Hi all!

I had a go at a vegetarian version of this tonight with Quorn pieces. I usually cook a madras so this was a bit of a departure. I have to say I was really impressed with the result - great smell, fantastic taste and I love the chunky peppers and chillies in it. Definately one to try again.

I used Admin's new base which is quite heavily spiced but always gives me great results whatever.

Cheers!

Astronick 

Hi everyone,

I made up a couple of batches of this base a few weeks ago and froze it. I finally got round to trying it out in a curry this afternoon.

In order to test it I used my usual madras receipe (which is a slightly adapted version of Darth's madras) but used this base instead of my usual (Darth's base).

The results were very impressive. My madras had a good balance between chilli heat, background sweetness and a hint of sourness (1 tsp of ambchoor - Darth doesn't suggest this but I like it). Fantastic taste - the best I've done yet.

I too believe that this base is better than Darth's on balance as it is simpler in terms of ingredients but seems to impart a fuller flavour somehow. In fact, the base alone is darker and tastier than some finished curries I've tasted!!!

The base is quite spicy though  so I think maybe I'd have to scale down the heat if I was making a korma (which I never do for myself  ;D).

Anyway - thanks to the Boss for sharing this one with us!

All the best,

Astronick 

Dear Chris,

Hi! Yeah .. onion ...sorry, that's kind of important in an onion bhaji isn't it!!! ;D

The recipe calls for 225 g (8 oz) onion, chopped into fine 2.5 cm (1 inch) strips plus obviously lots of oil for deep frying.

I wouldn't have thought they can be shallowed fried. You seem to need the mixture immersed in hot oil so as to cook them evenly. Somebody else might know different however?

They do taste the real deal.  ;D

Worth a try.

All the best,

Astronick 

Hi there! 

In Pat Chapman's 'New Curry Bible' (which I'm quite aware is pretty identical to the 'old' one!) he has two recipes for onion bhajis - one using a traditional batter and one using what he calls typical restaurant batter.

I had a go last night at the trad one simply because the list of ingredients was twice as long and sounded more interesting:

• 85 g gram flour
  2 garlic cloves chopped
  1 tbs curry masala - his own 15 spice version
  1 tbs lemon juice
  1 tsp garam masala - again he has his own version
  1/2 tsp lovage seeds
  1/2 tsp roasted cummin seeds
  1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
  1 tbs chopped fresh mint
  2 tbs chopped fresh coriander leaves
  1 tsp aromatic salt - you guessed it Pat has his own version here too!
  
  I also added 4 tbs of natural yoghurt which is actually in his 'restaurant version'.
  
  The results were very good indeed. 
  
  I was really pleased. I served the bhajis on a bed of rocket with a wedge of lemon and a goodly helping of CA's mint raita.
  
  I know some people are not Pat Chapman fans but I have to say this is a recipe worth trying.
  
  Incidently the instructions are the same as for pretty much all bhajis:
  - Mix all ingredients together (except onion) & add water till you get a thick batter that drops sluggishly off the spoon.
  - Mix in the onion and leave for 10 mins.
  - Scoop out an eighth of the mixture & place carefully in the oil - repeat for the rest of mixture (allowing 15 secs between each scoop so the oil keeps it's temperature).
  - Fry for 10 mins then remove from oil and drain on kitchen towel.
  
  ENJOY  ;D
  
  All the best,
  
  Astronick 

Hi!

As a veggie, tikka is something I've never even tried in a BIR    but I always liked the sound of it. So I used CA's receipe but substituted Quorn fillets cut into chunks. The result was absolutely fantastic. The quorn was marinated for about 27 hours and absorbed all the wonderful flavours of the tikka marinade. In fact that's the great thing about using quorn in this receipe - it doesn't taste of much on its own but it's a bit like a sponge and will absorb the flavours it's cooked in.

When cooked and cut open it had the classic tikka appearance - the red outside and white inside. I served it on a simple mixed leaf salad with lemon wedges, CA's Mint Raita (delish!  ;D ) and sprinkled with chopped coriander.

I was really pleased with the result and will definately repeat the exercise. Whilst not very authentic BIR - I would LOVE my local BIR to start cooking it!  ;D

Thanks CA.

Best Wishes,

Astronick

Hi Spencerman,

The last curry I made (Darth's madras) I actually steamed my veggies. I made some pillau rice (as per Curry Secret receipe)except that after frying the whole spices and ghee and adding the washed uncooked rice then I stuck the whole lot in my ricecooker. The advantage here, as well as not having to worry too much about the rice, was that it comes with a steamer tray which fits over the main bowl. So I steamed my veggies over the wonderful aroma of the aromatic rice.

The beauty with steaming vegetables as opposed to boiling them, as I understand, is that more of the flavour seems to stay in the vegetables themselves - rather than in the cooking water, most of which then gets tipped away. If I'm not using the ricecooker I'll use a seperate steamer with the stacking trays.

Works for me 

All the best with your festive vegetarian entertaining. I have to say I like the sound of your chilli!!! ;D

Best wishes,

Astronick

Hi again,

Well I had a bash at Darth's madras this afternoon and I have to say that I am amazed that I could ever produce something that great! 

I've got to hand it to you Darth you certainly know what you are talking about. I tried to stick as close to your original receipe as possible except that I'm a vegetarian so I used steamed vegetables (potatoes, green beans, red peppers & onions) and vegetable stock. The result was just incredible. At least as good as anything I've ever been served at a BIR.

My initial concerns about the chilli heat in the base sauce were totally unfounded. There was a great kind of background warmth which I'm sure couldn't be replicated by just chucking in chilli powder during stage 3. The dish had a real complexity of flavour which was absolutely delicious.

I shall certainly be using your receipe over and over I'm sure. Have you any others that you would recommend?

Thanks a million for seriously widening my culinary horizons!!! 

All the best.

Astronick

Hi all!

Had a go at Darth's base today. A few observations:

1) The quantity - wow it makes sooo much! I ended up splitting it in two and doing 2 seperate batches (that was useful for other reasons below).

2) The heat - wow it's sooo hot! I added the extra hot chilli powder and may just live to regret it. The real cause though was my curry powder I think. I used Rajah madras (hot) which probably contains a fair bit of chilli anyway. I like my curries hot (fortunately) but let's just say I won't be making a korma with this base!!!

With the second batch I dropped the chilli powder. There is still a nice heat because of the hot curry powder but it's not too overpowering. I think next time I make it I may try using a milder curry powder.

3)  The flavour - its sooo nice! I can't wait to taste the finished product (Darth's madras). I'm going to tackle that this weekend.

Thanks for a great site!

All the best,

Astronick

Hi all!

Discovered the site a few days ago and have been slowly exploring different parts. Wow - there is a LOT of stuff here! I've come the route of Kris Dhillon's Curry Secret and am looking for a bit more variety now. I've had a go at Bruce Edwards' madras (still with Curry Secret base) and this weekend I'm going to have a bash at Darth Phall's base (and then use it to make his madras). It sounds great! Thanks to everyone who contributes to this treasure trove of all things curry-related.

Cheers!