OK - so this was a big eye opener.  A massive success.  Not that I haven't had great luck before, but there was something about the resultant dish that really resembled what I would expect from some of the better restaurants I've been to.

I'm happy to say that not straining the garabi did not have any negative effects on the final dish consistency.  It may have even brought things closer to actual restaurant food I've had in the past.  A bit of work and a lot of dirty dishes avoided!

Just finished making Jalfrezi using CA's recipe as a guideline, with some adjustments.  Used the Zaal Base, Zaal Mix, and generally followed the Zaal cooking style as outlined in the forum posts/videos.

I haven't honestly made Jalfrezi many times, let alone ordered it much, but have had it on lunch buffets at restaurants in a number of places.  The resulting dish was definitely the business - and has encouraged me to explore cooking more dishes using the techniques and recipes from Zaal.  I am eagerly looking forward to making the homemade Garam Masala, as well as trying more dishes in the very near future.

Without a doubt, there was some of the restaurant magic in the dish I cooked tonight, and for it to be one I'm not as intimately familiar with, says I'm definitely on the right track!  I'm definitely thinking that part of the illustrious BIR secret is most certainly cooking technique.

Have a few questions here for the experts - this is the first time in a while I've tried a new base.

1. Does anyone strain the Zaal base through a sieve? (most importantly, it appears the restaurant does not)
2. My example seems to be less deep in color than the pictures, a light orange - I followed all weight measurements when possible, used Zaal Mix.  Not enough spices in the last stage maybe, or is this due to the use of another mix in the batch shown in the photos?
3. I don't seem to be getting the situation where the oil is floating - since there isn't a ton in this base, I presume this may be OK.

Thanks for the help!  Looking forward to trying a few new curry recipes with this kit, as well as comparing how it might change some that are tried and true.

I'm probably speaking to a limited audience, but I was curious to get comments from any others on the forum that might be lucky enough to have a Tandoor at their disposal.

I have a small, charcoal fired tandoor that I am trying to use.  I'm not sure that it is the best quality, so I don't know about variation from maker to maker.  I was instructed to not attempt breads until after the first few burns and to salt wash the clay liner.  I've done all this and I still haven't had much luck with it.

The Naan breads end up sticking to the side, every time OR falling off.  I've made decent Naan bread in the oven and I know I should be able to get restaurant quality breads using a real tandoor.

Maybe my firing technique is a bit off - I wasn't given good instructions for how to run it.  I'd also be curious to hear if anyone is using gas vs charcoal for the heat.  I would think it would be a lot more consistent.

I would appreciate any commentary from others that have experience - I'd hate to think it is sitting on my patio for nothing!    Granted, I've made some decent tikka in there, but even the cook process there seems a bit more involved than it should be.

Thanks!

I've made many a vegan/allergy friendly meal - and it is possible to do quite a good job without losing the texture/taste that is desired.

I'm not sure if Earth Balance has made it over (it is a product sold here in the states) but it works really well.  Vitalite is one product that I know is made with sunflower oil and is vegan, and AFAIK is available in the UK.

As far as milk, plain (unsweetened) soymilk/almond milk/coconut milk do a great job substituting.  It should be fairly easy to find these, I presume.  Maybe already in your fridge.

Some Naan recipes I've seen call for eggs - there is a product called "Egg Replacer" made by Ener-G.  Works great.

I actually believe I made a Vegan Naan bread at one point, though I don't have a specific recipe.  I just simply adjusted the ingredients on one of my existing recipes and it turned out great!