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Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: jb on July 17, 2010, 12:33 PM

Title: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: jb on July 17, 2010, 12:33 PM
After a few unexpected delays,I managed to get my Indian chef to come round to today to organise some BIR cooking lessons!!!! Can't tell you how excited I am!!!!!!!
  Very nice chap indeed(he works in a restaurant in Ilford near London) we spent about an hour chatting and running through the lessons.I have booked ten lessons each at ?25 (normally ?30) so hopefully by the end of them I should be well in the way to producing half decent BIR curries.
  First lesson is on Mon 2nd August and this will be base sauce techniques.He seemed impressed with the knowledge I already have and said anything I wanted to know I only had to ask!!!!! He added once I've mastered a half decent base sauce I will be able to produce anything on an average restaurant menu.He will bring the necessary spices(he always uses Rajah),the only thing I have to buy is a huge pot for the base sauce.I will keep you posted!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: gazman1976 on July 17, 2010, 12:52 PM
Amazing JB, sounds like you are onto a winner with this one, hope it all goes well for you

Garry
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: matt3333 on July 17, 2010, 02:07 PM
Fantastic JB
You lucky b******d ;D
Matt
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: Stephen Lindsay on July 17, 2010, 06:36 PM
nice one jb
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: chriswg on July 17, 2010, 10:13 PM
Get in the hole. Looking forward to the results. See if you can sneak in a spy-cam.
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: TyeNoodle on July 18, 2010, 01:33 AM
Awesome.. I'll get you a wire to wear  ;D
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: gazman1976 on July 18, 2010, 09:28 AM
if the guy is going to your house to show you then i am sure he will be ok with you using a video camera to record it all so you remember exactly what he is teaching you  ;D
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: jb on July 18, 2010, 10:54 AM
I'm pretty sure he'd be happy for me to film it.There's going to be a lot of info to take in so I will be taking notes,pictures as well.Does anyone know where I may be able to purchase a big pot for my base sauce???  Looked around here where I live and they're all pretty much on the small side.
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: Unclefrank on July 18, 2010, 11:59 AM
Where do you live jb?
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: jb on July 18, 2010, 03:07 PM
I live in Grays in Essex (not far from the Lakside Shopping Centre)
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: parker21 on July 18, 2010, 07:26 PM
hi jb try ebay, or pop to brick lane in london!
regards
gary
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: jb on July 18, 2010, 09:21 PM
Looking on eBay now.What size should I go for????11 litres capacity or 15 litres??? Probably a silly question but should I have two??? After all once the base sauce has been finished it has to be blended bit by bit in my blender and then slowly transferred into another large pan(he said my jug blender would be adequate by the way)
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: Unclefrank on July 19, 2010, 10:47 AM
ASDA (the big stores) have started selling big pots not that expensive either, can you get to a place called "MAKRO"they sell a very good range of cooking stuff at very good prices.
I have a 11 litre pot and dont have any trouble doing any bases on this site.
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: artistpaul on July 19, 2010, 01:35 PM
JB

If you buy a stick blender/hand blender then you can just do the blending directly in the cooking pot thereby avoiding the hassle of using another pot / blending in batches.

You can buy these very cheap now under a tenner

Regards

Paul
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: jb on July 19, 2010, 01:38 PM
Thanks guys think I'll get another blender as well
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: chriswg on July 19, 2010, 01:42 PM
I'd reccommend either Amazon (free delivery) or nisbets. Anything around 10 litres will be plenty but go as big as you like. The book auther uses a 20L one for cooking at home.

Stick blenders are good but when you get to big volumes (like 10 litres) they take a long time, get very hot, and dont blend as fine as a jug blender in batches would. I doubt many BIR's use this unless they have big industrial ones like this bad boy http://www.nisbets.co.uk/products/productdetail.asp?productCode=CF014 (http://www.nisbets.co.uk/products/productdetail.asp?productCode=CF014)
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: benalder on July 19, 2010, 01:54 PM
I'm considering buying this Raymond Blanc Stockpot 7.6L. What do you guys think, is this big enough for cooking CRO bases? Or would I be better buying a bigger Stockpot?
http://www.pots-and-pans.co.uk/acatalog/Meyer_Anolon_Professional_24cm_Stockpot_7_6L.html (http://www.pots-and-pans.co.uk/acatalog/Meyer_Anolon_Professional_24cm_Stockpot_7_6L.html)
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: Unclefrank on July 19, 2010, 02:19 PM
benalder that is  a bit expensive, i use one like this one http://www.all-creatures.org/recipes/images/u-pot-sslg.jpg (http://www.all-creatures.org/recipes/images/u-pot-sslg.jpg)
Paid about 13 or 14 quid for it.
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: benalder on July 19, 2010, 02:35 PM
I realise I can get one cheaper Frank but I/we have some wedding present cash needing disposed of  ;D Do you think 7.6L is enough? What size is the one in your photo?
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: TyeNoodle on July 19, 2010, 02:49 PM
Hi the one I use is around 7 litres.. Good enough for a few curries.
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: emin-j on July 19, 2010, 07:37 PM
JB

If you buy a stick blender/hand blender then you can just do the blending directly in the cooking pot thereby avoiding the hassle of using another pot / blending in batches.

You can buy these very cheap now under a tenner

Regards

Paul

Don't buy a ' cheap ' stick blender they get red hot and likely to burn out , 5 + litres of cooked base veg is a fair o'l job to blend , buy a blender with a large motor .
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: jb on July 19, 2010, 09:42 PM
Brought a set of three from Ebay for ?20...6,8 and 11 litres...that should do the job!!
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: Unclefrank on July 20, 2010, 10:46 AM
ben i use an 11 litre one, popped to asda yesterday got pots in there  from ?15-?17 think 7.5 litre to an 11.8 litre.
Extra wedding cash eh! you could buy a decent blender instead of buying the ?64 pot.
 
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: Derek Dansak on July 20, 2010, 10:48 AM
after all this discussion about buying a 10 litre pot, I bet the chef comes round and advises making a scaled down base with 5 onions and half a red pepper !   ;D
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: jb on July 20, 2010, 01:31 PM
Well he did have a look through all of my kitchen equipment and the only thing I didn't have was a large base sauce pot.I do have a largish saucepan but he said it wasn't big enough.Forgot to say he is going to get the necessary spices for me from his local cash and carry.He's going to Email before the first lesson with all the fresh stuff I need(he did mention a sack of onions so it's going to be a full scale sauce)
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: benalder on July 20, 2010, 02:32 PM
Have just picked up this 8L Stellar Hard Anodised 24cm Stockpot from my local TK Maxx. Reduced to ?40 from ?130!!
http://mydeco.com/p/stellar-hard-anodised-24cm-stockpot-80l/GB697CD1POLBWCCCZLTMXGWRCPADLXTQ673MEDKC/ (http://mydeco.com/p/stellar-hard-anodised-24cm-stockpot-80l/GB697CD1POLBWCCCZLTMXGWRCPADLXTQ673MEDKC/)
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: chriswg on July 20, 2010, 04:19 PM
It looks like a good pot but make sure you have plenty of hard plastic or wooden spoons. If you use a metal chefs spoon you'll risk scraping off all the teflon coating into the base.
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: benalder on July 20, 2010, 05:51 PM
Will do Chris, I usually use wooden spoons anyway.
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: Domi on July 20, 2010, 08:02 PM
Hi Chris ;)

I've used hard anodised pans for years with metal utensils and never so much as a scratch.....and nothing (even burnt on jam) sticks to them ;D I bought them specifically for these reasons...they're not like the teflon coated pans at all :) You can get some real bargains on hard anodised...got myself a 35cm saute pan for ?16 the other week....the 3 pan set I bought years ago cost me hundreds :(

more info here:

http://www.meyergroup.co.uk/cookware/MeyerCookwareGuide4.html?Lang=1 (http://www.meyergroup.co.uk/cookware/MeyerCookwareGuide4.html?Lang=1)
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: haldi on July 23, 2010, 07:49 AM
I can't wait till you start the lessons
I am really looking forward to this
I'm still seeing old BIR chefs, but there's nothing new to write
It's all about using the old oil in the base
This is a stumbling block, that I can't get over
Other than begging some old oil from somewhere, I'm stuck
Because I can't reproduce it
Once the base is right, then everything follows
You don't need any special cooking equipment
I'm hoping this chef will show an alternative
Title: Re: Indian restaurant chef just left my house!!!!!!
Post by: jb on July 23, 2010, 09:37 PM
I can't wait either!!!!  My base sauce pot arrived today from EBay(it looks huge on the top of my cooker!!!)  I'm really hoping for some great results from this guy.I have to confess that although I have been on this forum pretty much since it started,I've not cooked anything for a long long time...I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!!