Thanks a lot Stephen. Your advice is spot on - concentrate on technique before getting too adventurous. Got recipe for BE mix and might knock up the dish tonight. What's your preferred method for pre-cooking chicken?

As you were Stephen. Just found your advice for pre- cooked chicken on the beginners tips forum. Thanks.

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. Very excited about the volume of material on the site. I think everyone who has enjoyed trying to cook a curry is intrigued by BIR methods. Unlike other cuisines there are so many variations on the theme which makes a forum like this such a wonderful resource. Have just made Taz base and looking forward to trying his reduction method. Not sure what to start with though. Any recommendations?

Hi all
My name is Rafa and I'm a curry addict. . . It all started in Paisley,  Scotland, 40 years ago. Student, away from home, hungry . . ."You must try it," they said, as I nursed my sixth pint of Guinness. I was weak, easily led . . . The place was down a lane, dark, upstairs. They gave me vindaloo and two chapattis. I can't remember enjoying the taste but I felt it. Burning all the way down. And the next day too. But I went back for more. And more. Then it was at lunchtime as well. I got off the hard stuff - the vindaloos and phalls. Madras was the staple, mutton the meat of choice. Then came the pathias, the dansaaks, rogan josh - I tried them all. Dropped out of college. Got a job in a newspaper office in Dundee, the city of jute, jam and journalism. Big Asian population went there to service the jute industry . . . and helped to feed my habit in the many curry joints which sprung up all over town. Got married, moved to Edinburgh, managed to get the wife into curry. But she was just the occasional user and it was all that designer stuff. I needed basic BIR and I needed it often. The habit was getting expensive though and the wife wouldn't go out. I worked late and started secretly frequenting the takeaway haunts on the way home. Some had open kitchens and I watched them make the stuff. Big pots of golden magic, the contents ladled into little woks.  Spices added, then more mysterious liquids, all coming together in a sizzling delicious alchemy.  I started to try to make my own. No Internet in those days. Just Madhur Jaffray books with complex recipes. Couldn't get the kick. Got frustrated trying to find the right blend of spices , the right texture , the right method. It wasn't  working. Was cutting my powder with crap. Tasted (moderated). But I just can't stop. Cold turkey is not an option for a curry freak. The pressure was on to change though. More Chinese, she said, there are so many good Oriental restaurants in Edinburgh. Let's try Thai.
But the cravings are back big time; I miss the rush I get when I see and smell a perfectly prepared curry; the lovely buttery taste of a warm nan straight  from the tandoor. I thought I couldn't go on, couldn't handle the denial . . . Until two night ago, when I discovered this forum. I think I am going to be saved. So, let me introduce myself again. My name is Rafa and I'm a curry addict. Can you please help me . . .