Topic: New Year Resolutions 2013

[JerryM]

Again it?s been a pizza year for me ? Nancy Singleton ?Mozza? inspiration and serious eats sourdough.

The curry highlight being Mogul (curry2go & Chef Nural). Also loved h4ppy-chris post on south Indian garlic.

My 2012 targets pretty much failed yet still very happy (we've travelled a long way). I ended up buying ifindforu?s mix powder (rather than trying to make) and will continue to purchase. I also continue to use his jalpur in chef garam.

Anyhow onto my 2013 targets:

1) get the sliced/chopped ?garlic? to my liking which will help open up range of mains
2) have more ?single main? curry weeks ie make the same main dish repeatedly. Although last year I thought this was the only way to deliver "recipe refinement" am now convinced.

In short have 10 out of 14 off mains I make that still need work. always on look out for more ?best? chef special dishes

anyhow real interest is what others are planning. Particularly as I sense members have made good progress this year.

[emin-j]

Hi JerryM,
For the new year I intend to concentrate more on other dishes like Jalfrezi,Butter Chicken and maybe a Biryani rather than our usual Madras,I like to perfect a dish before moving on and I think my Madras is sorted.Also my Onion Bhaji quest continues,just can not match the flavour of any of our local t/a Bhajis  did find some orange lentils in one the other day so will give that a go.

[JerryM]

emin-j,

appreciate your thoughts. it's always suprising how "others" thoughts get your own grey cells going.

onion bhaji quest is quite strange - Axe's post some time ago sorted it for me albeit i still use my original curryqueen "simple" recipe quite a lot. appreciate not easy but any thoughts on what the missing flavour is like.

the jalfrezi, butter chicken and biryani all sit well with the 10 dishes i'd like to improve on. madras is in the 10 too.

to be clear to anyone thinking about the future - i see this as a 2nd leg or new journey. the above dishes listed by emin-j i can already cook well - they just don't fit "best". i find at any TA or restaurant there is 1 or 2 dishes that i suspect the chef likes himself and are much better than the rest of the menu. these are what i call "best".

i think for me another important part is to sort of confirm what i think i already know. the journey so far has covered a lot of ground quickly and despite a few revisits could do with some fine tuning in targeted areas.

the jalfrezi is a good example. i use admin version (and difficult to improve on). it's one dish that i see tom puree as a big NO NO. since h4ppy-chris alerting to tins toms a natural question being would that work. the only other area i see improvement being on the use of fresh chilli. in the asian stores i know for example they have jalfrezi chilli and have used briefly in the past. from a looking back point and recently using the squat green chilli's in i think h4ppy-chris garlic i realize i need to use more fresh chilli and a wider variety.

butter chicken is very difficult for me as i've never tasted in BIR. i use an adapted bitchinsahsa. how you would improve it is anyone's guess. my 2 off customers love it as it is. this in itself is becoming another factor - there is much resistance within to try new or push the boundary.

the key to biryani is the sauce for me. i've not quite got madras or plain curry sauce as i know it just quite right. the tin toms is something i'm going to work on and perhaps need to try chewytikka's and the recent h4ppy-chris versions.

on the rice i'm quite happy using dipuraja with addition of coconut flour at end of cooking and a few marrowfat peas adding in.

i suppose in short a year of consolidation is planned sitting now from an armchair view and in no rush.

[JerryM]

mix powder is 1 other thing that has re surfaced given h4ppy-chris posting his mix.

i'd put this out of mind by buying ifindforu's (i've only used 1/3 of what i bought last jan which suggest i'm not using enough or not cooking curry enough - matters not). trouble is i don't know the composition (only in general terms)

main thing was that i could not really work out how "good" h4ppy-chris mix rates (is it worth making). i've tried many mix powders and know it is a vital key to BIR. what are the norms or acceptable range of ingredients - is the question for me. i've seen about 20 ish different versions via the site of which i've probably made around 5 off.

for me some norms would be if cumin is 1 unit (say 1 tsp):
1) coriander x2
2) turmeric x4
3) currypowder x6
4) chef garam 0.5

i'm not sure on paprika though - in or not. i tend to think in for colour but does that go against what you need for "cream" dishes. i've left chilli out as that is best for me added per dish given i have some in the base.

once again any thoughts.

[stevejet66]

Ive stopped using paprika,I found it coloured ok but to much of it left the dish grainy and dry tasting, i add a tsp of orange food colouring to my mix which leaves a nice golden looking curry dish, most birs are loaded with food colouring. just a thought!

[JerryM]

i think paprika is a ground spice that goes off very quickly leaving a sour taste. the observation being from none curry cooking where i use quite a lot. only buy small amounts.

[curryhell]

i think paprika is a ground spice that goes off very quickly leaving a sour taste. the observation being from none curry cooking where i use quite a lot. only buy small amounts.

I'm sure i've read this on more than a couple of occasions elsewhere Jerry.  Hence  I try to avoid using it or using mix powders that contain it.

[Kashmiri Bob]

Reckon I will just keep going.  Madras and the occasional vinders will be my mainstay.  I cant see much point to changing them greatly to be honest.  Plan more experimentation with methi dishes.  Chicken shatkora is also a likely target.  A balti is imminent.  I think I will limit bir starters to chicken and lamb tikka; the rest are likely to be traditional vegetarian recipes, e.g., potato baskets filled with various chaats.  Lots of veg side dishes are on my to-do list as well.  Should keep me busy for a while!  Thanks again to the CR0 for great recipes, and the all-important inspiration. Coincidently, I have just realised that since starting making my own offerings 12 months have gone by with no colds or flu, touch wood.  Thought I had succumbed to one recently, but curryhells phall neutralised it.  All good!

Rob   

[JerryM]

Plan more experimentation with methi dishes.  Chicken shatkora is also a likely target.  A balti is imminent.   

will keep look out for when you get to these. there really is so much to this curry that'll keep us going for a good while.

the methi is something i've got into liking (when it's hard fried). what i have noticed is that the fresh leaf tastes really good and certainly keep thinking i must give it a try (using it like fresh coriander).

i must buy a jar shatkora too having had niece curry in restaurant that was based on it.

all fingers crossed on getting better at balti too.

[JerryM]

had my 1st opening "go" at the garlic.

thought i would use south indian garlic as the dish. given recent spot on info from h4ppy-chris and that it can be a personal fav dish.

i know 3 off versions of the dish:
1) CBM / h4ppy-chris - garlic added at start
2) fav TA - pre cooked slithers added at end
3) fav restaurant - no idea on method tastes fantastic

there's also
4) Az's Zaal method - separate fry

i'm not sure what my target is and just intend to mess about with the various methods until i get i guess a cross between 2 & 3 (probably including 1 & 4).

no 3 (fav restaurant) is a really difficult dish to explain. it's smooth (not like a madras), has what i think i should call "piquant" after taste. no visible garlic. possibly a hint of pink colour.

method -

1) pre cooked garlic slithers on gas hob in my Zaal pan using oil (1 chef),v ghee (1 tsp) and butter (1 tsp). then drained on kitchen paper and left to cool.
2) used h4ppy-chris recipe without red pepper. added in golden syrup (1 htbsp) and touch tamerind (1/2 tsp). did not blend chopped tin toms. no methi. added garlic slithers at end

the cooking did not go well - the syrup spoon stuck in the base jug causing a panic and over singing the spices. the result was something like a 6. the garlic taste was ott.

thoughts going forward
1) chopped tin toms need blending for this dish - too lumpy
2) too much garlic (for the 1st time)
3) need to think about "piquant" and how it's produced in BIR - blended red pepper perhaps with some large red chilli may be something like
4) a little tom puree might be needed

link h4ppy-chris : http://cr0.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,11119.0.html