Curry Recipes Online
Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: chilli chopper on March 08, 2012, 02:02 PM
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Hi all,
Having a look around the forum, it seems one of the most popular topics is the subject of curry 'gravy' recipes.
Whilst I agree that gravy based curries can be nice in some restaurants, I find that in most they tend to be a bland oily slop with no real depth of flavour.
A restaurant local to me has for the last few years started to move away from these gravy curries and now push their 'from scratch' curries which they call 'Handis'. They are cooked from basic ingredients in large clay pots (hence the name Handi) and do not use gravy.
They use better cuts of meat such as real lamb instead of mutton (that a lot of restaurants pass off as lamb), as well as more unusual meats (for BIR anyway) such as pheasant and veal. As you can image, a Lamb Handi, at ?11.95, is more expensive than your average Chicken Balti, but....
...my god, the flavour and aroma of the curry is unbelievably gorgeous! It is by far and away superior to any gravy curry I have ever had, and I've eaten in numerous BIRs. These Handis are simply fantastic and I am sure that anybody who tries one would agree.
Speaking to the chef at this restaurant, he tells me it is impossible to make a gravy curry taste as good as their Handis, after all, the whole concept of the curry gravy was developed purely to be able to dish out curries one after the other at a rapid rate as opposed to for taste reasons.
My quest now has changed from finding the best gravy recipe to trying to replicate on of these Handi curries!
Is there anybody else on here who has come to a similar conclusion to me?
I have been cooking home style curry for a number of years, but I still can't get the same sauce consistency and flavour that I find in these Handi curries. Of course, the restaurant won't reveal the recipes!
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You can buy the Handi Mix from here http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/acatalog/Indian-Food-Shan-Chicken-Handi-Mix.html (http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/acatalog/Indian-Food-Shan-Chicken-Handi-Mix.html)
Handi http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tableware-Bowls-Indian-Cuisine-Diameter/dp/B002ZWNJ5Y (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tableware-Bowls-Indian-Cuisine-Diameter/dp/B002ZWNJ5Y)
As for the recipes you could do a search on google.
I am not too sure but think that traditional recipes would be ok.
You cant go wrong with starting here http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?board=8.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?board=8.0)
Hope this helps.
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I stopped splitting hairs over gravies a while back chilli chopper, I now leave sweetness of onions etc to experienced chefs, where it is their business to split hairs. I've listened to Jamie Oliver go into similar detail about cherry tomatoes. I personally prefer base gravies with a lower oil content, alot of my local places don't seem to be swimming in oil. In fact some of the dishes have almost a 'matt' look to them. But bir is bir & thats what I'm after on this forum. True, local place has a large desi section on the menu, waiter keeps telling me to try the homestyle karahi, they also do handi, as does alot of other Punjabi places here. Green /black peppercorns & garam masala in the handi dishes here. Not ventured into them yet
There is also a few 'Authentic Indian' restaurants open in the city centre, with menu's barely recognisable to the typical bir customer. "not a piece of red chicken in sight" came from The Dhabba in Glasgow. I haven't been yet, but I have heard the food from there & another round the corner from it(names slips my mind), really does put some of the best bir stuff in the city in the shade :(
I can only resist it so much longer then I'll have to check this out :)
ELW
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There are fairly recent handi (or staff) curries posted by ifindforu, chewytikka and Abdul Mohed on this forum.
I noticed the big posh eastZeast restaurant (Liverpool and Manchester) has a handi menu section so maybe it's becoming "trendy".
I'm quite happy to use a base sauce most of the time. I like the food and don't see a problem with it.
Cheers,
Paul
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Thanks for the recipe links, will check them out.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking gravy curries for the sake of it, in fact I'm not knocking good ones at all, but once I tasted a real Handi, the difference was unmissable.
I've also seen some restaurants label certain curries on their specials menu as 'Handi' or 'Clay Pot Chicken' for example, but in fact they don't cook them from scratch in real clay pots. So if people try these they may think they are no better than regular gravy curries since they probably use the same gravy.
ELW - I reckon you should go for it and try a dish from one of your local 'Authentic Indian' restaurants, and quiz them about the cooking process etc.
I was wondering if anyone else on here had moved towards preferring real Handi type curries over gravy ones?
That said, I feel like making some curry gravy tonight since I haven't made some for ages now!
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I'll need to give it a go, he told me the homestyle karahi takes 45min to prep & cook. Homestyle bhoonas(spring lamb) he says are much 'better'. I'm not sure what he meant by that. Seems to be plenty of yoghurt in the homecooked stuff. I suspect reproducing this at home will be as tricky as the bir stuff.
Dum Pukht is another style of cuisine advertised in certain places
ELW
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I brought this a while ago,very interesting read...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prashad-Cooking-Masters-J-Kalra/dp/8170230063 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Prashad-Cooking-Masters-J-Kalra/dp/8170230063)
Covers handi,tawa and even dum pukht cooking.
Not BIR,although it does include items on onion paste and several different types of gravies.
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the whole concept of the curry gravy was developed purely to be able to dish out curries one after the other at a rapid rate as opposed to for taste reasons.
I'm not sure we need to look at curry gravies as a matter of pure expediency as opposed to 'taste'.
Gary
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Flicked through the Prashad with the viewer on Amazon, looks like a decent book, some techniques in there that could maybe add to our own creations. These seem to be being revived somewhat in some restaurants, whether as a unique selling point or on merit. I still feel restaurant desi won't be real homecooked desi.
If I don't like the taste of a gravy on it's own, I'll like it even less once reduced in the dish. Not keen on coconut in a base, but other than that alot of bases are much of a muchness to me. I'm finding statement about a gravy 'adding bulk & liquid to a curry' looking more & more likely
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Definitely a fan of Authentic Curry's :P even had two lessons in a local restaurant who only cooks Authentic.
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For me it's not a question of "inferior" - there are good curry gravies, bad curry gravies, and indifferent curry gravies. From time to time, there are even stunningly superb curry gravies. But as a lover and cooker of traditional 'from scratch' Indian food I fully appreciate what chilli chopper is saying.
Personally, I'm passionate about both (all) styles, though I'd say my cooking at the moment is split 70-30 in favour of BIR.
That said, I have just added 'Prashad: Cooking With Indian Masters' to my collective.
(I may have to stay away from this forum for a while. It's costing me a bloody fortune! ;D )
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The Prashad book definitely has a professional feel to it from what I could see. It looks like what the new restaurants are offering their take on, in Glasgow
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My quest now has changed from finding the best gravy recipe to trying to replicate on of these Handi curries!
Is there anybody else on here who has come to a similar conclusion to me?
I've never tried making a so-called Handi curry but if we're talking about curries from scratch versus curries from base gravy, I've recently reverted, like you perhaps, to preferring curries from scratch. I find they're easier and more tasty, with no need to store large amounts of base sauce.
POST CHECKLIST:
Could this post be construed as negative? - yes - pass
Is it potentially helpful? - yes - pass
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I've made Abdul's chicken handi, and very nice it is too, but it still uses base sauce, Are there any recipes on cr0 for handi without base sauce ::) ? Or does anybody have any links, ;) Or start another thread just for Handi recipes ;) (without using base gravy as an ingredient)
Les
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Hi Les,
Abdul posted a recipe for a curry without base sauce that was from one of his chef mates.
For the life of me I can't find any of Abdul's posts at the moment but it is probably in the "BIR style bandwagon" thread which I can't find either just now.
Both chewytikka and ifindforu have posted recipes that are cooked by the staff (for the staff) and use no base sauce. Good luck searching!
Cheers,
Paul
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Hi Les,
Abdul posted a recipe for a curry without base sauce that was from one of his chef mates.
For the life of me I can't find any of Abdul's posts at the moment but it is probably in the "BIR style bandwagon" thread which I can't find either just now.
Both chewytikka and ifindforu have posted recipes that are cooked by the staff (for the staff) and use no base sauce. Good luck searching!
Cheers,
Paul
Cheers Paul
Yes, I know which one you mean, Going to have a look for it now ::)
Les
PS
Found 2 of the above, but non by CT, maybe if he reads this thread he could stick a few recipes on here (Hint) ;)
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Hey, Les
I think this is the one:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=7846.msg68680#msg68680 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=7846.msg68680#msg68680)
Ian
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Hey, Les
I think this is the one:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=7846.msg68680#msg68680 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=7846.msg68680#msg68680)
Ian
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Thanks Ian
Thats the one mate
Les
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Here you go Les
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5958.msg65987#msg65987 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5958.msg65987#msg65987)
Scroll down and you will see the recipe from a chef friend of Abdul's.
Cheers,
Paul
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Here you go Les
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5958.msg65987#msg65987 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5958.msg65987#msg65987)
Scroll down and you will see the recipe from a chef friend of Abdul's.
Cheers,
Paul
Thanks Paul
Much appreciated mate
Les
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One more Les from ifindforu:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=6171.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=6171.0)
I'm hoping to try one of these soon myself as I'm nearly out of base!
Cheers,
Paul
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Thank's again Paul
Yeah, I'm getting a bit fed-up with making base gravy all the time, Seem's like all my curry's have the same taste, (well I suppose that they would have, using the same base ;D) getting a bit boring now, Thought I'd have a change, Need a new challange ;D
Les
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I've never tried making a so-called Handi curry but if we're talking about curries from scratch versus curries from base gravy, I've recently reverted, like you perhaps, to preferring curries from scratch. I find they're easier and more tasty, with no need to store large amounts of base sauce.[/quote]
Me too, one reason I've not been on this (still excellent) site recently: the Misses & I subsist mainly on what we call 'scratch curry', that is curry cooked from scratch rather than BIR-style. The whole BIR thing (as we all know) is just supposed to be a time saver to enable BIRs to serve-up finished dishes in short-order, essentially assembled from pre-cooked parts.
Whilst I still love BIR-style food, I tend to make curries now from scratch becasue I get tastier results, and by the time base sauce and other pre-prepared stuff is taken into account, BIR is not really any quicker. I remmeber one one the members here saying that a BIR chef they had spoken too saying essentially the same thing (it might have been in a thread comparing different types of onion for base sauce)
I still love BIR food, it's just they are different, kinda like filter coffee compared to instant. I happen to like Nescafe Gold Blend, I just prefer the stuff made directly from ground beans!
I now believe I can surpass any of my locals with my own BIR style stuff, but the 'scratch' curries taste better still.
As a parting shot I would say (just as Secret Santa has suggested in the past), that I have NEVER been able to equal the flavours I found in a Pakistani BIR back in 1982-85, near Leeds Univeristy. It was a cheapo place, all the dishes were virtually identical, but it did not have to be other, because the taste was amazing.
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I like 'curries' full stop. whether bir or not, but I have to disagree on which tastes better. The flavour hit from the best Indo/Pak restaurants ,regardless of how they're achieved, is something fairly unique. This forum is proof enough of that. I've had homecooked curry in a Pakistani home, where the womenfolk cook all day every day, very tasty, very fresh, yes, but nowhere near as tasty to my palate as the bir version. The food critic & Peter from Family Guy lookalike, Charles Campion, once wrote "tikka masala was created for the ignorant". God knows who he was talking to to but no one was listeing to him thats for sure. Catering for Western palates? They are after all true entrepreneurs.
Looking at the whole bir process & the seemingly oblivious chefs, what we like about bir may simply be a by product of a fast, hot commercial environment
How does not using a base gravy make it a curry from scratch?
Regards
ELW
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I have tried many home cooked traditional cuuries over the years and i dont think they are anywhere near a good bir curry imho
regards
barry
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I like 'curries' full stop. whether bir or not, but I have to disagree on which tastes better. The flavour hit from the best Indo/Pak restaurants ,regardless of how they're achieved, is something fairly unique. This forum is proof enough of that. I've had homecooked curry in a Pakistani home, where the womenfolk cook all day every day, very tasty, very fresh, yes, but nowhere near as tasty to my palate as the bir version. The food critic & Peter from Family Guy lookalike, Charles Campion, once wrote "tikka masala was created for the ignorant". God knows who he was talking to to but no one was listeing to him thats for sure. Catering for Western palates? They are after all true entrepreneurs.
Looking at the whole bir process & the seemingly oblivious chefs, what we like about bir may simply be a by product of a fast, hot commercial environment
How does not using a base gravy make it a curry from scratch?
Regards
ELW
"Family Guy lookalike, Charles Campion..." Lol...
"How does not using a base gravy make it a curry from scratch?"
Good point, ELW.
For instance, I've just made up a quick 'micro base' (a diminutive version of the Zaal base) to cook tonight's vindaloo, and it contained garlic, ginger, onion, red pepper, tomato, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder, Asian bay, cassia bark, green cardamoms, etc....
Sound familiar?
Next, I'll be preparing and cooking more of those essential ingredients to add to some of the base to complete the process.
The fact is that I have prepared a curry 'from scratch'. I know because it's been ongoing for the last 2 hours.
The essential difference between 'traditional' and 'authentic' is surely one of style and technique.
As said, happily I love them both.
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Deed down we all love curries ( not that deep) on certain occasions to get my perfect curry I've actually been to 3 Restaurants to get different dishes I like for my take away .No pleaseing some people :o
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I like 'curries' full stop. whether bir or not, but I have to disagree on which tastes better. The flavour hit from the best Indo/Pak restaurants ,regardless of how they're achieved, is something fairly unique. This forum is proof enough of that. I've had homecooked curry in a Pakistani home, where the womenfolk cook all day every day, very tasty, very fresh, yes, but nowhere near as tasty to my palate as the bir version. The food critic & Peter from Family Guy lookalike, Charles Campion, once wrote "tikka masala was created for the ignorant". God knows who he was talking to to but no one was listeing to him thats for sure. Catering for Western palates? They are after all true entrepreneurs.
Looking at the whole bir process & the seemingly oblivious chefs, what we like about bir may simply be a by product of a fast, hot commercial environment
How does not using a base gravy make it a curry from scratch?
Regards
ELW
"Family Guy lookalike, Charles Campion..." Lol...
"How does not using a base gravy make it a curry from scratch?"
Good point, ELW.
For instance, I've just made up a quick 'micro base' (a diminutive version of the Zaal base) to cook tonight's vindaloo, and it contained garlic, ginger, onion, red pepper, tomato, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder, Asian bay, cassia bark, green cardamoms, etc....
Sound familiar?
Next, I'll be preparing and cooking more of those essential ingredients to add to some of the base to complete the process.
The fact is that I have prepared a curry 'from scratch'. I know because it's been ongoing for the last 2 hours.
The essential difference between 'traditional' and 'authentic' is surely one of style and technique.
Good post & pretty much how I see it
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handi curry...amongst various other interesting things
http://pakistani-hot-recipes.blogspot.com/2007/06/hot-curry-recipes_13.html (http://pakistani-hot-recipes.blogspot.com/2007/06/hot-curry-recipes_13.html)
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handi curry...amongst various other interesting things
http://pakistani-hot-recipes.blogspot.com/2007/06/hot-curry-recipes_13.html (http://pakistani-hot-recipes.blogspot.com/2007/06/hot-curry-recipes_13.html)
Splendid. That Chicken Handi recipe looks delightfully simple, but I must admit to never having used yellow chilli powder before.
That's just gone on the shopping list! ;D