Hi Bob. Good to see you back. I am envious of your garden. Isn't that well over half an acre? Huge! I would need a tractor to keep on top of it. I post too many photos. Guess I just hope it helps a little to keep the forum ticking along. Thanks for your comments. Don't be put off though. Good lighting, loads of oil, and food colouring!

Rob

No Bob, feels huge compared to what I have always had/been able to afford but did have to hire a rotavator for 4 days over the May B.H. to turn it all over.. turned out to be only 60% of it and still hard work. Top 20% I had already planted Salad potatoes in (harvesting now) and bottom 20% I spent 3 weeks, in the height of the heatwave May/June digging out a pond (approx 12ft x 4ft / 3.5m x 1.2m).  Some days could only start working on it after 8pm... neighbours were tolerant but not so happy at me chipping away for an hour or so, with a garden spade (wrong tool for the job but only one I had) through upto 4ft (1.2m) at the deepest, sloping to just a few inches. Top soil, then gravel, then chunks of Yorkshire stone (some sort of patio I think) over a layer of coke, coal, cinders, glass and pottery shards... and then I hit tree roots.. at that point I gave up digging much deeper.

Yorkshire Water and I must have been the only ones at that point that were praying for rain.. and for a while I was happy but now the pond is full and I need my outdoor Tomatoe's on the patio, to continue growing and to ripen even if YW want it to rain for the rest of the year!

With the harvesting of the Potatoes well in hand (neighbours all around are happy to accept some and a little more forgiving atm) I have ordered the Lumber for the 4x vegetable beds.  Need the Salad potatoes out (I know, will never get them all) so I can put winter potatoes in. Need the beds built, fully filled with fertiliser (local horse stables - free) and compost on top, ready for crops I need to plant in Autumn, like Garlic and Spring onions. Rest of the beds will be for other seasonal produce such as beetroot, beans, turnip, sprouts and leeks, etc.

Anyway, got a pan of curry base made tonight and will try a few dishes with it over the coming days.  A certain dish was requested by my wife's colleague but since they are off for the next 6 weeks, seems like a good time to practice a few dishes again.

Hope you all are doing well and I will check back again soon(or later )
BAJ

Heroes and Villains

A party was being held, a cosy affair, just a dozen or so friends and neighbours, let's call it a house warming as the winter had turned cold and the snow was high.  Warming drinks, both Hot and Cold  for the young and old were readily available (Sherry was not present but Brandy made a small appearance at the end of the night, late as usual) but what to serve to soak up the wine and ale?

Pizza, crisps and cheesy biscuits for the younger, maybe something a little spicier for the adults, some homemade bhaji and vegetable samosa; nuts for those who live life dangerously and a mixed salad to help with the New Year's resolutes.

A sociable bunch, apart from the wall flower, daughter of a neighbour, not quite sure whether to laugh at the adult double entendre or feign ignorance with a shy but knowing smile, offered a drink, even by her mother but a glance at dad spoke volumes, fairly certain she wasn't drinking just lemonade at a recent Halloween party at their place.

Then the Challenge... always one! (well actually there were quite a few but they are not only not relevant but unless you were there...). A few who knew me and the others who we only met recently, clocked all the Mason Jars around the kitchen, some labelled, some not but Turmeric is distinctive and with Garlic powder in one size jar and Onion powder in another, I know which is which, etc.

“Make us a curry”... “Hot as you like!”.. “Not hot for me, I like a Korma”.. “Give me something I have never had before?”... That isn't a challenge, it is impossible! Unless...

Grabbing my phone I head off to the kitchen, some curry base in the fridge but only 2 trays, I need something else... open the cupboard and there it is, ajar and there is a Jar.

Potatoes peeled, diced and on to boil, Onions, chopped and diced, check the phone, website, spice mix, yes, there it is, grab some little plastic cups (from when the kids where very small) and make up some solutions of tomato puree, added some dried chilli flakes to one: some almond powder with coconut, a paste of coconut milk powder in another. Tin of Coconut milk (milky and creamy) opened and finally, dice up the 4 large chicken breasts that were to be the next family meal, oh well, can always buy some more... and then... start to make some Magic happen!

Less like a 'well oiled' machine, although that might have described the chef somewhat adequately but more like The Sorcerer's Apprentice (ref: Disney) and with a little help from a friend (daughter), space was cleared on the kitchen table, Tea Light food warmers circled (squared actually) around a stack of a dozen or more Air Fried poppadoms, some Balti bowls were steaming with my answer to the challenge:

Chicken Patala (not authentic, not Tikka)
Chicken Ceylon (made with the chillied puree)
Chicken Bhuna (from a jar)
Aloo Chana.

Now, you decide, which recipes and patrons befit the title and don't forget to consider the author!

I am going to title it as 'Heroes and Villains'.. was going to use 'Angel and Demons' but didn't want to cause any issues with IP, Probably

Anyway, let me know if you want a 'little' curry related Novella in which you have to decide who is right/wrong and (always a twist).. how many!

BAJ

I will add to this as it seems to have evolved into a Vindaloo post but there are recent comments in some others as well... I didn't want to start another though.

I was looking for a Vindaloo recipe, prompted by putting items away 4 months ago (we moved house...for the last time, ever again!) and as I was putting the cider Vinegar away in it's new home, remembered that I used to really like the Vindaloo I made with it.. but I can't remember how or where I saw the recipe.  That was another reason for my posting a few days ago, to see if I can find the recipe here maybe, as I used to read every recipe or near as.

Anyway, no luck but I did find this recipe, which I tried once but I can't remember if I really liked it or not (chicken on the bone is not really my thing).
https://niksharmacooks.com/chicken-vindaloo/

What struck me earlier today was a post in the Vindaloo forum: Instant Pot and paneer vindaloo, once again discounting that 'missing ingredient' and about potato.  I seem to remember someone suggesting that the Potato was an addition to the dish so that a server could distinguish the dish from other similar ones.  As for the 'missing ingredient', it made me remember the above recipe and the 'Cooks comments' at the end, re stainless steel, which I don't really understand but maybe others do?

Having rechecked it today, I also delved into the comments and the author replies about the use of Cardamom which I also found interesting.

Consequently, I will have to retry his recipe again at some point and see if how it compares to other Vindaloo dishes I have made.

BAJ

P.S. Feel free to spilt this comment off it should have posted somewhere else - I may be a bit rusty.

I am not one with a deep palate, I cannot tell 4,000... 400.. or even 40 teas from each other.. I try some and like what I like, I go no further.
Similarly with Curry.. there are some I like, some I REALLY like (CurryHell!) and others that just don't even warrant a second try... it is my 'taste', so to speak.  We are all different!

I have resisted the recent Balti threads because I just don't have the experience of what they are trying to reproduce and more likely the palate to tell the difference (fantastic effort Livo to overcome the former and with your experimentation and ability of the later).

I have nothing valid left to contribute.
I wish everyone the very best in your continued search for... whatever it is you are looking for.

BAJ.