Curry Recipes Online
Curry Chat => Lets Talk Curry => Topic started by: CardiffCurrylad on March 09, 2012, 06:42 PM
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As I ask this question I am beginning to answer it myself I think ::)
My wife usually orders a chicken curry when we have a t/a. Would I be right in thinking that it would be just the base sauce (I am currently using chewys), with maybe g&g and tomato puree added?
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I would add spices/mix powder in there CCL, chilli will determine the heat.1/4 to 1/2 tsp may make it medium dep on chilli powder used, its hard to say exactly
I use GG,no tomato paste/ 1.5 tsp any mix powder thats handy, methi, salt & base. I'm sure my local doesn't use tomato paste in a basic curry. It's almost the same colour as a base gravy, thats why I do it. You'd be as well trying one with & one without tomato, you'll have 1 more curry that needs to be eaten then which always a good thing :)
ELW
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I would add spices/mix powder in there CCL, chilli will determine the heat.1/4 to 1/2 tsp may make it medium dep on chilli powder used, its hard to say exactly
I use GG,no tomato paste/ 1.5 tsp any mix powder thats handy, methi, salt & base. I'm sure my local doesn't use tomato paste in a basic curry. It's almost the same colour as a base gravy, thats why I do it. You'd be as well trying one with & one without tomato, you'll have 1 more curry that needs to be eaten then which always a good thing :)
ELW
Much appreciated ELW will give it a go ;)
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Hi CCL,
Here's my version of a Restaurant Medium Chicken curry http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5148.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5148.0)
Use Chewy's base and whatever mixed powder that you have to hand. Let me know how you get on but you should be fine, it's quite basic.
All the best,
Ray :)
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I remember some discussion in a post a while back where one member (CA I think) suggested that the best test of your curry technique is to produce a medium curry. Stripped back to basics, with only the minimum of ingredients, the medium curry has nowhere to hide. Making this curry depends on good technique to bring out the flavour of a limited amount of ingredients.
But how limited should this be? I checked out a few recipes to see how to approach this using my current base of choice for the past year, the Taz base. Bruce Edwards
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I remember some discussion in a post a while back where one member (CA I think) suggested that the best test of your curry technique is to produce a medium curry. Stripped back to basics, with only the minimum of ingredients, the medium curry has nowhere to hide. Making this curry depends on good technique to bring out the flavour of a limited amount of ingredients.
Think you've about summed up a medium curry SL. The only thing you missed out on was the picture :( . It may only be a humble medium curry but i think it still warrants a snap in the post ;)
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Stripped back to basics, with only the minimum of ingredients, the medium curry has nowhere to hide. Making this curry depends on good technique to bring out the flavour of a limited amount of ingredients.
Great post Stephen - never in the field of BIR cookery was a truer word spoken.
And it is in the medium curry where you discover if your base can cut it, too. Any hint of bitterness or lack of balance becomes all too apparent as soon as you take your first spoonful.
Although I've been using a Zaal type base of late, I'm a big fan of the Taz base, and reckon it's perfect for this exercise as it's a) simple and b) contains a good quantity of the key spices in its own right, so you're going to get a little extra punch and a nice background note (more so than you might from base with a lower proportion of spices).
In fact I have a chilli averse mate coming round tonight, so I'm going to do this recipe for him and see how it goes down.
Cheers
Gary
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looking forward to seeing some reports on this as I also have friends who are averse to chilli heat.lol
would be great if I could turn out a bog standard medium curry instead of my usual rectum wreckers
Cheers :)
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looking forward to seeing some reports on this as I also have friends who are averse to chilli heat.lol
would be great if I could turn out a bog standard medium curry instead of my usual rectum wreckers
Cheers :)
Dont' knock the rectum wreckers >:(. There is an art to them too ;D Looking forward to the report as this curry is one we should all have in our arsenal for those less adventurous curry eaters who like it plain and no heat ???
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Hi Stephen,
Nice Post :)
Can you give us the quantities for the chilli powder and spic mix again please as this forum doesn't seem to support fractions that well.
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Hi Stephen,
I think it a fairly sophisticated recipe (meant as a compliment Razor) that includes garlic ginger paste, chopped tomato and chopped onion.
No offence taken mate, tis true, I am a very sophisticated Northerner :P ::)
Razor also adds some sugar.
Yes, I did many moons ago but I would say that, if using Chewys base, there really is no need to add the sugar as it is sweet enough on it's own.
The tomato is there just to make it less bland and the onion for flavour and texture. The chilli powder, if using, just gives the right amount of heat that lets you know that you are eating a curry but not something that's going to blow your head off.
The medium curry is, as CA suggests, the curry that really relies on good technique and good ingredients and does provide the foundation for every other curry that follows. Some would even say that it is the first stage in "formula" curries, me included, which for me, is perfectly fine.
I would also like to add that using the Taz base in the way that you have Stephen, ensures that nothing gets ruined. It's a great base and perfect for the reduction method as that first reduction contains enough oil to give the spices a good cooking.
Nice post Stephen.
Ray :)
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Good post SL, I haven't ventured much further than Madras & basic curry for exactly the reasons you've mentioned. It's a test of this Maillard reaction/caramelisation, wok hei, or just plain singe/quench, which we now know to be crucial in achieving the taste. I'm not sure too many chefs would really understand exactly whats going on here either as it not something visual. I'm sure the hot pans have an effect on not just the oil /spice/GG/tomato, but the gravy also, & not by just plain reduction. The flavour changes I can get now & again over just a few seconds really are strange.
Although bland in comparison to the rest of the menu, the basic curry from my local has the taste in abundance, so using this as the control I've been attempting to replicate it.
I can't detect tomato at all, as in their bhuna which has plenty. The colour is almost the same as any base I've made, maybe even going towards yellow, which again may hint at no tomato paste. Ginger I'm not entirely sure, but definitely garlic, salt & methi.The exact spice mix is unknown. Coriander garnish. No other visible ingredients. I've also been trying out GM in place of MP, with tomato paste & methi, with some decent results
"rectum wrecker" ;D, I remember someone on here saying they "cut the chilli amount in half as they had work the next day" ;D That made me laugh, although I'm not sure it was a joke :)
Regards
ELW
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Hi Stephen,
Nice Post :)
Can you give us the quantities for the chilli powder and spic mix again please as this forum doesn't seem to support fractions that well.
976bar the fractions appear to be showing correctly to me using Google Chrome but for info it is one tsp spice mix, quarter tsp chilli powder and quarter tsp salt.
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I think "rectum wrecker" should qualify for the phrase of the week on the forum!
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Thanks Stephen :)
I switch between Google Chrome and Firefox, depending on which one works best on the day :)
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I think "rectum wrecker" should qualify for the phrase of the week on the forum!
"rectum wrecker"...phrase of the week...lol...you gotta lafff eh :)
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Think you've about summed up a medium curry SL. The only thing you missed out on was the picture :( . It may only be a humble medium curry but i think it still warrants a snap in the post ;)
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/2b8ec8c39b60677e8be53e32f27ee2c9.JPG) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#2b8ec8c39b60677e8be53e32f27ee2c9.JPG)
sorted!
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Hi CCL,
Here's my version of a Restaurant Medium Chicken curry http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5148.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5148.0)
Use Chewy's base and whatever mixed powder that you have to hand. Let me know how you get on but you should be fine, it's quite basic.
All the best,
Ray :)
Hi Ray, thanks for that. Made it last night except only just caught up with cro today and as it goes I made it without the sugar & tomato. I must admit I said to the wife that next time I make it ie tonight I will add sugar. After just posting my first attempt of a photo I really do need to learn how to re size them before hand. As you may see form the other forum "any thing new", it takes up the whole of the screen!!
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Stephen L
Looking good my friend...no...not you...the curry. lol
gotta try this one for my chilli hating friends :)
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looks great SL
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Stephen L
Looking good my friend...no...not you...the curry. lol
gotta try this one for my chilli hating friends :)
wow spooky - how do you know what I look like lol
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it may only be a humble medium curry, but it doesn't stop it from having flavour and being a bit of looker too ;) ;D