Hi JB
Please can you post your recipe for spiced oil - I really would love to see it!
Many thanks
Me too!
While I'm a firm atheist when it comes to the worship of the spiced oil deity, I reserve this stance specifically for the crap that results from frying hundreds of onion bhajis, which seems to me to be merely an oil recycling / cost saving exercise practiced by some restaurants/TAs, and, from my findings, achieves little in terms of adding an extra layer of flavour.
However, there is no doubt that oil is the primary carrier of flavour in a BIR curry, and I often add a little extra at the beginning so I can skim off enough of the gorgeously scented, deep red oil to save for the next day's cooking. (Just half a chef's spoon. This allows me to skim off a full chef's spoon at the end, without taking too much out of the finished dish.)
To me, the oil you skim off from a curry is the ultimate in spiced oil. It is, after all, carrying all the spices and flavours from all the other ingredients that go into your curry. It also has 'that' smell - especially the next day, and indeed, beyond.
If there's a reliable way of making significant quantities of similarly flavoured oil without knocking up a HUGE curry I'd be well up for that.
Well it's not really my recipe at all.All it is in fact is the residue oil(passed through a sieve) from the method of pre-cooked potatoes kindly posted by Ifind4u.....
THREEQUARTER CUP OF OIL
1 HEAPED TEASPOON OF PAANCH PHURAN
1 ONION CHOPPED FINE
4 CLOVES OF CHOPPED GARLIC
2 DESERT SPOONS OF MIX POWDER
1 TEASPOON OF TURMARIC
4 CHEF SPOONS OF LIQUIDISED PLUM TOMATOES
SALT TO TASTE
AROUND 6-7 POTATOES CUT INTO QUARTERS
1 DESERT SPOON OF METHI
METHOD
PUT THE OIL IN A SAUSPAN,AND PUT IN THE GARLIC, FRY FOR ABOUT 3 MINS,NOW ADD THE ONIONS AND PAANCH PHURAN,METHI AND FRY FOR ANOTHER 5 MINS STIRING REGULARILY NOW ADD THE MIX POWDER,AND TURMARIC
AFTER 5 SECONDS ADD THE TOMATOES AND SALT. FRY FOR ABOUT 5 MINS STIRING. NOW ADD THE POTATOES
YOU NEED TO KEEP EXTRA CARE VTHEY DONT START FRYING SO KEEP STIRING ADD A SMALL DROP OF WATER
IF NEEDED KNOCK OFF FROM TIME TO TIME LEAVING THEM COOK IN THEIR OWN HEAT DO THIS BY COVERING WITH
A PLATE REHEATING EVERY MAYBE 10 MINS BUT ALWAYS STIRING THEM UNTIL COOKED WE USE ABOUT 23 POTATOES IN THIS METHOD AT OUR T/A BUT WELL WORTH THE EFFORT.
I always add a bit more oil depending on how much you are going to need.All the curries I cooked at the weekend had this oil and they tasted fantastic.I actually made more oil in a pan by using a similar method but with no potatoes and more onion.I've still got some in the fridge,here it is....

The first time I made potatoes this way I realised that I had achieved that smell and taste that I had been after.I don't know if it's the panch poran but as soon I lift the lid on the oil tub it's there.Indeed I can smell it on my hands now,the sort of stuff you get from a take-away bag when a carton has leaked.I've never got the used bhaji oil theory,I think you have to cook so many to achive the desired effect but this one is a winner for me.