Curry Recipes Online
Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: xPatx on January 25, 2007, 05:49 PM
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I have tried cooking a curry using oil and seems to come out alot better than when I tried with Ghee. With the ghee it seemed to come out rather sweet. Is this the ghee or some thing I'm doing wrong?
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Hi,
A lot of your standard BIR's will just use cheap as you can get oil, not sure if it's the ghee causing your sweetness as I don't use it at all.
cK
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Yes butter Ghee will add a degree of sweetness and richness. CK is right though most restaurants use KTC oil and Ghee is reserved for speciality dishes and sweets.
CP
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Ive been using Crisp and Dry, veg oil.
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I use vegetable ghee everytime when making curries, (not in the base sauce) its benefits over other cooking oils is
it cooks at highter temperature's and holds the flavours better, and i find theres less spitting of the sauce, nothing worse than a piping hot chilli blob in the eye 2 mins before you sit down to enjoy your grub.
and its healthier :p
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Olive oil is a very healthy alternative to the cheap stuff.
KP(V)
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Olive oil is a very healthy alternative to the cheap stuff.
KP(V)
....as I understand it, olive oil is not really recommended (for cooking curries) for two reasons:
- it doesn't get hot enough...the main reason
- it has a very distinctive (maybe overpowering) taste
As Gendie points out, ghee gets hottest and, as CK and CP point out, most BIRs use cheap vegetable oil.
Regards,
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- it doesn't get hot enough...the main reason
- it has a very distinctive (maybe overpowering) taste
Point 1 would be true for a commercial cooker, not sure about a domestic one. I would have thought it would be identical to other oils over a domestic heat source.
Point 2 is true but the other ingredients and spices would make it hard to tell if it was cooked properly from the start and not added into the dish at a later stage (as with mediterranean cooking).
KP(V)
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I would only ever advise using Oil, not Olive Oil.
Beware that oil can hold up to 100g of fat per 100ml, which is amazingly bad for you.
Try to get the ones that lower cholesterol and stuff........
S
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I have used the light coloured Olive Oil in many dishes & i have found it to be OK, this may not fit in with many opinions but if you haven't tried it , give it a go.
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I agree, it's healthy and the flavour in most dishes won't be affected (maybe on milder ones but worht a try for the health concious)
KP(V)
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Think like indians use the the cheapest !
So if you want the right taste leave Olive oil alone (for curry anyway)
Layne ;)
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Sorry guys, but here is a video of a restaurant chef using olive oil to cook CTM! :P ;) ;D
http://ifood.tv/node/1543
KP(V)
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Thats me convinced :P
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You can get tubs of 0% cholesterol ghee from the local pakistani shops.
Is there really such a thing as 0% ??? Wonder how much that changes the taste.
According to one guy in those shop he says that most BIRs in Glasgow will use it for there curries......is he telling a small porky pie (lie) perhaps :P
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Sorry guys, but here is a video of a restaurant chef using olive oil to cook CTM! :P ;) ;D
Yeah, but this appears to be an Indian chef in an America restaurant KP?! ::)
I have to say that the CTM looks very runny and not up to much either (IMHO) :P Did you also notice how he seems to be using bottled garlic and ginger purees too?
HAVING SAID THAT:
I've done a little research and found some things about Olive Oil that suprised me (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_oil (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_oil)) :o
- It seems that Olive Oil actually has a higher smoke point (ranging from 207C for Extra Virgin to 242C for Extra Light) than clarified butter/ghee (190C)! :o
- Extra Light Olive Oil (242C) actually appears to have a higher smoke point than Canola Oil (238C)! :o
- The smoke point of Extra Light Olive Oil (242C) is almost as high as Sunflower Oil (246C)! :o
Therefore, I guess the main objection to using EXTRA LIGHT Olive Oil are its relatively high cost and distinctive smell and taste. If you can live with that, go for it, although any other highly refined (i.e. high smoke point and blander), unsaturated (i.e. healthier), cooking oils will also be options to consider (i.e. which may be cheaper and with a less distinctive taste and smell).
It seems to me that we should still avoid using the other types of Olive Oil because their smoke points (207 to 225C) are significantly lower than alternative oils (and they are still more expensive and with that distinctive taste and smell).
I also presume that ghee is used primarily for its flavour and NOT for its high smoke point (as I certainly previously thought!). :o
And, after all of that, I shall be sticking with cheap vegetable oil....as the BIRs do...using butter ghee on naans and as a late addition (for flavour) to CTMs, etc :P
Regards,
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Hi NB,
As I understand it, you only get cholestrol from food from animals, not from food from plants. Therefore, this is probably vegetable ghee that he's talking about?
Vegetable oils will also be cholestrol free.
Regards,
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Just as a point of interest on this subject -
Some plant foods are also high in saturated fats, including coconut and coconut oil, palm oil, and palm kernel oil. Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol levels more than dietary cholesterol because they tend to boost both good HDL and bad LDL cholesterol. The net effect is negative, meaning it's important to limit saturated fats.
Trans fats are even worse for cholesterol levels than saturated fats because they raise bad LDL and lower good HDL. They also fire inflammation, producing an overactivity of the immune system that has been implicated in heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. While you should limit your intake of saturated fats, it is important to eliminate trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils from your diet.
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I also presume that ghee is used primarily for its flavour and NOT for its high smoke point (as I certainly previously thought!). :o
And, after all of that, I shall be sticking with cheap vegetable oil....as the BIRs do...using butter ghee on naans and as a late addition (for flavour) to CTMs, etc :P
I think that this is correct about adding flavour. Some dishes need to be cooked in ghee but a lot of restaurants will cook with the cheapest stuff and add a tsp of ghee at the end to enhance (disguise?) the flavour.
Birs I know use a lot of both. Some things benefit from cooking in ghee, others not so. They need a lot of cheap oils for the curry gravy and especially to fill thier deep fat friers.
KP(V)
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Thats me convinced :P
Sorry CK But I'm Not !
I'm Sticking to the cheap stuff, I have been in a few... 3 BIR kitchens during service and they most certainly didn't use Olive Oil for Any of their dishes. :-\
T100
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I agree Layne.
I imagine CK was saying that with tongue in cheek? :P
Regards,
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Layne,
If in doubt try it and see.
I have to admit that I haven't yet done a curry with olive oil because of what I have read in books on the subject.
That notwithstanding, I will not rule it out until I have tried it in a few different dishes and see what the result is. Might not be this year though! ;) ;D
Personally I prefer full unhealthy butter ghee. It tastes great! I know my arteries are getting furred up, but then we all have to die of something! ;) :o
KP(V)
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Yes I was only joking :P
Olive oil is a defo no no, you can make a nice curry with it but if you want to copy BIR's I wouldn't use anything but the cheap stuff.
cK
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Layne,
If in doubt try it and see.
KP(V)
KP I'm not in ANY doubt what so ever ! ;)
Yes I was only joking :P
I wouldn't use anything but the cheap stuff.
cK
Thank goodness CK I was gettin concerned about you there for a min buddy ;D
Layne
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How about Grapeseed oil? Has the highest smoke point, neutral taste, healthier than conventional veg oils and relatively inexpensive.
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Hi Stargazer,
I see this is your first post...welcome to cr0! :)
It seems to me that grapeseed oil has a relatively low smoke point of 204C (from the reference source that I gave above)?
I would therefore presume it to be just about as unsuitable (for curry cooking) as an unrefined (i.e. extra virgin, virgin) olive oil?
Keep up the posts! The more the merrier! 8)
Regards,
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this site http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/CollectedInfo/OilSmokePoints.htm
has grapeseed oil smoke point listed at both 420 & 485 F.
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Interesting...216C and 252C respectively.....maybe due to how refined they are...and/or measurement methods?
Either way, I'm still sticking to the cheap vegetable oil that BIRs use.... :P
Regards,