I was at a local restaurant for a BIR buffet today. As it was so hot we were the only ones in there - usually they have 40 booked plus the same in walk-ins. I got chatting to the owner and the chef at the till while the kids were in the loo. I asked about their Madras and what is the secret. I explained what I already knew which he was quite surprised with.

His top tip for every single curry on their menu was getting the garlic ginger paste right. Without it, everything tastes bland apparently. I didn't have time to push much on this but he did say if I pop in one lunchtime in the week he'll let me cook my meal under the guidance of his head chef. The downside is today was the last blow out meal before a 4 week crunch diet. No curries for a month -aaarrgggh. He also made reference to getting the cooking method right. Once you master the cooking method everything comes a lot easier.

Anyway, I think it's worth exploring further. I've always used a jar of g/g paste which is presumably a terrible idea to start with. I might start asking a few more questions around this element to see what the general consensus is.

Chris,

With all respect, F**K the diet mate lol.  You can't pass up an opportunity like this, noway

Wonder what he means with the Garlic and ginger paste?  Could it be ratio's or do they precook in someway like the Ashoka?

Please tell me that you going to take him up on his offer lol?

Ray

Chris, can I offer some advice...... strike while the iron is hot. You'll find it very hard to go back if you leave it a month. Your diet can wait a week no? Arrange it sooner than later, this will show your keen and you might get further invites.

Biggest problem with bought GG is the preservatives.

Chris, Chris, Chris..........

What are we to do with you? If Churchill had the same mind as you we would all be Germans now!!!!!!!!!

Get in there my son, for King and Country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok for fellow curry cookers

Quote from: 976bar on May 23, 2010, 08:56 PM
Chris, Chris, Chris..........

What are we to do with you? If Churchill had the same mind as you we would all be Germans now!!!!!!!!!

Get in there my son, for King and Country!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok for fellow curry cookers

Hehe, but yeah i agree with the others, if you leave it they'll forget what they agreed to

Damn you all! I'll see what I can do, but it wont be for a couple of weeks. They know me quite well so I'm sure they won't forget.

Another interesting thing he said was that food you cook yourself will never taste as good as food cooked by someone else. All of those spices frying away will have a negative effect (temporarily) on your sense of smell which in turn messes up your sense of taste.

It's an interesting point and goes some way to explaining why the leftover fridge curry tastes better the day after (ideally for lunch at work). Maybe it actually tastes exactly the same, our taste buds are just working better.

If that is the case, and it explains why no-one can get that last 5%, how do we solve it? How do we even test the theory? I don't think any of us have partners with suitable skills to cook a curry for us. I don't fancy cooking with a gas mask on. I suppose a nose plug might work. Any suggestions welcome.

Perhaps you could test the theory by cooking the dish the day before and keeping it refrigerated to be eaten the following day?

I think there is alot of truth in what has been mentioned, though I wouldn't want to hazard a guess as to how much it might affect ones sense of smell and taste. It's certainly more enjoyable to have your favourite dish cooked for you.

If it is the case that our senses are numbed by the cooking process we undertake, it would certainly add to the problems we face when trying to create the dish. not being able to correctly identify if the dish is made correctly, would certainly be a problem.

Or we could try trusting our own judgement, just like say a chef.

We could trust our judgement, but we wouldnt know for 24 hours if it was right.

An interesting experiment (if anyone has the time) would be to cook a curry, then eat half of it the following day in a neutral smelling environment. Then cook another curry but then eat the other half of the one cooked the day before in the smelly kitchen environment. That would be a very quick way of proving or disproving the theory.

JerryM? You always like an experiment and you are always excellent at monitoring results. Do you, or anyone else, fancy giving it a go?

Quote from: chriswg on May 23, 2010, 06:05 PMI've always used a jar of g/g paste which is presumably a terrible idea to start with.

Yes, it is a terrible idea.