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Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: George on October 12, 2010, 08:30 PM

Title: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: George on October 12, 2010, 08:30 PM
As Wikipedia says: "Flatulence is the expulsion through the rectum of a mixture of gases that are byproducts of the digestion process of mammals and other animals. The mixture of gases is known as flatus, (informally) fart, or simply gas, and is expelled from the rectum in a process colloquially referred to as "passing gas", "breaking wind", "boffing", "trumping", "squeezing one out", "guffing", "honking", "dropping one", "blowing off" or "farting"."

Last night i had one of the best curries I've had in ages. From a starter of chicken tikka and meat samosa (we shared) through to chicken biriani, chicken dhansak, keema naan and sag aloo, everything was superb. There's no way standards have fallen since the 1980s in this new restaurant.

BUT there was a price to pay afterwards, along the lines of my first paragraph above. I'm pleased to say I was home alone by then.

It's not a problem with all, or many BIRs, but does anyone know the likely cause? We might even be able to work backwards in that it may be necessary to take a hit with unpleasant after-effects if you want the food to be delicious when you eat it.

What's likely to cause it, in the specific case of the sauces and ingredients known to be used in a BIR?
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: PaulP on October 12, 2010, 08:32 PM
Hi George,

Lentils are a known source of flatulence, especially if you don't eat them very often.
That would be my best bet.

Paul
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: commis on October 12, 2010, 08:35 PM
Hi
Work backwards. Well George, look at legumes ect.
Regards
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Curry Barking Mad on October 12, 2010, 08:36 PM
Its the onions every time for me.... :o
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: PaulP on October 12, 2010, 08:46 PM
...and the lager  :D
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Secret Santa on October 12, 2010, 09:55 PM
Oh this is timely.

I made a garlic chilli chicken last night and by God I could easily have given Le Petomane a run for his money afterwards!

Garlic does it every time for me and the quantity (and quality) of farts is always roughly proportional to the quantity of garlic ingested.
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Peripatetic Phil on October 12, 2010, 10:04 PM
Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi swears by ajwain as an anti-flatulence agent.  Maybe suggest to your local BIR that they use more of it !
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Razor on October 12, 2010, 10:15 PM
This certainly answers a lot of questions of farts and I mean a lot :P http://www.heptune.com/farts.html (http://www.heptune.com/farts.html)
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Stephen Lindsay on October 12, 2010, 10:55 PM
I heard it said that undercooked chilli powder it the cause
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: George on October 12, 2010, 11:36 PM
Hi George, Lentils are a known source of flatulence, especially if you don't eat them very often. That would be my best bet.

You may be right because of the lentils in the dhansak but, there again, I had dhansak twice in the last few weeks at another BIR, with no such after effects. I also drink lager at least once a week and have never noticed a problem there.

Will we reach any kind of consensus? There are so many good suggestions.
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Domi on October 13, 2010, 08:37 AM
Of course being a lady (shurrup Razor and SS!) I never have these side effects...I'm like the Queen, me ;D

Charcoal tablets are supposed to work well though....I wouldn't advise the use of corks though....Hubby tried it once but the build up of gas got too much and he shot the cat :(
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: commis on October 13, 2010, 09:08 AM
Hing, one of it's properties
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Malc. on October 13, 2010, 10:04 AM
I thought Hing was used to help reduce the prospects of a southerly gust of wind.

Your opening post George, had me in hysterics.  :D
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: commis on October 13, 2010, 10:13 AM
Hi

Axe, Yes it is one of it's properties.

Regards
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: chriswg on October 13, 2010, 01:44 PM
"Symptoms of indigestion associated with excess stomach acid that can follow a spicy or greasy meal or large intakes of alcohol include bloating, flatulence, and heartburn.

Bloating is a feeling of fullness after a meal that actually feels uncomfortable and may be quite long lived.

Flatulence is the passing on wind after it collects in the stomach, it is caused by excess stomach acid reacting with the contents of the stomach to produce gasses, mainly carbon dioxide."

I'd say curry qualifies as greasy and spicy, plus it is usually accompanied with a large intake of alcahol. No wonder it has those effects. Did you have a lot of alcohol that evening (more than usual?), was there a lot of oil separation in the curry?

Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: George on October 13, 2010, 02:56 PM
Did you have a lot of alcohol that evening (more than usual?), was there a lot of oil separation in the curry?

I had one pint of lager which I often enjoy with a sit down BIR meal. I didn't notice excess oil. The food was so good, I'll have to go back and see if it happens again. If it was Hing, then perhaps that's something to be sure to add, to produce superior flavours, even if there is a price to pay later.
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: commis on October 13, 2010, 03:25 PM
Hi

George, as Axe rightly points out Hing should alleviate the problem. So adding it should lower the volume, so to speak.

Regards
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Malc. on October 13, 2010, 04:04 PM
This proved to be an interesting read/list of items that make you go hhhrrruuummmppphhh!

http://www.nexiumresearch.com/food_that_cause_flatulence.html (http://www.nexiumresearch.com/food_that_cause_flatulence.html)
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: emin-j on October 13, 2010, 06:37 PM
I have also heard that Chili powder if not cooked through can cause flatulence plus the dreaded ' Ring Of Fire ' the following day  :o I now keep a toilet roll in the fridge for just these occasions.  :D
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: George on October 13, 2010, 07:50 PM
George, as Axe rightly points out Hing should alleviate the problem. So adding it should lower the volume, so to speak.

Ah, so I got it round the wrong way, then, in which case it makes it less likely that this restaurant used Hing if it acts a bit like an antidote.
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: commis on October 13, 2010, 08:19 PM
To be honest George, I thought this was obligatory!
Regards

PS. Phaaaaaaaaaarp
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: George on October 13, 2010, 10:31 PM
To be honest George, I thought this was obligatory!
Regards

PS. Phaaaaaaaaaarp

You fell into my trap and test. Go and stand in the corner. I wondered how long it would be before someone made any kind of rude gesture, given the nature of the subject.
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Razor on October 16, 2010, 10:13 AM
George,

Last night I made my own base sauce but I increased my onions to 3kg.  I bought a small sack from my local Asian supermarket (3kg peeled weight) for GBP1.20, with the intentions of doing the bhaji tests this weekend.

Anyway, I proceeded with my base as usual and increased the onion content from 1kg to 3kg.

The sauce was really thick.  I added a further 1.5 litres of water and simmered for a good three hours.  After 3 hours, the oil had risen and the sauce had thicken once again.  I added more water to get it more like the consistency that I desire.

I made myself a Jal frezi, a veg Bhuna for my wife, and a very mild Madras for my son.

Well, the curry tasted awesome, quite creamy even, and the closets to the "taste" I've been in a while but the side effects was not good.

To put it bluntly, the "wind" that we were generating between us would have filled a Zeppelin.

Even this morning whilst in the bathroom, my usual "morning thunder" had risen to a whole new level.

Of course, the wife being a lady :-\ , did the decent thing, and went to the bathroom when she knew one was on it's way, unlike my son, who took great pleasure in putting his ankles behind his neck, whilst he demonstrated his best impression of Mr Methane.

The point I'm making is, this has never ever happened before.  The only difference was the level of onions.  That's all I could put it down to.  Everything else was exactly to spec!

Now, if what I have read further up in the thread is correct, one or two suggest that using Hing (Asafoteda) helps reduce or eliminate flatulence, then when using this level of onions, hing is required?  I may give it a go next time.

Ray :)
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Peripatetic Phil on October 16, 2010, 10:19 AM
You want to reduce your level of flatulence ?  Be like your son, enjoy it and take pride in it !  (I had a friend who used to joke (or perhaps not) that whenever he farted in bed, he would shout "burglars" and pull the duvet over his wife's face !).
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Razor on October 16, 2010, 10:22 AM
(I had a friend who used to joke (or perhaps not) that whenever he farted in bed, he would shout "burglars" and pull the duvet over his wife's face !).

 ;D ;D ;D ;D

Are you sure it was your friend though Phill? ;D

Ray ;)
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Peripatetic Phil on October 16, 2010, 10:29 AM
Well, I confess I did try it after he told me about it !  But I have to say, I do enjoy a good post-curry fart : the spices and onion add a certain je ne sais quois that elevates them to a whole new level compared to (say) those resulting from baked beans ...
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Secret Santa on October 16, 2010, 12:33 PM
my son, who took great pleasure in putting his ankles behind his neck, whilst he demonstrated his best impression of Mr Methane.

I hope you used talc for authenticity!  ;D
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: George on October 16, 2010, 01:19 PM
Well, the curry tasted awesome, quite creamy even, and the closets to the "taste" I've been in a while but the side effects was not good.

Onions would have been my first guess, like if they were a bit under-cooked or the acidity was too high, or whatever, in the curries at the BIR I visited.

It's interesting that you made a curry which was both nice-tasting and had after effects, which is like my experience at the BIR last week.
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Razor on October 16, 2010, 01:32 PM
Hi George,

Quote
It's interesting that you made a curry which was both nice-tasting and had after effects, which is like my experience at the BIR last week.

Yeah, my thoughts too.  Like I said, the amount of onions were the only difference, so definitely the onions determine the taste.  It was quite sweet too, not like you've added sugar but sweet nonetheless.

Ray :)
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: commis on October 16, 2010, 01:36 PM
Hi
If onions are to blame, do we need to modify the bhaji group test?
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Razor on October 16, 2010, 01:40 PM
Hi
If onions are to blame, do we need to modify the bhaji group test?

Lol, yeah, we'll just leave out the onions ha.

Ray :)
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: commis on October 16, 2010, 02:00 PM
Hi

Was thinking more of assessing there potency. The wind sock test!

Regards
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Stephen Lindsay on October 16, 2010, 06:36 PM
If we had an annual CRO awards then this thread would surely be shortlisted!!!
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: 976bar on October 16, 2010, 06:47 PM
Whatever causes it guys, lets go green and save gas........    Fart in a jar!!!!!  :)
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Secret Santa on October 16, 2010, 10:44 PM
If we had an annual CRO awards then this thread would surely be shortlisted!!!

We can call it the 'Arse-cers' award!  ::)
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: fishy on October 16, 2010, 11:16 PM

I have also heard that Chili powder if not cooked through can cause flatulence plus the dreaded ' Ring Of Fire ' the following day  :o I now keep a toilet roll in the fridge for just these occasions.  :D

chilli has also been proven to relax arteries adding benifits to your hearts health, i assume then chilli relaxes your bowls also wish i can relate with to somewhat after a naga chicken, (very painfull next day!), but i dont fart much, green veg does it for me(sprouts!)
Title: Re: Passing wind after a curry
Post by: Gezh on October 19, 2010, 05:14 PM
I'm glad this topic is here... I was going to start something similar. 

Having followed this forum for around a year now, I happily make curry at home regularly. I get barely no side effects at all, just a half decent BIR style curry. More recently, we've started eating out again, or getting takeaways. Crikey, the difference is phenomenal. Not in the taste... but in my bowels!

After a 'real' curry, I'm not kidding, my emitted gasses smell like a rotting sewer, quite horrendous. And the next morning, I have to "go" at least three times, each time with the thought that there can't possibly be any more!

So, whatever the missing ingredient is, it has an effect which to be honest I could do without. The flatulence and bloating really isn't worth it!

Of course, it could be down to the extra onions... I always start with poppadoms and (lots of) onion salad, and I expect their bases contain more than I use. Also, I'm an ale drinker, and a night on the beer can give me some of these symptoms regardless of what I eat. So I suppose when you mix it all together, it's not really surprising!

Anyway, good thread  :D