Curry Recipes Online
Supplementary Recipes (Curry Powders, Curry Paste, Restaurant Spice Mixes) => Supplementary Recipes (Spice Mixes, Masalas, Pastes, Oils, Stocks, etc) => Topic started by: gazman1976 on August 12, 2010, 03:38 PM
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does anyone know how to make the famous Glasgow Red spicy pakora sauce ???
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I have made this a couple of times by guessing but I dont have a good recipe.
My main ingredients were Ketchup and vinegar in equal measure pluss a little salt, lemonjuice and sugar to taste. as they say 'it's close but no cigar'
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hey gazman
not sure if this is just onion salad without the onions - here's my recipe for the above, if you take out the onions it might be what you are looking for?
4 medium onions (approximately 1 lb)
4 oz caster sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
2 tbsp tomato puree (paste)
3 tbsp dried mint
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This is my recipe for pakora sauce:-
4 tblsp Tomato Sauce
2 tblsp Vinegar
1-2 tblsp Water
1 teasp Mint Sauce
1/2 teasp tandoori paste (or kashmiri paste its hotter)
1/2 teasp sugar
sprinkle red food colouring (optional)
I use powdered food colouring. Another Glasgow variation is to use equal amounts of the above sauce and yoghurt and thin down a bit with a little milk.
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Hi Jivyj
It's an interesting post this because I don't think I've ever come across something specifically called 'pakora dipping sauce'!
From what you guy's are describing, I don't think I've had anything similar either. Whenever we order poppadoms or starters here in Manchester, we are usually presented with an array of pickles or dips such as, mango chutney, mint sauce, Hot mint sauce, chili dip, hot lime pickle (mmm) and Manchester red onions.
Just a word of caution on Kashmiri masala paste, it does state on the jars 'not to be consumed uncooked'!
Don't think small quantities would do any harm, just don't scoff a jarful lol, ;D
Ray :)
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yeah razor its more of a Glasgow thing pakora sauce, i have been in england and even scotland where you get the pickles and other stuff with poppadums, but this red sauce is to die for
Garry
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Hi Garry,
So would you say that Jivyj's recipe would come close. I'd like to give it a go I think.
Ray :)
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Im pretty certain that JivyJ's recipe will be spot on. As I've said earlier I've tried to make this a few times but never quite got the mix right. This looks like the one! Cheers JivyJ
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Hi Razor never noticed that on the jar before, about not consuming paste if uncooked, good to know. I looked at the ingredients and could not see anything that looked a bit dicey, so I looked up Pataks site and it is the very first FAQ, which explains that their pastes are used from fresh spices and they do not heat treat or irradiate their spices, because it affects the flavour of the spices. It is because of this they have to put a warning on their jars just in case people use them mixed with other ingredients ie., mayonnaise for sandwiches for example and they are left at room temperature for four hours or more there is the chance that bacteria will form. They suggest that if you consume the uncooked paste alone or blended with other ingredients shortly after prep you should not suffer any ill effects. But it is all good to know, also I think that the fact that the spice is mixed with vinegar there is even less chance of bacteria
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I also forgot to mention in my previous post that if you make the pakora dipping sauce and do not add the water you will have a thicker version of the sauce, if you dice an onion, salt it and leave it for ten minutes and then add the thicker pakora sauce to it you have what they serve in Glasgow restaurants a very popular starter called 'spiced onions' which they serve with poppadums.
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i havent tried it yet
Jivvy - try my spicy onions recipe - its exactly like glasgow BIR spicy onions !!!
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Yes found your version looks good will give it a try
Jivyj
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Great post guys, the only thing I have yet to conquer after 30 years of searching is pakora itself. I have the sauce, the onions but can't quite get the Pakora a 10/10. I even watched a chef cook them after being given the recipe ( posted here) even watched him make them up and copy every time but just fall short scoring 8/10. If anybody has replicated a 10/10 Glasgow Pakora I would love to see it posted. PP
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Hi Guy's,
Can I just ask a question, slightly off topic, but related in someway?
I hear lots of comments like Glasgow spicy onions, Glasgow Pakora sauce, Glasgow Tikka, and so on.....
Would I be right in assuming then, that the vast majority of Glasgow BIR's all have the same taste? Are they really that consistant?
I know you Glaswegians are very proud of your BIR's, so don't take this post the wrong way, It's just a question. ;D
We have a great curry scene in Manchester but there is no way, I could describe a particular dish as a Manchester this, and a Manchester that, everywhere is just so different!
Ray :)
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I think there are two reasons why we are prefixing now with Glasgow and that's because firstly most chefs are from A particular area of India or originally were and so set the standard . The second is to do with portion size most of us who have curry in the south can't quite believe the size of the dishes and are genuinely shocked by the size of your nans. Every region should be proud of their BIRs and working to recreate the local taste and smell is what I think we are all after
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Hi PP,
How do you mean, do you think our portion sizes are too small. Again, this does vary from place to place but the portion sizes have definately decreased over the years.
Ray :)
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The smallest curries and naans I have had have been in England - Scottish portions much more generous - and naans that take up most of the restaurant table.
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No I wouldn't say they have all the same taste, some are really good, some are just ok and some are goddamn awful, but the majority do the spiced onions and the pakora is more favourable than bhajis. I can only compare with curries in Edinburgh, London and abroad and I find them all tasting very different from Glasgow, some good others not so good. In Glasgow if you order a takeaway Tandoori mixed grill, you will get a quarter (some almost half) tandoori chicken, chicken tikka, lamb tikka, chicken chat, seekh kabab, curry sauce, red pakora sauce, nan bread, rice and salad and some throw in some spiced onions all for just under ?10. My experience in London is you have to order all seperately and it costs a lot more and I have never had a good curry. Here in the city there is a new trend of indian restaurants which sell small portions tapas style so that you can order three to five different dishes each and everybody shares, they are all made to order and with very fresh ingredients and no food colouring. The best place for this style is a place called Mother India Cafe you can see them cooking the food and there is always a queue every night of the week.
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@ JivyJ , what mother india cafe are you taking about ?
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It has been opened for a couple of years now it is at 1355 Argyle Street just across the road from the Kelvin Art Galleries. It is part of the Mother India restaurant groupn but the cafe is a smaller more casual type of diner. It really is very good you would like it.
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not been in that one , been in the 1 further down the road nearer sauchiehall street , will try it out - thanks
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Here's my attempt at JivyJ's recipe
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/ee04449711c6cfd5eb542a7c2700d3ac.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#ee04449711c6cfd5eb542a7c2700d3ac.jpg)
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JivyJ, I too love the Mother India Cafe for the Tapas style. More recently I have enjoyed Balbir,s just off Dumbarton Road, The Shish Mahal off Gt. Western Road , Mr Singhs on Sauchiehall St and any Ashoka. I have yet to see anywhere in the world and especially in England Nans as big as you find in Glasgow or the normal portion of a typical curry dish. However because of this site I took the step to get the inside knowledge and can cook the stuff at home, fantastic but as yet not a Glasgow Nan
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Stephen thanks for the photo. The sauce looks perfect though your Pakora looks interesting. Do they taste like the Glasgow standard even if they look different? Is that how they are looking in Dundee? Intrigued PP
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I" ve made JivyJ's red sauce for tonights Pakora, it's in the fridge right now.PP
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for all who made jivvys sauce , can you explain what it tastes like please and if its the same as glasgow red pakora sauce ?
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JivyJ, I too love the Mother India Cafe for the Tapas style. More recently I have enjoyed Balbir,s just off Dumbarton Road, The Shish Mahal off Gt. Western Road , Mr Singhs on Sauchiehall St and any Ashoka. I have yet to see anywhere in the world and especially in England Nans as big as you find in Glasgow or the normal portion of a typical curry dish. However because of this site I took the step to get the inside knowledge and can cook the stuff at home, fantastic but as yet not a Glasgow Nan
Hi Panpot yes they are all good but all different too, funny Balbir's get a great write up but somehow I've never been too impressed. The recipies you have given for the Ashoka I think give a very similar result to dishes served in Mother India Cafe. Like you I have not yet got the hang of the naan, got the taste but not the look, I have tried all the suggestions put forward on this site but still can't get it good, and I have not got the perfect pakora either. but the fun is to keep trying.
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Hi Panpot - re the Pakora, I wasn't following a recipe I just made it up to go with the sauce and I had made some Tandoori paste to go with JivyJ's red sauce, so I bunged this in with the gram flour hence why the Pakora look red - they are normally not this colour in Dundee lol.
re the sauce, it tastes just like the stuff we get in Dundee - can't speak for Glasgow - I thought that was your job gazman ;D
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Re Balbirs. I made a pakora sauce very similar to it.
I blended tinned tomatoes and white cabbage together with salt, mint sauce and chilli powder.
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Many years ago whilst working as a dishwasher in a North Scottish BIR, i wish i had got the whole recipe, they made a sauce which i assume is similar to what you are all after, this sauce was served with all starters and is quite common up here.
One of the main ingredients was tamarind water, other ingredients ranged from tomato sauce/chopped tomatoes with some tomato puree, mint sauce, onions, coriander, sometimes they would throw in bell peppers too and blend the lot.
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Yeah tamarind sounds right
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try my one, i've got pictures for comparison
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=144.msg8561#msg8561 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=144.msg8561#msg8561)
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Hi Stephen where r u from? And how would you describe your pakora sauce?
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i'm from elgin (north-east scotland), the pakora sauce that the local birs here do is blended spicy onions with red food colouring (see my post above for pictures, the white tub is from the bir, the big glass bowl is my version)
the alternative one is one i use most commonly (the one with all the tomato sauce and puree), a different style
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try this one Gazman, I'm originally from Airdrie and it tastes the exact same as my local kebab shop back there
Half cup of Tomato Ketchup
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Mint Sauce
1 teaspoon Vinegar
pinch of Salt
Mix and add water to you get your preferred thickness of sauce.