Quote from: PlainPopcorn on December 20, 2015, 05:32 PM

I could take your par-cook idea, but cooking it with spices will mess with the end flavour of the sauce which I've put so much time into getting right.  But I'm no expert so maybe you know a solution?  I can post the recipe if you'd like.  Thanks for lending your ear.

I don't "know" a solution, but perhaps I can suggest one ...  Prepare the sauce as you would normally.  Then place the pork in the sauce and cook in a slow cooker until nearly ready.  Then prepare a second portion of the sauce, remove the pieces of pork from the first batch of sauce, wipe them dry with kitchen paper (or wash them quickly under the tap -- the idea is to get rid of the superficial layer of older sauce while still leaving the inside of the pork suffused with its flavours), then add to the new sauce and finish off as normal.  Just an idea, but it may work.  Also (a) KD uses cashews in her korma recipe, not almonds; (b) perhaps see http://thecurrysecret.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/pork-tikka-masala.html?utm_source=BP_recent for ideas.

** Phil.

I would have never have thought of that, it's given me a good solution so I'll give it a go.
Thank you for the link.

Can't help with the nuts aspects (don't eat nuts of any sort; loathe and detest them !) but as regards the pork I do not think that cooking separately will work -- the flavours need to infuse into the pork, which they can't do if it is seared and cooked separately.  What is your reason for not wanting to cook the pork in the korma sauce ?  You could always par-cook it (with spices, of course) separately in advance if you are concerned that it may not cook sufficiently in the sauce.

** Phil.

My fears are that cooking the pork in the sauce will either make it tough or not cook all the way through. I've never timed the korma recipe but it's really quick, on high heat and has cold stuff added to it frequently until the end of the recipe.
I don't want to simmer it too long after everything has been added because I just do not know what it will do to the taste and texture. There's fresh fruit puree in there as well.
There's only one point in the recipe where you leave the sauce to simmer for a while but it's 3 minutes tops.
It could work if the cubes of pork were about 1 by 1 cm, but I think that's too small.

I could take your par-cook idea, but cooking it with spices will mess with the end flavour of the sauce which I've put so much time into getting right.
But I'm no expert so maybe you know a solution?
I can post the recipe if you'd like.

Thanks for lending your ear.

Dig a hole, bury it then cook a proper curry.
That will add depth to a korma

I'm surprised it took 15 comments for someone to bring this up.

Banana milkshake powder is a funny suggestion, but in all seriousness, there are all sorts of strange ingredients that you wouldn't think of in all types of cooking.

So long as it's not harmful, I really don't have a problem with it if it creates the desired effect with no hassle and no waste. Not really into fruity curries, but I can actually imagine milkshake powder working - banana flavour, sweetness and milk/creamy powder lol.

Nah I agree, if it works, it's cheap and if it's not harmful  I don't mind them using whatever.
Banana milkshake powder could be a substitute for a portion of cream, all of the sugar and the banana.
You'd have to find a brand that doesn't taste "chemically" though.

I'm not one for sweet curries in general but I did approve of my local indian take-away malaya and kashmiri. I'm making it for the family on christmas. It'll be the only BIR style curry there, the other stuff that I plan to serve is more traditional indian.
They're the kind of people who can't stand hot/spiciness, so I thought a korma style recipe might be a crowd pleaser.

Kashmiri was one of my favourites back in the day and I don't go much for mild curries, so it must have been good!

They were always mild, no banana flavour in the sauce, with sliced, ripe banana and definitely no desiccated coconut, which grosses me out frankly.

I'm only half joking when I say that I bet if you poked your head into the kitchen where you get yours you'd find a tub of banana milk shake powder on the shelf. Anything goes these days.
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I wouldn't put it past them
Sure there's decent take-away places but there are also some where everything goes.

10 years ago there was this dutch tv-program where they filmed the kitchens of take-away places (burgers, doner kebab, chinese food, greek, pizza etc) unannounced.
Basically a film crew went with the branch of the government called something along the lines of "health and food inspection".
Difficult to translate it, it's a government division that makes sure products made in the netherlands or imported to the netherlands are safe, like food or children's toys, and they also inspect places where food is made and served to customers.
Like you'd expect some of these kitchens were really horrible, but surprisingly one or two were squeaky clean.
But you could also see strange ingredients, things you wouldn't associate with the end product especially if you know next to nothing about how people cook in fast food places.
I remember seeing stuff in buckets, like a bucket of creamer, a bucket of smoke flavour, bucket of duck? fat.
Sadly I don't remember it well, but the creamer bucket stayed with me. It was clear they didn't use it for coffee. What use does a chinese place have for a bucket of coffee creamer?
I can't imagine the dish they'd use it in.

Went grocery shopping today, and there were only greenish yellow bananas again. And they shine coloured light on them to make em look better as well. Basically you pick the ripest bananas, put them in your basket, walk over to the canned goods aisle just to find out that the bananas magically changed colour and you go "surely these are not the ones I picked".
I know that sounds totally mental, like something a conspiracy fan might say but it's true and so effing disappointing.
I bought 2 anyway and when I came home I put them in a bag with some apples, hopefully that myth is true that that helps ripen them up.