Topic: Taking stock

[George]

Taking everything into account, and trying to be honest, where would you say you are as at today's date, with the creation of at least some dishes which both taste and smell just like they would from your favourite BIR(s)?

There have been many isolated comments like "it smelt just like from my BIR" or the use of the figure "100%" but some folks still doubt that anyone has truly cracked it, e.g. Yellow Fingers and Les recently said:

"I think (this site has) run its course as far as its original reason for being, i.e. to replicate at home the unique flavour and smell of the restaurant curries"

"Surely it cannot have 'run its course' since not one person here claims to be able to replicate BIR curries at home!"

Now, many people will have tried the recipes which claim to be spot-on, but they can't be totally convinced if many people still doubt that ANYONE can replicate BIR curries at home.

Here's where I'm at: I have only tried a few dishes. I thought Ghanna's chicken korma (using MarkJ's base) and  Darth's pilau (Dabari) rice were just like from a BIR. I also thought Darth's 100% Madras was excellent but I have nothing to measure it against, because I never order a Madras from a BIR, let alone Darth's Newquay haunt.

One way of 'moderating' the standard we've reached would be to meet up somewhere with cooking facillities, and cook to impress. Will it ever happen, I wonder?

A further recollection is that I tried David Smith's Mk 1 chicken korma from his curryhouse web site. He said it was 'spot on'. I didn't think it was anywhere near! How can two people have such different opinions, assuming I cooked it correctly?

Also, I don't really rate opinions on base sauces, in terms of 'just like a BIR', other than as a sort of work in progress. It's only the final dishes which mean much in my opinion. Too few people have ever tasted a base sauce from a BIR.

Regards
George
 

[Curry King]

Hi George,

I am at the stage now where I can reproduce the same standard curry wether it be a vindaloo or a bhuna everytime.  To me they are every bit as good as a restaurant but not every restaurant if you know what I mean.  Sometimes I will have a takeaway or a sit-in and think blimey mines better than this by miles, other times I think this is so much better than mine.   Sometimes I'm not so sure that it's better just different to what I make which makes me want to keep on experimenting and tweaking.

I'm totally satisfied with what I can make which happens to be a mix of what I have learned from chef's and the forum.  I will always experiment and try new ideas but to answer the original question I would say yes I have cracked it but continue the search for different variations.

cK

[Blondie]

Hi All,

I am at the point where I can produce a passable Madras and Vindaloo.  I can create a Balti that is exactly the same as the Kushi restaurant (I Know it is because I have eaten there) BUT it isn't like the Balti served at my local BIR which I much prefer.

I have not yet been able to cook the whole range of BIR dishes using one base sauce and the same / similar method for each dish.  THAT IS MY AIM.  So I can not say that the forum has run it's course by a long way.

If anyone can create a wide range of BIR dishes using the same base and similar method for all of them, please post them and I would be SOOOOOOO HAAAAAAAAAPPY,

Cheers,

Blondie

[extrahotchillie]

Well said Blondie, I agree with you the forum is far from run its course. Thus far we have spent all our efforts on the madras & vindaloo, lets try something new, lets try and work out how all the other dishes are made.

I'm sure that when we go out for a meal we don't just have madras & vindaloo, lets keep up the support for the forum and try out new recipes, its time for the new members to come out of the woodwork and make some contributions or at the least give us a challenge of creating some of their favorite BIR requests, I'm sure Terry would be willing to help you out with your requests, I feel that man as a lot to give to this forum having worked in various Indian & Chinese establishments.

Make the forum survive and the quest "Curry On".

[Curry King]

Hi Blondie,

I only use the one curry base and very similar methods for most of my currys from CTM to vindaloo.  I must admit I havn't tried a korma with it as we don't eat them but im fairly sure I could make most others.

cK

[George]

I only use the one curry base and very similar methods for most of my currys...

I'm sure this is the approach used by most BIRs and why not. But BIRs have to be cost-effective. An idea of mine is to be somewhat extravagant and use more than one base sauce, optimised for different dishes. I'd use different 'restaurant masalas' too, all in the interest of variation. Too many BIRs produce dishes which taste so similar - I mean similar within the same restaurant.

e.g. I don't think I rate the Kushi Balti book very highly overall, but the flavours are distinctive, so just one of those dishes might have a place on my ultimate table of offerings.

Regards
George

[Yellow Fingers]

Hi George

I'm not so convinced that several base sauces are needed, but I am sure that using one restaurant masala is not the way to go. It just produces dishes that are too samey. I'm convinced that some of the eyewitness reports that get posted here are unwittingly incorrect. How for instance, unless you have been specifically told, are you to know that the little tub of brown powder that you thought was cumin, say, wasn't in fact a similar coloured alternative masala?
So I think you've got a point, more attention needs to be paid to the restaurant masalas and we shouldn't always be using just the Bruce Edwards' one.

YF

[George]

I'm convinced that some of the eyewitness reports that get posted here are unwittingly incorrect. How for instance, unless you have been specifically told, are you to know that the little tub of brown powder that you thought was cumin, say, wasn't in fact a similar coloured alternative masala?

I agree. I've tried my hardest to keep track of what's going on over the counter of two or three open plan BIR take-aways. As mentioned here before, all I can say is that they work at the speed of grease lightening and throw in bits of this and bits of that. Base sauce is probably the easiest ingredient to track, together with clear-cut ingredients like chopped tomatoes. I'm neither superman, a mind-reader or (I hope) completely thick but how on earth would I know what each individual spoonful of powder or paste was unless I asked and they told me, and were honest and complete in their answer? e.g. they could say a white powder was "coconut". Desiccated? 'Yes', they might confirm. When that white powder could really be 80% coconut flour, 10% almond powder, 8% cashew nut powder, 1.5% salt and 0.5% MSG. So, even if you ask, you may get mis-information.

Regards
George

[Ian S.]

I'm only working on vindaloo and madras curries at the moment, because I want to crack those before I move on. I would say that I'm at the stage where I can match most of the madras and vindaloo curries that I've had from the three or four takeaways I use, most of the time.

Occasionally, my local favourite seems to produce an exceptionally good curry, and then I'm left in the dust.  But the body and the notes of the curry are so close - there's something else which factors in and I'm pretty sure it's not an ingredient.

I'm at the stage where - like some others - I think it's down to technique.  So I'm sticking with my tweaked version of a base sauce (which provides the body and notes that I'm after) and mucking about with the order and cooking times and I'm determined to ignite the pan somehow.

As far as the smell and flavour comparing with a restaurant curry goes, my 'lab rats' (girlfriend and two curryholic friends) say it's spot on.  Unless my gf has been at my house when I'm cooking up the base sauce, which supports the idea that we get desensitised to the aroma while cooking it (I gave a carton of cold curry to my friend to take home and he said 'it's even got the smell'.  I couldn't smell anything).

Thanks 100% to this site, I'm much closer than I've ever been and almost so close that sometimes I think it's not worth worrying about.

But I can never resist fiddlin'.

[Yellow Fingers]

I'm at the stage where - like some others - I think it's down to technique.

I don't think you'll find anyone her disagreeing with that. Although it's really a combination of the right base AND the right extras AND the right tehnique! It's no wonder we have such a hard time getting it right.

I'm determined to ignite the pan somehow.

You can do this but because we don't generally have the huge burners that the restaurants have everything has to be hot. So, make sure your base is boiling, not simmering, not cold but boiling before you add it. Preferably use a heavy base pan that retains heat. Only add a little of the base to your oil/spice/garlic&ginger mix as this helps create the oil/'water' aerosol which is what gets ignited with a liberal amount of pan shaking. Do all that and you should be onto a winner. Be warned though, if it isn't already obvious, these flames shoot up about a metre and can last for quite a while. Have a damp tea towel at hand and make sure your household insurance is paid up.   

YF