs spoons of extra hot chili powder would probably buckle me. :o . The rice looks great. Could we have or have you already posted a recipe for it?
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The vindaloo looks excellent. Also, good effort with the presentation, especially after a couple if Cobras! :)
Alchemist - why do you feel it necessary to repeat Bob's excellent images, to accompany your brief post, or any size post? It's unnecessary duplication gone mad.
Would other members consider it a desirable extension of my moderator duties to remove duplications like that? How can anyone need to see the same images multiple times?
Phil's repetition of one image was OK, in my opinion, because it was directly related to his comment.
As per the other comments, it wasn't intentional, hadn't appreciated the image would be repeated. Will happily strip out next time now I realise how it works :)
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Fantastic dish there CH. Does look remarkably similar to my effort. I must be doing something right.
Rob :)
Cheers Rob. I just added to the porn gallery ;D. The two vindi's definitely are from the same family alright ;) You certainly are getting some great tuition mate which is most definitely paying dividends. Long may it continue. I really must try the meethi dish. How much dry fenugreek does the chef add to the dish, just in case i can't get the fresh?
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It certainly does look nice although 1.25 chefs spoons of extra hot chili powder would probably buckle me. :o . The rice looks great. Could we have or have you already posted a recipe for it?
Cheers Gav. If cooked properly it's hot and tasty. If cooked badly you can only taste raw chilli powder and you'll regret the next morning :o :o
As for the rice, i'll post up my amended recipe which requires a couple of changes because of the addition of the milk. This I must attribute to Natterjak's, jb's and my visit to Zaman's of Dachet. For me now the pilau is perfect restaurant quality.
@ Rob, how do they cook the rice in the kitchen you work in mate??
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@ Rob, how do they cook the rice in the kitchen you work in mate??
I always manage to miss seeing the rice made from scratch. Must ask the chef to take me through it. What I have seen appears straightforward. For plain rice, oil and salt are added before it is brought to the boil, and get a good stir in. Once boiling the gas is turned down; it's still on a good rolling boil. No more stirring as the rice absorbs the water. Instead, chef grabs both handles of the (very large) pan and quite forcefully rotates it once one way, and then the other, I guess to just "shift" the contents. He does this a few times throughout cooking. When he's happy with the firmness of the grains the pan is transferred to the oven to dry off, and later taken to the back room to cool down. The kitchen porter and tandoori chef then start filling plastic TA containers with the rice, and stack them in a fridge. Not seen the pilau rice made as yet; apparently there is a whole spice baghar stage for this. For orders the rices are just microwaved as needed (except biryanis). Always perfect and fragrant; they never mess it up, unlike me when I make it at home!
Rob :)
Chef uses about 1 level cs of dried methi for the methi (mains). Perhaps a touch more when it's a lamb dish.
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I am lately noticing that my rice isn't as good as it once was and I rarely ever get the rice right these days when I make it. I thought my whole spices were dated, so I replaced them. First attempt I think I over-saturated the flavors with fennel/staranus/green cards.
One question though, I never use black cumin which a lot of rice recipes on this site call for. Everytime I do, I get this weird taste, which I can't really relate to. The best I can seem to describe it is a cross between smoke and burnt plastic, not aromatic or fragrant at all, and I don't think I burn them as I've experimented with oil on high temperature and without, just to roast them on a low light and I can't seem to comprehend it - any thoughts? :)
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No, can't help I'm afraid. Black cumin, a.k.a., "kala jeera", is fundamental to my pulao, and I cook it in hot ghee for five minutes at 100% in the microwave oven with the other whole masala spices before adding the washed/rinsed/dried rice and cooking for a further two minutes before adding the boiling water. Never had an unpleasant flavour as a result of this.
** Phil.
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I'm not averse to black cumin but I've never had it in a restaurant/takeaway pilao and I don't use it in mine. The predominant flavour has always been star anise. The thing I've never achieved is the wonderful aroma of plain Basmati rice that I get in the restaurants, despite using a variety of different Basmati rices.
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I'm not averse to black cumin but I've never had it in a restaurant/takeaway pilao and I don't use it in mine. The predominant flavour has always been star anise. The thing I've never achieved is the wonderful aroma of plain Basmati rice that I get in the restaurants, despite using a variety of different Basmati rices.
I do have the plain basmati rice flavour coming through on my rice. I think this may be down to the rice quality. I recommend Akash, most indian grocers sell 20kg bags.
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I'm not averse to black cumin but I've never had it in a restaurant/takeaway pilao and I don't use it in mine. The predominant flavour has always been star anise. The thing I've never achieved is the wonderful aroma of plain Basmati rice that I get in the restaurants, despite using a variety of different Basmati rices.
Well they've certainly been using in my neck of the woods since i've been eating BIR. As for the aroma, is it lacking in your pilau rice or plain boiled rice?
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Thought i'd add to BB's thread as it contains some lovely looking dishes and one almost identical to that i cooked just before he posted the original thread. The extrahot vindi (you could easily call it phall) recipe is simply a winner. One and a quarter chef's spoon of extra hot chilli, tsp mix powder, g/g, diluted tomato paste, salt, fresh coriander, 10 roughly chopped chillis and a tsp of balti paste to see what it would bring to the party. Second time i've cooked this and enjoyed it both times as a nice change. A really thick sauce, just thicker than thick with virtually all the liquid removed, not quite paste like but close. Went down really well again tonight but not for the non chilli lover.
Some SERIOUSLY good looking dishes from both BB and CH here. That is just the way I like my vindaloos to look.
I'm butting in here purely because I noted that CH mentioned that he added "a tsp of balti paste to see what it would bring to the party", and wanted to suggest an alternative to try.
As I've mentioned somewhere in another thread, I've been addicted to Laziza Karahi Fry paste for many years now, and find that a tablespoon or so added to the likes of a Madras / Vindaloo / Phal really racks up the intensity levels. (I also add a tablespoon or so to my bunjarra as well. Mind you, I also add it to my scrambled eggs, left over mashed potato to make spicy tattie cakes, and many other things...)
Anyway, if you fancy checking it out and can't find it in your local Asian store, I get mine from here: http://www.mullaco.com/Sauces-and-Pastes/Laziza-Paste-Karahi-Fry/W003739.html (http://www.mullaco.com/Sauces-and-Pastes/Laziza-Paste-Karahi-Fry/W003739.html)
(P.S. Their Tandoori paste is seriously good as well, by the way. No need to mess around with mixing three different Patak's pastes to achieve that BIR taste.)
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I like your style, SD! :) I must see if I can pick up some of that paste - you've sold it to me!
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I do have the plain basmati rice flavour coming through on my rice. I think this may be down to the rice quality. I recommend Akash, most indian grocers sell 20kg bags.
Well they've certainly been using in my neck of the woods since i've been eating BIR. As for the aroma, is it lacking in your pilau rice or plain boiled rice?
I'm talking about the lovely and very distinctive aroma that comes from plain basmati rice. Funnily enough my current bag of rice is Akash but I've tried many (many) over the years and I've never had the Basmati aroma I get in the restaurant.
It's almost as if they're adding something to bring out this aroma that I'm not. But what might it be, It's just plain boiled (Basmati) rice after all - isn't it? Perhaps not.
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Are you cooking your rice by the absorption method SS? This seems to bring out all the basmati flavours and aromas compared to draining water out of the rice on completion. Also have you tried a 50/50 milk/water mix to boil the rice in?
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Yes natterjack I use the absorption method (always have). As far as the use of milk goes I did try it many years ago and felt that it added nothing, so I discontinued its use. I think I'll try it again in case I missed anything but I feel that it can't be the source of the characteristic Basmati aroma. I really don't understand why I can't get that aroma, particularly after trying so many Basmati varieties. Perhaps they do add something?
Out of interest do you (and others) find that the characteristic Basmati aroma is there in the raw rice or does it need to be boiled to bring it out?
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I bought a 20k bag of Badshah the other week. Everytime i open it I get that distinctive Basmati smell hit me everytime. Have just cooked a large double portion using my oven method, with some oil and a little salt and the kitchen is full of that lovely unique aroma only basmati can impart. I now use milk always when i cook pilau as i find that it "smooths" the edges of the spice aroma and IMHO my pulao is now as good as any restaurant round here. The milk really does do it for me. I haven't tried it in plain boiled rice though, so i'm not sure what difference it could make. Didn't have enough milk to try it tonight >:(
As for the Laziza paste SD, i've used their garlic / ginger for convenience and always have some in the fridge for emergencies. I will try and source the paste from my local asian store though. I go to a restaurant wholesalers now which stocks Pascos products. Have yet to try these but they are about 40% cheaper than pataks :o . Will keep my eyes peeled next time i'm there. The balti paste in my vindaloo / phall did add another layer of flavour. The current recipe is definitely becoming a favourite as it beats many of the BIR equivalent i've eaten over the years.
It's now getting to the stage where I rarely order a TA as i can produce a quality NIS better than my usual takeway, which sadly has changed management and the food quality seems to have deteriorated. Well at least the NIS i was used to getting is no more :'(. And the latest phall / vindi recipe is definitely hitting the spot. It is nice though to get out for the occasional treat and have it all done for you ;D
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I've not had one go with basmati rice where the rice's nutty flavor didn't come through, but I did yesterday a batch which did seem to have enhanced the flavor. The only thing different I did was pre-frying the rice in a baghar of whole spices. I didn't pre-soak my rice either, which I normally do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNd4tC-dJpw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNd4tC-dJpw)
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I bought a 20k bag of Badshah the other week. Everytime i open it I get that distinctive Basmati smell hit me everytime. Have just cooked a large double portion using my oven method, with some oil and a little salt and the kitchen is full of that lovely unique aroma only basmati can impart.
Hmmm...that's doubly interesting. Firstly, Badshah rice was one of the worst Basmatis I'd tried - I wonder if they do different versions? Secondly and most interestingly, you feel that the raw rice has the basmati fragrance. Now I deliberately smell every new bag of Basmati I buy just in case it has that aroma I'm after and I can honestly say none of them have even come close to the aroma I have experienced from plain Basmati from a takeaway/restaurant.
I'm glad I asked the question, it's interesting how different our experiences are.
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...I did yesterday a batch which did seem to have enhanced the flavor. The only thing different I did was pre-frying the rice in a baghar of whole spices.
Ah but that's then pilau rice. I'm talking about plain, boiled basmati rice.
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Out of interest do you (and others) find that the characteristic Basmati aroma is there in the raw rice or does it need to be boiled to bring it out?
I must confess I'm not sure exactly which aroma you mean.
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I must confess I'm not sure exactly which aroma you mean.
Ah, maybe that's the point!
At home I don't ever achieve the wonderful aroma that restaurant plain boiled basmati rice has. Or, in fact, is it that the restaurant rice no longer has it either? I confess that it's years since I had plain boiled Basmati at a restaurant/takeaway and it may be that the wonderful fragrance I remember of old no longer exists in the restaurants either.
Would you say then natterjack that your own and the restaurant/takeaway plain, boiled basmati rice have no discernable aroma/fragrance - or, at least, no really alluring aroma?
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...I did yesterday a batch which did seem to have enhanced the flavor. The only thing different I did was pre-frying the rice in a baghar of whole spices.
Ah but that's then pilau rice. I'm talking about plain, boiled basmati rice.
I do think I know what the aroma you are talking about, because regardless how I do it, I get the right aroma coming through along with the aromas of the spices themselves. I don't generally do plain basmati very often :)
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Found a quote here that might be helpful.(or not :P mixed opinions out there)
Two of NSM's loyal customers, Jity Naik and her friend Asha Adhvary, won't buy anything except basmati. "I eat rice every day, so it's very important to buy the right one," Naik says, nodding seriously. She buys both young and aged basmati, depending on what she is cooking. "The young rice has the best aroma, but aged rice is the better product - it's lighter and fluffier."
from here: http://www.theage.com.au/news/Epicure/Have-you-had-your-rice/2005/04/18/1113676683294.html (http://www.theage.com.au/news/Epicure/Have-you-had-your-rice/2005/04/18/1113676683294.html)
more info here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/117601-fresh-rice-vs-aged-rice/ (http://forums.egullet.org/topic/117601-fresh-rice-vs-aged-rice/)
Or,
Could it be the flavour/aroma of the sack its stored in and that most brands sold here have been packaged in paper or nylon rather than the old cloth sacks?
I'm sure that can make a difference for aged varieties.
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Or,
Could it be the flavour/aroma of the sack its stored in and that most brands sold here have been packaged in paper or nylon rather than the old cloth sacks?
But then why would the restaurants' Basmati have the aroma and not my Basmati? They may buy in larger quantities but I doubt the packaging (in the UK) is any different.
The new/aged idea is interesting though, but again I'd expect the cheap varieties, which must be young, to have the best aroma and that's not what I'm finding at all.
A thought just struck me that perhaps what the restaurants were using when I used to get plain boiled 'Basmati' rice was, in fact, Patna rice. It may be that I just made the assumption (wrongly) that it was Basmati rice I was being served. I'm pretty sure I've never bought any Patna rice because it's supposd to be an inferior product, but I'm going to get some now to find out. It'd be great if what's considered to be an inferior product turns out to be my superior product. ;D
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A thought just struck me that perhaps what the restaurants were using when I used to get plain boiled 'Basmati' rice was, in fact, Patna rice. It may be that I just made the assumption (wrongly) that it was Basmati rice I was being served. I'm pretty sure I've never bought any Patna rice because it's supposd to be an inferior product, but I'm going to get some now to find out. It'd be great if what's considered to be an inferior product turns out to be my superior product. ;D
Another thing i was going to suggest was to try some Poha (pressed rice) which can also be strong in flavour and aroma.
Maybe a handful of pre-soaked Poha mixed in with the boiled basmati could lift the flavour of your bland rice?
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I must confess I'm not sure exactly which aroma you mean.
Ah, maybe that's the point!
At home I don't ever achieve the wonderful aroma that restaurant plain boiled basmati rice has. Or, in fact, is it that the restaurant rice no longer has it either? I confess that it's years since I had plain boiled Basmati at a restaurant/takeaway and it may be that the wonderful fragrance I remember of old no longer exists in the restaurants either.
Would you say then natterjack that your own and the restaurant/takeaway plain, boiled basmati rice have no discernable aroma/fragrance - or, at least, no really alluring aroma?
Well I'm stymied by the fact I never order boiled rice in a restaurant and rarely eat it at home, as my regular habit is to prepare and freeze into portions large batches of pilau (to the CH method more or less). However in the spirit of experimentation I had plain boiled basmati last night (Veetee Supreme brand bought in 10kg plastic bag from Asda) and the aroma and flavour was delicious. I was surprised as I always considered pilau to be an essential part of the curry experience.
But whether this is "the" aroma you seek, dunno!
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Another thing i was going to suggest was to try some Poha (pressed rice) which can also be strong in flavour and aroma.
It's an interesting thought but I'm pretty sure there wasn't any in the rice I used to get - it would be detectable visually wouldn't it?
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Another thing i was going to suggest was to try some Poha (pressed rice) which can also be strong in flavour and aroma.
It's an interesting thought but I'm pretty sure there wasn't any in the rice I used to get - it would be detectable visually wouldn't it?
I doubt you would ever see the odd grain of poha mixed in with plain basmati, and also doubt it has ever been done before.
But as an experiment to give you a temporary flavour fix until you find what youre after, isn't a bad idea. :)
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I was never a rice fan at all.
If I go to a restaurant, i'll order a few tandoori dishes to be shared amongst the table guests, but for mains, i will order my chosen curry, and a naan bread. I may pinch a tablespoon of rice from someone in exchange for some bread.......
However, i must say, since we opened our shop, i have become addicted to our basmati rice. I don't know if it's available in UK. it's an aged basmati Indian rice called "Aeroplane LA Taste". It is so fragrant, with ultra long grains. I can (and often do) eat a bowl of this stuff on it's own.
Seriously, if can source this in UK, give it a go, I guarantee you will not be disapointed.
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Having made a chicken vindaloo in pretty much the same way before i read this post, I was very keen to try the meethi chicken. Not only was i curious to see how a lot of meethi changed the flavour of a dish and i had never cooked with the fresh kind before, which is readily available from my local Asian store, but the look of the dish really appealed to me.
As Rob describes, I did a basic madras recipe (no lemon or Worcester), added a good handful of fresh meethi leaves followed later on by a tsp of coleman's mustard and a few chopped fresh chillis. I also chosed to add a half of a very small onion finely chopped before frying off the garlic/ginger puree.
Here's the ingredients, less the onion
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/fd5b76dbf3c4109694e0f0d249f96679.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#fd5b76dbf3c4109694e0f0d249f96679.jpg)
Fried the onion till it went translucent and added the g/g. Fried until water removed. Added the tomato paste followed 30 seconds later by the spice mix. Cooked this for a bit and added a couple of chef spoons of curry gravy and cooked for about a minute. Added half the gravy, precooked chicken and fresh meethi and started the first reduction.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/bc376aea624a93bb2c86fa2eb74ce606.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#bc376aea624a93bb2c86fa2eb74ce606.jpg)
Adding the meethi now should really get the flavour into the sauce and the meat. I wasn't quite sure what to expect as the fresh leaves are no where near as pungent as fresh corainder :o First reduction now well underway
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/d975389995d4efdcab130db94b0b4420.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#d975389995d4efdcab130db94b0b4420.jpg)
I reduced this down further till bhoona consistancy, then added the remaining base, pinch of salt, mustard and fresh chillis and proceeded to start the second reduction adding two pieces of fresh tomato and a good pinch of fresh coriander towards the end.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/9721ab7689ce8f729307f495767c5393.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#9721ab7689ce8f729307f495767c5393.jpg)
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/b6a3c91ed1f732c70d4d22e6bb815962.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#b6a3c91ed1f732c70d4d22e6bb815962.jpg)
I continued with the second reduction until the bhoona consistancy was reached again.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/376abcd4f0eba83051958f332f744365.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#376abcd4f0eba83051958f332f744365.jpg)
Here's a close up of the dish
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/7fac5f843d5524cd7dc2973f13cc39c4.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#7fac5f843d5524cd7dc2973f13cc39c4.jpg)
And finally my supper
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/71b6e7f23e3d141442490602d4ee84a1.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#71b6e7f23e3d141442490602d4ee84a1.jpg)
I enjoyed it that much that 2 days later i cooked the dish again reducing the salt only to a pinch and scaling the chilli down to just a tsp so i could enjoy the flavours more. I also intend to reduce the coriander to a mere pinch for garnishing purposes as i think there's a potential for it to clash with the meethi. I've got to say this dish is a winner. It is an amalgam of flavours with that distinctive meethi smell which floods the kitchen when the dish is cooking. I may try it with the dried meethi leaves but i think the results will fall short of my efforts last week. I may even cut the second reduction time to provide a little more sauce for a chappati ;)
Zaal base and mix powder was used along with Ifindforu's precooked chicken.
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Curryhell,
That looks like a crackin' curry mate. :)
As you may deduce from my handle Methi Chicken or Lamb is my favourite dish.
I've witnessed many chefs cook it in front of me and all of them have done the following:
Id say a pretty basic curry to start with(choose your heat level by chilli level).Usual base sauce approach etc.However when doing Methi they always add a sprinkling of dried Kashuri methi leaves as the oil is heating before the GG paste/tom puree is added.Further they add a teapsoon or so of mustard seeds at GG/Puree stage.Between the first and second reduction they all have added a couple of level tablespoon of pureed spinach from a tin.Nearing readiness they then sprinkle a handful of dried Kashuri methi leaves into the dish,delibaretly rubbign them between their fingers in order to release their full flavour.This stage is done literally one minute before readiness.You're right about the coriander too.They hardly use any;maybe two teaspoon of fresh coriander a minute before the dish is complete.
Hope this helps..:.)
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Curryhell.
Sorry forgot to mention this too...
If the chef's out to impress or in especially benevolent mood they will add a small block of butter right at the very end of cooking.This then melts deliciously into the curry as its waiting to be dished out and adds a spectacular velvety dimension to the dish as it slowly blends with the pureed spinach.
:)
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As you're obviously a connoisseur MethiGoshtFreak i certainly will try your tips when next cooking the dish. I don't think it will be that long before this is back on the menu. As for the spinach, I think this may be added to give the impression there's fresh meethi in the dish when the dried variety is used. I'll let you know how i get on ;)
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Well it wasn't that long before the chicken meethi was on the menu again. This time i tried it with dried meethi leaves as I hadn't time to buy fresh. I also tried the tips suggested by MethiGoshtFreak. However, i used coleman's english mustard as i couldn't be arsed to get the seeds out and i completely forgot about adding a bit of butter ghee. That'll give me an excuse to try it again ::)
Supper done
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/5ff381842ddf8d79a5be4ab84150452a.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#5ff381842ddf8d79a5be4ab84150452a.jpg)
A close up
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/fb223f319fa1126fb8a5753b088a7450.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#fb223f319fa1126fb8a5753b088a7450.jpg)
Overall, I didn't find any improvement on my first and second attempts. Given the choice, IMHO fresh is best if you can get it as i thought it gave a much more rounded flavour, not as pungent as the dried leaves. The dish when cooking smelt even better with fresh. That said, done with dried meethi, it's still a fine tasting dish :P
I deliberately reduced the second reduction time to end up with more sauce. Either bhuna or saucy is very good :)
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Looks very good indeed, CH - I could eat a plate of that right now! :)
I'm a big fan of methi - for me, it delivers much of the BIR taste I remember. Unfortunately, I haven't managed to shift my lazy Erchie down to the West End grocers for fresh methi yet, but I'll wait until I have some before trying out the dish as I've never used the fresh stuff in any of my curries so far.
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Hi CH
Looking good as usual, I find fresh Methi is an aquired taste and unlike the familier Kasoori Methi.
I've made a few fresh Methi dishes over the years which were rejected by peeps.
I also remember the shopkeeper, telling me to wash the fresh Methi "twice" for some reason that was never explained. It might curl your toes or something ;D
Keep up the good work ;)
cheers Chewy
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Superb curry there CH. Got some more fresh methi today. 4 big bunches for a quid. Bargain!
Rob :)
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Quick update on this one. Tried it a while ago with frozen methi instead of fresh.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/9634791d99f5b1e1c6fbe8b3c6cc0188.jpg)
Oops! I've hit the post button and I haven't finished the post. I'll be back.
Rob :D
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Right. Sorted. Squeezed out the liquid from the blocks, chopped up, and dry-fried as per, for example, spinach. Then popped in 40 g or so for the curry.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/6b7c16c42731762a721a431950f93ded.jpg)
Tasted OK, but not as good as fresh. The main problem, however, was the stems (this brand of frozen block includes lots of stems, not just the leaves) were not cooked properly. It was like eating a curry full of twigs. So I ate what I could and the rest went in the bin.
When I made this dish earlier with fresh methi I only used the leaves (read somewhere it's just the leaves that should be used). I think I also read somewhere that methi (fresh) should be blanched in boiling water before use, to reduce any bitterness. Can't say I've ever noticed any bitterness using fresh, or dried, providing it's cooked properly; the latter just tastes really "earthy" I think), but boiling the frozen stuff perhaps may have softened the stems up.
Think I'll stick with fresh in future for the methi chicken. It's a lovely dish. For lamb I'll stick with dried, i.e, for a methi gosht.
Rob :)
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Has anyone tried freezing the leaves themselves? I have done this with curry leaves which works, but wonder if methi leaves would stand up to freezing, as when I buy a bunch I always have too much.