Curry Recipes Online
Curry Photos & Videos => Curry Videos => Topic started by: h4ppy-chris on June 30, 2012, 03:54 PM
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i have put this here so it's not lost.
BIR madras curry how to make one at home Indian Restaurant take away (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4eNtA2eOQw#)
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h4ppy-chris,
love the video. i used to use newspaper even on the floor (obviously flames have to be kept well away even for the foil).
if of help a few things that jumped out. i would pre cook the onion (either par boil or hot fry depending on dish), add methi with onion, add spice & puree together.
i can see from the pan that the technique will produce a very good curry.
interesting thought on the oil. i think it was curryqueen who caught my eye on the subject. i've also seen the chef at my local TA do same. i've never been able to find out what happens next. i'm convinced fresh oil, veg ghee, dish oil and base/reclaimed oil all come back together probably in a way that can't be too far out from what you describe.
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i have put this here so it's not lost : BIR madras curry how to make one at home Indian Restaurant take away.
Fascinating video, Chris : a few comments and questions, if I may ?
1) As one who cooks with non-stick pans, and wooden & nylon utensils, I found the steel-on-aluminium technique something of an eye-opener : not only does it make for a very noisy cooking experience, but there must surely be some minute particles of aluminium rubbed off and into the dish.
2) What goes in to the "magic sauce" ?
3) I really like the film of oil on a finished curry, and I find that if I spoon it all off, I don't enjoy the curry half as much. If I am running out of seasoned oil, I therefore add extra oil to the dish, so I can remove some at the end and still end up with a very obvious oily layer covering about 2/3 of the dish.
** Phil.
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Great Demonstration Chris :)
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Another nice vid Chris,
I threw in some extra oil in the curry tonight hoping to filter of the spice.
I was a bit disappointed to find that it won't work with a Dhansak... The lentils just gobbled it all up. :-\
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i have put this here so it's not lost : BIR madras curry how to make one at home Indian Restaurant take away.
Fascinating video, Chris : a few comments and questions, if I may ?
1) As one who cooks with non-stick pans, and wooden & Teflon utensils, I found the steel-on-aluminium technique something of an eye-opener : not only does it make for a very noisy cooking experience, but there must surely be some minute particles of aluminium rubbed off and into the dish.
I hear what you are saying. Does "any Teflon?" go into your food. "Any oils from your wooden spoon?".
As for noise, when i cook it is relatively quiet from when i speak.
2) What goes in to the "magic sauce" ?
1 tsp Tikka Paste (Patak's)
1 tbsp plain yoghurt
3) I really like the film of oil on a finished curry, and I find that if I spoon it all off, I don't enjoy the curry half as much. If I am running out of seasoned oil, I therefore add extra oil to the dish, so I can remove some at the end and still end up with a very obvious oily layer covering about 2/3 of the dish.
As to the vid, the oil spooned off is like a concentrated oil, it has all the flavours of the curry incorporated.
Do me a favour, next time you make a curry, spoon 1 tsp of oil off it. Then, put it in a pan and put, 1 & 1/2 tbsp oil in the pan as well, now, hold your nose and taste the oil. There will be no taste at all. Now do the same thing without holding your nose.
** Phil.
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I think the debate about cooking food in bare aluminium and ingesting aluminium in your food has been dismissed in terms of being a health hazzard. It's probably not a good idea storing acid rich food in bare aluminium containers but who does that anyway?
Thanks for posting the video Chris.
Paul
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I hear what you are saying. Does "any Teflon?" go into your food.
I would not expect so, because by using wooden and nylon utensils I am deliberately avoiding any significant risk of scratching the teflon surface.
"Any oils from your wooden spoon?".
Quite possibly, and maybe even tiny fragments of wood, but my point was that when you cook with a stainless steel spoon and scrape it on the bottom and sides of an aluminium pan, it is hard to imagine that no aluminium gets scraped off in the process. Not being paranoid, I am not the least concerned with the alleged link between aluminium and Alzheimer's syndrome : I just don't like the idea of bits of metal in my curry !
As for noise, when i cook it is relatively quiet from when i speak.
Maybe the video recording exagerates the sound, but I certainly found it intrusive and a definite contrast to the virtually soundless sound of nylon or wood on teflon ...
2) What goes in to the "magic sauce" ?
1 tsp Tikka Paste (Patak's)
1 tbsp plain yoghurt
Thank you !
As to the vid, the oil spooned off is like a concentrated oil, it has all the flavours of the curry incorporated.
Do me a favour, next time you make a curry, spoon 1 tsp of oil off it. Then, put it in a pan and put, 1 & 1/2 tbsp oil in the pan as well, now, hold your nose and taste the oil. There will be no taste at all. Now do the same thing without holding your nose.
It's a well-known scientific fact that smell and taste are inextricably interlinked ("if you can't smell it, you almost certainly can't taste it"), so I'm not really clear what the object of this exercise is, Chris.
** Phil.
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h4ppy-chris,
love the video. i used to use newspaper even on the floor (obviously flames have to be kept well away even for the foil).
if of help a few things that jumped out. i would pre cook the onion (either par boil or hot fry depending on dish), add methi with onion, add spice & puree together.
i can see from the pan that the technique will produce a very good curry.
interesting thought on the oil. i think it was curryqueen who caught my eye on the subject. i've also seen the chef at my local TA do same. i've never been able to find out what happens next. i'm convinced fresh oil, veg ghee, dish oil and base/reclaimed oil all come back together probably in a way that can't be too far out from what you describe.
thanks jerry i like to cook the onions in the oil at the start to add that bit more flavor to the oil ;)
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Good clear Vid h4ppy-Chris
Strange that you call your curry a Madras
First time in 40 years I've seen a Madras cooked without Chilli Powder.
Anyway probably suits you and the family, but not a BIR style Madras by any stretch of the imagination.
In fact it looks more like something curry2go would pass off as a BIR recipe.
Cooking with too much oil and too watery a base gravy often splits the finished sauce and it continues to separate and leak.
Nothing worse than a curry leaking oil and water on the plate.
You may want to try get your cooking time down to around 10 mins or less for a dish like this, which will bring it closer to a BIR style.
Also a good idea to post your recipes for Garabi, Mixed pdr, Magic sauce etc..etc... as people may still want to try your dish.
I think you said you were going behind the scenes in a take-away recently.
If you did, you will probably know how they make a Madras now. ;)
cheers Chewy
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I can't view the video again as I'm at work but I thought he put in 1 tbs mix powder and 1 tbs chilli powder.
I thought the fried onions at the start took it away from a BIR style madras. I've never really had a madras with noticeable onion pieces.
CT you are right about the sauce splitting into oil and water - it makes a right mess of your curry sauce if this happens and is not very appealing on the plate.
Cheers,
Paul
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In the video, Chris uses the term "splitting", apparently to refer to the process whereby the oil separates out from the dish, normally used as an indication that the curry is nearly ready to be served. And Chris appears to use "splitting" in a positive sense. But in the two most recent posts in this thread, by Chewy Tikka and Paul P, "splitting" appears to be something that one should avoid. So I would like to ask Chris "When you used the term 'splitting', were you referring to what I think of as 'separating out', and if so, do you see this as an important and necessary step in the preparation of a curry". And, based on Chris's answer, I would then be interested to see further comments from CT and PP.
** Phil.
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I mean I don't like it when people change the subject of thread headings. It should always be a new thread IMO as otherwise it is like hijacking.
Paul
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Phil,
Here is a photo of a too oily, badly formed and split curry sauce I made myself:
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/62a80ee15e689f71e2886672908c2105.JPG) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#62a80ee15e689f71e2886672908c2105.JPG)
I think that looks terrible!
Paul
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Phil/Paul, interesting comments I would like to see a separate topic on this as it I feel it raises some important questions that myself and other members could recap on or learn from.
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Looks very similar to the results i got when i used the C2G base for the first time and tried to make the Zaal Phall. The gravy and oil just totally refused to merge no matter how much i stirred and tried to reduce it >:( >:(.
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Interesting - I've never experienced this "splitting", but seeing PaulP's pic, I see what the issue is.
CH - is it something fundamental with the C2G base that you believe led to the trouble with the Zaal Phall?
- Josh
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There is a lot of oil in the c2g base could it be the gravy becomes ' saturated' to the point it will not absorb any more oil :-\
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Funny you should mention the oil subject.
I make a lot of Taz's base, which has a high oil content (between 400 - 450ml).
The other night I found that I was running low on spiced oil, so thought, I would make a "Garlic Chili Chicken", of which I normally use 1-2 tbsp oil due to the high oil level in the base, thinking I would spoon off some oil from the top of the final curry and add it to the bottle. So I used 6 tbsp of Rapeseed Oil.
I was most surprised to find that all the oil was soaked up into the curry and no matter how much I reduced the sauce, it did not release any spare oil whatsoever... I was left with a totally saturated oily curry which I could hardly eat....
Not sure why the oil didn't separate, but a most disappointing result.... :(
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Phil/Paul, interesting comments I would like to see a separate topic on this as it I feel it raises some important questions that myself and other members could recap on or learn from.
@ J2k. I don't think there's an issue with Julian's base so much as some learnings to take from cooking with a base that is cooked with a high oil content.
I agree with this Axe. I would be very interested to hear others experiences of their curry sauce splitting, or having reduction problems or bases sucking up oil and then refusing to give it up again. I certainly have experienced issues with bases high in oil. Maybe after some discussion some basic rules of thumb might appear to help newcomers avoid the pitfalls that have frustrated some of us >:( >:(
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splitting is not something that i've heard of or come across - totally new to me.
what i do know is that when in the distant past i reclaimed oil at the end of cooking base i always had to add water to get the oil to surface.
i cooked 4 off test curries last night and ran out of base on curry no4 so used water to cook the spice and tom puree - guess what - it "split" (or i think it did) the previous 3 off being fine.
Chewytikka's comment puts the cat among the pigeons a little for me. i fully agree that no split produces top notch result and is my preference. my fav restaurant i feel produces this "split" result and the taste is what i relate to as 70's curry. in fact i think most BIR produce this "split" result.
i can only think we must be talking different things - fascinating.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/29653242a3c3858e0d84fc2eb767c891.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#29653242a3c3858e0d84fc2eb767c891.jpg)
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Jerry, the picture you posted looks like a nice full bodied curry sauce, compare it to the one I posted earlier. No comparison.
I think what caused my "split" curry sauce as in the photo was a result of me botching up Ifindforu's base sauce. Initially I made it too thick (not enough water added) and I think the curry sauce in my photo was the result of using a base that was too watery as I tried to compensate for making the batch of base too thick.
A combination of a bit too much oil and not enough base material (too much water, not enough blended vegetables) caused my sauce to split into an oily layer, a watery layer and a bit of base material separating out.
Does that make any sense?
Cheers,
Paul
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Hi Paul,
I would say a combination of things that could cause this.
Too much oil, not enough water content in the base, reducing the curry sauce too much when cooking the final dish also solidifies to an extent the curry itself which causes it to clump together and split and form "clumps" as it were....
If it starts to turn, reduce the heat and add some water and stir like crazy to re-hydrate the curry.
Hope this helps :)
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Thanks Bob, this isn't a current problem for me but Phil raised the question regarding Chewy's and my comments about "split" curry sauces and I remembered I had the photos from a few months ago.
Cheers,
Paul
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PaulP/976bar,
it's clear the agony on this sort of goes on. the agony being the why so that it can be avoided.
thinking about it more i'm not fully convinced it's down to - too thin a base - i often over thin the base by mistake (a thin base makes best curry) but my stove easily compensates and no split.
i do try out a few "test" curries now and then ie not to eat only to taste. i find if i get "surface" oil it tends to be down to either over cooking the spice/puree or too much initial oil (>6 tbsp).
by the sounds of it i don't think i've actually experienced splitting. i think Chewytikka advice being to make sure there is plenty of onion in the base (quote 90% - i presume in the cooked curry, my target in finished thinned base being 55% and an evaporation ratio of 3:2 ie 300ml down to 200ml or 76% in the finished curry) . i call it "bulk veg" and would fully agree a high amount is crucial but we probably all already know that.
i suppose it just emphasises how much more we still have to learn.
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Thanks Bob, this isn't a current problem for me but Phil raised the question regarding Chewy's and my comments about "split" curry sauces ...
Yes, I did, and I was particular keen to get H@ppy Chris's feedback on exactly what he had meant by "splitting", since it seemed to me that he was using it in a very positive (essential) sense whereas you and CR were using it in a pejorative/negative sense. It therefore seemed to me that perhaps Chris was really speaking of "separating out", whereas you and CT were using it in a sense which (as far as I know) had not been previously raised on this forum.
** Phil.
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In the video, Chris uses the term "splitting", apparently to refer to the process whereby the oil separates out from the dish, normally used as an indication that the curry is nearly ready to be served. And Chris appears to use "splitting" in a positive sense. But in the two most recent posts in this thread, by Chewy Tikka and Paul P, "splitting" appears to be something that one should avoid. So I would like to ask Chris "When you used the term 'splitting', were you referring to what I think of as 'separating out', and if so, do you see this as an important and necessary step in the preparation of a curry". And, based on Chris's answer, I would then be interested to see further comments from CT and PP.
** Phil.
i will do my best to answer you Phil.
i think of it like this, if you stir fry beef and the pan and oil is too cold or you put too much in the pan at one time
it stews and not fries. if everything is right the water does not get chance to leave the beef because it's sealed in.
IMHO the same goes on with BIR curry (timing) if your too slow you get a burnt taste, too fast at adding things and you get an oily curry.
not oil floating on top, but oil in it and when it goes in your mouth it leaves an oily coating in your mouth.
think of it like this if the oil is split it is frying/roasting your curry not boiling it.