Curry Recipes Online
Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: emin-j on January 14, 2012, 10:32 PM
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For sometime now my curry's although good have been missing that savoury but not over spiced taste like my local BIR's,I have tried by gradually adding more and more spice mix to emulate their flavour but my curry's just ended up being over rich to the point of being sickly :P
The talk on the forum lately is of Jalpur Garam Masala (ifindforu) being a 'must have' plus the use of whole spices has been mentioned and I must admit to being a bit of a fan of Garam Masala and the wonderful flavours from using whole spices,and it got me thinking ???
1, We had Indian neighbours a year or so ago and as I was parking my car on the drive I could smell the most wonderfull aroma BIR x2 :o I had to go around and ask what they were cooking,It turned out to be a Lamb curry from scratch and they offered me a taster straight out of the pan ! Kapow ! what a flavour, and that aroma,I asked what gave the flavour and aroma ' Garam Masala ' was the answer.
2, I once asked at my favourite T/A if I could watch my curry being made and to my surprise they said yes ;D
one of the questions I asked was what spice mix they used and was told ' that is chef's own Garam Masala'
and it was said in such a way I didn't feel I should pry any more :-X but looking at the mix it looked like just GM coarse with no sign of turmeric etc etc and this is what went into all the curry's (maybe not korma).
So tonight I thought I would experiment with some whole spices and see what flavour I could bring out in the final curry.
Using from frozen 2 portions of C2G base,approx 600ml I placed the frozen base in a saucepan and put the gas on the lowest setting as it started to melt I added 3 green cardamom (crushed), 3 cloves, 3 Asian bay leaves (the fragrant variety) and half a star anise. After a while it was up to a simmer and the aroma was wafting around the house,bloody lovely :)
Went on to making mine and the Wife's usual Madras and only using a teaspoon of spice mix (due to the whole spices in the base) and then tasting to check on salt level there it was :o the most fantastic savoury tasting curry I have ever made and to be honest slightly too savoury but definitely the taste I have been missing and definitely the taste of most of the T/A in my area.
For me the search for the 'secret ingredient' is over but working out how BIR's get this much flavour into their curry's without using whole spices is my next challenge,are we back to that Garam masala thingy again :)
Just try what I have said by adding the whole spices to your portions of base (not your main pot of base for now) but I cant stress enough you use the right bay leaves (fragrent Asian not the European rubbish).
Onward and upward ;)
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From memory not many bases on here call for the use of whole spices.The only one I can think of is the Kushi base.This does include bay,cloves,cardamom and star anise.I have to say when I made this it had a wonderful flavour(didn't use mace) and my curries were superb but then others on here didn't rate it.Interestingly they gave a seperate recipe for korma base.
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Great post emin-j. I must admit I seem to have lost my mojo since making a mess of ifindforu's base sauce recently. Made a curry last night for me and the missus and it was ok but nothing special.
Paul
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Thanks' Guys,
The whole spices is what gave our curry that wonderful savoury flavour and the house is still full of BIR aroma this morning ;D
I really don't think there are many BIR's use whole spices as I did but more likely achieve the flavour through Garam Masala maybe their own ground spices or is it the amount of GM they use :-\ but I do know it was the whole spices what gave me that wonderful savoury taste and aroma that I have been searching for quite a while and has given me a definate direction to follow at last. ;)
edit: The whole spices could be being introduced at the final cooking stage via Garam Masala or chef's own spice mix ;)
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Hi Emin,
Have you tried grinding those whole spices and adding them to your spice mix? might be worth a go......
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Hi Emin,
Have you tried grinding those whole spices and adding them to your spice mix? might be worth a go......
Hi 976bar, that is the way I am thinking of going but the ingredients I used are the ones found in Garam Masala amongst others,could it be the quality of the gm you use (jalpur comes to mind ::))or could it be the amount or when it's added :-\ I am so pleased to have found the holy grail I have been searching for,now just the final touches ;)
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My mind is buzzing at the mo :)
I am using C2G's base with the chef's spoons of the usual spices added, what if I used only Garam Masala in the final cooking stage ? makes sense to me,also ties in with the ' chef's own Garam Masala' as per my favourite T/A,
his 'spice mix' looked no different to Garam Masala (course ground texture) and definately nothing like any of the spice mixes from this site I have used.
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Hi Emin,
I guess the way forward now is to probably experiment by making 2 dishes at the same time. Adding the GM to one and ground spice mix to the other with the "ground" spices in, and seeing which one takes your fancy the most :)
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97% now then ;D. Well done emin-j. You confirmed my suspicions at least about the inclusion of those particular whole spices. It's just "in what form". I'll try this with some base next time i make a curry before i extend it to the base itself. Whether whole spices are used in the gravy, and we've all found them in our curries ;), or are prominent ingredients in a hand made "chef's special" garam masala, as suggested by ifindforu the use of Jalpur (or another brand but with the chef adding spices to get that similar smell) is what we now need to confirm. How many of threads based on real kitchen observations make reference to chef's special mix powder / garam masala? Quite a few. Looking forward hearing of the work you're going to do in this area. Could we have such a significant breakthrough so early in 2012? :o :o
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Hi Emin,
I guess the way forward now is to probably experiment by making 2 dishes at the same time. Adding the GM to one and ground spice mix to the other with the "ground" spices in, and seeing which one takes your fancy the most :)
Good idea bar, I think I will make just the madras sauce for the experiment but I cant make my mind up whether to grind my own spices or use pre ground Rajah GM.
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Hi Emin
Great results with the GM experiments, I have found that a lot of BIR chefs add GM as the last ingredient a couple of mins before the end
I like to think that the trick is freshness,when I make mine I dry roast in the oven for 5 mins or so then grind and use immediately making small amounts
Give it a try and let us all know the results
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97% now then ;D. Well done emin-j. You confirmed my suspicions at least about the inclusion of those particular whole spices. It's just "in what form". I'll try this with some base next time i make a curry before i extend it to the base itself. Whether whole spices are used in the gravy, and we've all found them in our curries ;), or are prominent ingredients in a hand made "chef's special" garam masala, as suggested by ifindforu the use of Jalpur (or another brand but with the chef adding spices to get that similar smell) is what we now need to confirm. How many of threads based on real kitchen observations make reference to chef's special mix powder / garam masala? Quite a few. Looking forward hearing of the work you're going to do in this area. Could we have such a significant breakthrough so early in 2012? :o :o
CH, this is a massive leap forward for me at least and has given me a definate direction to follow,I just couldn't work out how our local T/A could produce such a savoury flavour but with only light spicing :-\ I went the 'add more and more spice mix ' root but that was a disaster and made a sickly cow pat of a curry :P
Last nights curry was an absolute winner even the Mrs agreed it was the best curry I have made and she will tell you as it is :)
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Hi emin-j,
Sounds like you're having much success and fun with this experiment.
I alluded in another thread that I would like to go on a bit of a spice journey myself but my thinking was more along the lines of, grind whole spices that form my own 'mixed powder' so, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, methi seeds and so on, and then pitch two simple curries against each other using my fresh mixed powder v my off the self mixed powders.
I'm also toying with the idea of a home made GM, too as it does form a part of my own mixed powder.
Like you, some time back, I went with increasing the amount of mixed powder that I was putting in, and your 'sickly cow pat' describes exactly what I was getting too. I've now gone in the opposite direction, and reduced the amount of mixed powder and gg paste, and the results are excellent. I really think that it's a case of 'less is more' when it comes to this curry malarkey..!
Good luck with this mate, and looking forward to seeing how this develops.
Ray :)
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97% now then ;D. Well done emin-j. You confirmed my suspicions at least about the inclusion of those particular whole spices. It's just "in what form". I'll try this with some base next time i make a curry before i extend it to the base itself. Whether whole spices are used in the gravy, and we've all found them in our curries ;), or are prominent ingredients in a hand made "chef's special" garam masala, as suggested by ifindforu the use of Jalpur (or another brand but with the chef adding spices to get that similar smell) is what we now need to confirm. How many of threads based on real kitchen observations make reference to chef's special mix powder / garam masala? Quite a few. Looking forward hearing of the work you're going to do in this area. Could we have such a significant breakthrough so early in 2012? :o :o
CH, this is a massive leap forward for me at least and has given me a definate direction to follow,I just couldn't work out how our local T/A could produce such a savoury flavour but with only light spicing :-\ I went the 'add more and more spice mix ' root but that was a disaster and made a sickly cow pat of a curry :P
Last nights curry was an absolute winner even the Mrs agreed it was the best curry I have made and she will tell you as it is :)
That is significant emin-j :). There has always been talk of a match of spicing to base and i think you've hit the nail on the head. It isn't so much a matter of "this spice goes with this base which goes only with these recipes". Basically, it's about achieving the balance between the spice mix versus the gravy. The scales obviously tipped too far in one direction with you adding more and more mix powder :(. But you now know this and it is a learning for us all (well many anyway ;) ). Now you have the "balance", all ( ;D ) you have to do is tweak the blending of spices , beit the mix powder itself, the use of your own or an adapted garam masala or the use of whole spices. Well done mate. I think you've given us all something to think about 8)
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I've now gone in the opposite direction, and reduced the amount of mixed powder and gg paste, and the results are excellent.
I have started to do this lately as well Ray, particularly with the tomato paste and also in the garlic/ginger puree area, prefering to add fresh sliced garlic :)
I really think that it's a case of 'less is more' when it comes to this curry malarkey..!
I think you may have something here 8)
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There's a number of ways that the flavours from whole spices can be included in the final dish and I think a lot of BIR's do it via the precooking of the meat or principal ingredient. There's a number of 'pre-cook' recipes on here that include whole spices in them.
For me personally, I still have a bit of a problem with the term Garam Masala and the way it is now being used on here, it's starting to morph into something completely different and I know this has been discussed before, but it seems to keep coming up.
So now we've got the term Chef's Special Garam Masala to contend with. At what point does a Garam Masala stop being a Garam Masala and start being a Chef's Special Garam Masala? And how does that Spice Mix differ from any other Spice Mix if we don't know what the ingredients are?
There's some confusion here (and in my mind) of precisely what a Garam Masala is and what a Spice Mix is and the two terms now seem to be almost interchangeable. As far as I'm concerned, a Garam Masala is defined by it's principal ingredients and how it's used, but that doesn't appear to be the case any more
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There has always been talk of a match of spicing to base and i think you've hit the nail on the head. It isn't so much a matter of "this spice goes with this base which goes only with these recipes". Basically, it's about achieving the balance between the spice mix versus the gravy.
:o
I find these statements contradict each other.
Base gravy's are and should be matched to their respective spice mix's which should also be matched to the recipes that go with them. All three of them work together in balance - that's where the balance you refer to comes from.
If you take one persons base gravy and make it with another persons spice mix and make that with someone else's recipe, how can there be any balance (or understanding) in the ingredients and level of spicing used? And just as importantly how do you adjust the spicing from one dish to another?
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There's a number of ways that the flavours from whole spices can be included in the final dish and I think a lot of BIR's do it via the precooking of the meat or principal ingredient. There's a number of 'pre-cook' recipes on here that include whole spices in them.
For me personally, I still have a bit of a problem with the term Garam Masala and the way it is now being used on here, it's starting to morph into something completely different and I know this has been discussed before, but it seems to keep coming up.
So now we've got the term Chef's Special Garam Masala to contend with. At what point does a Garam Masala stop being a Garam Masala and start being a Chef's Special Garam Masala? And how does that Spice Mix differ from any other Spice Mix if we don't know what the ingredients are?
There's some confusion here (and in my mind) of precisely what a Garam Masala is and what a Spice Mix is and the two terms now seem to be almost interchangeable. As far as I'm concerned, a Garam Masala is defined by it's principal ingredients and how it's used, but that doesn't appear to be the case any more
Rather than start the whole garam masala debate again and send this thread of the rails may I suggest we take this discussion to a more appropriate area. I will be more than happy to continue the debate there and give you my take on the observations above.
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...by tasting it?
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There's a number of ways that the flavours from whole spices can be included in the final dish and I think a lot of BIR's do it via the precooking of the meat or principal ingredient. There's a number of 'pre-cook' recipes on here that include whole spices in them.
For me personally, I still have a bit of a problem with the term Garam Masala and the way it is now being used on here, it's starting to morph into something completely different and I know this has been discussed before, but it seems to keep coming up.
So now we've got the term Chef's Special Garam Masala to contend with. At what point does a Garam Masala stop being a Garam Masala and start being a Chef's Special Garam Masala? And how does that Spice Mix differ from any other Spice Mix if we don't know what the ingredients are?
There's some confusion here (and in my mind) of precisely what a Garam Masala is and what a Spice Mix is and the two terms now seem to be almost interchangeable. As far as I'm concerned, a Garam Masala is defined by it's principal ingredients and how it's used, but that doesn't appear to be the case any more
spicey, the term ' Chef's special' refers to in this case a Garam Masala made up by the Chef himself,whether he roasts the whole spices and then grinds or from experience knows the better quality pre ground GM I don't know and spice mixes are generally differing amounts of the same spices,cumin,coriander,turmeric,curry powder,paprika,and sometimes a small amount of GM but it is Garam Masala that has all the fragrant aromatic spices such as cardamom,cloves,bay,etc and it was these that gave me that wonderful savoury flavour.
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On the subject of the extra depth of flavour found in restaurant curries (without using whole spices), and another thread here about a mystery 'anise' background in restaurant curries, there is a video on CBM Mick's blog where a chef sprinkles on his own home made garam masala towards the end of the cooking of a jalfrezi. It turns out this is not a blend, but simply dried and ground Indian star anise. He does seem to put on a fair bit too. I haven't tried this, but this does point towards the garam masala as being the secret.
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Welcome garty22, I think Garam Masala (or at least Bay,Cardamom,Clove and Star Anise) is the answer to achieving that savoury flavour that's difficult to produce in a home curry ( for me at least :) ) and deserves more investigation, last night I made our usual Madras using the whole spices in the base gravy and it was full of aroma and flavour,just need to work out how the BIR's do it :-\
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Welcome garty22, I think Garam Masala (or at least Bay,Cardamom,Clove and Star Anise) is the answer to achieving that savoury flavour that's difficult to produce in a home curry ( for me at least :) ) and deserves more investigation, last night I made our usual Madras using the whole spices in the base gravy and it was full of aroma and flavour,just need to work out how the BIR's do it :-\
The makeup of garam masalas used by restaurants may go some way to answering the taste question. It's been mentioned but there is very little information available outside the trade. I would guess & say that hints at its importance, either right across the trade or chef specific. I have heard that bir chefs can quickly become expendable, to ruthless owners, once their methods are revealed. I suspect the use of whole spices may be limited to better curry shops who can factor the extra labour involved into their price. As you know, whole spices hold far more flavour, & could really set your food apart from the guy down the road. I may be wrong, but I can't see the bog standard ta's straying from the mass production methods, we're all aware of. It brings to mind the whole or chopped onions in the base. I always thought the whole onions were used to allow the chef to get on with something else, as they were going to be blitzed anyway
Star Anise...interestin, never used it in bir
Regards
ELW
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BIR's could be using whole spices via spiced oil in the main dish this would explain why their base gravy's taste quite bland but their curry's very flavoursome,I'm convinced Garam Masala/whole spices go a long way towards that missing 5% we talk so much about if my latest curry's are anything to go by ;D
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Interesting topic, as the only time I seem to use whole spices is in cooking pilau rice or potato/aloo dishes (Panch Poran).
I was going to have a go at making Garam Masala, but there are so many recipes for it, that I'm not sure where to start. :-\
One idea I think I might try with my next lot of Chewys excellent base, is to boil/infuse some whole spices in water, strain, and then add to the base.
Think it might be a pretty clean and easy way of doing it, instead of fishing them out by hand, using a spice ball/muslin bag or just blending them into the base.
Not sure how much to add at the moment, but was thinking of adding the usual main Garam ingredients plus a little Panch Poran.
I might then compensate this by reducing the amount of spice mix added to the base.
Any thoughts on this?
Martin
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Personally, i think this is a very interesting line of enquiry. Some people would say this doesn't happen and any whole spice found in your takeaway either comes from the rice or from the prepartion of the meat.
This topic has never been thoroughly explored. There are a couple of threads where positive comments have been made after having included whole spice in dishes.
For those fortunate enough to have witnessed gravy being made, what is your experience?
Maybe the dream team off to Az's on Sunday week can ask this question on our behalf :D
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Personally, i think this is a very interesting line of enquiry. Some people would say this doesn't happen and any whole spice found in your takeaway either comes from the rice or from the prepartion of the meat.
This topic has never been thoroughly explored. There are a couple of threads where positive comments have been made after having included whole spice in dishes.
For those fortunate enough to have witnessed gravy being made, what is your experience?
Maybe the dream team off to Az's on Sunday week can ask this question on our behalf :D
This base: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3199.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3199.0) taken from a bir report, apparently uses cumin seed, rather than powder. The recipe, as taken from the op's notes which were given to him by the chef, say powder. The op said he saw seeds, & from what I can make out from the photo, it looks more like whole spice in the big pot of onions. I'm not sure my jug blender could deal with cumin seed very well, which could partly answer the question. *note no use of mix powder in any of this stuff? GM & curry powder only** It does mention the chef preferring East End spices, but the brand of curry powder is unknown
ELW
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(fragrent Asian not the European rubbish).
Your rude comment (above) detracts from the rest of your post. Anyone who thinks European bay leaves are rubbish has a lot of learning to do.
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For a bit of fun, just had a quick go at making a small amount of GM.
Had a look at a few recipes and chose this one, as it didn't contain coriander seeds (which I'm out of anyway).
I did make a couple of changes/additions (in brackets) to suit my store cupboard.
Oh and I really like Panch Poran, and noticed some of its ingredients were used in some GM recipes I found, so added a some of that.
Garam Masala
Makes approx 3 Tbsp.
1.5 Tbs black peppercorns
3/4 Tbs black cumin seeds (1 heaped tsp normal cumin + 1 tsp panch poran)
1.5 tsp whole cloves
4 large brown caradmon pods (5 small green pods)
2 inch stick of cinnamon (cassia)
1/2 a whole nutmeg
2 star anise
(2 small bay leaves (fragrent Asian not the European errrr ones)).
Gently roast all spices in pan, break into small pieces, remove seed from pods and grind everything to a fine powder in a coffee or spice grinder. Sieve and store in a tightly lidded small jar.
Lovely aroma, and from a quick, finger dip, taste test, had much sweeter and smoother taste than the only GM I have left (Fiddes Payne).
Be interesting to have a go at cooking with it now.
As an afterthought on my Boiled whole spice idea.
I might make a small amount, as an experiment, probably using the same ingredients as the GM, and freeze it in ice cube trays. Then can add it to defrosted base or curries when required.
Not actually sure if this would be any different to just adding the GM, but whole spices would be more boiled in a base, rice and potato cooking.
Martin
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Your rude comment (above) detracts from the rest of your post. Anyone who thinks European bay leaves are rubbish has a lot of learning to do.
Blimey George, you're a bit nitpicky aincha!
My interpretation of that comment was that European Bay Leaves are rubbish when used in Indian Cuisine and particularly the BIR variety, which I must agree with. But that doesn't mean I think European Bay Leaves are rubbish when used in Mediterranean cookery - because that's where they work best flavour wise.
I think it's a fairly common mistake that new cooks to Indian cuisine make to use the European variety when they should be using the Indian variety - but it's a mistake borne out of innocence and lack of knowledge than anything else.
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Your rude comment (above) detracts from the rest of your post. Anyone who thinks European bay leaves are rubbish has a lot of learning to do.
Blimey George, you're a bit nitpicky aincha!
My interpretation of that comment was that European Bay Leaves are rubbish when used in Indian Cuisine and particularly the BIR variety, which I must agree with. But that doesn't mean I think European Bay Leaves are rubbish when used in Mediterranean cookery - because that's where they work best flavour wise.
I think it's a fairly common mistake that new cooks to Indian cuisine make to use the European variety when they should be using the Indian variety - but it's a mistake borne out of innocence and lack of knowledge than anything else.
Agreed on all counts there Spicey ;) ::)
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For a bit of fun, just had a quick go at making a small amount of GM.
Had a look at a few recipes and chose this one, as it didn't contain coriander seeds (which I'm out of anyway).
I did make a couple of changes/additions (in brackets) to suit my store cupboard.
Oh and I really like Panch Poran, and noticed some of its ingredients were used in some GM recipes I found, so added a some of that.
Garam Masala
Makes approx 3 Tbsp.
1.5 Tbs black peppercorns
3/4 Tbs black cumin seeds (1 heaped tsp normal cumin + 1 tsp panch poran)
1.5 tsp whole cloves
4 large brown caradmon pods (5 small green pods)
2 inch stick of cinnamon (cassia)
1/2 a whole nutmeg
2 star anise
(2 small bay leaves (fragrent Asian not the European errrr ones)).
Gently roast all spices in pan, break into small pieces, remove seed from pods and grind everything to a fine powder in a coffee or spice grinder. Sieve and store in a tightly lidded small jar.
Lovely aroma, and from a quick, finger dip, taste test, had much sweeter and smoother taste than the only GM I have left (Fiddes Payne).
Be interesting to have a go at cooking with it now.
As an afterthought on my Boiled whole spice idea.
I might make a small amount, as an experiment, probably using the same ingredients as the GM, and freeze it in ice cube trays. Then can add it to defrosted base or curries when required.
Not actually sure if this would be any different to just adding the GM, but whole spices would be more boiled in a base, rice and potato cooking.
Martin
Well done martin for going to the effort of making your own Garam Masala I'll bet it was excellent :)
Since the success of my whole spice experiment my mind has been buzzing and although still unsure the best way (the BIR way) of achieving this savoury flavour which I have through the use of whole spices.
My next plan is to make my own base gravy which will be basically the curry2go base but with much less ground spices and I will add whole spices Asian Bay Leaves,Green Cardamom,Cloves,and Star Anise at the second simmer stage and either see if my spice ball will hold all the whole spices or I will pass the gravy through a sieve as this seems popular with some members on the forum. I have a good idea of the amount of whole spices to add and don't want too strong a flavour in the base but enough to bring out that delicious savoury flavour in the final curry ;)
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I remember a base sauce I made a few times where whole spices were infused in water and added to the base sauce. I cannot remember whether it was from this site or RCR but it was pretty good and would love to try it again now that my cooking technique has improved.
I don't know why but I think it may have been posted by Mick (Curry Barking Mad) but I could be wrong.
Mick - If you read this and it was one of yours, please can you post it here or PM me the recipe.
Cheers
Nick
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Your rude comment (above) detracts from the rest of your post. Anyone who thinks European bay leaves are rubbish has a lot of learning to do.
Blimey George, you're a bit nitpicky aincha!
My interpretation of that comment was that European Bay Leaves are rubbish when used in Indian Cuisine and particularly the BIR variety, which I must agree with. But that doesn't mean I think European Bay Leaves are rubbish when used in Mediterranean cookery - because that's where they work best flavour wise.
I think it's a fairly common mistake that new cooks to Indian cuisine make to use the European variety when they should be using the Indian variety - but it's a mistake borne out of innocence and lack of knowledge than anything else.
I agree 100% with what you say. Unfortunately, Emin didn't qualify or explain his statement, like you have. He simply said European Bay leaves are rubbish.
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I remember a base sauce I made a few times where whole spices were infused in water and added to the base sauce. I cannot remember whether it was from this site or RCR but it was pretty good and would love to try it again now that my cooking technique has improved.
I don't know why but I think it may have been posted by Mick (Curry Barking Mad) but I could be wrong.
Mick - If you read this and it was one of yours, please can you post it here or PM me the recipe.
Cheers
Nick
That's interesting Nick.
Would be cool if you could find out a little more info on that base.
Oh and thanks emin, I reckon the homemade GM will be really nice sprinkled on a curry at the end of cooking.
Something I don't usually do, but the difference between this and the bought GM was really pleasing, so I'm definitely going to try it next time.
Martin
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I agree 100% with what you say. Unfortunately, Emin didn't qualify or explain his statement, like you have. He simply said European Bay leaves are rubbish.
Well George, it seems the forum inference levels are as variable as our tastebuds! ;)
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I remember a base sauce I made a few times where whole spices were infused in water and added to the base sauce. I cannot remember whether it was from this site or RCR but it was pretty good and would love to try it again now that my cooking technique has improved.
I don't know why but I think it may have been posted by Mick (Curry Barking Mad) but I could be wrong.
Mick - If you read this and it was one of yours, please can you post it here or PM me the recipe.
Cheers
Nick
Hi Nick,
This recipe and use of the spiced akhni stock came from the Curry Mahal restaurant in Sidcup, Kent many years ago.
Base Garabi.
Ingredients 1
1 kilo of peeled onions (chopped)
2 medium sized carrots (sliced)
0.5 of a green pepper (capsicum)(chopped)
1 heaped teaspoon of garlic paste
1 teaspoon of ginger paste
0.5 of a pint of veg oil
1 heaped tablespoon of veg ghee
1 heaped teaspoon of salt
1 heaped tablespoon of chopped fresh coriander
2 heaped teaspoons of dry fenugreek leaves (methi)
2 and 0.25 pints of water
Ingredients 2
To add later
1 heaped tablespoon of tomato paste
1 heaped teaspoon of coriander powder
1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
1 heaped teaspoon of any mild curry powder
0.5 teaspoon of chilli powder
Spice water ingredients
4 x bay leaves
2 x 1 inch pieces of cassia bark
5 x cardamon pods
4 x cloves
3/4 pint of water
Method
Put all Ingredients 1 into a large pan,
Bring to the boil, and boil gently for 50 minutes,
Once your base is boiling bring the Spice water ingredients to a gentle boil and cook for 30 minutes.
After 50 minutes cooking of the onions, add Ingredients 2 (tomato paste etc)
Now add the strained Spice water,
Simmer for another 15 minutes,
Allow to cool for a while and blend until smooth,
The consistency should be that of thin soup.
You can double up on all ingredients to make a greater amount of base garabi.
Cheers,
Mick
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Hi Mick,
Many thanks, that is the one. This one was quality from what I remember. I hope others will give it a go.
Thanks again
Nick
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Yep, cheers Mick.
Looks like my thinking wasn't too far off the mark.
Hadn't come across it before but after a quick google, it seems the akhni stock/spiced water is is a well used method, and the freezing of it for later use. 8)
Martin
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It's an interesting idea this spiced water. I typically dilute my curry base 1:1 with water at the time I defrost it which yields the correct "thin soup" consistency for cooking with. This is using the C2G base which is quite thick when cooked in the proprtions described by julian, which is fine by me as it's nice and space efficient in the freezer.
It would be easy and cheap to knock up a batch of spiced water and use that for diluting my garabi instead, thus testing the effect on the flavour of a finished curry. It also seems like a way to get "whole spice flavour" into the garabi without the problems associated with having to find and fish out the whole spices prior to blending.
I think I'll give it a go next time I cook (all in the interests of science 8) )
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It's an interesting idea this spiced water. I typically dilute my curry base 1:1 with water at the time I defrost it which yields the correct "thin soup" consistency for cooking with. This is using the C2G base which is quite thick when cooked in the proprtions described by julian, which is fine by me as it's nice and space efficient in the freezer.
It would be easy and cheap to knock up a batch of spiced water and use that for diluting my garabi instead, thus testing the effect on the flavour of a finished curry. It also seems like a way to get "whole spice flavour" into the garabi without the problems associated with having to find and fish out the whole spices prior to blending.
I think I'll give it a go next time I cook (all in the interests of science 8) )
natterjak, am I reading your post correctly that you freeze the puree like base and add the water when you come to use the base ? The reason I ask is that the second simmer with the c2g includes the water and you need this second simmer for the oil to rise to the surface to complete the base :)
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It's an interesting idea this spiced water. I typically dilute my curry base 1:1 with water at the time I defrost it which yields the correct "thin soup" consistency for cooking with. This is using the C2G base which is quite thick when cooked in the proprtions described by julian, which is fine by me as it's nice and space efficient in the freezer.
It would be easy and cheap to knock up a batch of spiced water and use that for diluting my garabi instead, thus testing the effect on the flavour of a finished curry. It also seems like a way to get "whole spice flavour" into the garabi without the problems associated with having to find and fish out the whole spices prior to blending.
I think I'll give it a go next time I cook (all in the interests of science 8) )
natterjak, am I reading your post correctly that you freeze the puree like base and add the water when you come to use the base ? The reason I ask is that the second simmer with the c2g includes the water and you need this second simmer for the oil to rise to the surface to complete the base :)
Correct. I add a little water but my cooking pot isn't big enough to double the water as Julian suggests. It cooks fine anyway and the oil rises after an hour or two of the 2nd cook.
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CBM Mick
Hi Mick, have you tried and tested this method of making the base curry, if so whats your valued opinion?
Regards
Andy
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CBM Mick
Hi Mick, have you tried and tested this method of making the base curry, if so whats your valued opinion?
Regards
Andy
Hi Andy,
Yes I have and many times but to be honest, not for some time. There have just been too many other things to test.
I will revisit this base soon.
As I recall the whole spice stock does come through well in the end gravy but doesn't overpower the flavour in the base.
It is worth giving it a go Andy and reporting how you find it.
That would be real cool.
Cheers for now,
Mick
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Was chatting to the owner of one of the better t/a around here tonight and asked whose make of garam masala they used and he said they roast a large quantity of whole spices in the oven for a few hours turning occasionally until brownish in colour then when cooled grind them.
It sounded to me they roast all their spices together not just the aromatic g/m ones,that would explain why when I was in our favourite t/a kitchen the 'spice mix' the chef used looked just like garam masala and nothing like any of the spice mixes I've used.
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I saw my local takeaway making Garam masala
It's just ground from a packet of whole mixed spices
The brand name is Heera
This takeaway makes lovely curries and the Garam masala is in the base
I have very occasionally seen it used in the curries
The main extra flavour ingredient for curries, is Pataks Balti Paste
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Hi Haldi,as when I started this thread I have found it's the aromatic spices as used in garam masala that gives me that lovely savoury flavour I have been missing in my home cooked curry's, also having spoken to the boss of the t/a I believe no additional spices are added to the final curry such as coriander and cumin as they are allready in the garam masala and I also believe there is no turmeric or paprika added as this is in the base gravy.
I also asked if they use any g/m in their base gravy and he said yes,I then asked about white cabbage in the gravy and he said no and continued saying 'you could put anything in the gravy and it wont taste much different than if you only used onions unless you put a lot of a particular item'.
Then thinking back to the time I spent in a BIR kitchen and ' the chef's own masala' as It was called and the colour and texture (light brownish and coarse) with no obvious turmeric added it all seems to be making sense now ;)