Topic: THE GLASGOW CURRIES

[Martinwhynot]

Hi DP,

Not sure if I have the answers - I just cooked a simple curry!

I added a smidgen of oil to the onion in the video purely because I thought that it would need it to brown off the onion - no other reason.

Could I brown the g/g using this method?  Probably not but IMHO just as chicken skin will brown if heated soley in oil, it also cooks when its placed in boiling water; I assume then that the g/g and tom paste are cooking but probably not it the classic way that it would be if added to oil at the start of the process.

I know what a finished curry tastes like and this tastes like a finished curry when I've made it.  I don't know if others have done it wrong or it just didin't suit there taste, etc.  I've not cooked out spices and had raw spice in dishes before and know the difference.  I regret I can't add more than this as my outlook, thankfully is very simple: If I like it, that's all that matters.

Regards and thanks for a question related to the video - been a while 

[DalPuri]

Hi DP,

Not sure if I have the answers - I just cooked a simple curry!

I added a smidgen of oil to the onion in the video purely because I thought that it would need it to brown off the onion - no other reason.

Could I brown the g/g using this method?  Probably not but IMHO just as chicken skin will brown if heated soley in oil, it also cooks when its placed in boiling water; I assume then that the g/g and tom paste are cooking but probably not it the classic way that it would be if added to oil at the start of the process.

I know what a finished curry tastes like and this tastes like a finished curry when I've made it.  I don't know if others have done it wrong or it just didin't suit there taste, etc.  I've not cooked out spices and had raw spice in dishes before and know the difference.  I regret I can't add more than this as my outlook, thankfully is very simple: If I like it, that's all that matters.

Regards and thanks for a question related to the video - been a while 

Thank you Martin.


I found out recently that all Scottish TA's do this "sell every type of fast food possible". I bet some probably do Chinese too!  ;D
It would be a shame if the restaurants up there also use this lazy method of cooking. I hope thats not the case and there are still plenty of skilled chefs cooking the traditional way.

People often talk about the difference between Scottish curries and curries south of the border, but is there also a difference between a Scottish TA and a Scottish BIR?

Could the difference just be Garlic and how its cooked??

Cheers, Frank. 

[Martinwhynot]

Frank,

I would probably doubt the garlic is the difference between the 2.  BIR in Scotland can and does taste different to this recipe, but not always.  It has a familiarity of more than one establishment so it is fairly widespread I think.  It may be a 'lazy' way to cook a curry but when I was eating these before I got into cooking them the method was irrelevant to me - I just wanted to replicate it; arguably the simplicity adds to the chance of consistency? I don't know! 

I remember Panpot's postings on the Ashoka, a fairly famous chain of restaurants around Scotland, from memory they used a method similar to most (oil in first, etc) but I think they generally use less powders up there - no mix and no chilli powder - preferring blitzed fresh.  The notion of using little or no oil at the start does make some sense insomuch as there is less to cook out (spice or mix).  I 'get' the thoughts about the garlic & ginger and tomato paste not cooking but when I've eaten the dishes cooked I'm just not noticing this at all.  It all makes me wonder what people here would have thought of the restaurant curries up there if they'd known the method was easier than they'd expected. 

Regards,

Martin

[ELW]

Hi Frank/Martin, the difference is definitley linked to business model & location. Ta's or "kebab shops" are often situated near pubs, where the clientele, footfall & rates dictate the price, quality & general time and effort spent on food to turn a proft.I saw rolls of "Mystery Meat"  donner kebab rolls being delivered from a Mitchells self drive hire van with no fridge in Glasgow once. I wouldn't touch that stuff if you put a gun to my head
The Glasgow t/a's in my experience are often guilty of knocking out similar tasting  curries right across their menu, often cooked by Middle Eastern's rather than Asians.
Some Pakistani restaurants are also guilty of this, but the better known places would never survive. I would guess only that the all in method would be pretty popular in the ta's. Nobody is checking the tomato paste has caramelised correctly in Govan or Shettleston.

The quality restaurants here serve food that no recipe on here comes close to  ..almost an addictive like quality to it

Interesting thing about the Ashoka(im not sure if you have been in), is that their food tastes nothing like the other restaurants I use. I find its fairly unique interms of flavour, even in their buffet joints. It's a chain within an even larger group, but there has definitely been a formula created for Ashoka restaurants.
Like Martin, if my efforts  get there, then i'm happy either way-if i can cut some oil & salt along the way so much the better

Regards
ELW

[Gav Iscon]

Yet another thread destroyed with unnecessary bile and vitriol.  A new visitor to this forum reading any number of threads full of this constant, combative, point scoring is unlikely to ever return.  It also drives away many great contributors, fed up with being attacked for each contribution they make, in common with every other forum out there that is not strictly moderated.

Could you please re-post this on a daily basis, Dajoca, until the message finally gets through ?

Thanks to Martin for providing the vids and the recipe.

Agreed.

** Phil.

As a newcomer, I totally agree with the above as well. I can't believe how much animosity can be caused over what is basically a pan of onions, spices and oil. I've had curries from the length and breadth of Britain for over 40 years and there is a difference throughout in my opinion. I would think that a lot of people on here are trying to recreate a similar meal or better to whats available to them locally. I started with Dips recipes which some people didn't give much hope for before trying but then he came out good in the group tests. People should try before they comment. For me BB1 just bought  another way of doing curries and if he worked in a TA (same as Dip) and is selling his stuff, who are we to argue. I've tried Dips Base which I had quite a bit of success with for a first attempt, I'm now on CA's which is going well ( 6 happy chappies at work the other night) and next I'll try the Glasgow base which will be in a couple of weeks.

And on a humorous point for those complaing about the oil, what on earth did you expect from the city which invented the Stonner