Forgot to mention a couple of things he said about the base sauce...Our base sauce we cooked had 2kg onions where his usual one had about 20kg!! The most interesting thing he said was the fact that before the appearance of vegetarian eaters most restaurants(including his) would drop a whole chicken into the pan whilst it is cooking to give it more flavour and depth.Now I'm sure I read on this forum absolutely ages ago a thread regarding chicken jelly or something in base sauces,was in Haldi who started it or am I dreaming???

Hi jb

Great post I'm looking forward to the full write up, especially the pre-cooked chicken. Undercover Curry suggests all precooked chicken is cooked in some base sauce.

The next lesson should be more exciting, it will be great to know if he nails the BIR taste. Saving some for the following day is a great idea. I guess after a few instructional lessons it will be over to you to do the cooking under his guidance? That will be a great way to learn!

Chris

Quote from: jb on August 03, 2010, 07:38 AM
My favourite curry is madras,this he said is done just by making a basic chicken curry with the addition of chillie powder and lemon juice.I'm sure when I

I have been told more than once the same thing that madras is literally just chilli powder and nothing else, vindaloo is just more chilli powder.

Bruce Edwards says exactly the same.

Quote from: chriswg on August 03, 2010, 01:31 PM
Undercover Curry suggests all precooked chicken is cooked in some base sauce.

Just one of the reasons why I don't rate this book too highly.

Quote from: chriswg on August 03, 2010, 01:31 PM
Hi jb

Great post I'm looking forward to the full write up, especially the pre-cooked chicken. Undercover Curry suggests all precooked chicken is cooked in some base sauce.

That is very true chris quite a few TA's i use have said this as well, thats the only thing i can get out of them (except one, Tipton Balti ) which i hope the next time i use them will ask a few more questions about there base.
The bloke told me that whatever you cook your chicken/meat in will take on the taste of that sauce,so when i cook say a madras i use a little of the madras sauce to cook the chicken in on a very high heat.

Some pictures would be useful!!

You lucky sod Jb  ;D

  just to add my 2 cents to all the questions that everyone has propsed,and you must be wanting to ask him....i think it would be a crying shame not to ask him(if,as you say,he does work in a restaurant etc) to bring along a sample of the base from the restaurant.

   Ive just been reading the thread about the curry sauce from the indian raj(in aldershot) and how fantasically tasty it was...which i dont doubt for a second; thing is,i very much doubt it is down to just ingredients...it is something else...time that is on the gas/quantity...god knows...BUT perhaps if you could compare the base sauce you make with the guy and the one he brings over(im sure he wouldnt mind,whats it going to cost ? )from the TA...insist on there being a taste differnce(which,no offence,there almost definately will be,just for the simple fact it has that flippin made-in-bir magic)and really try to nail him down on what he at least suspects the attributing moorishness to be.

  I dont know...but,its clear that this is a once in a lifetime oppurtunity,where you can be as  persistent and thorough in your questionning as you like without fear of pissing the guy off  ;D

for that matter,i doubt it wouldnt hurt to ask him to bring along at least a small sample dish,a madras of something basic and compare/analyse it against something you have cooked up in your house with him...? keep at him about that missing taste...you already know the fundamentals...

anyway..really interested to know what comes of this all 

Quote from: jb on August 03, 2010, 07:38 AM
Well the Jalfrezi was very nice I was just expecting something earth-shatterring or a big eureka moment I guess.

I had a madras made in front of me in a takeaway
I was given a taste of it, and was most dissapointed
It was no better than curries I had made  at home
But....................
I took this curry home and ate it a couple of hours later and it was superb
I agree with Solarspace :- your taste buds had just been zapped, from the spice exposure

lol @ secret santa