A few months ago I was cooking a "Curry Secret" curry with some friends. We bought a tin of Ghee and decided to use it liberally. We fried onions for the base sauce in it, we brushed the bhajis, naan breads and poppadums with it, basically it went in everything. The result? The meal was DISGUSTING!!! No one could eat anything. After so much work I was gutted but everything tasted like cheese, especially the Tikka Masala for the ladies. Is this normal with ghee or did we just have an off batch? It was well in date and opened fresh having been delivered a couple of days previously. If you make your own ghee, does it have a strong odour?

That sounds awful, I really feel for you.  Ghee does not smell awful, nor does it taste awful.  It is not strong, but it has a delicious aroma and taste and you can use it for sweet aswell as savoury dishes.  It is also ideal for deep frying. Ghee made from good diary butter is just about the best thing you can use for all your cooking.  My mum and dad never used anything else when I was growing up.  Their attitude was that only poor people cooked with oil!

I wonder if what you bought was vegetable 'ghee' (the equivalent of clarified margarine) that had gone off.  Anyway, in future perhaps it would be better to make your own.  It is really easy.  Gently melt a couple of slabs of butter on low heat and then continue to cook it gently until it becomes clear.  Take it off the heat just as it starts to darken. Some of the solids sink to the bottom whilst others float to the top in clumps.  I let it cool for 10 minutes or so and just skim the clumps off the top and pour the clear ghee into a container leaving the solids at the bottom.  Kris

Hi Kris

Your comment on the wine in a Pasanda is an interesting one. The only time I have seen it mentioned in any Indian recipe book, both were written by Pat Chapman. One was one of his titles, The Curry Bible and the other was a Sainsbury Indian cookbook. As said previously, I have tasted a Pasanda with the distinct taste of wine only once.

Well, fusion food is all the rage so why not? I think wine detracts from the basic Indian flavours though. Kris

Any help from Kris would be fantastic (and i don't say that often).

having thought more about suggesting the idea to my local TA i've begun to realise that it's not that easy.

1st up is what is the value to the TA or restaurant. i can't really hand on heart come up with credible. money does not drive the staff at my local (am sure it does for the owner but he does not work their and probably knows nothing about cooking).

2nd is the front man has no idea on the cooking. he's good at his job - to make the customers happy. the chef gives the impression of a being very friendly but private at the same time. he greets me warmly and knows when i've not been in. i put it down to him not speaking much english.

having weighed things up then Kris's help sound's like a breath of fresh air.

i also think it might be prudent for whoever provides this help to decide what help we need. as Kris point's out it's what we don't know that we need to focus on - for me that's the basics (something like spice, technique, ingredients ie recipes are not the immediate priority the building bricks need to be confirmed 1st)

Hi JerryM,

Can I suggest that it is not one single thing that causes restaurant curries to taste somewhat different to the same recipes cooked at home.  There are a whole range of things that happen in a restaurant kitchen (some of which you probably wouldn't want to repeat in your own kitchen) such as leaving sauces, pastes and mixes sitting around, hopefully in the fridge, for 2 or 3 days, re-using cooking oil as someone's mentioned, stirring in left over marinades for extra flavour, as I suggest in The Curry Secret. 

And don't forget the use of MSG. Many restaurants use that as their 'secret' ingredient.  It definitely works but it is something I strongly oppose due the adverse side effects this causes in many people, myself included.

All these practices in one way or another cause flavours to develop or intensify.  I'm not sure exactly what you and other members are seeking but employing methods like cooking your curry the day before to allow flavours to develop, using garlic and spice infused oil and cooking curries in generous amounts of oil at high heat (skimming off excess before serving) will all help to get closer to that restaurant taste.  I must say though, you cannot beat the flavour, freshness and goodness of food cooked at home with the best ingredients you can buy.  Kris

Quote from: The Kris Dhillon on June 18, 2009, 01:37 AM

if you think I can help I am happy to share my 'secrets' for the things you mention.

Thank you for your kind offer to help us Kris, I'm sure that any assistance you are able to provide would be gratefully received and appreciated 

Do you still have ties, or contacts, with Bangladeshi British Indian Restaurateurs, who might also be willing to advise us Kris (say, for free advertising)?

PS:  Congratulations on sorting quotations out, 'tis easy when you know how isn't it?!   

Hi Cory Ander,
I don't have any contacts with chefs in the UK any longer but if there is any information or secrets I can provide personally let me know.  Kris

JerryM

That was my first attempt at a Passanda. As said previously, I often have this dish when I fancy something without heat. It is  a mild creamy dish similar to a Korma, but does taste completely different. In the traditional Passanda the lamb is marinated in red wine. Only once in a BIR have I had it, where you could taste that it had been marinated in wine.

Back to Kris's Lamb Passanda, my next attempt I intend to use the SnS2008 Base but with reduced chili powder in the base. I also intend to use condensed milk instead of cream, as this will make it a little sweeter, and hopefully nearer to what I'm used to. One other thing i will do, is to first reduce the amount Garam Masala and then omit it completely. Once finished I will be able to compare the two side by side.
If all goes well and I achieve that BIR taste, I will post the final recipe with photos, if not it's back to further tries. Not good for the wasteline. 

Hi JerryM, I like condensed milk as a product, I use it for making ice-cream.  It sounds awful for a curry.  How did it turn out?  Kris