Curry Recipes Online
Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: DeeDee on November 30, 2005, 05:16 AM
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So what's the big idea with Ghee? Is it markedly better than veggie oil?
Are you supposed to stir it all up or skim off the clear stuff? help me out here!?!?
Also, as people were talking in other posts about Ghee to avoid i'm posting a pic of the brand I just bought. Anyone know it? Used it?
Are we having a "products we use" section?
(http://www.drakeworld.org/images/Swad-Ghee.jpg)
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That's clearly not an Asian Ghee
I buy butter and veg ghee
Both smell buttery and a bit rancid (that's ok)
I use the veg ghee with pillau rice and, of course, in curry gravy
I have heard a few horror stories about supermarket ghee
Where did you buy this?
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This is an indian ghee!!! SWAD is a huge indian brand in the overseas market (away from india I mean - I am not sure about india itself)!! I have been buying some Plough ghee but would prefer the Swad one as it is in a bottle. Where did you get it from?
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I don't think ghee is used to any great extent in the curry's themselves, a couple of them maybe also rice and other bits. I don't use it myself and have found in the past when I have used it that it solidifies and just doesn't look like a BIR curry when its cold.
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Nothing like four different answers to instil confidence in a novice!!! ;)
I got the Ghee at Patel's here in Flushing (New Yawk). They have it in everything from little jars such as this up to MASSIVE glass jars like the local newsagents used to have to sell sweets in back when I was a nipper.
So, to answer my question, if I do use it, do I stir it all up first? It's all seperated.
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No wonder! I am looking all in the UK for that brand since I used to use it in the US!! That explains why I cant find it here. Just use it as it is. No need to stir - with the temp of the kitchen, it will fluctuate between more solid and more liquid. It is all the same.
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The animal ghee I use doesnt smell rancid, its smells lovely and sweet, I suspect rancid ghee smells rancid ;D ;D ;D
BIR's do use veg ghee from my experience, in the base and on the nans
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DD,
I only use it on my home made nans, paint
with a brush covered in ghee when still hot.
The rice is taken from KD's book.
I could not do with out it for the above,
to give that special something.
regards,
Graeme.
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I use ghee on my home made naans too.
But only the butter one.
I have never seen the SWAD brand in any of the Asian supermarkets
The main brand, in Nottingham, is Kyber
Bright yellow plastic tubs with red writing
The smallest veg ghee container is 2 kg
It's too big to keep in the fridge but I was told that's ok
Is it?
I believe all the impurities are removed in it's production, so it can't go off.
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It's too big to keep in the fridge but I was told that's ok
Is it?
My local keeps the veg ghee next to the cooker
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Yep,
The 2 kg Khyber Brand Vegetable Ghee is the one I use too.
Seems like the most popular around Bradford.
I think the Pure Butter Ghee is less popular now due to it's artery clogging properties!
I can't say I have ever seen it used much at any BIR iv'e been to although some do seem to have an old looking tub knocking around.
I use the Veg Ghee in rice and sometimes on Naans and have tried it in curries as substitute for Veg Oil but can't say it adds much to the taste. Keep mine in the garage where it's cool and it doesn't seem to deteriorate at all. It tends to be a bit hard if it's cold but at room temperature spoons out like soft scoop ice cream.
Ray
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Cheers for the excellent replies .. as usual.
Pete, how easy/hard is it to do naans? I can bake bread so I'm guessing it's not miles off. Also what's the timeframe from nothing to finished bread. I mean should I make some a day before or same day as meal?
Cheers!
DD
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I use a tandoor
But here is a very good recipe from Paul Cleary (Pacman) :-
Naan bread mix at the restaurant
This is the mix I was taught by the tandoori chef it is used in both restaurants
This quantity is approximately 1/3 of the portion done in the restaurant
And is what I make up at home.
Part 1
Mix this in a measuring jug
1/4 pint of semi skimmed milk straight out of the fridge
? pint of cold water
1 large egg including yolk
1 teaspoon black onion seeds
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon level of any baking powder not soda and do not be tempted to add more
2 tablespoons caster sugar
? teaspoon salt
whisk this up for 15 to 20 seconds
Part2
Get approximately 800 g /900g self raising flower and put it in a mixing bowl and add half the mixture. Mix this up quickly. Now add the mixture and kneed quickly until you get a good dough. This process should not take more than 2 minutes.The dough should be sticky but when pulled should leave the bowl without leaving any behind. You will have some of the mixture left at the end so
Don?t pour it all in. Discard any left over mixture.
Now pour veg oil . about 2 teaspoons. on your hands and quickly kneed this over the surface of the dough. This will take about 5 seconds it is merely to oil the exterior.
Part3
Let stand for one hour in the kitchen. The dough will not change size notably
Part 4
Wrap in clingfilm and put in the fridge overnight . The restaurants all do this.
You can use the dough now but it is not as good as when it returns to room temperature.
Part 5
Take out of the fridge about 4 hours before use. The dough must return to room temperature. It will be marshmellowy and light when you take the clingfilm off
FOR PLAIN NAAN ONLY
The chef will take a piece of dough . around a sixth to an eighth of the completed dough and lightly dust it with self rising flour. Then roll it into a ball
He will now flatten the dough to about 4 inch in diameter.
Now he will dip his hand in oil and cover one side only of the bread with it.
Pushing the oil across the dough and making it about 5 inch in diameter.
Now here is the tricky bit. The plain naan bread is never rolled out and the restaurant
Style bread is achieved by tossing the dough between the hands until the dough becomes about 3 mm thick. You can also achieve this by spinning and pulling the edge of the dough until it stretches out. The tandoori chef will usually take about 30 seconds to achieve this it takes me slightly longer. The secret here is that some of the dough will be thicker than others giving the bubbly effect when tandoored. If any holes develop doing this don?t worry about it, it takes a while to perfect. If you desperately wish to roll the dough press a few areas down afterwards to give it an uneven effect and finish it off by pulling it. The teardrop shape is NOT achieved by the bread falling lower into the tandoor but by the chef pulling one end into that shape.
The bread is then stuck on the side of a low heated tandoor by its dry side and is cooked in around 2 minutes. The bread will start to develop lots of bubbles in around ten seconds.
For your first attempt it is best to get the dough down to about 1 - 2 mm as the bubbling will occur more when the dough is thinner.
If no tandoor is available then you will need to heat an iron griddle or similar until it is piping hot . Place the dough on this oil side up and place under a grill. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Do not put in an oven or you will end up with a giant scone.
If the dough does not bubble then the griddle is not hot enough OR the dough is too thick.
Once cooked lightly coat the bread with hot melted normal butter using a pastry brush.
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Hi
came into this one a bit late but I am speaking from experience because I know the guy that owns the SWAD brand well. SWAD is a large and genuine Indian brand of various Indian foods which for commercial reasons does not export to the UK. However it does huge business with the USA and Middle East because of arrangements with 2 agencies, Patel Bros (Raja) and Natco. It is the same company that also supplies Natco with its Sitar range of microwave meals and Tesco with micrwave rices - yes its that big.
Butter ghee is generally not used for cooking in UK Indian restaurants (cost). The oil most used is plain vegetable oil - mainly Pride brand. Ghee is mainly used in home cooking as a flavouring for naan breads (brushed on hot) and for a few curry dishes for added flavour and aroma (sometimes for frying rice ie pilau) and also for sweets and puddings. The flavour is far superior to vegetable ghee (its the butter vs margarine argument) and veg ghee is merely a cheaper substitute. Also because butter ghee is high in fats veg ghee is also often used as a "healthier" substitute but it can contain all sorts of other rubbish that is just as bad for you (butter vs margarine again).
Butter ghee is basically unsalted butter which has been clarified and all the milk solids and water removed. It exists because unlike butter it does not require refrigeration to keep fresh and is therefore ideal for hot countries. It can also be cooked at very high temperatures without burning unlike butter.
Ghee may solidify slightly if kept cold but it does not require skimming or shaking, just use it straight from the tin.
Hope that helps some.
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Great post Spiceboy I don't suppose you know any other bits of info regarding restaurant curry :)
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Many thanks for the recipe Pete!! Top drawer!
Spiceboy, cheers for all the information. It all makes sense now as I bought the Swad in Patel Bros here in NYC. Please feel free as many insider beans as you like ....
:-)
DeeDee
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Hi Curry King
I dont want to say too much about restaurant curries because I am in the business. Mainly because I dont know that much about the recipe side of things but I do know a bit about Indian cooking generally and ingredients specifically. I'd also hate to spoil all your fun! If anyone has any specific questions on ingredients I'd be glad to help when I can.
By the way, if anyone needs more info on ghee check this link http://www.natco-online.com/acatalog/info%5fC1430%2ehtml
Best Wishes
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Hi Spice Boy
what is the most common curry powder used in BIR's?
and is garam masala used at all?
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Hi Pete
As with most things to do with Indian food, there is no simple answer to your first question.
The most popular curry powder will often depend on region. The 3 biggest players are East End, Natco and TRS - forget Rajah, while it may have a large presence in ASDA (and probably not for much longer) it is not recognised by Asian chefs as "authentic" and also costs more than the other Asian brands. Problems with Sudan Red 1 last year has meant the trade has given Rajah a wide berth.
TRS is big in the South East, East End is big up North and Natco is fairly evenly spread throughout the UK. Ignore anyone who says dont buy from supermarkets - if they mean supermarket own label products then I would agree - only inferior quality spices are used for these and they are often cut with wheat or rice flour which reduces the flavour intensity (supermarket buyers know nothing). However, any of the Asian brands sold in supermarkets ARE the real thing and are the same as any brand sold in Asian corner shops. In fact those sold in supermarkets are most likely to be the best of those sold in Asian corner shops. Of course you will find other brands but most Asian customers buy on price and it is these brands that use trade tricks to keep prices down - cutting turmeric with rice flour or adding colouring powder to bulk it up etc. As with everything you get what you pay for - dont buy cheap spices.
The big 3 all produce catering and wholesale packs of curry powder. Most spice producers for the UK Asian market will all produce bags of spice in 1kg, 2kg, and 5kg sizes - just because they have big bags of spice in their trolleys does not mean they are restaurant owners! Most Asian families will consume several kilos of spice in a month.
In my experience, Natco and East End curry powders are used by the quality restaurants (if used at all) and TRS by the lower end. However, a lot of restaurants wont use curry powder as it is made up from basic spice ingredients already used in the restaurant - making up a batch is easy and cheaper that buying the ready mixed powder - also curry powder is not really an authentic spice mix and a lot of chefs will simply mix their own to taste.
So the short answer to your first question (in my experience )is East End and Natco.
With regard to garam masala - yes it is used in restaurants and often as a replacement for curry powder! There are hundreds of recipes for garam masala and every chef has his own. It is most often used as a finishing spice added at the very end of the cooking process to add a bit of extra umpf to the dish. The most commonly used ready mixed garam masala will probably be by Natco as those chefs who use ready mixed will want the best and Natco brand is well recognised for its garam masala.
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Really great post SpiceBoy. :)
Would you post a list of commonly used Spices in the Take-away trade so we can all see if there are any we/I`ve overlooked, as there seems to be a particular smell to my favorite Take-away that I'm unfamiliar with, & i`ve never come across in any other Take-away.
I understand if you feel disinclined to post in depth on this subject & i thank you in advance for any information you may post on the matter.
Yours DARTHPHALL..... 8).....
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Thanks a lot Spice Boy
that was a very informative post
I really want to try Natco products but can't get it round here (Nottingham)
I'll try looking for TRS instead
Thanks again
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Pete,
If you have much trouble or want a specific spice let me know and I could always pop it in the post. The large supermarkets seem to do most brands round here, East End and Natco being the favourites it seems.
Ray
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You can order Natco stuff online but it is expensive when you include postage.
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Rocking follow-up post SB.
And of course as it is the Season of goodwill, giving, Christmas and all that ... you can go to Natco and send someone a lubbly little Curry Kit too!!!?
:-)
DD
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Thanks Ray & CK
I see other Natco products about, it's just the spices that are scarce
There is a new shop opened.
I'll try that first
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O.K. Pete,
Any probs getting what you want just give me a shout!
Ray