One for the balti connoisseur...

[Kashmiri Bob]

Have an epic man-flu now. Blast it. Normal service should be resumed shortly

This was some of the real deal Khyber pathia. Previously frozen and defrosted. Put some in a bowl for a quick supper. Noticed quite a lot of liquid coming out of it, so left it for a while. Syringed off before reheating. Clearly not oil. Pineapple juice/pulp. It was the same with the Balti chicken, albeit less obvious. The relatively light texture of the sauces is identical to Adil's.





Rob

 

[martinvic]

Think that is quite normal when you freeze and defrost stuff like curries. Just water ice crystals form quicker when freezing and also defrost first, thus leaving water around it. I always reheat frozen food like that in a pan, so you can mix it all back together easier and evaporate some of the water.
Looks really yummy anyway.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Apart from the chips 

[Kashmiri Bob]

Think that is quite normal when you freeze and defrost stuff like curries. Just water ice crystals form quicker when freezing and also defrost first, thus leaving water around it. I always reheat frozen food like that in a pan, so you can mix it all back together easier and evaporate some of the water.
Looks really yummy anyway.

Have made another Balti chicken and frozen it. Will be interesting to see what happens after defrosting; may give an idea on how much pulp to use. Also now blending the pulp with blitzed onion and fresh garlic, although I think this will actually need pre-cooking. The idea is I will have two pans to make the curry. The base gravy and the pulp. Dispensing with the pan fry onion/garlic approach at the start. No green pepper either. Also omit the green (and red) pepper from the base gravy. I may change my mind on this last idea, but at the moment am not buying into it, for this balti.

Rob

[Kashmiri Bob]

Apart from the chips 

Recommend the Samphire Fries I posted recently Phil. On the menu at Rajah Monkey, Birmingham (part of the Lasan group). A reasonably priced high-end dining accompaniment. Just £4.50. Actually the cheapest thing there, except for the papadum basket, which is £3.50, I think.

Found they are also mighty fine with a Craster kipper, vinegar and tomato ketchup.

Rob

[Kashmiri Bob]

Homemade Balti chicken (madras). With rice and mango chutney.





Too much pulp in this one. Lost the taste/flavour.

Rob

[Kashmiri Bob]

Balti meat (pathia) with egg fried rice.









Would have preferred mutton, but economising.


Rob

[Kashmiri Bob]

Balti chana masala. With freshly made naan, left over french fries and egg fried rice. Just needed 1L of diet coke to complete the order.

Rob

[Kashmiri Bob]

This was some of the homemade frozen Balti chicken; defrosted and left in the fridge for a few hours. Even more juice/pulp.  Not happy with this amount of rough bulk in the sauce, as for one thing it basically prevents flock, which is a characteristic of this balti (and Adils). No chopped/service onions used, so it's mainly pineapple. I blitzed it straight out of the can. Will dilute with water first next time.  Granulated citric acid for this balti. Apparently the Pakistani chefs call it "sour salt" and it's used extensively in curries, as an alternative/addition to lemon. Added a whole fresh lemon (when making the base gravy). Thinking a quarter for next batch will do.

Just got through a batch of Shabab's base. Mick's Al Frash will be next. Then back to this zing fest.





Rob