Hi SS, i'm with you all the way with regards to hand kneading dough. above all else i'm crap at it. I went through a process of trying to jury rig something to knead my dough.

i started with my trusty drill and one of those plasterers paddle mixers however the dough ripped the mixing attachment up like it was made out of paper.

after that i bit the bullet and got this

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4233251/Trail/searchtext%3EFOOD+MIXER.htm

apparently it's a rebranded russel hobbes one (dunno if that means anything, not to me at least) in any case it certainly beat forking out two or three hundred quid for a kenwood or kitchenaid.

i use it to mix pizza and naan dough and it's always been bob on for me.

one of the thin and crispy or new york style recipes from here should suit

http://www.pizzamaking.com/pizza_recipes.html

damn they look good.

wish i had a pizza oven and wasn't on a diet.

Quote from: JerryM on November 01, 2010, 04:31 PM
martinr1000,

many thanks. was thinking i could do with joining a pizza forum.

ps have registered - looks good

it's a fascinating site. they have had dudes who worked at pizza hut etc. on there and although they all say that the dough is shipped in frozen the method they use to cook them is not what i expected.
for example a deep pan pizza is made by chucking a cup of oil into a pan then putting the dough on top and putting it in a prover to rise until it is ready to be cooked.

Hi,

it sounds like you are pretty happy with your dough formulation at the moment Jerry but if you are interested i've been looking in on this forum site for a while now which attempts to produce perfect restaurant pizza replicas in much the same we do for curry.

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php

i also bought a couple of books which are very good 'pizza modo mio' (may have to check the spelling) and american pie. can't think who the authors are.

hope it helps

hi all, really interesting thread.

so do those of you who cook on burners get the kind of flames that you see on the you tube vids?

i.e. 3 foot high incinerate your eyebrows flames. is that a bit of showmanship or does it add anything?

thanks guys i will try a few of your suggestions this weekend. looks like the weather will be ok.

has anyone tried marinating and cooking pre-cooked chicken as suggested in undercover curry?

Panpot, it's one of the tandoori-q ones. i would rate it as being very good. i wish i'd opted for the catering size one which is a little more expensive but you can get more in it. the one i have weighs about the same as a baby elephant so i imagine you'd need a crane for the catering one.

it was a bit of a learning experience at first because i couldn't get the thing to light properly at the back using the standard kit and instructions. i ended up getting a fold out vegetable steamer thingie to lift the coals up off the base thus ensuring air flow to the back. oh and i also use half a pack of the foil wrapped firelighters.......it's the only way to be sure.

Hi Ray, thanks for your comments.

i would say that the main problem i have with the marinades and tikka made with them that i've tried so far is that for me they don't taste like any BIR i've ever had.

i've up to now tried many of the recipes on this site for tikka, all to spec and many more from you tube etc. in fact i've probably tried at least two new recipes every time i've had my tandoor out which i've had for about three years now.

the problem as i see it is this. all the tikka i've ever had starts with the intense flavour from the charring on the outside and then gives way to a pleasant mild spice flavour through the rest of it.

most of my tikkas start with the hit of the charring and then give way to a gritty film of yoghurt and many spicy pastes etc. which completely overpower what is there.

maybe i'm doing it wrong, it's quite possible i guess. i usually just mix up all the ingredients in a bowl, put my chicken into it, cover with clingfilm and stick it in the fridge. Half an hour before the tandoor is hot enough we transfer the meat to the skewers and try to shake off as much of the marinade as possible.

what does everybody else do?

oh just one last thing, i think i tried the tandoori masala, yoghurt and lemon juice recipe quite early on. as i remember it it was pretty good compared to some of the kitchen sink recipes i've tried after it. maybe i'll give it another go this weekend (praying for no rain)

thanks

Hi all, well i had a go at some tikka marinated in base gravy yesterday.

i hedged my bets a bit and did one batch with just gravy and another with gravy, mix powder, garlic paste and tomato paste.

i also did a batch made up as close as i could to the directions given to me by the owner of my local. i.e. pastes and yogurt.

predictably the yoghurt one came out overpowering with a grainy texture (not at all like the curry house one - perfectly edible but not what i'm looking for).

the one with just base sauce was a non-starter i marinated for about 24 hours and the chicken had taken on no colour and just looked like chicken breast (i didn't cook that as it was)

the one i did with mix powder and garlic came out surprisingly very well. lovely flavour no grainyness not overpowering in the slightest. nowhere near the flavour from my curryhouse but it didn't matter, tasted great.

i need to refine and experiment with this a bit but i will be doing it again.

ps i do have a picture but i need to figure out how to get it off my phone.

many of the marinades i've tried up to now have (dare i say it) imparted too much flavour.

take for instance Dipurajas tandoori recipe lots of paste, garlic, mix powder etc. and the result for me was something that was overpowering.

the one i had on wednesday was much more subtle, the flavour was there but none of the over tartness or over saltyness that i've experienced by making up marinade with pastes.

i reckon i'll give it a go, it can't hurt and it looks like for once the weekend will be kind enough to let me get the tandoor out. maybe i can do a trial that includes more than just base i.e. mix powder, tomato paste etc.