I personally would save stock from pre boiling any meats/veg etc, bag it and freeze it. use it to boil rice up with for biryani's/pulao etc. along with a bit of tumeric stock will just spruce up boiled rice. you've also got an excellent gravy base for your sunday dinner too!!
Cleggy

Big apologies - its not kola, its cocum!! my reference is Camellia Panjabi's 50 great curries - i have bought cocum from The spice shop online and has a very similar effect to tamarind i wouldn't bother with the expence of being so authentic!!
Cleggy

Hi All
My 1st question; do we all strive for BIR recipe replication?
My 2nd question; how many of us have tried an 'original' recipe?
3rd question; do original recipes take back seat to BIR recipes?
cheers
Cleggy 

 ;D Hi Curry Crew
this is my first time on here logged on yesterday. been looking around and got a curry base on the go from the sauces section. I have been using this curry paste after tweaking it from scratch. I worked in saudi and had indian, pakistani, bangladeshi and sri lankan mates who basically all loved to cook and all had their own spice mixes. i admit to using pataks pastes early in my early curry yrs and some were really good.
my paste is ideal base paste for korma,goan vindaloo and a fish curry (which is superb and will post later. it involves tuna steaks, bought frozen from any good asian store).
Here goes:
this amount will fill a pataks paste jar - 1 desertspoon per person when making up a curry.
5 tbsp coconut oil
2 onion finely sliced
1 tsp fennel seeds
10 fresh curry leaves
8 cloves garlic                               }
2" piece ginger                               }   mix in blender to paste
5 Kashmiri chilis soaked 20 mins in warm water }
2 tbsp dried coconut ( fresh if ya can get it )
2 tbsp good curry powder ( i use my own recipe i will post later its fragrant and lends itsself to fish etc)
2 tsp of what i call 'Base Curry Powder' - Equal quantities ground coriander, ground cumin, dried fenugreek leaves well mixed in air tight container
1 tbsp Good paprika
1 tsp tumeric
salt to taste
4-6floz tamarind water - golf ball of tamarind soaked with 6 oz hot water and put thru a sieve, gives a special sour tone to the paste
good hand full of coriander leaves finely chopped

cook onions in oil - brown well if paste for meats otherwise cook thru but little colour.
add curry leaves and fennel seeds fry gently 2-3 mins.
make paste with curry powder paprika and tumeric with a little water add to onions and cook 2-3 mins low to med heat. Add a little water if sticking.
add garlic/ginger/chilli paste - cook out 5 mins to get rid of raw smell.
add tamarind water and coriander leaves.
cook out 2-3 mins
the paste is done spoon into a clean jar and top with oil the last batch i did has been in the fridge for 6 weeks now, covering after each use with oil.

I hope i havent missed owt pls let me know if i have.
Many thx
Cleggy