Curry Recipes Online
Curry Base Recipes => Curry Base Chat => Topic started by: TasteTester on November 15, 2010, 06:18 PM
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Lord, have mercy! There are so many bases from which to chose. I have no idea where to start. Measurements (especially non-Imperial ones) mean nothing to me on paper, so it's difficult to taste things in my head when I'm reading your recipes.
I worked in an American-Indian restaurant for a few years, and I evenhung out with the creepy chef because I soooo badly wanted his chicken-tikka masala recipe! :o I've come close to it a few times, but I don't measure things.... It's often difficult to even remember all the ingredients I use.
I'm looking to be more scientific about the cooking process so I can duplicate good results... and so I can have a kick-ass base on hand so I don't have to start from scratch ever time I want to make a curry.
Can a rating system on the bases be implemented? I hesitate to ask "Which base should I try first?"' and get, like, 100 answers, leaving me where I am now. :-\
I'm so glad cilantro is cheap here, frequently 3 bundles for $1... Which is like, what? 3 bunches per half GBP? (my husband recently learned that cilantro and coriander are the same thing! lol. In the US cilantro is the herb and coriander is the seed. I didn't know the English word for cilantro for a long, long time since we use it and refer to it in terms of Mexican food.)
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Hey taste tester welcome to the forum
Rather than recommend one I thought it might be useful to give you my method for "analysing" bases recipes so that I can create a simple and uniform way of being able to make sense of them.
I think the reason there's no league table is because opinions vary as to which is best. Some bases are more complicated than others but you will find that most of them will have some things in common. I like to think of the curry base as having several "key" components:
vegetables
At a basic level these would be onions, garlic and ginger. Some bases will have additional veg/herbs such as green peppers, coriander and a lot of bases will have tomatoes in some form.
liquid
Usually water and oil.
spices
A base will typically go hand in hand with a mixture of spices as decided by the author but typically these would be cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, curry powder, garam masala.
seasoning
Usually only salt.
additional items
These may be things the author adds to the base in the search for "perfection" or to put his/her own twist on the recipe. I've seen recipes with a variety of things here including coconut block, margarine, lemon, yoghurt.
Good luck in your curry creations, please post some pics for us to ooze over!!
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Hi TT,
First piece of advice, which ever measurement you decide to go with, be it Metric or Imperial, stick with it (I know that you know this). Because most of us on the forum are Brits, metric will be the measurement of choice I'm afraid.
As for choosing a base, I really wouldn't get too hung up about it. Plenty of onions, minimal spicing, that for me seems the way forward. Make enough so you can freeze it in individual portions of about 300ml or 0.634 012 925 66 pint US Pints ;D
As for voting for a best base recipe, we have chatted about this in the past and I think that we agreed that it would be quite difficult to attain which would be the best. The trouble is, In Britain, we have such variation from region to region, a bit like our accents. It can really change from town to town. What may be great for Mancunian curry eaters, could be utter rubbish for our Glaswegian cousins, and so, a conclusion is a mere pipedream.
We have however, set up a panel of "recipe testers" whereby we pick something simple every couple of months, such as Onion bhaji for example. We pick 5 or 6 recipes and 5 or 6 of us road test them, and see what, in our opinion, delivers the best in, taste, ease to make, cost and texture. You may want to keep an eye out for this but I think we're a very long way off from doing bases and mains.
Ray :)
P.S, Here's my base http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4596.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4596.0) ;D ;D ;D lol
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Thank you for reminding me that I complicate things. ;)
I did make a base once and froze it in batches. This was before I knew it was a base/gravy. It didn't freeze well for some reason. I need to get to the store and get some cilantro so I can try it again. I've never made a base with any other vegetables besides onions, garlic and ginger. No cilatnro even. I can't wait to start because I've been drooling over your board for a few days!
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One question about measurements: When you say one kg, are you actually weighing the food, or are you just measuring up to some kg line (like a line calculated by water weight or something)?
That above all things deters me from metric recipes. I don't have a scale in my kitchen, and I think it would be very inconvenient to weigh the ingredients. So, I am hoping you are talking volume, not actual weight.
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I can't answer for Ray (obviously), but in general I believe that if someone specifies 1kg or 1lb, then that is the weight indicated on a set of kitchen scales. With liquids it is possible to get an accurate estimate by volume, but most solids need weighing if one is to achieve any accuracy of measurement at all.
Incidentally, contrary to Ray's earlier assertion, not all Britons think in metric : it all depends on age, and I am distinctly an Imperial/Avoirdupois man !
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Hi TT,
Unfortunately, we would be talking weight, not volume, afterall 1 kg of feathers, has far more volume than say, 1 kg of salt haha (never cooked with feathers though) but I hope you understand the analogy.
You can pick up a cheap set of digital scales for about GBP10, not sure of the conversion, about 16 US dollars I think?
I need to get to the store and get some cilantro
Lol, that's gonna take some getting used to ::)
Ray :)
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Phil,
Incidentally, contrary to Ray's earlier assertion, not all Britons think in metric : it all depends on age, and I am distinctly an Imperial/Avoirdupois man !
You are correct, some of our older members may still use Imperial measurements. ;)
But come on, be honest, how complicated is Imperial when compared to metric? I mean, how simple is it to work in 10's 100's and 1000's as appose to 8th's, 16th's and so on?
Each to their own I guess :)
It's all good, I just refer back to my previous advice, work in whatever you are comfortable with, just don't mix them.
Ray :)
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You are correct, some of our older members may still use Imperial measurements. ;)
But come on, be honest, how complicated is Imperial when compared to metric? I mean, how simple is it to work in 10's 100's and 1000's as appose to 8th's, 16th's and so on?
The 16s (oz/lb), 14s (lb/stone), 8s (stones/cwt) and 20s (cwt/ton) don't really worry me, any more than do the 12s (in/ft). 3s (ft/yd) and 1760s (yd/mile). I simply know that to make a small pie I need 6oz flour and 3oz butter/lard, 8 + 4 for a medium pie and 12 + 6 for a large pie. I haven't the slightest idea how many grammes I might need, and all the while I can buy Imperial scales, I couldn't care less ! I stand 6' tall, weigh 12 1/2 stone, and do not expect to see British speed limits expressed in Km/hour in my lifetime ;D Incidentally, do you measure your petrol consumption in mpg (miles per gallon) or litres/100km, Ray ?!
** Phil.
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Phil,
Incidentally, do you measure your petrol consumption in mpg (miles per gallon) or litres/100km, Ray ?!
Seriously, I use litres per 100km. Although I work in engineering, I also look after the company's fleet of Artics. One of my KPI's is to report on fuel consumption per month, and they (the board) expect it in litres/100km.
My car also displays my driving performance at Lpkm's although I do think I can toggle between MPG too! just haven't worked it out yet lol.
Admittedly, I am 5' 7" and 13st, not 170.18cm and 82.5538kg ;)
Ray :)
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Holy cow, the baby just erased everything brilliant I had to say!
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Holy cow, the baby just erased everything brilliant I had to say!
Kids, don't ya just luv em? ;D
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That above all things deters me from metric recipes. I don't have a scale in my kitchen, and I think it would be very inconvenient to weigh the ingredients. So, I am hoping you are talking volume, not actual weight.
I fear that is like someone asking how to carry out basic repairs on a car and then saying they don't have any spanners or screwdrivers and it would be inconvenient to use them. Kitchen scales are about as essential as it gets, if you have the slightest interest in cooking anything.
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No, no, no, George. In the US nobody uses kitchen scales. There are recipe people and there are taste-as-you-go people. Neither use scales here.
Every other year, American kids get a chapter in metrics, and delusional school officials think that because the kids pass the quiz at the end of the unit, they won't be total retards in the scientific world or abroad. We still go to Mexico and Canada, get pulled over for driving too fast and pretend not to know that the posted speed signs were in kilometers. Or whatever they are in.
Anyway, I remember from 9th grade science that we use some units measurement to measure volume, even though they sound like they measure weight. I think the units are obtained based on the weight and volume of water. For example, there are little lines on my measuring cup that measure ounces. Eight ounces of water in volume would probably equal eight ounces of water in weight (assuming that's the standard used), but fill that measuring cup with gold to the 8 oz line, and you will have more gold in weight than you ought (That's the kind of system I want my gold dealers to use. I'd like to be so fortunate that they do not weigh but rather measure in volume.... That would be awesome).
In the US when a recipe calls for so many ounces of something, they're speaking in terms of volume. If you need two pounds of meat, however, you just eyeball it. I don't know anyone who uses kitchen scales.
Also, I don't think I knew until I was , like, 24 that cilantro and coriander were the same thing. My husband just found out last week because I planted some. As far as I can guess, cilantro is the fresh herb (we have a lot of Mexican food here), and coriander refers to the seed.
Isn't language fun?
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Hi TT,
First piece of advice, which ever measurement you decide to go with, be it Metric or Imperial, stick with it (I know that you know this). Because most of us on the forum are Brits, metric will be the measurement of choice I'm afraid.
As for choosing a base, I really wouldn't get too hung up about it. Plenty of onions, minimal spicing, that for me seems the way forward. Make enough so you can freeze it in individual portions of about 300ml or 0.634 012 925 66 pint US Pints ;D
As for voting for a best base recipe, we have chatted about this in the past and I think that we agreed that it would be quite difficult to attain which would be the best. The trouble is, In Britain, we have such variation from region to region, a bit like our accents. It can really change from town to town. What may be great for Mancunian curry eaters, could be utter rubbish for our Glaswegian cousins, and so, a conclusion is a mere pipedream.
We have however, set up a panel of "recipe testers" whereby we pick something simple every couple of months, such as Onion bhaji for example. We pick 5 or 6 recipes and 5 or 6 of us road test them, and see what, in our opinion, delivers the best in, taste, ease to make, cost and texture. You may want to keep an eye out for this but I think we're a very long way off from doing bases and mains.
Ray :)
P.S, Here's my base http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4596.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4596.0) ;D ;D ;D lol
/quote]
I love the conversion to imperial (American) but converted in metric still (decimals, not fractions) :D :D
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In the US nobody uses kitchen scales. There are recipe people and there are taste-as-you-go people. Neither use scales here.
Your account is interesting. I was aware that cup measures are used a lot more in the USA but I don't realise that weighed measures are little-used and that kitchen scales are nowhere to be seen.
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Oh wait... Dieters who count calories use kitchen scales for meat. And for some reason, I see in my mind's eye MidWestern housewives 50yrs+ using them. But I attribute all kinds of things to Midwesterners. I can't help it. They talk funny.
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I can't help it. They talk funny.
Bit like our Scousers ;D ;D ;D
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I can't help it. They talk funny.
Bit like our Scousers ;D ;D ;D
Oi!! We don't sound as funny as Mancs, Laar :P
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Oi!! We don't sound as funny as Mancs, Laar :P
Her Gracious Majesty is the only person who still speaks properly in this country; even her grandchildren sound as if they attended finishing school in Sarfend rather than Montreux, more's the pity :)
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Trust you to prefer people who talk like they've got a plum in their mouth, Phil! ;D
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Only if they don't clench their teeth at the same time :)
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I can't identify all of your regional accents, but some of you do speak as if you've got plums in your mouths! ;)
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I think in the rest of this post, just to give TasteTester a better understanding, I think we should all type in our accents, lol
Oi!! We don't sound as funny as Mancs, Laar
Yer avin a giraffe Trucker, youz lot tork well mad, but deh do dat down dare don't dey lol an as for HRH Phil, ad rathor lissurn to a mickey mouser, just.
Bloodey hell, that was hard work and on reading it back, I don't sound anything like a Manc hahahaha ;D
Ray ;D
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oh meg goad taste testir yir no gonnae hiv a clue whit em sayin cuz when eh tell ye it's a braw bricht moonlicht nicht the nicht ye ken am goona lave ye bamoozulled like a plen bridie an an ingin ane an aw
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Bloody hell Stephen, I'm from off the same island as you and I couln't understand that mate ???
Tastetester's never gonna get this lol ;D
Ray :)
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nahthen as 'im indooers sed ter me las neet...."Thees days tha's a job ter fahnd wun o' th' owd-fasioned barbers where tha can catch up on awl t' latest gossip. Mooast on 'em are wat they call unisex, sooa tha can be th' ooanly fella amang hauf a dozen wimmen. Well, Ah ask thee, aah can sich as me chew t' fat wi' a load o' women cacklin' away lahke battery 'ens abaat sooa an' sooa's new frock an? wat Bet Lynch is gettin? up to on Corrinayshun Street? We're lucky ter 'ave a men-ooanly barber i' t' village, an' tuthri on us meet up theer ivvery three or four weeks. T' barber's been theer ommost a lahfetahme an' awl, an' t' other day 'e gate raand ter tellin' us abaat sum o' laffs 'e'd 'ad over t'yeears. 'Ah were varry friendly at wun tahme wi a chap fra t'valley 'at 'ad getten on reight weel as a musician,? 'e telled us. 'E used ter pop in naah an' ageean if 'e weer playin' t' violin 'i these parts, usually t' Taan Hall i' 'Uddersfield. On this particular day 'e cums in wi' 'is violin case under 'is arm whahle Ah wer cuttin' owd Willie Haigh's 'air. Ah thowt Ah'd jist let they 'ave a look at this, 'e sed. Ah've been after wun o' these for donkey's years.' Wi that, 'e opened up 'is case an teks aat this reight grand violin 'at 'e 'andled lahke it wer a baby. Willie wer a bit upset wen Ah stopped cuttin' ter take a clooaser look. After a minnit or two 'e sed reight impatiently: "Wat's that tha's getten theer then Bill?? "Na then, Willie," Ah replahd. "Tha'll nooan see monny o' these. It's a Strad." "Well, Ah'll gooa ter yar haas," sed Willie. "Ah cud 'a sworn it wer a fiddle!? "
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oh meg goad taste testir yir no gonnae hiv a clue whit em sayin cuz when eh tell ye it's a braw bricht moonlicht nicht the nicht ye ken am goona lave ye bamoozulled like a plen bridie an an ingin ane an aw
ho'd oan a min big yin ma faither wa a Glesga mon boorn an bred.....ah hink ah git it nae boather ;D
which reminds me....Wee Glesga wumman goes intae a butchershop, where the butcher has just came oot the freezer, and is standing haunds ahint his back, with his rear end aimed at an electric fire. -- The wee wumman checks oot the display case then asks, "Is that yer Ayrshire bacon?"
"Naw," replies the butcher. "It's jist ma haun's Ah'm heatin'."
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And Domi,
I'm practially next bleedin door to you......what the hell did that lot say...ya mad ed ;D
Ray :)
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nay lad....it's probly cuz we won't' war o't'roses as weer mo' knoin than thee lot ovver't'booarder....bleedin' Mancs!
check this out taste tester....It's grim up north lol
CAPSTICK COMES HOME - Tony Capstick (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2AcJSkUw6M#)
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Domi
that was class!!!
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And heres what YOU lot think us Mancs sound like?
Mancs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BDZCLiRdAA#)
mmmm
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Dat seemed well Manc to me mate, youse all talk like dat.
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And now, Taste Tester, you can compare all of these examples with genuine recordings made around the country, and see if you can work out from where our curry-loving linguists really originate :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/recordings/ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/recordings/)
Sadly the couple from Boughton Monchelsea (about two miles from here) sound more like Londoners than real Kentish folk : my maternal grandfather was a Man of Kent, and his accent was distinctly more rural than this couple sound.
** Phil.
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And heres what YOU lot think us Mancs sound like?
Only the posh ones ray! ;D
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Only the posh ones ray! ;D
;D ;D ;D
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Phil,
Don't think that the Mancunian accent in your link wasn't accurate at all. The fella sound more North Eastern than North Western, nevermind Mancunian. The Salford accent and Mancunian accent are basically the same, no difference at all.
Still, it's a subject that fascinates me.
Ray :)
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Phil,
Don't think that the Mancunian accent in your link wasn't accurate at all. The fella sound more North Easter than North Western, nevermind Mancunian.
Do you happen to know which recording it was ? There are at least four separate sets of (allegedly) Mancunian informants.
** Phil.
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Hi Phil,
It was the Manchester, Greater Manchester one. The other three were, Salford, Bury and Oldham. I didn't listen to the Bury and Oldham examples but they should be typical of a Lancastrian accent, and not Mancunian.
Ray :)
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Interesting. To my ear, they don't really have the same accent, but in voice clip 2, the chap who used the term "little b@st@rds" where the previous speaker had been speaking of scallies, chavs and so on, sounded the most Mancunian to me, whereas the "scallie/chav" speaker had an accent which I personally would have found hard to place.
** Phil.
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LOL. As for the criticism of the "Manc" accent (God, I don't even know the word, but I feel that fear of not being politically correct building, like maybe it's a racial slur!! lol), perhaps the accent's not wrong but the transliteration is different from how another person would do it. Like the same reason we use both "Ketchup" and "Catsup." At least we do here. Dunno about you.