Curry Recipes Online
Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: Curry King on January 29, 2007, 10:15 AM
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I got round to trying Andy's paste over the weekend and during the cooking process I remembered that I had been here before:
http://www.natco-online.com/acatalog/Holy_Grail.html (http://www.natco-online.com/acatalog/Holy_Grail.html)
With the exception of the tandoori masala it is word for word the same recipe. Now I have nothing against the natco holy grail recipes, I tried them a while ago and they made a pleasant curry but not anything in terms of BIR taste or smell. I notice that the base and currys have been elaborated on in Andy's recipes, they are similar but with a few more ingredients. I might be barking up the wrong tree but is Andy the mysterious curry phantom "M", either that or has his chef pinched all his ideas from the Natco site!
There is some discussion on them here if anyone else wants to have a look what we said about them first time around:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=383.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=383.0)
cK
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I should imagine that a lot of aspiring BIR chefs search the recipe sites and Forums for ideas and inspiration, so I don't really find this odd. Lets face it this is how any cooking evolves; by exploiting/sharing ideas and recipes. Just look at any Indian cookery book and you will find identical or very close copies all over the place. So I am happy to think this is coincidence CK; anyway I am not in to conspracy theories ;D I am sure Elvis had no hand in this (he was a burger man anyway ::)) But..... if he is 'M' where is 007 then, aaaargh ;D
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Hi
An interesting post. First of all our base has nothing to do or resembles the Natco one and is quite different if you were to produce them side by side. The natco one uses red onions, tin of tomatoes which together take on a completely different flavour themselves. One of our ex chef's however quite some time ago provided some information to someone associated with them but that is all i will say. :-X This curry business history goes back a lot further than natco does.
This secret paste they mention, it is no secret been known for years, good selling point though, but missing the tandoori masalla powder for colour. I can give you 5 other ones that have or are being used in different establishments that are virtually the same but with minor variations all producing slightly different flavours. Chef's choice. ;D
Regards
Andy.
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Just look at any Indian cookery book and you will find identical or very close copies all over the place. So I am happy to think this is coincidence
CP, it's practicaly word for word the same recipe! Are you seriously saying you think that it's a coincendence? Are you hav'in a laugh!
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Hi,
As to a spice mix made with equal amounts of ingredients, oh dear how :( May as well buy sharwoods ;D
Regards
Andy
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Hmm, it reminds more me of the KD book where you tend to boil things.
Andy and CP have both stressed that technique plays a big part in achieving the taste and smell we're looking for. I have to confess that, in my haste to try this, I've attempted Andy's recipes with out having all the right stuff: Instead of the spice mix, I used curry powder; instead of the tomato paste I used (to my shame) a squirt of ketchup.
Even with these ingredients, I was able to get very close to to what I'm after. If you could have smelled this place I'm certain you would have been in no doubt that the recipes are the real deal. I always thought, because it was so strong, that smoky smell was a secret ingredient, or, the tandoor. When I made my last curry, there was nothing out of the ordinary in there, and yet the smell just appeared from nowhere. Now, getting rid of it's my main concern.
Things like the paste and the spice mix are the things that make one curry house the same as or different from another, but all the good curry houses seem to have something common to thier flovour, and I think this is down to the methods
After getting so close, I won't be trying the Nacto method.
A8
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Hi Andy,
Take this how you want but that paste is crap, if a regular BIR uses that I will eat my hat. It takes far to long to mess about making it and add's very little to the final curry. I'm slightly annoyed that I didn't spot it before I wasted 2 hours making it :-[
One of our ex chef's however quite some time ago provided some information to someone associated with them but that is all i will say. :-X This curry business history goes back a lot further than natco does.
Please tell us.... actualy don't bother, somethings not quite right here but to be honest I don't really care. Keep it up though as CP seems to think your the new messiah, even though he hasn't tried a single recipe of yours, funny that ::)
cK
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[/quote]
Please tell us.... actualy don't bother, somethings not quite right here but to be honest I don't really care. Keep it up though as CP seems to think your the new messiah, even though he hasn't tried a single recipe of yours, funny that ::)
cK
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CK I guess you missed an earlier post of mine where I clearly said I am taking a back seat for a while to finish my house and get it ready for sale. Plus, it would be unfair on Andy if there was another raging debate on UCB and its associated recipes. I don't think Andy is any way or shape a new messiah it was just a bit of humour; but he is working hard to provide information to those who want it. As for trying his stuff, I definitely will as soon as I can get the buliders, decorators, and plumbers out of my way so I can cook seriously again. Please don't jump to conclusions, I really am not Elvis (just a distant relation ;D)
CP
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ck.
Thanks for saying that. Hope your hat tastes good. According to you then no bir will use the same recipes. Mmm must all taste different therefore everyone is chasing a different bir taste. Feel sorry for the industry.
To say the paste is crap is quite offensive but hey i dont care what you think. I will let the chef's know for you. All i can say is that we use it, i know of 5 others that use it slightly differently depending on their slant of cooking, i know of some that dont use it. Their choice, our choice.
You have no need to use it or the recipes. It is not my loss at all.
I would not tell a chef how to cook as i would not tell a mechanic how to mend my car.
When you say something is not quite right. Dont know what you mean?
You seem to have this thing with natco for some reason.
It seems that some people on here dont want to listen to the chef's in the industry, some want to be instant chef's. Life is not like that. Some people want to listen and learn.
Constructive comments always welcome.
CP HURRY UP WITH YOUR HOUSE I NEED A REST.
Andy
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CK I guess you missed an earlier post of mine where I clearly said I am taking a back seat for a while to finish my house and get it ready for sale. Plus, it would be unfair on Andy if there was another raging debate on UCB and its associated recipes.
Why would there be a raging debate about the UCB, a bit pretentious don't you think, most of us havn't even tried it yet!
I don't think Andy is any way or shape a new messiah it was just a bit of humour; but he is working hard to provide information to those who want it.
Andy may well be working hard and putting in loads of effort but whats the point if it's no good or knocked off from somewhere else? Another gripe is that it seems to me Andy's recipes\posts and your own in some cases have praise heaped upon them when they are largely untested, why?
As for trying his stuff, I definitely will as soon as I can get the buliders, decorators, and plumbers out of my way so I can cook seriously again.
How are you in a position to comment on all of he's posts then? Look through them your there every single time "biggin it up", you on his payroll or something as I can't see why else you would be doing it?
By the way when you do get round to trying them I would give the paste a miss as it's muck :P
cK
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When you say something is not quite right. Don't know what you mean?
You seem to have this thing with natco for some reason.
It's not me posting the Natco recipes on here claiming there from some chef who's had ten years in the business!
It seems that some people on here don't want to listen to the chef's in the industry, some want to be instant chef's. Life is not like that. Some people want to listen and learn.
Listen to yourself your getting worse than CP!! Tell me oh wise one why are you taking the time to pass your years and years of expertise and knowledge on to us lesser mortals?
CP HURRY UP WITH YOUR HOUSE I NEED A REST.
Yeah hurry up CP, theres about to be a raging debate over your UCB ::)
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Ck, if you were any kind of moderator youd delete your own posts! People arent interested in your personal attacks on CP and Andy!
Ashes
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Well said Ashes!
KP(V)
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How are you in a position to comment on all of he's posts then? Look through them your there every single time "biggin it up", you on his payroll or something as I can't see why else you would be doing it?
By the way when you do get round to trying them I would give the paste a miss as it's muck :P
cK
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Quite simply because I am in avery good position to take a qualified viewof his recipes without tasting them because unlike you I have been an Asian cook for a lot longer than you have been on this planet. And yes I do praise Andy, and anyone else, that provide constructive input and criticism for that matter. As a moderator I would have expected you to set a good example on this Forum, but once again you have decsended in to trash and offence. Maybe it is we who should be suspicious of who you really are.
I do not wish to get in a slanging match with you CK, so I will butt out of this thread.
CP
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Ck, if you were any kind of moderator youd delete your own posts! People arent interested in your personal attacks on CP and Andy!
Ashes
I wasn't personally attacking anyone, yes I called Andy's paste recipe crap but in my opinion it is. I was probably over harsh because I have tried it before when it was called the Natco Holy Grail!
Quite simply because I am in avery good position to take a qualified viewof his recipes without tasting them because unlike you I have been an Asian cook for a lot longer than you have been on this planet.
LOL, I have heard it all now, don't tell me but I bet you work out how they will smell just by sniffing your keyboard ;D
As a moderator I would have expected you to set a good example on this Forum, but once again you have decsended in to trash and offence. Maybe it is we who should be suspicious of who you really are.
You will be sending me to the headmasters office next becuase I refuse to "listen" and "learn" ::)
cK
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All i can say is stuff this lot. This time i have had enough. I will comment on other peoples issues but dont have to put up with all this and not putting the time and effort into something i dont really have to.
Now its turned from crap to muck.
Accusations of Natco. Well would not give their stuff the time of day.
Someone needs to sort this out very quickly.
CP lets start a website ourselves for gods sake. I will fund it
Andy
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Accusations of Natco. Well would not give their stuff the time of day.
Andy,
Your recipe, with the exception of the tandoori masalla for colour, is exactly the same as the Natco one. Are you saying you won't give your stuff the time of day as well then :D
Natco Version:
The Secret Onion Paste (biggest secret!)
2 lge white onions, chopped finely
4 cloves garlic
3tbs vegetable oil
Pinch of cumin
Pinch of cinnamon
Place raw onion and garlic into blender. Add enough water to come about halfway up the side of the blender and blend until WELL smoothed.
Heat the oil in a pan on a high heat, adding the mixture (it will spit!!!)
Reduce this down until it gets drier then add the spices and continue frying until it turns into what looks a bit like bread dough. This may take some time but is worth it for the final taste! Be careful not to burn this as it will be ruined. Taste the finished product ? tastes almost ?soapy? ? remind you of anything familiar?
Andy's version:
6 spanish onions, chopped finely
12 cloves garlic, chopped finely
150ml sunflower oil
3 chefs pinches of cumin
3 chefs pinches of cinnamon
3 tablespoons of TRS tandoori massala powder
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
The raw onion and garlic are placed into a blender and water is added to about halfway up the side of the blender. The contents are blended until the mixture is well smoothed.
Place the oil in a pan and heat on a high heat till near smoking. Add the blended mixture. Be careful as it will spit back at you.
Quickly stir the mixture around in the oil. Reduce the heat down. As we do this on a gas cooker controlling the heat is easy. If you are using an electric hob you will know best about controlling the heat.
You have to keep stirring now regularly. Add the cumin, cinnamon, tandoori masala powder, and the tomato paste.
STIR IN WELL.
The idea now is to fry very slowly while the water is evaporated off. Not easy the first time you do this but the aroma is superb.
Keep stirring very regularly. The paste is ready when no virtually no steam is being evaporated off and the paste resembles soft bread dough.
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yes as you dont know the source of it.
Andy
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Andy, Once again I would ask you not to stop posting. A few people who have decided to try and discredit you and have been unsuccessful - witness the number of folk who've splashed out on pans, spices and other gear, and are in the process of trying to follow your recipes. It would be a big let -down to us
No doubt, someone else will come along one day, with similar experience, and they'll get the same treatment. If that?s is the case then there is always going to be a limit to how far things can progress. Maybe there are those who feel that, if we did crack it, then the future of the site would be in jeopardy! Who Knows.
A8
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I will re-phrase that.
What we do in business has nothing to do with anyone else. If we supply information to a third party that is our business. If we dont that is our business. That is all i have to say on the matter. End of story
Andy
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A8.
Dont worry this will get sorted
Regards
Andy
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LOL, all I did was express a grievance that Andy's "paste" recipe was
a bit crap not very good and that it had been ripped of the Natco site.
Anyone would think I had accused CP and Andy of being the same person or Andy of being "M" the curry phantom ::)
I wouldn't dare..
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Locking Thread.
Interesting comments from all but lets just leave it, people can make their own minds up on this.
Stew (Admin)