Where I come from all the restaurants use quite a bit of oil.  The last few years I have been to the States and hardly any oil used and the taste, texture and end result has been very disappointing.  There are people on this forum who will always disagree to agree and we get nowhere.  This is because we are all from different places in the world and different regions of those countries. Just a thought. 

And that is what makes this forum great we can disagree & continue in our pursuit,thanks Layne for your pm.

Quote from: curryqueen on March 17, 2006, 10:46 PM
Where I come from all the restaurants use quite a bit of oil.? The last few years I have been to the States and hardly any oil used and the taste, texture and end result has been very disappointing.? There are people on this forum who will always disagree to agree and we get nowhere.? This is because we are all from different places in the world and different regions of those countries. Just a thought.?

In the US, you wont find BIR style curries - I had never had anything like that until I came to the UK recently...in the US, we have authentic indian food since it is mostly indians that run the restaurants.

Quote from: curryqueen on March 17, 2006, 07:36 PM
To emulate a decent curry you need to use all that oil.? I wonder with everyone being so health conscious these days this is why standards have dropped.? The lack of oil will mean lack of depth in flavour maybe.? When I have tried making healthy curries they have not turned out too good - less oil!? Just a thought.

I remember once when talking to my local takeaway owner he was remembering the days when they used to shovel ghee in by the load

I'm for using a lot of oil, i've also tried lowering the qauntities to make a more healthy curry but its not the same.  I tend to use quite a bit and drain it of just before eating the curry.

cK

I do the same as CK if "makin it Oily" drain & serve  ;D

Hi Everyone ?

Yes I totally agree I love it with plenty of oil but I wont drain any off !

When I make a Chicken Curry I will start the dry spices of (Cassia,mustard seeds,curry leaves,cloves,bay, in at least 8fl ounces of veg oil and if I make a Lamb/Mutton Bhuna I will always use a mix of half Veg oil and half pure Butter Ghee this gives the bhuna a lovely flavour. everyone has their preferences in the oil department I suppose if you are that worried about the unhealthy oil issue then use olive oil perhaps but how many take-aways / restaurants use olive oil ? not many if any (to expensive) and of course it will give a different flavour the main thing is to enjoy your Curry !

Regards
Layne ?

Hi Layne,

I've tried olive oil and it's not right, I think the majority of restaurants use the cheapest vats of veg oil they can get there hands on.  As for healthy curry I've come to the conclusion the only way is just to eat less but we all no how hard that is 

Regardless of whether an oil is healthy or unhealthy its still got tons of calories in, olive oil for example has around 130 cals per TBSP (most veg oils are around 120-130 per TBSP), ghee (veg or butter) is around 135

I think that you would be hard pressed to find any Indian restaurant globally using olive oil , as it does , regardless of type , impart its own unique flavor . Canola , vegetable or sunflower oil would be a better substitute and is just as healthy .

The Bad Fats -
Saturated Fats - Saturated fats raise total blood cholesterol as well as LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol).

Trans Fats - Trans fats raise LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and lower HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).

The Good Fats -
Monounsaturated Fats - Monounsaturated fats lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) and increase the HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).
Polyunsaturated Fats  -   Polyunsaturated fats also lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. Omega 3 fatty acids belong to this group.

Therefore, based on the above classification, the "ideal" cooking oil should contain higher amount of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and with minimal or no saturated fats and trans fats.

Best cooking oil - The Verdict? As long as you're using fats and oils sparingly in your cooking and preparation, it would be fine to use any one of the following "good" oils. All of the following oils are low in saturated fats and trans fats. Some have high concentration of monounsaturated fats such as olive oil. Choose corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, soy oil or canola oil if you wish to fry foods as these oils have higher smoke point. It is best not to fry with olive oil as its smoke point is only about 190C/375F.

    * Good Cooking Oils:
           canola oil
           flax seed oil
           peanut oil
           olive oil
           non-hydrogenated soft margarine
           safflower oil
           sunflower oil
           corn oil

The following "bad" oils contain high percentage of trans fat or saturated fats. Some, such as coconut oil, even contain more saturated fats than animal products!

    * Bad Cooking Oils:
           Vegetable shortening
           Hard margarine
           Butter
           Palm oil
           Palm kernel oil
           Coconut oil