Curry Recipes Online
Curry Base Recipes => Curry Sauce, Curry Base , Curry Gravy Recipes, Secret Curry Base => Topic started by: ANNAM on October 09, 2007, 11:37 AM
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Hi everyone managed to go into my local indian,s kitchen last night ;D
Had a few beers on friday on the way home called in for a curry as you do
and asked them while I was there if I could have a look in the kithcen
They declined but told me to come back on mon night .So last night I went
down about 9 very quiet in there so they let me in the kitchen .
first i asked about there base sauce ,He showed me there finished sauce which
was not as dark as many you see and very thin with a nice layer of oil on top.
Then he showed me a 20 ltr pot which he was prepairing the base in for the next
day.
Not sure of the exact amounts but looked about 15 to 20 onions he told me there
was no ginger in there they add this later when making the dishes ,only about 6
garlic cloves ,red and green peppers,corriander stems ,dried fenugreek,salt and
some tumeric and not sure of the amounts but full nearly to the top whith water
and oil , then when cooked blend this with only one can of tomatoes,that is why
the base sauce is so light in colour. All the rest is added to the dish when
prepairing ,the base sauce is only for speed in the resturant they dont blend
nothing down when cooking at home they just let it boil down for longer so it
brings out a better flavour of the spices.
I asked him where he thought that classic bir taste comes from ,he got out a
thick sauce pan added some ghee then heated it up on the burner and made my
favorite dish ::) ,whilst doing this he said that its probably from the heat
that they get the oil upto every thing is cooked really quick and not to much is
added at once to keep the cooking temprature high at all times ,the oil in the
base sauce is infused with its ingreedients so at the high heat these are
brought out the amount of oil allows this to get to a very high temp without
it all sticking to the pan so all the flavours are fried into the oil ;)
He finished making the dish then sat me down in the resturant apearing
two minuets later with the dish he had preped for me and some keema rice,spot on
with that amazing bir taste . when i went to leave he told me it was on the
house and was pleased that I took an intrest in how it was all done .
WHAT A RESULT BEST EVENING IVE HAD IN AGES , hope this throws some more light on
taste subject 8) ANNAM
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Result ANNAM, not only did you get to see it made, you got it for free! But you didn't tell us what curry he made and what went into it.
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When ive tried to make it myself I will post it on here for you very interesting ingredients in this one but tastes great ANNAM
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excellent post m8 well done :)
Kev.
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Great post Annam! 8)
Interesting observations regarding the curry base.
Minimally spiced, fairly light in colour, thin consistency, and oily...versatile....sounds about right to me :P
I reckon your comments about heat (and maintaining a high/stable temperature) are spot on too......plus the copious amounts of oil "distributing" the flavours.
Like Santa, I'd also be interested to learn more about how he cooked your final dish...please don't delay too long in telling us ;)
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Great post always intresting to here actual BIR observations, thanks for sharing 8)
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Have you made it yet ANNAM? Anything to report?
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Sounds fantastic, Annam! What a friendly chef. Really looking
forward to hearing about your attempt. I'm very much a newbie,
and still stumbling around in the dark. Have to get organised
and try some of the recipes on here!!
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hi everyone im going to make up the base sauce today and then probably try to make the dish mon or tues.I will post some pics of the process :P
Went in there for a sit down meal last night and I told him that I was going to make it tomorrow ,he makes what he calls masala paste to go in this dish so I asked him what was in it (I will go into this when I post next) he went out in the kitchen and came back with some of this paste in a foil tray ;D enough to make about 4 dishes he told me. It will keep for about 4 days in the fridge but should be ok to freeze some down , cant wait to make this will be very intresting to see how close it comes to the real thing, will it have the taste :P
will post soon see ya ANNAM
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Hi ANNAM
That's great news, I can't wait. I'm particularly interested in the masala sauce, I think I know what'll be in it but it'll be interesting to see what you come up with. Keep us posted.
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Hi ANNAM, ;) looks like your on to something there. Looking forward to seeing the fruits of your labour. :P well done..... ;D
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HI MADE THE BASE SAUCE TASTES PRETTY GOOD ;D
MY BEST EFFOT SO FAR
INGREEDIENTS AS FOLLOWS
8 ONIONS ROUGHLY CHOPED
8 CLOVES OF GARLIC
35 CORIANDER STEMS ( NO LEAVES)
1 RED PEPPER ROUGHLY CHOPED
1 GREEN " " "
3 HEAPED TEA SPOONS DRIED FENUGREEK
1 " " " CUMIN POWDER
1 " " " CORIANDER POWDER
1 LEVEL SPOON TUMERIC
2 TEA SPOONS SALT
1/2 TEA SPOON ASAFOETIDA
3/4 PINT VEG OIL
4 PINTS WATER
1 TIN CHEAP TOMATOES
1 TABLE SPOON HEAPED OF PAPRIKA
PUT ALL THE INGREDIENTS IN A LARGE STOCK POT (EXCEPT TOMATOES AND PAPRIKA)
BRING TO THE BOIL THEN SIMMER WITH THE LID ON FOR 1 HOUR ALLOW TO COOL THEN
BLEND TIL SMOOTH PUT BACK IN THE STOCK POT(WITHOUT THE LID OFF) AND SIMMER BLEND THE TOMATOES THEN
ADD TO STOCK POT ALONG WITH THE PAPRIKA, STIR WELL THEN SIMMER FOR AT LEAST ONE
HOUR STIRRING GENTLY FROM TIME TO TIME YOU WILL NOTICE SOME FROTH RISING TO THE TOP
THEN YOU WILL NOTICE POOLS OF GOLDEN OIL , THIS MEANS ITS DOING OK WHEN YOU GET
TO THIS STAGE SKIM OFF THE FROTH BEST DONE WITH A LADLE TRY TO LEAVE THE OIL
THE OIL SHOULD START TO JOIN TOGETHER AT THIS STAGE TURN OFF THE HEAT AND PUT THE LID ON AND ALLOW TO COOL FOR A WHILE YOU SHOULD END UP WITH A GOLDEN BROWN FILM OF OIL COVERING MOST OF THE SAUCE THE SAUCE SHOULD BE QUITE THIN NOT MUCH THICKER THAN TOMATOE SOUP . THIS IS VERTUALLY THE SAME AS MY LOCAL BIR APART FROM A BIT MORE TOMATOE AND THE EXACT AMOUNT OF SPICES WHICH ARE VERY LITTLE IN THIS AMOUNT OF BASE
BUT IT DOES TASTE GREAT I THINK THAT THE CORRIANDER STEMS MAKE A DIFFRENCE TRY IT OUT PLEASE IT WILL BE GREAT TO GET YOUR VIEWS ON THIS I WILL POST ON THE DISH LATER IN THE WEEK ANNAM
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SORRY ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE PIC DONT NOW HOW TO MAKE IT SMALLER ITS THE BASE WITH ALL THE OIL SITTING ON TOP WHEN I SORT OUT THE PICS I WILL POST SOME MORE ANNAM
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this might help you with your pics annam http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1475.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1475.0)
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Thanks for that ANNAM. No real surprises in that base, it has all the normal stuff you would expect and the pic looks good. Are you going to skim that oil off or mix it back into the base?
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Hi ANNAM
If you use winXP you should download the Microsoft image resizer from here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
The download is on the right hand side of the screen and is called "image resizer"
It's really easy to use, you right click on the image or images you want to resize and just put in your size requirements and away it goes. It really is simple, no complicated graphics programs to get used to. Try it.
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THANKS FOR YOUR HELP WITH THE PICS GUYS HERE IS THE BASE SAUCE BEING MADE(http://[img][img][img])[/img][/img][/img]
WILL POST ON THE DISH SOON CHEERS ANNAM
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Nice pics Annam...thanks for posting them 8)
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HI EVERONE IVE MADE THE DISH THAT I WAS SHOWN SPECIAL CHICKEN MASALA
INGREEDIENTS
3/4 PINT BASE SAUCE 3 OR 4 CHICKEN BREASTS PRE COOKED AND CUT UP
5 MATCH STICK SIZE PIECES OF GINGER
1 CLOVE OF GARLIC ROUGHLY CHOPED
1/2 TEA SPOON TUMERIC
1/2 " " SALT
1 1/4 " " CORIANDER
1 " " CUMIN
1 " " DRIED FENUGREEK
1 " " CHILLI POWDER
2 " " PATAKS BALTI PASTE
4 TABLE SPOONS MASALA PASTE
1 LARGE ONION SLICED INTO LARGE PIECES
1 GREEN PEPPER CUT QUITE LARGE
1 TOMATOE
FRESH CORIANDER
2 TEA SPOONS TOMATOE PASTE
METHOD
PUT ABOUT 2 INCHES OF OIL IN A PAN AND WHEN HOT ADD ONION AND PEPPER
WHEN QUITE SOFT TAKE OUT AND DRAIN
INTO ANOTHER PAN PUT 4 TABLE SPOONS OF OIL OR GHEE
WHEN HOT ADD GINGER AND FRY TILL LIGHTLY GOLDEN THEN ADD THE GARLIC STIR
THEN ADD ONION AND GINGER AND TOMATO PASTE STIR ROUND THEN ADD 1/2 BASE
SAUCE STIR IN THEN ADD ALL THE SPICES MIX WELL THEN ADD MASALA PASTE
I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE GIVEN THIS BUY MY LOCAL BIR BUT YOU COOK DOWN AN
ONION CHOPED WITH FENNEL SEEDS AND BLACK ONION SEEDS WHEN SOFT BLEND TILL
SMOOTH ADD SUGAR SALT AND CREAMED COCONUT NOT SURE OF EXACT AMOUNTS HE ALSO
PUTS IN A LITTLE RED FOOD COLOUR.
MIX THIS IN WELL AND ALLOW TO FRY THEN ADD PATAKS BALTI PASTE ,(HE USES THIS
AS IT TAKES TO LONG TO MAKE UP THIS TYPE OF PASTE )
THEN ADD PRE COOKED CHICKEN CHUNKS
STIR THEN ADD THE REST OF THE BASE SAUCE CHOPED TOMATO AND CORIANDER ;D
I FROZE MY BASE SAUCE IN PINTS BUT HAD ABOUT 1 1/4 PINTS LEFT OVER SO I
USED ALL OF THIS IN MY DISH WHICH DID TURN OUT A BIT THIN BUT STILL TASTED
PREETY GOOD IN MY LOCAL BIR THEY USE TANDOOR TIKKA PIECES IN THIS DISH
I USED GRADE A FROZEN FROM ICELAND PUT IT IN A MICROWAVE DISH WITH CURRY
LEAVE 1 CARDOMON POD 4 CLOVES 1/4 SPOON OF TUMERIC ADDED 1 INCH OF WATER
THEN COVERED PUT ON HIGH FOR 10 MINS TUN IT OVER THEN GIVE IT ANOTHER 3 MINS
THEN CUT UP INTO PIECES TURNS OUT VERY TENDER ( I COOK FROM FROZEN TURNS
OUT BETTER THE MASALA PASTE THEY MAKE IN A LARGE BATCH SO ITS HARD TO GET
THE EXACT AMOUT BUT I WOULD THINK 1 TEA SPOON OF ONION SEEDS AND ONE FENNEL
WONT BE FAR OUT .
MY DISH TASTED SIMALAR TO MY LOCAL BIR BUT NOT QUITE THE SAME STILL VERY NICE
MY MISSUS LOVED IT ::) HOPE YOU TRY TO MAKE THIS SO I CAN SEE WHAT YOU THINK
BELOW ARE PICS OF THE MASALA PASTE I WAS GIVEN AND THE FINISHED DISH
LOOK FOWARD TO HEARING YOUR COMMENTS PS THEY ALSO ADD LAMB SHEEK KEBAB MEAT
AT THE END OF THE DISH I LEFT THIS OUT BUT IT DOES GIVE A LOVELY TEXTURE TO
IT
THANKS ANNAM 8)http://
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Thanks ANNAM that's a great post. I find the masala paste very interesting because it's undoubtedly used in other recipes as well. I'm definitely going to try this when my current batch of base sauce runs out. The only thing i would have wished for would be that he had showed you something like a madras because then i could at least compare to what I know. These "special" dishes tend to vary from one place to another so it's difficult to know if you're on the right track when you make it yourself. Also can you explain the sheek kebab bit please, does it go in raw, is it crumbled?
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HI THIS IS COOKED IN THE TANDOOR THEN BROKEN UP INTO THE DISH AS FOR THE MASALA PASTE IT IS ONLY USED IN THERE TIKKA MASALA AND THIS DISH ,THERE MADRAS HAS QUITE A THIN SAUCE BUT VERY TASTY ;D ANNAM
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Hi Annam,
This is a very interesting post and is next on my list to try.
Thank you very much for sharing this and if you do get the opportunity to get the madras recipe...well you'll have a friend for life ;)
Stew 8)
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Very interesting stuff, thank you.
Did he say if the base was used for ALL curries or particular ones?
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HI HE USES THIS BASE FOR ALL THE DISHES AS FAR AS I KNOW
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Hello ANNAM
I'm just in the process of making your base sauce. A few of questions:
There's no ginger in it, is this intentional or did you just forget it?
Compared to other bases I've made there seems to be very little spicing, can you confirm that the quantities you have posted are correct please?
Is the tin of tomatoes a standard 400g tin? This would seem about right given the quantities of the other ingredients.
Is there a reason why you let the pan cool down before blending? Is this just so you don't risk splattering hot base around the kitchen?
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HI SECRET SANTA THERE IS NO GINGER IN THIS AS THEY FRY IT IN THE OIL BEFORE MAKING THERE DISHES YOU ARE RIGHT THERE IS NOT THAT MUCH SPICE IN HERE LIKE MANY OTHERS BUT IT IS A GREAT BASE FOR ALL TYPES OF DISHES MAKE SURE YOU PUT ENOUGH CORIANDER STEMS WITHOUT THE LEAVES ON ,I USED ONE CAN 400G BLENDED IT THEN WARMED IT UP ADDED HEAPED TABLE SPOON OF PAPRIKA THEN STIRED THIS INTO THE BASE MAKE SURE YOU LET THE OIL START TO RISE BEFORE YOU TURN OFF THE HEAT ,I DONT LET IT COOL RIGHT DOWN BEFORE I BLEND JUST ENOUGH TO SAVE ANY ACCIDENTS . WHEN ITS ALL DONE ITS UP TO YOU IF YOU SKIM OFF THE OIL ILEFT ABOUT 1/2 IN THERE BEST DONE AFTER IT HAS COMPLETELY COOLED LET ME KNOW HOW YOU GET ON ANNAM
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Nice one ANNAM, ;) I will be giving this a go soon. I hope you do manage to get the Madras recipe as I am a big Madras fan too. Fingers crossed. ;D Keep up the good work........
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Has anyone tried this base and if so would you recommend it?
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Hi lorrydoo,
I made this base a few weeks ago and I thought it was the biz, whenever i open a bag of the frozen base to make a curry it smells delicious, really close to a BIR madras smell (imo).
I made one of the best curries I've ever made with this base, which I put down to the fact I was home alone with a healthy amount of beers sloshing around inside me and I Whacked up the gas ring to scary proportions, got the "toffee smell" when the first ladle hit the pan.
The base itself has a distinct flavour of carrot and coriander soup, unsurprisingly cos I added a carrot.
I'm gonna make it again tonight and I'll take some fotos.
Definitely one I'd recommend.
Mike
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Thanks Kaled, I might give it a try myself. It also makes sense to me to use corriander stalks because I am sure the BIRs given they don't like to throw anything away.
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Hi,
Just made this base myself last night and the house smells brill this morning. It's a winner!!
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Hi Annam
I am very curious about this onion fennel sauce that you spoke of
I have never come across this before
Is it made by frying the onions or boiling them?
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Hi Haldi,
I made it the other day as i tried Annams main recipe. Here's how i did it and it turned out ok.
Ingredients
1 large onion
1 Tsp Fennel seeds
1 Tsp Kolonji (Onion Seeds)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 Tablespoons Coconut Cream
1/2 tsp Red or Orange Food Colouring
Method
Quarter the onion and boil down with the fennel seeds and the onion seeds until the onion is soft. Once the onion is soft you may want to drain off some water so you have about 2 table spoons left in the pot. Mine went a bit runny as i left too much water in. Puree the onion and the seeds to a paste then add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Seal in an air tight container and store in the fridge.
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I made Annams base and curry when it was first posted. I thought the base was good but not really that different to most other bases. I messed up with the curry because I accidently used Pataks kasmiri paste and not the balti paste as specified. It still produced a good curry. The mistake aside, I didn't feel that the base or curry were in any way a step forward though.
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HI GUYS YOU ARE MENT TO FRY THE ONIONS ADD THE SEEDS WHEN THE ONIONS ARE SOFT ADD THE REST THEN BLEND UNTIL SMOOTH WHEN COOLED IT SHOULD BE LIKE THE CONSISTANCY OF THE PATAKS BALTI PASTE :D
AS FOR THE BASE THERE IS NOT MUCH BETWEEN MOST OF THE GOOD ONES POSTED ON HERE THERE IS NO SECRET INGREDIENT IN THE BIR BASES IN MY OPINION THEY DO IT ALL THE TIME AND YOU WONT FIND TWO CURRIES TASTING THE SAME, THEY ALL HAVE THERE OWN WAY OF DOING THINGS JUST THE SAME WITH FISH AND CHIPS . EVERONES TASTE IS DIFFRENT SO I THINK ITS A CASE OF TRIAL AND ERROR I NEVER GET BOARD OF TRYING SOMTHING NEW WHEN MAKING CURRIES AS I THINK MOST OF YOU GUYS AND GIRLS DO ,IVE GOT SOME FRIENDS COMING ROUND LATER SO IM GOING TO TRY A HOT TIKKA BHUNA USING BLADES VERSION OF CHICKEN TIKKA IN IT ,HAD IT MARINATING ALL DAY SO CANT WAIT TO TRY IT OUT, HAPPY COOKING SEE YA ::)
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Hi ANNAM,
Good to hear from you again. You should post more often, let us know how your hot tikka bhuna turns out.
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Hi All
One thing I never tire of is cooking Curry Indian or otherwise!!!
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HI ALL HAD A GREAT RESULT WITH THE CURRY LAST NIGHT WILL POST IT ON HERE LATER ,BLADES CHICKEN TIKKA IS EXCELLENT WELL WORTH A TRY LOADS OF FLAVOUR AND VERY TENDER ;)
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Droooooooooooollll !!!! ;D
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HERE GOES EVERONE THIS IS THE RECIPE I MADE ON THE WEEKEND :P
LETS CALL IT HOT TIKKA BHUNA MASALA!
1 LTR BASE SAUCE OF YOUR CHOICE
2 TBL SPOONS OF CONCENTRATED TOMATO PUREE MIXED WITH 1/3 PINT OF HOT WATER
DO NOT ADD THIS IF USING A BASE WITH LOTS OF TOMATO IN IT
1 HEAPED TABLE SPOON OF GHEE
1 TEA SPOON OF GARLIC PASTE
1/2 TEA SPOON OF GINGER PASTE (BOTH BEST FRESH)
1 1/2 TABLE SPOONS EQUAL MIX OF CUMIN,CORIANDER,DRIED FENUGREEK LEAVES
AND GARAMASALA
SALT TO TASTE
2 ONIONS ROUGHLY CHOPED
1 LARGE GREEN PEPPER
4 THIN GREEN CHILLIES DE SEEDED THEN CUT UP
6 DRIED BIRDS EYE CHILLIES
1 BATCH OF BLADES CHICKEN TIKKA USING EXTRA TEA SPOON OF RAJAH HOT CHILLI
POWDER
2 STAGE
1 LARGE FINELY CHOPED ONION
1 TEA SPOON OF TOMATO PUREE
1/4 CINAMMON STICK
1 LEVEL TEA SPOON OF BLACK ONION SEEDS
1 " " " " FENNEL SEEDS
1 TEA SPOON OF SALT
1 TABLE SPOON OF SUGAR
100 ML OF ELMLEA SINGLE CREAM
2 TABLE SPOONS VEG OIL
PINCH OF BLACK PEPPER
1/2 TEA SPOON SWARTZ CURRY POWDER
STAGE 3
1 TEA SPOON CUMIN
1/2 TEA SPOON OF GARAMASALA
CHOPED FRESH CORRIANDER
1/2 TEA SPOON HOT CHILLI POWDER
METHOD
IN A LARGE PAN OR STOCK POT MELT DOWN THE GHEE THE ADD GINGER AND GARIC PASTE
WHEN IT STARTS TO TURN GOLDEN ADD THE BASE SAUCE ,WHEN BOILING ADD THE TOMATO
MIX IF NEEDED AND STIR WELL THEN ADD THE SPICE MIX AND TURN DOWN THE HEAT
ADD SALT TO TASTE ADD SOME HOT WATER AT THIS STAGE IF YOU THINK IT WILL START
TO STICK
FRY THE ONIONS FOR A MIN THEN ADD THE GREEN PEPPER THE WHEN NEARLY DONE ADD
THE GREEN CHILLI.IN ANOTHER PAN HEAT A LITTLE OIL ADD THE DRIED BIRDS EYE
CHILLES WHEN TURNING DARKER ADD A LADDLE OF BASE SAUCE FRY FOR A BIT THEN ADD
TO THE ONIONS ALOW IT TO SIMMER FOR A BIT THEN PUT IT ALL IN THE BASE MIXTURE.
NOW PUT SOME OIL IN A PAN ADD THE FINLEY CHOPED ONION AND FRY FOR A FEW MINS
ADD THE TOMATO PASTE AND CURRY POWDER
ADD THE CINNAMON ONION SEEDS AND FENNEL AND CONTINUE TO FRY UNTIL THE ONIONS
A REALLY SOFT ,ADD THE SALT ,SUGAR AND BLACK PEPPER STIR IN THEN ADD THE CREAM
LET THIS START TO BUBBLE THEN BLEND REALLY WELL
ADD THIS TO THE MAIN SAUCE AND STIR IN IF ITS A BIT THICK ADD A BIT MORE HOT WATER
NOW TURN OFF THE HEAT AND LEAVE THIS STAND FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS WITH THE LID ON
THIS WILL ALLOW THE SPICES TO DO THERE THING.
NEXT STAGE
HEAT THE SAUCE BACK UP ADD THE CHILLI POWDER ,CUMIN AND GARAMASALA STIR IN THEN ADD
CHICKEN TIKKA COOKED OF COURSE HEAT ON LOW WITH THE LID ON FOR A FEW MINS THEN PUT
IN THE FRESH CORRIANDER I USED ABOUT 4 ROUGHLY CHOPPED TABLE SPOONS STIR THIS IN
ADD A SMALL KNOB OF BUTTER WHEN MELTED THE DISH IS READY :) 8) ;D
IF YOU DONT LIKE IT AS HOT JUST EASE OFF ON THE CHILLI ,IT HAS A VERY SPICEY
FLAVOUR AND THE CHICKEN WORKS PERFECTLY IN THIS SAUCE
GIVE IT A TRY GUYS ITS WELL WORTH THE EFFORT ,MY MATES QUITE OFTEN GET USED AS
GUINEA PIGS AND THEY REALLY LOVED THIS ONE GOOD LUCK LET ME KNOW HOW YOU GET ON
ANNAM
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Oooh Errr! a lot of Chilli in that one Annam!! :o Interesting point on the cooling to let the spices infuse. Nice post and looks the biz. I think i will ease off on the chilli as suggested lest there be a bout of Ghandi's revenge!! ::)
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HI DAVY THE AMOUNT OF CHILLI DID NOT MAKE THIS ANY HOTTER THAN A MADRAS BUT I WOULD USE LESS IF YOU ARE NOT SURE I THINK YOU WILL LOVE THIS DISH ALL THE BEST
ANNAM
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Hi everybody, I'm a complete newbie here but needed to know how to make a base sauce for a curry. I stumbled on this one and I'm in the first cooling down waiting period.
I couldn't get all of the ingredients, I didn't know what ASAFOETIDA was!
So, I've replaced it with garam masala. I also wasn't sure if the stems Annam was talking about were the things that the small leaves are joined to, so I put the whole lot in.
So far, it is smelling just like one of my local Indian restaurants does every day when they are cooking long before opening time. I can't wait to see how this turns out.
Many cheers.
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mal,
i've not tried this base so interested in how it turns out - annam's clearly very positive.
won't matter if u put the whole coriander in - i've done same before. must admit i'm now a bit more choosey - since i started using frozen coriander (there is a real good post on it). what i do now is i cut the bunch of coriander in half leaving the stems one side and the leaves the other. i put the stems in the base. i then chop the coriander leaves and put them straight into a container (that lives in the freezer). i then use the frozen coriander straight into the curry at frying stage. i'm sure it's not as good as having fresh all the time but i find the freezing a practical soln to having coriander on tap all the time.
the ASAFOETIDA is a real mystery to me - it rings no bells - i've even looked through all my spice and nothing their. i'm supposed to have used in CA's curry masala so i can only guess i've never been able to find it (i think i might have used fennel seeds as i have a big bag).
for future i would just leave it out and not replace with garam which is quite different. i'm sure as long as not too much garam is in then should be ok.
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the ASAFOETIDA is a real mystery to me - it rings no bells - i've even looked through all my spice and nothing their. i'm supposed to have used in CA's curry masala so i can only guess i've never been able to find it (i think i might have used fennel seeds as i have a big bag).
for future i would just leave it out and not replace with garam which is quite different. i'm sure as long as not too much garam is in then should be ok.
ASAFOETIDA is a plant ive never used or seen but apparently they call it the "stinking" plant!? it doesn't smell too good but when cooked is quite pleasant and said to taste like leeks.. i guess GM isn't a good substitute. UB
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I've used asafoetida a few times in some authentic indian dishes I've made. Also known as "Hing", the smell is really worse than anything I've ever smelled before. Disgusting.
It does disappear very quickly once it gets added to the dish while cooking. Most recipes call for a pinch, or 1/4 teaspoon max.
-- Josh
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Hello again, sorry it's been a while before I reported back, but here's an update:
I used Annam's original base sauce (the 8 onion one) and just made teh quantities smaller, but left most things the same except putting in the coriander leaves too. This was a mistake.
Everything was going exactly as Annam had described, smelled perfect - but I over-coriander'd the whole thing.
I've since made two Bhunas with it, and it's pretty close, but too much coriander. I also think I may have under spiced either the bhuna or the base sauce.
But, it smells fantastic and tastes pretty close, but it is missing a certain note that you get from a restaurant Bhuna or Jalfreizi and I'm looking to find what it is.
Good progress for me though. Next batch will be using just the coriander stalks as prescribed by Annam and maybe a smidge more spice. The key is the Methi/Fenugreek for the 'proper' smell. But I need to find the illusive 'mid-to-top' note taste as I'm not sure if it's just more garlic ginger or a missing spice.
Cheers again for the starter recipe.
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mal,
the extra garlic in the base is worth a try - i love the stuff so i always put more in than the spec (usually 1 large bulb aiming for around 30 to 45gm per 3L base).
it's difficult to know what the "mid to top" taste could be in reality though - it could be a squeeze of lemon or lime at cooking stage for example.