Curry Recipes Online
British Indian Restaurant Recipes - Main Dishes => BIR Main Dishes Chat => Topic started by: Derek Dansak on September 30, 2009, 05:01 PM
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Hi all, thought i would post my results of ctm trials.
First i made cbm ctm. I would rate the cbm ctm as 6.7/10. it was very sweet and creamy, and about the level of a lower quality bir takeaway.
next I made the CA ctm. Again very sweet and creamy. 7/10. both ctm recipies had many similarities.
The CA tikka/tandorri marinade from Pat Chapman was excellant. this i would rate 10/10, thanks CA. The cbm recipe was easier to make, with only a little less tastyness.
Next i made a new ctm based on the demo I had at my local bir.
My aims were as follows:
1) reduce the sweetness
2) use a subtle amount of cream
3) keep the recipe simple
4) Have a nice underlying taste of tomato, and garlic
5) copy as much as possible from the demo.
here is the recipe. it is based 60% on bir observations, and 40% on my own ideas from 3 years of indian cookery. I prefered this recipe to the cbm and ca ctm as its less sweet and creamy. It will be posted in the recipe section also.
Derek Dansaks CTM............
mix 8 rounded tbs tom puree with 2 heaped tsp pataks kashmiri masalla paste and 1/5th of a cup water. should be quite runny. more water may be needed.
Add 5 tbs sunflower oil to the pan.
switch to medium/low heat
Add 1 rounded tsp garlic ginger puree 70/30. fry in the oil for 3 - 4 mins, without burning. stir around, then move to edge of pan when done.
Sprinkle 0.5 tsp chilly across the pan surface for 1 min of frying. dont stir
quickly Sprinkle 1 level tsp of DD spice mix across the pans surface for 1 minute of frying. DD spice mix is in supplementary recipes section.
Add o.5 tsp salt
turn heat to medium heat, and push the garlic and spices to edge of pan where they wont burn.
fry 2 (or 2.3) chef spoons of tom puree mix from step 1, for 1 minute. dont burn
add 1/3 tsp sugar
add 1 chef spoon almond powder
add 1 chef spoon of disected coconut powder. fry for 30 secs.
switch to high heat for next 3 or 4 mins
quickly add 1 ladel of base gravy (safron or lightly spiced base is a must)
add Chicken tikka (blades or pats)
add 4 tbs double cream
add 1 heaped tbs greek yogurt.
reduce heat to medium.
cook for 8 mins until it starts to dry out around the edges.
2 tbs chopped fresh Coriander to garnish (optional)
Done !
It also works well with just a few lumps of veg such as carrots, and pre cooked green beans if no meat is available. Enjoy.
Comments welcome. Cheers DD
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DD,
looks as if u've been having some real good fun. i'm well taken back.
it's a very different cooking technique to what i use - is the technique mostly from the BIR.
the 8 tbsp of tom puree seems a lot - could it be passata or some of each.
i like the use of almond powder - i've had some for a while now and use it now and again for a treat.
the big sticking point for me is the pataks - could i swop it for kashmiri spice (basaar) or would it bugger the recipe up too much.
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DD, interesting departure for sure.
As one desperately looking to recreate the CTMs I remember (and I've had a lot, all over England) I will definitely give this a try.
I'm weary of the 'spices in center of pan without stirring', but I guess if you saw it first hand...
My initial eyebrow-raiser is the amount of tom puree, but I won't judge until trying.
Also, how would you rate it against BIR?
Thanks for the post.
-- Josh
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First i made cbm ctm.
What's "cbm" please?
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Hi Guys. George, the cbm videos, is a link posted on the ctm thread thats been quite active recently. its basically a bunch of vids from some bir kitchen. i am not that impressed by them to be honest. i have only tried the ctm, perhaps the cbm madras is better.
Josh, Jerry, the method with the spices is not important, as long as they get some frying. The tom puree part is totally what the chef did and explained. he said the tom puree shoud be spiced. and pointed to his greasy pataks kashmiri tub. Jerry, i am positive the pataks could be replaced with any custom spice mix of your choice. The chef used at least 2 chef spoons of tom puree mix, so this is accurate. i am not sure they added any cream, and yogurt. that remains a mystery to me. some parts of the demo were not clear as waiters were busy rushing around.
The end result was not quite as good as the real version I purchased. they never gave me there base recipe, so thats possibly the reason. the base they use is quite similar to safron though. I would not claim it to be the best ctm in the world, but do feel that its very promising. a lot of things about the recipe are right. I feel more cardoman might be worth trying next time i make it. hope that helps
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Hi Guys. George, the cbm videos, is a link posted on the ctm thread thats been quite active recently. its basically a bunch of vids from some bir kitchen.
Just to elaborate George, "cbm" stands for "Curry Barking Mad" (aka "Mick"). He's the guy who's made the videos. The ones he's taken of a BIR kitchen (mostly on the Isle of White) are particularly informative (this Chicken Tikka Masala video is of his own interpretation that he's made himself).
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Hi CA, what are the best cbm recipies to try? i noticed he has madras, jalfrezzi, and korma, and more. i would be very interested to try the ones other members seriously rate. have you tried his madras? I suspect these recipies can teach experienced members little new materiel. but i hope i am wrong !
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Hi DD,
I've only tried his CTM recipe. It's therefore hard for me to say what the others (from the BIR) are like.
Nevertheless, I find that the ones taken in the BIR are very informative as they give a great insight into what BIRs typically do.
To me, they are some of the most informative BIR things on the internet and the next best thing to being there yourself.
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DD,
many thanks for the clarification.
just one last question - could the tom puree paste have been part water as this would sort the amount for me.
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The chef used at least 2 chef spoons of tom puree mix, so this is accurate.
DD this is almost certainly tandoori masala and not just spiced tomato puree, that's why he used so much of it. I hate to think what the result will be if you try to use this amount of 'spiced' tomato puree!
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Hi Guys. George, the cbm videos, is a link posted on the ctm thread thats been quite active recently. its basically a bunch of vids from some bir kitchen.
Just to elaborate George, "cbm" stands for "Curry Barking Mad" (aka "Mick"). He's the guy who's made the videos. The ones he's taken of a BIR kitchen (mostly on the Isle of White) are particularly informative (this Chicken Tikka Masala video is of his own interpretation that he's made himself).
Many thanks for that. I'm now up to 100% understanding, whereas after reply #4 I still only had a vague idea. Now I'm wondering why I didn't guess what CBM stood for.
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DD this is almost certainly tandoori masala and not just spiced tomato puree
Secret Santa,
just to be sure - u're referring to tandoori marinade not tandoori masala powder. for example like the recipe in KD1.
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just to be sure - u're referring to tandoori marinade not tandoori masala powder.
Yes Jerry the deep red paste that you see any BIR adding to their CTM, not the powder.
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DD,
i now think i've got 2 options for the paste:
1) tom paste + tandoori masala powder + water
2) tom paste + tandoori marinade (ie hold back some when i make it for tikka)
which do you think is closest to what u're BIR does.
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Hi Jerry, The chef mixes tom puree with pataks kasmiri masalla, and water, to make a runny paste. however tandorri powder may work ok instead of pataks. however i would recomend trying the pataks paste as well. trust me it is a simple but highly effective way to make a good tomato masalla paste. you only need a little pataks paste though, with lots of tom puree, and water.
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DD,
i'll give the pataks another go and try the recipe when i next make base.
i've not tried the kashmiri from pataks. i did notice the other night that i used a std spice mix instead of the basaar (kashmiri masala) in the kasmiri curry i make. i was taken back by how poor the spice mix version was.
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Guys if it helps I noticed in my local TA the other night while back in Scotland that there were large catering jars of Pataks Ticka Masala which is the brand also used in The Ashoka. Cheers Panpot
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Guys if it helps I noticed in my local TA the other night
Panpot,
i really can't believe the Ashoka or any top notch BIR would use pataks. the chef at my local TA i'm sure would chuck me out.
for DD & yourself to have spotted them is real disappointing. not from the sort of "cheating" point of view but have u tasted them.
i tried the tikka masala a while ago as a midweek "tikka in a hurry" following the instructions on the tin - even the family spotted it as fake.
it even says on the tin not to taste unless cooked - having just about lived i know why.
despite my better judgement i will get the kashmiri version as DD recommends and report back.
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While i dont use pataks paste much now my cooking has progressed, i always thought they were a cut above the other crap sold in supermarkets. eg uncle bens etc. personally i like the pataks approach of bold hot spicy pastes full of flavor. I guess some people prefer their curry mild, and hence find pataks OTT.
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I guess some people prefer their curry mild, and hence find pataks OTT.
I don't think it's so much that DD, it's the tartness (i.e. vinegar, preservatives, stabilisers, acidity regulators, and all that crap) in it that puts me off (at least from using too much of it). It's bleedingly obvious when a BIR uses it to make a curry! Cheap and nasty to my mind :-\
Having said that, I find they are OK if they are used in moderation (like a tsp or less per curry).
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it's the tartness (i.e. vinegar, preservatives, stabilisers, acidity regulators, and all that crap) in it that puts me off (at least from using too much of it). It's bleedingly obvious when a BIR uses it to make a curry! Cheap and nasty to my mind :-\
exactly it for me too. if fact i've changed my mind having been to my fav TA this week. i'm pretty sure they don't use it and i don't therefore feel a need myself.
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watever ! ;D no but seriously the bir restaurant industy seems to use a lot of pataks tikka paste and kashmiri paste so they cant be all that bad tasting. but basically i do agree with all your comments. i always feel much happier if i know the curry is all my own work. right down to the individual spicing. as well as bir cooking i do plenty of traditional indian cooking and feel this teaches how to use spices properly. to really get the best taste from spices they need 2 or 3 hours of slow cooking in a curry sauce. bir cooking makes this hard. but hey i like the challenge. i would say i cook bir style 70 percent of the time as its such an awsome technique. once you have the base sauce its so quick to make a curry.
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bir restaurant industy seems to use a lot of pataks tikka paste and kashmiri paste so they cant be all that bad tasting
That's a good point DD; perhaps that's one good reason why some people feel that modern day BIR curries are lacking compared to those of the 70s and 80s...when Pataks, or similar commercial curry products) were not so freely available! :P
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DD,
your words are exactly it for me too.
i've not completely ruled out using the stuff in the future - i just don't think it will make the difference i'm looking for. having been for the regular TA i still feel my efforts are still over spiced - hence the reluctance at this stage to add more. i need to work on less is more in a way taking on board CA's garlic/ginger and Secret Santa's APS additions.
i will of course try out your CTM - i will use basaar in the recipe in place of the jarred version. hoping to make base next w/e.