Quote from: Yellow Fingers on October 27, 2005, 02:26 PM
Another strange thing about reusing the oil is that quite a few people here have seen curries cooked with fresh oil and yet they have still had the 'taste'. So either the reuse of oil is not related to the taste, or one person's idea of the 'taste' must be different to another.

Yes, this puzzles me too
One chef, who gave me recipes, said he used only fresh oil.
But I have never seen a chef, take fresh oil from a bottle, when cooking
They seem to have these ghee pots full of old oil
It is quite surprising how similar all these kitchens seem to be
I would guess that most things that are standard practice in one kitchen, are common in others too.

When I had my 'lessons' in BIR cooking, all curries were cooked in oil from a pot on the stove. This was kept hot for frying onion bhajis etc. I tried this at home, but it didn't make any noticable difference. Fresh oil was used to make the base sauce. All oil skimmed from curries was thrown away.This curry house may not have been typical, though; they actually used butcher's roasting chickens and lamb legs, removing the meat and cooking it with whole spices. Their food was quite exceptional. Incidentally, the chicken carcases, which would have made excellent stock, went in the bin.

I think what bothers me most at the moment is that three (?) people say that they've copied Pete's prawn madras and it has given them an exact restaurant copy including both taste and smell. I've tried it twice now, although my base was slightly different, and I'm definitely not achieving the taste or the smell. Particularly not the smell.

I'm seriously beginning to wonder whether we really do have the same goal in mind when it comes to the 'taste' and the 'smell' of restaurant curries. But I have had curries at several places around the UK over the years and without fail the smell and taste have been there, so I don't see how we can not be aiming for the same thing. I just don't understand it.

Same here YF,

It's not Petes method as thats very similar to what ive been doing for a while so im putting it down to the base, it just doesn't do it for me and ive been having very good results with other bases for years now so im sure its not my technique 

The curry I made following the Dhillion base to the letter and Petes method was ok but as you say no smell or taste there for me.  I think Pete's right in that we all need to get together, we should bring 2 currys, one of which should be from your favorite BIR and the other your closest homemade BIR curry to date.  Then I think we will see what we aiming for and how close we all are.

I have to say here, that the people using this forum are from different parts of the country, as well as from different parts of the world.  English BIRs seem to cook lets say a madras in the midlands different to that here in the south.  Therefore I cannot see how we can honestly replicate our fave BIR madras when all expectancies are different to each other and using one anothers recipes.  Unless of course you live in the same area.

Petes reused oil base sounds interesting, and i will be trying it this weekend.
But the question is; what happens to the oil when its reused?
Restaurants make huge amounts of base and if it isn?t used up in
one evening, then it will go into the fridge, the KD base can be kept upto
4 days in fridge? What would 4 day old base taste like compared with newly
made base? Im sure it would have time to mature, maybe this is the answer,
a concerntrated garlic, ginger, and onion base? After all thats basically what
reusing the oil does?

Quote from: curryqueen on October 28, 2005, 04:17 PM
I have to say here, that the people using this forum are from different parts of the country, as well as from different parts of the world.

Hi curryqueen

Well first of all I don't care about the opinions of people from other parts of the world, unless of course they have sampled a reasonable amount of curries in standard Indian restaurants from different parts of the UK, or at the very least had a few curries from Indian restaurants in one part of the UK.

I know that sounds nasty, but I don't care. I don't partake in 'the pain of childbirth' forum, for example. The reason? Because I've never experienced the real thing.

But to answer your main point, and I've said it so many times now that I'm even boring myself. No matter where I've had a curry in the UK, they have, irrespective of the actual quality of the curry, had the same smell and underlying taste. It is unique to the indian restaurant curry and it is what I am trying to copy.

I'm still trying to find one of these curry houses that actually do not have the smell and taste I am talking about. I have never been to a restaurant that verges toward 'authentic' Indian cuisine, nor do I have any desire to. Perhaps this is why I have a very definite idea of what the 'smell' and 'taste ' is?

QuoteEnglish BIRs seem to cook lets say a madras in the midlands different to that here in the south.

I agree totally. But, in my experience at least, they will have a common smell and taste. One may be hotter, may have more veg, may have a? smoother sauce, may have less oil, may have tomato pieces, may be darker in colour. They still have the same underlying taste and smell.

Now unless in my travels across the country I have just happened, by sheer chance, to pick on the restaurants that conform to my idea of the 'smell' and the 'taste', I have to conclude that the smell and taste that I mean is universal, at least within the UK.

Quote from: Curry King on October 28, 2005, 03:11 PM
I think Pete's right in that we all need to get together

I have to agree. I see no way to resolve the 'taste' and 'smell' debate unless we do. Somewhere in the midlands?

Quote from: Yellow Fingers on October 28, 2005, 05:25 PM

Quote from: Curry King on October 28, 2005, 03:11 PM
I think Pete's right in that we all need to get together

I have to agree. I see no way to resolve the 'taste' and 'smell' debate unless we do. Somewhere in the midlands?

Yeah I might be up for that we would have to see what the interest would be from the rest of the forum?

The BIR isnt confined to Britain, you have to realise that the humble curry you buy in your local takeway had travelled to europe and far beyond. You will and can get restaurant curries made by U.K trained chefs in other parts of world.
In Sweden I know for a fact atleast one restaurant that has a U.K trained indian chef, not that i ask every where they were trained.

The point is, of course, there are variations, and pete talks about a common taste, the type of curry we are trying to recreate
is an english curry that?s being exported all over Europe +, even to India itself! We all know CTM is english., even Madras is too.
Now it?s being served in India.
it?s what non traditional restaurants make, generally. Although there are other curries that are restaurant and not BIR, you?ll find the BIR, is an english phenomenen that had spread even to Australia. The variations are a part evolution.

Once the secret of the BIR is common knowledge, I would predict that something equally impressive will take its place. Shame restaurants have settled for the BIR taste, because i know of even better restaurant curries that are even harder to recreate.

But the aim is the BIR and I will try a little harder if I believe its possible to get closer to "the taste".
It is thanks to ppl who spend so much time trying to recreate it, like pete, Mark, CK and Curry Queen, Darth and all the rest of you curry animals that this site exists, and is so interesting. Lets see what ppl can contribute towards "the taste" instead of finding the negative with other ppls efforts. Lets pull together and help those trying hard to get that taste to the rest of us.

Keep up the good work!