made a medium chicken curry earlier in the week with no added salt as per recipe;looked good,smelt good and finger tip taste was good but when I came to eat it with rice etc it seemed tasteless so sprinkled some salt on which helped but still seemed lacking. what amount of salt would members recommend to add at the beginning of a recipe?

thanks

Salt is great for seasoning but if your recipe is missing depth of flavour, simply adding extra salt will not bring this out.

Rather than use salt try adding Bouillon, I keep a jar of powdered vegetable bouillon in the cupboards for this very reason. Be sure not to add extra salt as bouillon usually contains salt already. Of course you could always use cheap stock cubes and the like.

salt is crucial to getting towards the BIR taste. it's a piece of the jigsaw.

i've settled on 1/4 tsp per portion. i add it when the spice mix goes in. it does depend on how much is in the base though - some base have lots of salt others very little.

i've tried upto 1 tsp per portion which seems too much. i think 1/2 tsp is the max. just after frying the dish tastes far too salty at 1/2 tsp but after 5 mins resting the taste changes.

well worth trying out a few "settings" yourself.

I also use about 1/4 teaspoon per portion. This equates to about 1.5 grams per portion. The doctors say you shouldn't eat more than 6 grams per day.

I certainly wouldn't go above 1/2 teaspoon per person.

Paul

Quote from: two-sheds on September 17, 2010, 09:22 AMwhat amount of salt would members recommend to add at the beginning of a recipe?

I think it depends what your aim is here. Is it:

(1) to replicate BIR curries just like you get at a BIR, or

(2) food for everyday living, with your health in mind.

This forum is mainly about (1) so I think we can disregard (2).

There are no controls/pressures on BIRs to limit their use of salt, like there are on supermarkets, who have to write quantities on the packets. The more salt the better, for taste, within reason, at a restaurant.

The answer is to use as much salt as you possibly can just before the point when anyone would say it tastes 'salty', i.e. a lot.

I suggest that most other advice here is based on objective (2) above, and is understating the amount of salt really needed.

I use a lot of salt in both the base and at the curry making stage and find that it is key.   In the base I usually put in a heaped tablespoon and then add more if needed when making a curry.

George, CK,

would be interesting to know how much u put in each portion. is it more than 1 tsp for example.

Quote from: JerryM on September 17, 2010, 02:32 PM
would be interesting to know how much u put in each portion. is it more than 1 tsp for example.

Almost certainly when base and final curry are both taken into account.

It's a key reason, taken together with the high level of fat, why I limit visits to, or takeaways from, BIRs to once every couple of months (max) and limit my home cooking to just a few times a year.

Even at the reduced salt and fat levels you might be using, Jerry, I really fear for your future health (strokes, heart attacks, etc) given the frequency with which I believe you consume this stuff.

Hi George

Your last post reads like you only have say 9 or 10 currys a year? is that correct?

Whilst I agree moderation is key, especially with salt and oil, 9 or 10 currys a year sounds a little extreme?

cheers

I would say the same as Paul and Jerry - try making a single portion with 1/4 tsp then try making the same curry with a 1/2 tsp then ask yourself do you notice the difference, do you have a preference, do you want it even saltier (I wouldn't).