many thanks all - really do appreciate ideas on this. it's one thing that is bugging me.
the chef does love using tamarind. i am pretty sure he only uses it in "sauces" that he makes. my gut feeling is that it would not be used in base. however i will try mixing a little in some of my oil and heating it up to see what happens.
it's not hing - i've tried hing before and is big no no for my taste buds.
black salt i use in lasan tikka. it certainly has a zing and is a contender. i will try it out.
i've used anardana (pomegranate) in parker21 and issiemc's kashmiri masala for making bhajis mintsauce. it's not it.
having pondered this more i realise that i may have been wrong in thinking the "zing" was in the oil. how i came upon the observation was to freeze ice cubes of the sample base i was given. when you looked at the base before freezing there was no suggestion of any oil. when it froze it was clear that the small amount had risen to the surface and a finger taste of the surface was "spiced" oil but with this "zing". the zing was not in the base before freezing - hence the assumption it was in the oil.
given this i've frozen the current oil and base just to make sure i'm comparing like with like (have given it a stir after taking the pic to mix the oil in)
