I have used Tilda and Badshah with fairly good results. I recently bought 5kg of 'Trophy' basmati rice for ?5 and I've noticed that even though it is very easy to cook and the grains turn out longer and fluffier than usual, it has very little of that nutty basmati aroma and makes pilau rice taste bland.

Are there any particular brands out there that are considered 'the absolute best' which are better than Tilda? Maybe a brand only available from Asian shops or by import?

I have followed many recipes and have a few methods of making pilau rice which turns out OK but it is just not the same as takeaways or BIR's. I am determined to learn how to get it EXACTLY the same, I can't see why it's not possible.

I typically use 500g of washed basmatti (tilda or badshah) per batch, with 5 cardomoms, 4 cloves, few bits of cinnamon stick or cassia bark, 2 or 3 fresh bay leaves and a tsp of cumin seeds & a pinch of salt gently fried in butter then simmered for 15 mins or so. I have experimented with various amounts of water and spices and I have used regular pots and rice cookers and even tried the oven method but the rice always comes out the same.

It is never as 'fluffy' as the restaurants and the smell is different. When I get restaurant rice it has an amazing yet subtle sweet fragrant aroma and is always light, fluffy and separate. My rice seems 'heavier' or 'chewier' than the BIR's and the aroma is not 'sweet and fragrant' but it smells bitter and 'starchy', its hard to explain. Interestingly the rice I make seems to improve after cooling in the fridge overnight and being reheated, but I know restaurants will scoop their rice straight out of the pot, especially as rice is meant to be eaten within about 12 hours from cooking for hygiene reasons.

I have found a youtube video demonstration from a restaurant owner making pilau rice which I found interesting, I would imagine if I tried making it as simply as this I would end up with a big pot of mushy starch!

Here's the link....  pilau rice dad 0001

Could getting that professional result with pilau rice be down to making it in a large quantity in a big pot?

Does anyone know where I'm coming from with this? Any tips would be greatly appreciated, Cheers!

The takeaway is of a very good standard. I live in London and I am surrounded by BIRs and takeaways, and I always order from there. It is called 'woodhouse tandoori'...heres the best link I could find http://www.findmyindian.co.uk/restaurant/london/friern_barnet/woodhouse_tandoori

I cant remember exactly which bases I have tried from this site, but they have always turned out too thick and they didn't taste or smell as "mild" as the real thing (although the smell coming out of my extractor fan did smell very familiar) The consistency and flavour level of the real base (not the taste) is similar to the liquid part of chicken noodle soup, well thats the best I can really describe it as I don't eat many soups!

I havent tried cooking with the base as I only have a tiny tub full and I want to try and match it with my own base so il keep you updated on that one...

The ingredients that are definitely "there" are onion, water and oil. Maybe tomato/tomato paste although it is not clear. Other than that nothing else really sticks out. I'm guessing just a small amount of the usual mix powder/coriander-cumin powder, salt etc... It really seems very simple yet it tastes nice on its own and there is a hint of natural sweetness, which I presume is from Dutch onions.

What I mean by frying sugar is....

dishes that contain a chefs spoon of sugar such as a korma, tikka masala, dhansak etc...

the sugar is always added first from what I have seen from real BIR kitchens along with the spices, tomato paste etc...

It is then flash fried for a few seconds before the base is added. The sugar starts to burn and stick though in the middle of the cooking process after everything has been added. I have noticed that most real BIR curries are cooked in what looks like a thin and flimsy aluminium pan and the sauce never seems to stick.

Base gravy