Thomasm,

a lot of other things take precedence over this ie have a bigger impact on BIR taste.

for me it did make a difference and is a big part of my remaining gap.

i still intend to close it out fully. i don't know if it is the curry powder or the garam or both that makes this difference.

the fleet5 established that "chef" garam goes into the mix powder. i make the tgad2007 version and have not yet tried it in the mouchak mix powder which i use. to date i'd only used branded garam in mix powder. it could well that the "chef" garam is as good as the jalpur. i just don't know yet. for completeness i feel i will need to make the fleet5 chef garam although the spec does not send me wild.

i also have a sample from ifindforu of the jalpur that i want to try out using it in the mouchak mix.

the only issue i have is the supply. none of my local places sell either Jalpur garam or eastern star curry powder and i don't fancy buying big tins to sit in my kitchen.

Thanks jerrym and paulp for your advice as i work in bradford i will have a nosey in some of the local asian supermarkets and cash and carrys although i am sure i will be greeted by some strange looks from the locals ;D    I will see what the availability is and take it from there.
you are right paulp when you say the SNS did not use any pre mixed powder so this will be a totally new and exciting project for me.
looks like i will have to restock my spices and consider grinding my own from seed i will make some of these mixes and see if it makes a differance to the final dish.

Thomasm,

i see it as a jigsaw and without all the pieces it's no good. some pieces can go in different ways which makes things difficult or "personal preferenced" ie what type of BIR you're used to. BIR does very considerably across the UK.

it's hard to look back and pin point breakthrough's from my trial and error approach (and a lot of help from CR0 members). these don't need thinking about:

no 1 would be knowing how the base needs to taste. i see a 2nd stage of cooking after blending as essential. most bases on the site don't do this. i was very lucky at my local TA as they gave me a carton straight out of the pot. i'd encourage to do same - that way you know where your batting on the taste.

no 2 is pan, chef spoon, burner.

no 3 is what i call pastes and sauces like bunjarra, pre cooking onions (both boil and fry) etc

no 4 is the finer points like reclaimed oil, mix powder

the good news is that everything needed is on this site - the trouble is weeding out what works and what does not as often there is conflicting advice. the only way is to try it for yourself and above all have some real good fun doing so.

best wishes,

Thomasm,

this base will give you a good idea on the method and the taste that's needed (https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3462.0). i now use slow simmer throughout and keep lid on for 2nd stage. i use the same method for all bases that i make the others being rajver and saffron.

you can get very decent result on an electric hob with a good flat bottomed pan and a splash guard. you won't need the abrasiveness on a hob. the thinness of the base can be less too.

the starting point for the sauces and pastes is the Ashoka. it's something i still don't feel we have a definitive list of what BIR's use. my list includes garlic puree, g/g puree, bunjarra, red chilli sauce, green chili sauce, red masala sauce (combine as per Zaal inc the white for such as korma), nagga sauce, pathia, green chutney "hari". i tend to make a batch and store as ice cubes. best is fresh and aim for g or g/g  along bunjarra to be fresh whenever poss. i also include boiled chopped onion, hot fried sliced onion/green pepper.

essential too - the tgad2007 chef garam (there is a Zaal version too) - i now use the powder form in place of the muslin bag or spice ball (https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2203.msg33181#msg33181).

for mix powder there are quite a few goods ones although i've not tried loads (Derek Dansak, CA aka, Kushi, Bruce Edwards). i currently only use mouchak. i don't add "extra's" ie garlic powder, msg, cardamom seed etc. i only work on coriander:cumin seed of 2:1.

on a hob the technique is not as obvious as on a hot burner and this is worth a look (https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2968.0)

as you get into things just post questions in the relevant areas.

given his current absence "CA" it's well worth mentioning that he is a star and has learnt me a great deal.

if you are technically minded i posted a base spreadsheet a while ago which might be of interest. the reason for mentioning CA is that i started on CR0 in his base development group and see this as essential grounding/starting point.

much in common, best wishes

Christmas for me arrived today - i opened the packet of jalpur that ifindforu kindly sent me some weeks ago. i have base on the go and ready to try it out.

have so far done wet finger taste. the most surprising thing is that the branded garam (for me east east - the best i've found) is rubbish in comparison and i feel a clear differentiator.

i've also wet finger compared with my tgad2007 garam - very similar. i think the infindforu jalpur has cloves and black cardamom where as my tgad version has neither. i need to do a few more tastings. so far i see both have attributes and it's not necessarily for me an or.

i've not tasted the eastern star but feel this is less likely to be key.

left clockwise: tgad, mouchak, ifindforu mix powder, jalpur


left clockwise: eastend, mouchak, jalpur, tgad


ps curryhell will find it later this afternoon