Quote from: curryhell on April 07, 2012, 03:53 PM
Quote from: jb on April 07, 2012, 03:24 PM
One thing though,I can't wait for the results of member's attempts of Julian's gravy,albeit it without bhaji oil!!!
Ok, where shall I post the result then??? Where on earth is this up market restaurant Jason?? In Grays or are we talking Orsett Cock 
Hi there,
Just picked up on the thread about the debate over the seasoned oil.
Firstly, I would just say, there are no rules, and as I mention in my Ebook, "there is no one school of thought or authority on BIR cooking- that's what makes the chase for the taste interesting!
What I will tell you guys is this; of the many different Bengali Chef's that I have had the benefit of knowing and who's kitchens I have spent time in,
all of them without exception recycled the oil
2 of them I know didn't add it to the Gravy but they used it all the the curries. The others I know all use recycled oil in the base. The Pakistani kitchens I have been in don't use it (but I have only been in 3 Pakistani chef's kitchens.
If you are still in doubt about this check out a Bengali chef on Youtube called Dipurajah (I know him and have been in his kitchen) watch his videos and note the colour of the oil going into his pan at the frying stage and you will without doubt notice the oil is seasoned. The are a couple of reasons this happens in Takeaway's, 1 is economics, the other is simply a matter of adding another subtle layer of flavour.
Having said all that if someone finds that it really doesn't make all that much difference and they don't like the thought of used oil, then that's fine as I said there are no rules.
Happy Cooking!
Julian