Hi Everyone,

I have been watching this discussion with great interest - it is warming up nicely 

My question is not intended to fan the flames of this debate - from a personal point of view some of the comments have been slightly unfair and counter-productive - I simply thought I would ask a simple question which may add another slant. I fully expect this to be quickly dispelled! 

Just how long has Knorr Vegetable Bouillon Paste been around? Surely the 'taste' precedes  this product?

Just something that crossed my mind...

CL_NZ 

Hi guys,

I too leave out the chilli from the curry base - Darth must have an asbestos-lined stomach 

Even so, the base still leaves a hint of heat, which is great for anything spicy, but can still be picked up in the milder dishes. The CTM I make from this site (Curry King's) leaves a nice glow at the back of the throat - perhaps it shouldn't, but it still goes down well 

Kiwis just cannot take the heat so when I make curry for them they get the CTM.  I LOVE Darth's madras, but, as indicated by George's posting, - it is still necessary to tweak the recipes to suit our own tastes, or in my case, the availability of ingredients.

I don't use the extra hot chilli in Darth's madras - I can get it, but the one I got hold of left blisters in my mouth! I am also keeping to the 'less oil' method (watching the calories) and I also fry my spices just after the onion and garlic, and sizzle the passata with the spices before adding the chicken and then the base. It doesn't make much difference but I think it is more logical. The resullt? As I said, I LOVE it!

CL_NZ

Hi everyone,

I just thought I'd pop a quick line on here to say how well, how bleedin' well, my curry night went on Boxing day. All thanks to you guys. I stuck with the tried and tested - a large pot of Darth's Madras (with a warning - not for the Kiwis!), and an equally large pot of CK's CTM. Plus, a huge, hot steaming bowl of Cory Ander's 'perfect pilau'. It all went down a storm with everyone asking how I made it!

Note: Meat dishes thawed overnight and heated through - no discernable loss of taste or heat. Rice blitzed in the microwave from frozen until piping hot. Perfect!

I had 16 at my house - mostly ex-pats and some Kiwis and every single morsel got eaten, even after the customary lunch of cold meats and pickles.

It was the highlight of the day - 'what we've come for' according to some - and they were not let down. Wish I'd taken some pictures...

Have a great New Year. Can't wait to try some more recipes.

CL_NZ

I have tried several methods - some from this site, some from other sites or books. My most recent attempt at getting it right was using Cory Ander's method.

I have to say it works for me! I've got 8 portions in the freezer ready for my curry session on Boxing Day 

Just thought I'd add that I cooked this rice last weekend as a trial for a Christmas Curry night for our 'pommy' friends. Fast froze it and blitzed it tonight in the microwave. It came out perfectly -
looked absolutely brill - and no stodge!

P.S. Ate it with Darth's Madras (again). Knocked up another huge batch of base too :-)

Darth,

I was looking for Cory Ander's Chicken Ceylon recipe - bu it has yet to be posted 

It's a new one on me but I'd like to give it a go - what sets it apart from other dishes ?

Sounds like it might be a bit on the hot side !

A classy looking dish ! Rice looks perfect - which rice recipe do you use ?

BTW - made (yet) another Darth Madras this weekend - I love it    Have a freezer full of base now  ;D

P.S. can't find a recipe for this dish - can you point me in the right direction ?

I'm slightly confused (again).

Pete mentions that he now boils the rice for 2 minutes and then uses it as directed in the original recipe.

Does that mean that you

a) boil it for two mins, rinse it - until the water is clear- drain it, cook it ? 

Or,

b) boil it for two mins, drain it, cook it - without the rinse ?

I did the former, and it came out a lot more stodgy than before    It was more difficult to rinse (a bit sticky) and didn't seem to 'coat' as well when fried with the spices.

Did I do it wrong     ?

Hi WelshieinNZ,

I can fully sympathise !!!

NZ curries just aren't the same - the best one I've had in NZ to date is the one I made myself from this site - honestly - Darth's Madras (nothing like the NZ Madras which is more like a Korma    ), served up with Pete's Pilau rice.

Curry King's Chicken Tikka Massala also comes very highly recommended (my family love it but my waistline doesn't  ) as does LayneBritton's recipe for Sheek Kebabs.

The more you make the easier it gets, and you will get loads of encouragement from your new friends on this site !

Which part of NZ are you in  - I'm on the Kapiti Coast ?

I must agree - although not too vehemently - I have made some fantastic meals since my first visit to this web-site. But I do agree that at times it is frustrating when measurements or specifics are left open to interpretation.

Having said that though, it should be kept in mind that this site is viewed internationally and the way measurements are presented can vary. Personally, I don't have a problem with metric or imperial or anything else, just so long as the measurements are provided - most of it can be found on the side of my measuring jug. However, some measurements do leave me guessing:

One tub (what size), a pinch (I can do small or big pinches !), one portion, one bunch etc. Also, the 'heat' of key ingredients like curry or chilli powder, and it would also be very useful to know cooking times and also how many people each recipe serves.     

This last week I made two full batches of Darth's curry base. The first I made with Madras curry powder (all I had at the time) - which made a wonderful base sauce and an incredible madras that me and my son enjoyed enormously. However, it was too spicy for CK's CTM, which is the wife's fave, so I made up another batch, which I have labled as 'mild' for this purpose. My freezer is well-stocked now.