Hi cr0!

Its been about a year since I've posted on the forum, but I've tried to stay semi-regular in following the goings-on in our quest for BIR! Personal and other issues had meant I wasn't able to give the forum my full participation it deserves, but I'm back now.

Over the last year, my curry quality has improved significantly, due much in part to new learnings on the forum, and the input of some of members, new and old. (And thanks Michael T. for sending some Rajah Premium curry powder over to Canada!)

TECHNIQUE - I think the notion of high heat and singeing spices has been around in different terms for some time. I think the work of the Fleet 5 and the video demos highlighted just how important this was, and input from Chef Az spelled it out for us. About a year ago, I was having good success with the Taz method, which in hindsight was a different way of properly cooking the spices, in a "less scary" way by reducing a small amount of base. After some practice, I feel I've got spice frying well in hand.

BIR STANDARD PROCEDURE - following BIR standard procedures I now believe is also key. Aluminium pans, chef's spoons, premixed garlic/ginger pastes, puree mixes, etc. Moving to high heat with a proper aluminum pan, and moving to a chefs spoon instead of my old wooden one have made the whole experience more authentic, and the quality of the curries have followed suit. For example, I always had a problem with frying my freshly minced garlic and ginger - it burned if I used high heat. Using a pureed mix with a little oil has reduced the chances of burning significantly.

In any case, here's some pics of last night's work. Note the new "home" commercial gas stove. I can't say definitively if high heat is "necessary" to achieve smoky BIR flavour, but this new stove has produced my best curries ever.

Its a Chicken Madras (Chewytikka/Zeera), and King Prawn Tikka Masala (Mick's), Pilau Rice (RobinB's). The base is Julian's Curry2Go.

Cheers,
Josh

Too true, CA!  The way the Madras sauce clings to the chicken creates a crackin' looking dish......and easy on the oil, too.  That's a mean looking cooking range as well, josh!  I'll use that tip about the oil in the g&g paste....the balancing act between high heat and the probability of burning has long been a problem, I've found, and this sounds like an answer.

al.

Great pics, JA - that CT Madras looks spot on. (There are plenty of brilliant Madras recipes on this site, but ever since I first tried CT's I just haven't been able to stop.)

Have to say I'm extremely envious of that cooker. I'd cheerfully kill for something like that - or I would, if I had a gas supply. I have an 8.8kw burner (outside), but most of my cooking is done on electric, which to be honest produces more than enough heat to do the job. Where I think gas wins over electric (and especially the bigger burners), isn't necessarily the intensity of heat, but the spread of that heat across the bottom of the pan.

On a gas burner you get the flames licking around the edges of the pan, 'roasting' or 'caramelising' the contents right up to the edge. This just doesn't happen on an electric hob (at least it doesn't on mine).

This subject has been done to death, so I won't bang on. More importantly, welcome back, and I look forward to more tales of your curry exploits!

Cheers

Gary 

Hi Josh
"New Stove Envy"    looks great and so much like a pro stove, with the spinning rings. What brand is it?

Your curries, No question, 101% BIR cooked at home, great report.

cheers Chewy

Hi Josh, good to see you posting here again. I was interested when you said you find the g/g paste is less inclined to burn than finely chopped garlic and ginger pieces. Since the Fleet 5 reports I've changed my methods to ally pan, chef spoon (was using wok) and trying to singe my spices. In the process I've discovered new and better flavours but I'm still inconsistent and have burnt the garlic a couple of times.

I think I need to pull my finger out and do more pre-prep i.e. make a load of g/g paste as it does save time when you come to cook a curry and I don't like the lumps of g/g I find in my otherwise smooth sauces.

Great looking food there and a fine looking cooker.

Cheers

Paul