Curry Recipes Online
Curry Base Recipes => Curry Base Chat => Topic started by: RubyDoo on October 16, 2012, 03:37 PM
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Hi.
New to forum but not to 'building'. ( I will post on intro when time permits. )
Burning question though having just read Dave Loyden's Undercover Curry from beginning to end ( twice ! ) -
2 whole 'curry spoons of salt?' ( page 22 ) in the base gravy. Now I realise that this is a large pot we are building but it still seems like one shed load of salt. Is this right? = approx 20 teaspoons.
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I don't use any.
Someone here will tell you that you need salt in curry and that it bring out the flavour. It doesn't it just makes it taste salty ;)
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.....yet all BIR recipes I have seen say use it - well, all that are trying to recreate the taste.
perhaps this attempt to get me to drink twice as much Cobra has led to the taste that has developed over the years :P
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You don't need loads of salt IMHO. I aim for 1.5 to 2 grams per finished curry per person. A bit less than an average tin of soup.
Paul
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i've settled on 0.5 tsp (5ml) per portion added into the base. i used to add up to 0.75 tsp in total but have found by adding it all into the base i don't need to add at dish frying.
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Hi.
New to forum but not to 'building'. ( I will post on intro when time permits. )
Burning question though having just read Dave Loyden's Undercover Curry from beginning to end ( twice ! ) -
2 whole 'curry spoons of salt?' ( page 22 ) in the base gravy. Now I realise that this is a large pot we are building but it still seems like one shed load of salt. Is this right? = approx 20 teaspoons.
While salt is undeniably an important part of BIR cookery, how much to use is entirely a subjective matter and down to personal taste.
Each chef will have their own take on this, and will season their base accordingly.
However, even for an 18L base, that is a lot of salt! Or is it... ?
A big problem with Mr Lloyden's book is that, in attempting to tell us how it's done by chefs in BIR kitchens, all this talk of curry / chef spoons and 'dipping' is rendered nonsensical when you consider that there is no such thing as a 'standard' size of chef spoon. For instance, I have three chef spoons, all different in size, but then I tend to use the medium one, which equates to roughly two tablespoons, and seems to be the size I've noticed used the most in BIR kitchens I've been fortunate enough to visit.
So, using my favoured chef's spoon, two chef spoons equals 12 teaspoons of salt. Still more than I'd personally use in even an 18L base, but a little more acceptable than 20.
I've only ever made the scaled down version of Mr Lloyden's base, and remember using less than his recommended dessert spoon of salt (for a two-litre base).
It may be that the chef(s) in the kitchens that Mr Lloyden frequented (or worked in) preferred to salt their bases heavily and use less salt in the final dish. I'm not sure, but whatever all we can do I guess is to rely on our own taste buds and adjust accordingly.
Pass the salt, someone... ;)
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My rule of thumb - 1/2 Tsp per litre of finished sauce, then add a pinch or two when making final dish.
D.
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i've settled on 0.5 tsp (5ml) per portion added into the base. i used to add up to 0.75 tsp in total but have found by adding it all into the base i don't need to add at dish frying.
maths was wrong 0.5 tsp (2.5ml) per portion. it also equates to 23 ml per 800g onion.
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Interesting idea to add the salt only at the base stage, but surely this means main dishes which use a lot of base get too salty but dishes like Bombay aloo which are relatively dry only get a little salt? Maybe that's why BIRs only add a little salt to the base then add it as an ingredient in the final dish?
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natterjack,
i only add the same amount of base for every main dish ie 300 ml
the main benefit for me was that my overall salt consumption per portion has been reduced.
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i only add the same amount of base for every main dish ie 300 ml
felt it worth clarifying what i do: i do use the exact same amount of base per portion ie 300ml.
some dishes particularly coconut flour or high spice volume need more liquid to cook out even with a thin base. for these dishes i add 100ml of water to the 300ml of base. the idea of using water came from admins jalfrezi http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,2664.0.html (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,2664.0.html)
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I don't use any.
Someone here will tell you that you need salt in curry and that it bring out the flavour. It doesn't it just makes it taste salty ;)
Have to disagree there.
Salt is really necessary.
A bit like comparing fresh lager to flat lager to me......though I respect your opinion.
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I don't use any. Someone here will tell you that you need salt in curry and that it bring out the flavour. It doesn't it just makes it taste salty ;)
Have to disagree there. Salt is really necessary. A bit like comparing fresh lager to flat lager to me......though I respect your opinion.
I agree : see my response to CA (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5312.msg80156;topicseen#msg80156) in another thread.
** Phil.
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It's difficult to cook most types of food without salt. It just ends up tasting bland otherwise. However each to their own. Over salting can be a problem though and one that is difficult, if not impossible to recover from. I have to watch when I am cooking individual curries because I can get a bit too carried away with the salt, especially if I'm just chucking it in rather than measuring it.
For a Taz base using 1kg of onions and making about 3 litres (e.g roughly 8 curries as the Taz method uses 400ml per curry) I use 2/3 tbsp. salt. for the whole base. This works out at 10ml which divided by 8 equals 1.25 ml per portion or roughly a 1/4 tsp.
I've created quite a few Taz recipes now and I notice that I tend to be adding a 1/4 tsp per curry.
Overall I'm not sure if that is a large amount of salt or not, but it certainly tastes balanced and I wouldn't be wanting to add any more, though maybe I could get away with less if I tried.
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I'll add to my flippant comment above.
I've always disliked the taste of salt in most things, pasta and vegetables for example. Although for some reason I always put it on chips and roast potatoes. Noone has ever complained of my food being bland, I use copious amounts of garlic, onion, fresh herbs, spices.
As mentioned before my missus had a medical condition where she couldn't eat salt for a whole year. This means no prepared sauces, soya sauce, fish sauce, bread, cheese, smoked meats......This was a lot more difficult for her than for me (I did use to catch her somtimes sneaking a pince of salt into the pasta I was cooking!)
I believe salt has a lot to do with personal taste and I often find BIR curry to salty. If you like salt then add it to your curry.
I do however add a bit to my base sauce (1/2 tsp per litre max) although this is usually lo-salt. I also add a pinch when cooking although if I'm using jarred garlic/ ginger and cooking with tikka (salt in paste) I don't always bother. I was always led to believe that a bit of salt was needed to counteract the chilli. I've cooked for many people who love their salt and noone as far as I recall have ever chosen to add extra salt to the dish.
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fried I'm like you in that I never add salt to vegetables though funnily enough my exception is also chips and roast potatoes. With your base it's sounds like you're similar to me with the amount you add to your base.