Curry Recipes Online
Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: Malc. on May 11, 2011, 10:18 AM
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Are BIR/TA portion sizes meant to be a single portion or a double?
If your like the wife and I, we only buy a single main and share it whilst enjoying a number of accompanying side dishes. We do this as we find a single portion of a main, lets say Korai/Karahi chicken, has enough chicken and curry sauce, for two people.
This was again demonstrated last night when I ordered a Mixed Thali from the Shanaz. The Thali consisted of Lamb Bhuna, Chicken Bhuna, Chicken Tikka, each with four pieces of meat, plus Special Rice, Sag Aloo and a Nan all of which are served in half sized containers (except the nan). I also ordered a Keema Nan as again we were sharing, but I needn't have ordered the extra Nan as we were both very full having shared the meal equally. Infact, we had some rice and a little onion salad left over. Given the Thali costs 11.95 I think is is very good value.
So, are we alone on this or do others feel the same?
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Are BIR/TA portion sizes meant to be a single portion or a double?
My impression is that, in most places, a portion is about 1 1/2 times as much as a single person needs. So if Khanh & I order two main courses together with the normal trimmings (rice, chapathi, sag aloo, ...) then we would normally end up taking some home with us. Even more so if we have already eaten a starter. But there was one restaurant, many years ago, that offered Murgh i Mussalam, and it was rather expensive. Not having tried it, and wondering why it was so expensive, I asked how many people it would serve. "Oh just one, Sir", I was assured. So, feeling flush one day, I ordered it (for lunch, I might add) and was horrified to discover that it was a whole spring chicken, stuffed with two boiled eggs and keema. More than enough for two, in fact !
** Phil.
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For me it greatly depends on the restaurant and how many sides you have. Even from the same restaurant portion sizes differ. Sometimes it would be enough for two, other times it wouldn't. Typically, I'll have one main, one rice and a naan.
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For me a whole main, half a rice, half a naan, 2 poppadums and a couple of bhajis is about right. I can never share a main as no one has them as hot as I do. My wife will usually only eat half of her CTM so if we are out with friends she will share.
Eating in always feels like you get less then you do in a takeaway container. I doubt that is actually true, but it certainly looks that way.
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Eating in always feels like you get less then you do in a takeaway container. I doubt that is actually true, but it certainly looks that way.
That's an interesting observation, I wonder if you do indeed get more sauce in the TA container than you do on the open dishes they serve in the restaurant.
When we dine in, we always have a starter which follows the popadums and chutney and then usually have onion bhaji as a side with the main and either bread or rice and possibly sag aloo or mushroom bhaji. Between two of us, this is normally more than we need.
I wonder if portion sizes vary across the country just the same as the recipe variations. It would be interesting to map this.
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Im with chris, i have a main, half rice, half nan, half starter. Thats prob cause I am greedy :)
Barry
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Are BIR/TA portion sizes meant to be a single portion or a double?
BIR portions are clearly meant to be single servings (sit down, takeway, or whatever). Unless it says otherwise (e.g. "Thali for two").
How it's apportioned is obviously up to the individual (and their appetite)...
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It would be interesting to know the volume of a standard takeaway foil tray, trouble is since I started cooking at home I haven't been ordering TAs!
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There are 2 sizes of foil container, i have just measured the smaller of the two and it holds 400ml of liquid.
One of these full of base is what i use at home to make 2 meals.
This small container is the one you would receive a single portion of ta rice in.
Hope this helps.
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My local takeaway portions were always good for 2 full meals - curry for tea then another plateful for breakfast :)
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There are 2 sizes of foil container,
I thought this until I oredered a mixed Thali the other night. It came in 5 smaller containers than the sort you get for sag aloo. I've just been online and it appears that the sizes are 1, 2 & 6a which equate in volume to 0.75pt, 1pt & 1.5pt respectively.
I will be counting the chicken peices in future T/A orders but i'm sure we get about 8/10 peices, which is approaching two medium chicken breasts. Fill the 1.5pt foil tray up with veg and curry sauce, hypothetically that has to be enough for two portions, especially with starters, sides & breads.
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Hi and firstly hello everyone :) This is my first posting but I have been a member for a few months now. I read this post and just like to say when I order poppadoms I ask for a mixed Thali i.e. spiced onions,mango chutney,lime pickle & yoghurt/cucumber/tomato. One of the waiters said you must of been to Birmingham as that's what they ask for there. Potion size up here is the same evening meal & breakfast ;D
Cheers Gazz
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Welcome GT, i'm glad i'm not the only one that finds portions handy for breakfast. ;)
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I usually feel cheated if I don't get 10 pieces of chicken in a portion!
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There are 2 sizes of foil container, i have just measured the smaller of the two and it holds 400ml of liquid.
One of these full of base is what i use at home to make 2 meals.
This small container is the one you would receive a single portion of ta rice in.
Hope this helps.
Thanks Peter, I understand what you mean by your description of a standard small takeaway foil tray. I'm guessing the larger variety in which most main courses would be served is approx 50% larger capacity, so maybe 600ml volume?
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I would have thought 600ml is pretty close
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Thanks Peter, I understand what you mean by your description of a standard small takeaway foil tray. I'm guessing the larger variety in which most main courses would be served is approx 50% larger capacity, so maybe 600ml volume?
Did you miss my post? http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5807.msg57557#msg57557 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5807.msg57557#msg57557)
The larger tray is 1.5 times bigger or 850ml
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Hi Axe, I saw your post but hadn't realised that any of the various sizes you were discussing were the "standard" large foil tray in which main courses are normally served. Perhaps because you mentioned 5 different tray sizes I jumped to the conclusion that they were all non-standard sizes (by which I mean not the sizes I'm used to seeing from my local takeaway)
Now armed with this new knowledge and in the interests of science I've just poured 850ml of water into my 20" Meyer HT+ frying pan to see how full it would be. Right up to the brim was the answer!
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Hi NJ, I realise that I have made an error in my calculations which was thrown up by Pete's measurement, I didn't account for the taper in the tray. Though I don't think this will make too much difference, I have emailed a manufacturer to clarify the volumes. Hopefully, i'll get an answer.
EDIT: No answer yet but this site http://www.cater4you.co.uk/acatalog/foil-take-away-trays.html (http://www.cater4you.co.uk/acatalog/foil-take-away-trays.html) suggests 300ml, 400ml, and 600ml respectively so Pete and Stephen are bang on the money.
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I got a reply which is as follows: 260ml, 435ml, 688ml, respectively.
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I retained what I call a standard large foil tray from a takeaway order the other night and have just filled it and measured the volume in a measuring jug. 500ml of liquid! For me that's a definitive answer now on the size of a standard BIR main course curry portion
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Hi natterjack - I don't really think there is such a thing as a standard portion size and as you will see from previous posts, tray sizes are different and I guess the one you measured represents the size of that establishment and tray manufacturer.
I've recently moved from foil trays to clear plastic trays, costing just over a quid for ten trays with lids. I like them better than the foil ones cause they can be used in the microwave. I've just filled mine with water and it is measuring 600 ml/
Having said that, I reckon 500ml is a good ball park for a portion size. I just happen to be a greedy bugger!
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Here's a question for everybody - How many pieces of chicken would you expect to find in a takeaway container? Would i be right in thinking between 6-8?
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10
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Stephen are you sure its 10 pieces - i never did get that many
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Here's a question for everybody - How many pieces of chicken would you expect to find in a takeaway container? Would i be right in thinking between 6-8?
Yep, same here.
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Ditto
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Thanks guys