Last nights dinner

[Mikka1]

Last night I got back and prepared what I had to eat. I do it like this so the food lasts longer to be honest. On the left is my attempt at Sag aloo local style. Rice and Lamb Vindaloo. The sauce on this was astounding. It was a little too think for me so I added more water to the rest and will cook that off later.

As regards the Spinach I'm having a word with a local lady here. Restaurants almost always have a roasted flavour in the background and you would barely know that spinach was the green stuff, scary.  ;D

[lagathy]

(,ah hem..bout time i stopped reading everything and actually posted something .. )

  anyway,Those pics look the biz Mikka...really do...what did you do for the sauce,anything different form usual?

   i agree with the comment about sag aloo and its BIR smokiness completely..i often do just spinach as a side(sag alone ? ) .
   My mehtod is to fry an onion first,a heaped teaspoon or so or cumin seed,some paprika,mustard seeds and turmeric,then add the spinach(i use tinned from sainsburys,nice taste and consistency)..turn the heat up to full whack and cook like a lunatic for a good five mins or so,then add some yoghurt,stir on full whack for aother 2 mins or so..it comes pretty close to the bir taste.
   for that real smokiness...i can recreate it; i use a smallish pan,which my cookers flames completely envelop() heat oil to smoking level,then chuck in mustard seeds and cumin seeds,never fails to "flambe"..then add spinach etc like before..always has that smokiness to it,but i think i prefer it non-smokey,so do it the other way.

[CurryOnRegardless]

Hi Lagarthy

It's the mustard seed that do it for me when it comes saag aloo/bahji and bombay spud for that matter. Even better is mustard oil, heat it to smoking before use and then make your saag bag in the usual way, flavour is fantastic, well worth trying.

Regards
CoR

[Mikka1]

Thanks Cor/Lagarthy. Very interesting stuff.

The trouble is that I don't get any seed what so ever in restaurant food. No crunch or addition if you know what I mean? How many tsp's of seed do you use in this please? I love the idea of a smaller pan, never thought about that either, great suggestion.

I used about 2 tsp of black mustard seeds and about 1 I think? of Cumin. Plus other spices later on and it still tasted of Spinach LOL! ;D

Having read what you've said though it makes a great deal of sense. Thanks again.

[lagathy]

y,i think mustard seeds really do give this dish a big lift..

  Re your question Mikka...i never go by most recipes recommended ammount for sag aloo..they usually suggest half a teaspoon or so of cumin etc...like you mentionned,that never does anything really for the taste,so i alwyas use a good 1 and a half heaped teaspoons of the stuff(call it a tablespoon  lol)..about the same of mustard seeds(never tried mustard oil,though i think i might buy some now..can imagine it working brilliantly for this dish) and a teaspoon of turmeric..... recently ivrr used about a a teaspoon of fennel seeds too(i love fennel ) though purists will probably keel over at this suggestion  ;D

   if you've got a gas hob,a smallish 6inch or so pan(flames must envelop it,think thats the key),this gets the overall heat distribution that BIR's attain(im guessing here though),and i always get(though no matter how hot i preheat a wok or omething similar,never the same) the "flambe" effect when the whole seeds are added (i leave the turmeric for when i add the spinach,else it'll burn) and honestly,iyou always get the smokey flavour afterwards(a touch of smoked paprika at some stage wouldnt hurt either ).