Hi TT,
Two thing to note are that Mikka:
- lives in America (or Canada, I can't remember which)
- always appeared, to me, to be more interested in more traditional Indian cuisine, rather than BIR cuisine
I think these two points significantly influence Mikka's thinking accordingly.
Having said that, I think that perfectly respectable curries can be made using "hot and fast" or "cool and slow" methods.
But, if you want to replicate BIRs, then it needs to be "hot and fast". Even during slack periods, they are unlikely to resort to "cool and slow"
To my mind, if nothing else, the flames that BIR chefs often get when cooking BIR curries clearly indicates the high temperatures they use to cook their curries.
But, what you don't want to do, when using "hot and fast", is to burn the spices (or anything else, for that matter).
PS: In my opinion, there is nothing particularly wrong with using a (quality) nonstick pan.