After not cooking for a few months I have just gotten the bug again.

My favourite restaurant at the moment is Akbars and usually have a Chili Chicken or Chicken and Keema Balti.

The sauces for these are very thick and the meat in very small chunks.

Anyone eaten here and have any pointers about how to get a nice thick sauce? Or is it just as simple as cooking for longer/using less water.

I would imagine reducing till thick to be the key. The alternative would be thickening with cornflour like in Chinese cookery but I've never heard of that in Indian cookery.

Akbars the chain is awful its the fast food of indian cooking. The one in middlesbrough they dont even cook the currys on the premises and bring all there food in from there restraunt in bradford!!

Mdex if you follow the recipes posted on here you will get close to the consistency. But if you like a thicker curry just simmer for longer.


Alan ;D

Quote from: moonster on June 22, 2011, 12:12 PM
Akbars the chain is awful its the fast food of indian cooking. The one in middlesbrough they dont even cook the currys on the premises and bring all there food in from there restraunt in bradford!!

Mdex if you follow the recipes posted on here you will get close to the consistency. But if you like a thicker curry just simmer for longer.


Alan ;D

Cheers Alan,

Can't comment on the Middlesbrough Akbars but I think the Akbars in Rotherham is one of if not the best in the area.

Quote from: mdex on June 20, 2011, 02:09 PMThe sauces for these are very thick and the meat in very small chunks.

Anyone eaten here and have any pointers about how to get a nice thick sauce? Or is it just as simple as cooking for longer/using less water.

When I was in Leeds last I went to the Akbars there and I agree, the sauce was notably thick and quite a dark brown and as you say the chicken was in very small chunks. I remember the dishes having a very intense depth of flavour, quite complex.

The only way (I know of) achieving this is by multiple base sauce reductions. That's where the colour and thickness come from and of course that intense depth of flavour.

When I say multiple reductions I mean simply reducing down 3, 4 or more ladles or chefs spoons of base sauce one by one. In other words, add a spoon of base sauce, reduce it down, add another reduce that down and so on, then continue with the recipe.

I've been experimenting with this quite recently and it does indeed add thickness, colour and flavour intensity.