It could well be and its definitely something I aim to find out. Perhaps they use the Tandoor to precook certain meats. The Tandoor for certain, was not fired up when I visited for the Bhaji demo and by the time the other cooking processes had started, the pilau rice process especially, the aroma's had all but engulfed the smoky aroma.

I have also taken a mental note of when certain processes are being done as well. They only have a small kitchen and with 3 or 4 people in their, you have to be polite.   So perhaps different processes are done on different days for this reason. For instance, they make base (garabi as they call it) Monday and Saturday, the Onion Bhaji demo I had was on Thursday and the Pilau rice was being prepared too. Which produced some very interesting aroma's along its way.

Two points...

1. Experience.

Let's not forget that most of us only make a handful a month and are still relative novices at the game. My local takeaway,for example,has just promoted a young guy(who's been around the kitchen 3 odd years) to apprentice chef status.The basic training alone will take him a year under the eye of a Masterchef who's been doing it 40 years or more.To watch this old guy cook in front of you one might think it looks easy-he knocks out superb curries in less than 10 minutes-whilst cooking pakoras,making naans,serving chips and cheese and dealing with pissed and obnoxious punters. His lifetime experience makes it look so easy.Fact is it aint!.Years of know how are invloved.

2. The Psychology.


When you've worked away for hours in the kitchen your're already familiar and possibly immune to the spices/smells. But when it's just handed to you by a delivery guy as you're sat home with a few beers and DVD then the sheer walk-in factor from your local take away probably makes a bigger impact on your senses than you might think had you been around your kitchen own cooking alll day...

Quote from: MethiGoshtFreak on April 09, 2010, 10:02 PM
cooking pakoras,making naans,serving chips and cheese

Remind me not to visit that restaurant, sounds very traditional, LOL.

Axe,

i get the same smell that u get in the street or as u enter an open kitchen TA. if this is the smell u refer then for me it's from frying the curries. mine lingers for about 3 days.

Dirk,

the bitter taste in madras could well be tamarind (see Secret Santa's chill sauce).

Quote from: Axe on April 09, 2010, 10:18 PM

Quote from: MethiGoshtFreak on April 09, 2010, 10:02 PM
cooking pakoras,making naans,serving chips and cheese

Remind me not to visit that restaurant, sounds very traditional, LOL.

eeh! you've not lived till you've had cheesy chilli chips, Axe! They're not very BIR though...