Hi Jerry,
Not sure if this might help, but Pampered Chef do a chopper....

https://www.pamperedchef.com/ordering/prod_details.tpc?prodId=1702&catId=4&parentCatId=4&outletSubCat=&viewAllOutlet=

Not cheap but it's very effective for finley chopping onions & garlic etc.  It can tend to pulp it if you go overboard with it.

I personally prefer a a nice quality veg knife... but obviously this takes more time.
cheers
Jay

Blimey, some you guys use a lot of oil!  The best curries I have ever had have not been oily at all as has been said previously.

From experience, I find about 3-4 tablespoons is good without being too oily.

I have always used butter ghee for my curries as you can get it really hot without burning.  I think it gives better tasting curries, but that's just my personal preference.  Veg ghee is less than half the price of butter ghee... no wonder it's terrible stuff :

If I haven't got butter ghee then groundnut oil, again because it can be heated very high and is also healthy.

I cook a lot of boiled egg curries as they are quick, easy and delicious.  I have a few recipes in cookbooks, but generally create my own curries anyway.  I find it best to add the boiled eggs whole for the last 15 to 20 mins of cooking.

I have been in some restaurants and TA's that will sell something called an egg masalla.  Pretty much a red coloured curry with lots of tomato/puree etc.  Good alternative to a tikka massala

Why not try cooking your own boiled egg vindaloo or madras

Hi all, just joined up and said hi in the Newcomers section

I also had a question about whether different spices should be added at different times in the cooking process.  Has anyone got any thoughts on how best to add whole spices (first or last); whether some spices like chilli powder should be added before other spices like turmeric?  I was led to believe that some spices burn a lot easier than others, or require much less cooking than others, so these should be added in stages.

Also, should spices be added dry or mixed with water beforehand to form a paste?  I believe the latter prevents the spices from releasing their flavour as it is the hot oil which actually releases their flavour.  Therefore, mixing with water beforehand hinders this process.  From my experience adding them dry to your frying puree gives best results.

Any thoughts much appreciated

cheers
Jay

Thanks for the welcome & replies on spice frying

I've just remembered one of my sources for adding different spices at different stages in the cooking process... this is the Camellia Panjabi book of 50 great curries.  I know this is authentic curry cooking, but all the same there is more detail in there about how to cook different spices than any other book I've come across. 

As you say, perhaps I should start another thread elsewhere to see what people think

thanks
Jay

Hi all,
Just stumbled upon this forum by chance and must say it looks really active and full of useful info .
I have been cooking curries since I was a kid and can safely say I'm addicted
I do have one question as there seems to be so many different suggestions in books and websites etc etc about how to add spices during the cooking stage.... should you add different spices at different stages?  Apparently some spices can burn before others. Just wondering what people's thoughts on this were as most advice seems to say throw in all your spices together?
My preference is to infuse asafoetida and whole spices like clove and cinnamon in the hot ghee or oil right at the  beginning, then your puree, then spices like chilli and coriander for a short while, with aromatic spices like turmeric and cumin going in last, then your gravy/yoghurt etc etc.
cheers
Jay