Curry Recipes Online
Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: JerryM on February 02, 2015, 08:42 PM
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Is anyone using akhini.
I use parker21 mouchak recipe and make 2 litres as the start point when making base.
I put 5g of cinnamon in a copy cat of harilor curry and was taken aback by how strong it tasted. I use just same amount in akhini for base and don't see the same strenght.
In short2 questions:
1) will the strength increase if the whole spice spends longer at a simmer. I currently gently simmer the akhini for 20 mins. The harilor curry whole spice probably cooked for 3 hrs. I guess im thinking tea bags
2) does anyone use a different mix to mouchak akhini
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I last used an akhni stock when the Zaal/Az base was my standard. I use JBs base exclusively now.
If it was 5g of powdered cinnamon then that would be a whole lot of cinnamon for one dish, but using 5g of cassia bark? I wouldn't consider that such a small amount was particularly excessive.
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Naga,
It was 5 g of bark ie cassia/Cinnamom.
There are the 2 things on my mind.
The parker21 akhini is something I'd never thought to investigate - not broke so to speak. To get to best though maybe a tweak might exist. Hence I plan to play around with the akhini spices next (sorted on mix spices thanks to Haldi)
The 2nd things goes back to me using spice ball in base - gut feeling always says to me this produced best taste. I now use the tgad roast chef masala in place. The harilor curry experience with the bark I could not explain - hence the question. The uncertainty being - did I get more flavour from longer cooking or did I stew the flavour.
Will have search for the zaal akhini - seem to remember a plate of whole spice but other than that was not aware of zaal akhini recipe. Many thanks for pointer.
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Jerry, the Zaal videos are here (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,8198.msg72531.html#msg72531) and the written instructions are here (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,7859.msg68855.html#msg68855).
Here's how I wrote it down at the time - hope it's helpful:
Zaal Restaurant Curry Base
Makes: around 16 x 350ml portions
Ingredients
For the base vegetable stock
4kg onions, chopped (to fill pot
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Hi Jerry
I spent quite a lot of time using a balti base from rcr. The Akhini stock was as follows:
1 litre water
3 star anise
10 green cardamom pods
4 cloves
8 bay leaves
4 x 1" pieces of cassia bark
& 2 knorr veg stock cubes.
The longer you boil it, the darker the Akhini stock - like you say the teabag theory!
Regards
Mick
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Hi Jerry ,
Two I've tried from CBM
Formed part of his Little India base I think:
4 Asian Bay Leaves
1x 2.5 inch Cassia Bark
2 Green Cardamon
0.5 Black Cardamon
Pinch of Fennel Seeds
Pinch of Cumin Seeds
300 ml of Water
CBM From a Place called Curry Mahal in Sidcup:
4 x bay leaves
2 x 1 inch pieces of cassia bark
5 x cardamon pods
4 x cloves
3/4 pint of water
Kushi:
3 cloves
6 x 1 inch pieces of cassia bark
3 - 4 pieces of mace
3 - 4 green cardamom pods
2 star anise
3 bay leaves, dried
Muslin net boiled with onions
Think about 30 minute simmer is good enough . All good, but personally I'd only add about 1/2 ltr to 3 kg onion
ELW
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Lol ;D
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Guys many thanks - fantastic help really appreciated. I have plenty to go on now. Will report back.
I consider this post now sorted.
Ps for info I currently see the spice tasting in 4 parts:
1) mix spices - sorted
2) akhini - next up
3) chef masala - have done lot work on this in the past
4) base spicing
Thinking then to put all 4 together. Still a long time/way to go and letting the tasting take me where gut feeling says.
trouble is I do expect/hope unknowns will crop up where I will struggle to know which is the BIR path. For example is chef masala/gm needed in mix pwdr. So far ive changed my opinion and now think not. Only at the end of the tasting when I convert the "test tube" learning back into BIR will I know for sure.
Having real good fun and as we know that's all that counts. I'm cooking my existing BIR just the same and not changing a thing until the time comes. At moment it feels like best of both worlds - try to strive for best BIR whilst sticking to what I already do and know
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sometimes in my 'chemical' sphere, certain combinations produce a synergistic measurable effect i.e 2+2 = 5, not 4 as expected.
It would not surprise me to learn / find that certain spice combinations enhance one another in an unexpected taste way.
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Ghoulie,
Very much so and probably my biggest nightmare - I know how close you can get to something yet be so far and giving up seems the only answer yet a little more effort can yield the unexpected as you say
Made 3 of the akhini - mouchak, zaal (big fan of Az and real grateful to the fleet5), CBM little India (the gm spices being of interest - fennel/cumin)
The 3 collectively produced 2.3L of which I used 1.5L in 1600g onion base. Probably a tad too much but greed got the better.
Findings:
1) the zaal and CBM were extremely strong c/w the strength I've Been using. The zaal being aimed for example at 4kg onion
2) the CBM was really well put together "balanced" and strong down to the 300ml water
3) the ELW 30 min simmer was adopted and left to cool before use
4) all 3 were very good yet quite different - essentially making matters worse on what type will yield the best result. The zaal has simplicity and what I would expect of a "stock". The CBM I was not sure on - when is the line crossed to chef garam (addition of fennel and cumin). The mouchak having more aromatic balance ie cassia is not prominent
5) The stronger akhini was helpful in judging the balance when adding to the base.
An interesting start and intend to try out each akhini (all 6 off) in the harilor crock pot over a few weeks.
The real difficulty being how to pitch the akhini contribution in the overall spicing picture. At this stage I favour the zaal simplicity as the other flavours are major players in chef masala. Too early though to really have a firm clue.
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pic of the 3 akhini : clockwise top left zaal, mouchak, CBM little india
base with all 3 added was very nice, probably a little delux for what's needed given that the cost would not work commercially.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/d07f211bcfafa2d4cbbf8649e7e1d6f9.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#d07f211bcfafa2d4cbbf8649e7e1d6f9.jpg)
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I'm cooking it up right now..... (http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15/02/07/3f170dad9019cc38f0724451b400f102.jpg)
Mr. Punter
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I add after blending a little at a time till I can just taste the cassia.