Curry Recipes Online
Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: GulfExpat on December 30, 2009, 02:17 PM
-
Has anyone used this book?
Is it any good?
I'm tempted to buy it but it's only 66 pages and costs ?10!
Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks!
-
?10 for a 66 page book, blimey. A bit of googling will show you this guy is associated with a certain Andy Holmes who certain members here have a particularly dim view of. Far be it for me to tell you how to spend your dosh but I think you would be better advised to try any of the recipes on here, for free, before shelling out that sort of money on what is little more than a glorified pamphlet.
Cheers
CoR
-
Hi
May seam silly but is it Balti that you won't to cook? I've noticed that there can be confusion and some think Balti base is a start for BIR curries!
-
not seen the book
i have the Lynette Baxter ISBN0 86288 275 3 (Balti, the complete cookbook) which was well worth the few quid. it's too balti for me in the main but good learning. like all books it does not give u restaurant taste.
-
Theres a balti book here to download
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2542.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2542.0)
-
Hi all,
I have this book (pamphlet lol) in to be honest, I quite like it. I've tried most of the recipes and I am really pleased with them. I wouldn't go as far as to say they they replicate my local BIR but that may be down to the fact that this is a "Balti" cook book. I have asked the question on this site before as to what the differences are between, BIR & Balti, and the responses are varied. My conclusion to this question is that "Balti" food is a bit more spiced than BIR! Take the base sauce in this book, there are quite a few more ingredients required than the Kris Dhillon base. The KD base produces a quite medium consistancy, which is sweet to the taste, with a curryish flavour, whereby the Balti base, is thicker and quite "soapy" to the taste, which is how the chef describes it as it should be. On the other hand, the base meat/chicken in the balti book is beautiful and can be eaten on its own as a mildly spiced curry, whereby the base meat/chicken in the KD book, is quite bland. And lastly, the spice blend from the Balti book has a lot of different spices included, far more than most spice blends that I have come across. There are nine different herbs/spices in this blend although the main dishes only require 1 or 2 teaspoons of the blend.
Just, another point wiyth the KD books, the main recipes require no additional garlic, which I find really strange! I know some members of this site believe that the KD books are a step backwards and I am wondering if the final dishes are not upto BIR standards, as I have not tried one yet and only used the base!
Anyway, I think the Balti book is a good book but probably not worth a tenner!!
Ray
-
I am wondering if the final dishes are not upto BIR standards
Razor,
they aren't. they are a good starting point or point of reference. using Secret Santa's suggestion of replacing the "garam" with currypowder or even mix powder makes a big difference but still a gap. the best recipes "closest" are off this site.
-
Hi Jerry,
That's what I suspected. The final recipes are for 3-4 people which again is not what Im looking for. With that said, I have used the KD base, with the Bruce Edwards spice blend and the Balti book pre-cooked meat and had some outstanding results, really close. I guess that's what it's all about, trying out different combo's until you find one that fits!!
Ray
-
Has anyone used this book?
Yep, some if it's pretty good, some average! I particularly like the Bombay Spud recipe - top notch!
-
Is this an Indian Chef or just another cooking book please?
-
Is this an Indian Chef or just another cooking book please?
Both! See this link: http://www.kushibalti.co.uk/index.html (http://www.kushibalti.co.uk/index.html)
-
I have tried several Balti recipes, and some traditional Pakistani recipes from friends at work, as well as a good number of traditional Indian curry recipes. However, what I'm looking to make is the perfect BIR style curry and with the recipes on this site I can reproduce all but the finest BIR's curries that I have eaten, and with continued practice and experience I get closer and closer.
I have given the recipes on this site to two friends recently who have followed them to the mark (I gave them CA's base and main recipes as I feel that these are excellent but most importantly beginner proof due to their level of detail). One friend called me and said "Mate, that made my local takeaway taste like a microwave meal" and the other said she made a great curry - as good or better than her local BIR, but knew what was in it, which she finds very important being very health conscious. Her husband also thought it was delicious. I recommended rice bran oil to her given the positive threads about this here (having not tried it myself). She said it was tasteless, odourless and she was happy to use the seemingly large volume of oil our recipes require, without feeling so guilty, given its health benefits.
I realise that I'm wandering off the topic of this thread, but to get back on the subject, there are a wide array of traditional Indian cookery books on the market, specifying recipes for curries, many of which will be lovely, but just not what you're looking for if you want to reproduce your local takeaway or restaurant's efforts. If you are looking to reproduce BIR style curries, I think this is certainly a worthwhile part of the experience, however not worth spending the money on the book - that's what CR0's online resources are for!
Thanks and apologies for going on a bit!
BB.
-
Hi Mikka
The book is by an Indian Chef, it's a nice read with some good recipes.
Matt
-
I guess that's what it's all about, trying out different combo's until you find one that fits!!
Razor,
that it's for me in a way - u have to try things out and accept that it may not work but there's learning to be had.
-
Many thanks for the excellent replies! 8)
This site is incredible!
Thanks for recommending the Lynette Baxter Balti book, JerryM.
I have a copy and will start using it now; I thought a book by a real balti cook would be more genuine.
Again, this site is awesome! :)
-
?10 for a 66 page book, blimey. A bit of googling will show you this guy is associated with a certain Andy Holmes who certain members here have a particularly dim view of. Far be it for me to tell you how to spend your dosh but I think you would be better advised to try any of the recipes on here, for free, before shelling out that sort of money on what is little more than a glorified pamphlet.
Ten pounds is good value if it includes good recipes, which it does in my opinion.
What has Mr Holmes done to upset you? Are you confusing him with a certain Mr Roberts?
-
GulfExpat,
the LB spice mix remains one that i use all the time http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2444.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2444.0).
the balti sauce (base) is very good. i used it between KD1 and finding this site. the counting in and counting out idea was a real inspiration which i still use although i currently follow tgad2007's approach of roasting http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2203.msg33181#msg33181 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2203.msg33181#msg33181).
the tandoori marinade too is good although i now use CA's for tikka.
the chicken & mushroom is my fav dish. there's a lot that are too much for me like lentil, okra, chick pea etc.
what's important though is some of the ideas in the book when used in conjunction with the site are step improvements ie where i read dessicated coconut i now use coconut flour. flaked almonds is almond powder. etc
-
Ten pounds is good value if it includes good recipes, which it does in my opinion.
What has Mr Holmes done to upset you? Are you confusing him with a certain Mr Roberts?
Perhaps I am, tried googling with not much success maybe some of the members with better recall than I (age + absinthe, not good for the memory!) could elaborate.
Still think a tenner for such a slim tome is a bit much, face it, if you want a balti just add extra oil, coconut milk and a bunch of coriander to any old curry and charge an extra couple of quid for it, that's what they do round here anyway!
Regards
CoR.
-
Like BB and mostly everyone else who frequents the site my ambition is to recreate authentic BIR. Occasionally for a change I will cook up a "curry " from anything I have or even follow a recipe from a book too but. Any recipe that is for 3/4 persons wont be of BIR standard their pans are designed for the heat required to cook one portion only. They say life is too short to drink cheap wine and its certainly too short to cook kid on curry when you can find 99% accurate BIR tasting stuff all over this magical site. I love cookery books and even cookery apps on my iPhone but when it comes to curry there is only one reference place. PP