Looks like a perfectly spiffing Saag to me Chewy..

Nice job as always mate  ;D

Curryhell.

Sorry forgot to mention this too...

If the chef's out to impress or in especially benevolent mood they will add a small block of butter right at the very end of cooking.This then melts deliciously into the curry as its waiting to be dished out and adds a spectacular velvety dimension to the dish as it slowly blends with the pureed spinach.

Curryhell,

That looks like a crackin' curry mate.

As you may deduce from my handle Methi Chicken or Lamb is my favourite dish.

I've witnessed many chefs cook it in front of me and all of them have done the following:

Id say a pretty basic curry to start with(choose your heat level by chilli level).Usual base sauce approach etc.However when doing Methi they always add a sprinkling of dried Kashuri methi leaves as the oil is heating before the GG paste/tom puree is added.Further they add a teapsoon or so of mustard seeds at GG/Puree stage.Between the first and second reduction they all have added a couple of level tablespoon of pureed spinach from a tin.Nearing readiness they then sprinkle a handful of dried Kashuri methi leaves into the dish,delibaretly rubbign them between their fingers in order to release their full flavour.This stage is done literally one minute before readiness.You're right about the coriander too.They hardly use any;maybe two teaspoon of fresh coriander a minute before the dish is complete.

Hope this helps..:.)

They look fabulous curries Bob.

I've been trying to perfect Methi Gosht for years.You wouldnt be so kind as to share the recipe or your experience of cooking it would you please?

Thank you.

Im a long time methi addict as you may tell by my handle...

Your dish looks great!

For your interest most chefs i know add a tsp of dried methi leaves at the very start
when heating the oil.This adds real background depth plus a tablespoon if pureed spinach from a tin about halfway thru
cooking and a sprinkle if methi and coriander leaves a couple of minutes before the end of cooking.

Hope this helps.

Cheers.

Some may fiind this sacreligous but its a true story..

Ive tried most bases here and most are decent however..

The best base sauce abd very closest to BIR hesven ive come was when i made a pot of
carrot and coriander soup from a recipe on the BBC Good Food website.

Lovely soup but after a coupla portions i began to think.with half a pot remaining,it wasnt far off colour/texture of a decent bssr gravy.I simply added 2 cups of fresh coriander and a tablespoon if Pataks Madras paste and heated it fir 15 mins.

Hand on heart as a true curry addict it was the best base and curry ive ever made and the closest ive cone to the true BIR flavour.

I sometimes think we might be over-complicating our quests here as a result of this improvised little experiment.

Anyone tried a similiar and less time-consuming approach and had good results?

Hi Paul

The chef uses less than half a tsp of cumin and turmeric about halfway thru cooking.
I wouldnt have thought they made that much difference tbh.
Curiously enough tho i once asked him if he used the turmeric for colouring and he said 'no...some spices are for flavour and colour but some are important for texture to gel with the base sauce'
I do wonder about this aspect.
Occassionaly too ive noticed he adds about a tsp of ordinary flour about 2 mins from the end of cooking.
Again when asked why he replies 'texture'.
Food for thought...

Thanks for the replies and encouragement guys.
Ive been eating a coupla curries a week from this takeaway for 10 years.
EVERY TIME its superb with that perfect BIR taste.
The chef doesnt let me cook but i watch him from 5 feet away.
Tomato puree is usual stuff we can all buy.
Stockpot no different taste to most bases on here.
Usual G&G paste and ive tasted the garam masala,it tastes just like any we could buy e.g. East End/Rajah.
Sprinkling of dried methi leaves,chilli powder,turmeric,cumin & salt.
Coupla mins low heat then gradual base ladling over high heat,with pre cooked chicken added.
Sprinkling of garam masala and fresh corisnder two minutes before end.
In total 7-8 mins and no great secret but he NAILS the BIR taste EVERY time.
I wont give up trying but sometimes its bloody frustrating! Lol

Been making curry for 25 years.I take it seriously and have tried all approaches and most techniques on this great site.
I think i may have to give up though.
Dont get me wrong,the curries i make are great but missing that elusive BIR factor.
My local takeaway is open plan and ive gotten to know the chefs well.
Theyve let me tsste their stockpot and its similiar to most bases here.
The chef starts with ordinary new oil,G&G paste,tomato puree.
Coupla mins frying,adds chicken.some chilli powder,methi,gsrammasala,turmeric and lsdles of base.
All in front of me,no great secrets,and within 7-8 mins he's done.
Its a fantsstic curry EVERY time and that delicious BIR taste.
What the hell are we missing??
Ive copied him move for move but still seems like im a million miles away.
Have these guys got special voodoo or summat??
Im totally flummoxed.

Two points...

1. Experience.

Let's not forget that most of us only make a handful a month and are still relative novices at the game. My local takeaway,for example,has just promoted a young guy(who's been around the kitchen 3 odd years) to apprentice chef status.The basic training alone will take him a year under the eye of a Masterchef who's been doing it 40 years or more.To watch this old guy cook in front of you one might think it looks easy-he knocks out superb curries in less than 10 minutes-whilst cooking pakoras,making naans,serving chips and cheese and dealing with pissed and obnoxious punters. His lifetime experience makes it look so easy.Fact is it aint!.Years of know how are invloved.

2. The Psychology.


When you've worked away for hours in the kitchen your're already familiar and possibly immune to the spices/smells. But when it's just handed to you by a delivery guy as you're sat home with a few beers and DVD then the sheer walk-in factor from your local take away probably makes a bigger impact on your senses than you might think had you been around your kitchen own cooking alll day...