Curry Recipes Online
Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: George on January 17, 2012, 06:14 PM
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CA recently used a good phrase, referring to books that have been "previously discussed and largely forgotten about".
It's not just the Undercover book, either. Several other books have had their moments of glory, only to be forgotten.
Where do these books, and a few other sources, stand in your opinion as at January 2012? Imagine you have to recommend just one book or author to someone who desperately wants to emulate decent BIR fare. Which author would you select, and what's the pecking order of the rest? Please be more specific than simply saying the best source is the CR0 forum.
Here are a few books and authors which spring to mind:
Curry Secret 1 (1980s)
Curry Secret 2 (2000s)
Pat Chapman
Undercover Curry
Kushi Balti
Ashoka recipes (at cr0)
Abdul's book - learn2cook vol 1
Abdul's other recipes (at cr0)
Julian's c2g recipes
CA recipes (at cr0)
CBM recipes (cr0 and elsewhere)
Other recipes at RCR e.g. melting
cook4one.co.uk (suggested by ELW)
Curry Crunch book (suggested by JB)
100 Best Balti Curries (suggested by ratbone2)
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Hi George,
the cook4one site could do with some reviews? I read somewhere the the recipe's on there were published by a member from here?
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Hi
My personal pecking order is, as of right now:
(1)
Abdul's book - learn2cook vol 1
Abdul's other recipes (at cr0)
Personally, Abduls base and 8 spice is the closest to the BIR taste that I seek, that I have ever consistently created at home before ever.
(2)
Kushi Balti
I recommend this book, as I find the exotic taste of this chaps BIR / Balti style to be magnificent.
If I lost all my books, these are the ones I would replace first as of Jan 2012.
Edit: Although I should say, I continually refer to ChewyTikka, CBM, CA.
Thanks
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Cook4One site think his name was flavorjunkie.
I have tried 27 dishes off his site and i must say i rate them very highly, the Balti Tamarind Chicken is just full of flavour its well worth a try.
Its a step away from the "norm" in BIR, given different names but if you read the recipes through they ALL look very familiar.
I would encourage forum members to give his recipes a try.
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I made some superb curries with the Kushi Book,can't understand why it doesn't have more followers.One book that seems to have been overlooked is The Curry Crunch Book,very well laid out with easy to follow recipes especially for the beginner.
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I made some superb curries with the Kushi Book,can't understand why it doesn't have more followers.
I rate it highly because it's produced good results for the few things I've tried and it somehow seems more credible than certain other books. Neither does it irritate me, like the chefs spoon dip measures used in the Undercover book.
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I still use the Kushi book i am doing 3 dishes as i type this, chicken sagwala, chicken bhuna and a basic balti.
I use this book quite alot, me being a bit of a balti freak, and havent had any problems with any recipes in the book.
Highly recommend.
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Hi, first post, not sure if this has been covered before - excellent site but too massive to read everything! Was weeding through my dad's bookshelf prior to selling his house and came across "100 Best Balti Curries" by Diane Lowe and Mike Davidson published 1994. The authors' claim is that they befriended Birmingham Balti House chefs for three years and got the authentic recipes from them. Not tried to make anything from it yet, but shall post their base/spice mix if anyone is interested, Regards, Robin
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Not heard of that one ratbone. Then again i'm not a balti specialist like some and am probably not the best person to comment on baltis being down south ;D. Have you tried any recipes from the book? How do they compare to "authentic" baltis? Welcome to the site.
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Not tried to make anything from it yet, but shall post their base/spice mix if anyone is interested, Regards, Robin
Welcome to cr0 Robin
And yes, please post the recipe for the base and spice mix, I'm a balti fan, and some of the other members might like to try it out,
Les
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100 best balti curries can be found here.
its not the full book, and opens in word format
Ray has spent quite some time typing this up.
I am going to have to read the book again
and promise myself to give it a go sometime.
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2542.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2542.0)
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100 best balti curries can be found here.
its not the full book, and opens in word format
Ray has spent quite some time typing this up.
I am going to have to read the book again
and promise myself to give it a go sometime.
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2542.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2542.0)
Cheers Graeme
Totally forgot about this version in downloads
Les
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If you can get hold of a copy of 100 Best Balti Curries it really is a lovely little book, it contains some really nice hand drawn illustrations of the kitchens and staff that are mentioned in the book.
Gary
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100 best balti curries can be found here.
Ray has spent quite some time typing this up.
Me?, I don't remember that Graeme?
Ray ???
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100 best balti curries can be found here.
Ray has spent quite some time typing this up.
Me?, I don't remember that Graeme?
Ray ???
It was kindly prepared by Ray Graham.
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hi guys sorry to burst your bubble but its in the downloads section and yes it has been covered as well! you have to remember that this forum has been around since the dawn of restaurant timeLOL! i mean the end of 2004 so alot of books do full circle and repeat themselves :o
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=442.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=442.0)
hope this helps
regards
gary
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Has anyone ever tried a base sauce from "100 best balti"
If so, Which one, and was it any good? I love balti, but don't want to waste time and money, if It's not up there with some of the best already on here
Les
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Has anyone ever tried a base sauce from "100 best balti"
If so, Which one, and was it any good? I love balti, but don't want to waste time and money, if It's not up there with some of the best already on here
Les
I've got to admit I've sidelined this for the same reason. It still nags me that the recipe's look really good & the bases look to be full of flavour!
ELW
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It still nags me that the recipe's look really good & the bases look to be full of flavour!
ELW
This is what I thought also, But as no one seem to have tried any of the base's or recipes out, seem's to indicate that It's not worth trying,
Les
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Real Curry Recipe's - RCR review
Anyone new to recreating bir@home, who has visited / registered on rcr,(me included) will have found doors locked at every turn with the promise of all kinds of secret stuff for a fee. The info that you can view from a simple registration, amounts to a handful of posts from a handful of members(who I assume have paid a subscription at some point?), still asking the same questions as cr0 members here do daily. So whats behind the curtain on rcr? Draw your own conclusions.I'd stick my neck out & say that there is nothing behind the curtain that can't be found on cr0. The available recipe's also offer nothing that can't be found on cr0, in terms of base & mix powder. This is a fatal flaw for rcr, which has never been addressed by the site owner. The audience for eating bir curry & learning how to cook it, are poles apart & when your nearest rival (cr0) allows it to be put out there for free, it's the end of the road. Shame because the rcr members have put a huge amount of effort in there.
They're not alone...
Here's a quote from curryhouse.co.uk faqs, which made me click the X button in the corner
"Your balti / korma / whatever doesn't taste like the one in my local restaurant. How come? "
"Whilst I think the free restaurant-style recipes here in the public area are good, the revised versions in the Premium Area are much closer to the ones you'll find in the majority of standard Bangladeshi-run curry houses."
;D
You see the pattern
Regards
ELW
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You see the pattern
Indeed.
I came to the same conclusion with regards to that other site - far too much information is not available to access, but what I have seen isn't that much different from that shown here. That site is obviously being run for profitable purposes and I object to it on that basis alone. I don't have a problem with people making money, but I'm obviously unwilling to pay for something that is replicated elsewhere for free.
I doubt very much that RCR can offer any further insights into replicating BIR cuisine at home than can be found on this site. RCR appear to be dying a death as a result of it and need to consider leveraging an alternative revenue stream over and above that of providing information, information I might add that is pretty much already out there in the public domain.
RCR are a bit behind the times sadly.
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I am a member of the "other site" also and I agree with the comments made about it not offering any more than this site, which is of course free. I also think the layout of the other site is somewhat clumsy because there are lots of sections purporting to be recipes from different establishments and when you go into different sections some of them are completely unpopulated.
The site seems to be devoid of the kinds of heated conversations and personal attacks from one member to another, I guse not least because there is more moderator activity. However on the whole the site seems less active than this one and I don't think I'll be reneweing my annual membership of RCR.
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Same sentiments here. I signed up and gladly paid the RCR fee as I wanted to access all the info there. I was particularly excited to see that there was a section devoted to Pakistani restaurant techniques and recipes. Sadly, bar a few posts on the subject, this revealed itself to be a largely unpopulated area of the site, with only the odd bit of tumbleweed rolling through.
It has the air of a site that was started with great energy and unbridled enthusiasm, but over time, for whatever reason, whoever was the driving force has had to step back or move on.
I'm not complaining though, as there is a tremendous amount of information on RCR and a massive amount of work has gone into it. I've enjoyed many an hour going through it all over the winter months, and definitely had my money's worth.
If the site was to be rejuvenated and began to offer content that genuinely can't be accessed elsewhere I'd be more than happy to renew my sub.
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It has the air of a site that was started with great energy and unbridled enthusiasm, but over time, for whatever reason, whoever was the driving force has had to step back or move on. I'm not complaining though, as there is a tremendous amount of information on RCR and a massive amount of work has gone into it. I've enjoyed many an hour going through it all over the winter months, and definitely had my money's worth.
But do any of the recipes produce dishes which are anything special? Were you aware that RCR was a site started with 'great energy' off the back of this site, but hoping to make a fast buck, unlike this site, still the original and best. I agree with SL that the navigation and general layout is a nightmare. I go further in believing hardly a word claimed by the person(s) behind it.
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I'm a member of rcr nice bunch of members and gave me a warm welcome i pay'd membership a year ago, now expired wont be renewing still pop my head in but nothing enough for me to get my wallet out for, shame really i think the inherent lack of activity is down to subscription payment
Daft really if you think about the biggest and most successful websites are free facebook example if they charged members to sign up it wouldn't of got off the ground.
just a wee note if you click on this site adds we will earn a few pennies for admin every little helps!
UB.
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It has the air of a site that was started with great energy and unbridled enthusiasm, but over time, for whatever reason, whoever was the driving force has had to step back or move on. I'm not complaining though, as there is a tremendous amount of information on RCR and a massive amount of work has gone into it. I've enjoyed many an hour going through it all over the winter months, and definitely had my money's worth.
But do any of the recipes produce dishes which are anything special? Were you aware that RCR was a site started with 'great energy' off the back of this site, but hoping to make a fast buck, unlike this site, still the original and best. I agree with SL that the navigation and general layout is a nightmare. I go further in believing hardly a word claimed by the person(s) behind it.
George it doesnt matter who/why/what of yester-year it also doesn't matter if anybody else knows and no body needs to know what you think of the person behind it -- Jees, This is why your the forum troll
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet))
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Rcr is where i initally learned to make bir curries so i am forever grateful to it. one big plus point cor the site is there is very little sniping going on and definitly no negativity breeders!
Regards
barry
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Rcr is where i initally learned to make bir curries so i am forever grateful to it. one big plus point cor the site is there is very little sniping going on and definitly no negativity breeders!
Regards
barry
Good point Barry. EDIT - have cut my comments, as i feel they may lead to more of the problem you've mentioned ;)
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George it doesnt matter who/why/what of yester-year it also doesn't matter if anybody else knows and no body needs to know what you think of the person behind it -- Jees, This is why your the forum troll
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet))
It matters to me and I'll express my opinion on here, whether you like it or not. By incorrectly referring to me as a troll (that's a personal attack against forum rules) you're simply trying to stifle debate on any topic which you consider a bit controversial. Better fool you, for ever parting with your money over at RCR.
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UB
i wonder how many have clicked the link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet))
in your post i did - and i learnt something
thanks
best, Rich
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By incorrectly referring to me as a troll
IYOO
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I actually got a revised copy of CBM's book through the post today(I had previously brought the pdf).Thoroughly recommended,nothing I guess that can't be found within this forum but nethertheless very well laid out with some nice photos.An ideal book for the aspiring curry chef!!
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By incorrectly referring to me as a troll
IYOO
I'm pleased to say I don't have a clue what IYOO means but I'm sure it's another personal insult.
If you look at my post #23 you'll see I was criticising the other site but not anyone here. There was no hint of me attacking anyone here. Then, out of nowhere, you accuse me of being a troll and I responded. This is how trouble starts. I'm getting tired of it. I get embroiled in trouble because people like you go breaking the rules of this forum by way of personal attacks.
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By incorrectly referring to me as a troll
IYOO
I'm pleased to say I don't have a clue what IYOO means but I'm sure it's another personal insult.
In Your Opinion Only
I'm getting tired of it.
Your tired of it, look at me
(http://www.owenweberlive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/manyawning.jpg)
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Has anyone got the book Rasoi by Vineet Bhatia. It's the poshest curry book I have.He has a restaurant just off the Kings road in London. The page on spices is in tersesting its separates the spices into sweet and savory. It also goes through the sequence of spicing and says spices generally used in three stages.
1. To temper
2. To create the foundation of the dish.
3. To add aroma.
Tempering:
Oil is heated in a pan over a heat, then whole or lightly crush spices are added. Heating the oil to nthe right temperature is crucial in this process. Too cool the flavours will not be released to hot you will burn the spices.
After brief cooking, a moist ingredient is added, such as onions, Ginger or garlic paste, tomatoes or yogurt, to reduce the temperature of the oil.
creating a foundation :
Spice powders are generally added half way through the cooking a stew, masala or sauce. As they are in power form they blend in easily that acts like a binding agent bring all the ingredients together.
Adding aroma:
This is the final stage of a dish, the equivalent of the french monter au beurre. It is here that the garam masala powders, which give the Indian cuisine its wonderful aromas, are added whetting the appetite in anticipation. The same spices that were used for tempering the dish are lightly roasted and ground before stirring in. The final spice blend should always be used in moderation- generally not more than a pinch.
tadka:
this process in generally used when a dish is made without the intital tempering or when a very intense flavour is needed a lentail stew or raita, for example . The oil is heated to a high temperature (but not smoking) then whole spices are added and instantly to prevent them from burning, poured into the finished dish
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May be not after all ;)