Topic: THE GLASGOW CURRIES

[DalPuri]

The 'don't change a thing' rhetoric came at a time people were criticising before making it. 

Because, despite what BB1 thinks, people on this forum Can cook and could see there were discrepancies with the quantities.

Please remember that he published the recipe from repetitively watching it being prepared, I can't be bothered going back to check but I don't think it was ever presented as a finished, highly tested piece. 

For almost 2 weeks BB1 was insistent that this was "The" recipe. Even getting angry with people for daring to question him before they tried it.  :

Sorry for any offence caused, only intended as a joke,   

You may have tried to make a joke of it but it was also a bit of a dig, misleading and unnecessary.

And by the way, I've never had a problem with upping the oil in a base, its the method that bothers me 

Cheers, Frank. 

[ELW]

I've only a 5ltr pot at the moment, I made a 2.5 kg onion batch - exactly half of the more recent 5kg version.Scaling down by half doesn't work as a sauce on it's own. I've ran into this problem many times doing Ashoka & various others.Half of the 5ltr version will be oily & the cumulative effect on taste from the GG/whole spices are not there as there won't be enough in it to produce a sauce on it's own.I resisted adding any other spices/pastes as it's not designed for that.

It's not really all that different to Ashoka or taz methods, with the oil & whole spice etc. The pic of the actual Ashoka base on herehttp://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,3199.0.html, looks as thick as the BB base. That may have been overlooked in Panpot's original thread.

In this case a small sample of a larger recipe produced a different result(on taste)
I'll post a couple of pics of the base, but they won't tell anyone anything

oil content;

If i wanted to upscale a batch of ca's gravy for example( 600gm onion/125ml oil/ 1600 water) to a 2.5 kg onion batch(which is still pretty small batch of gravy)....how much oil should i add if i add ingredients like for like?...the same amount as the BB 5k?

If i wanted to do the same to cbm's shah base(300ml oil/800gm onion), I would end up with over 900ml oil for a 2.5kg onion...or over 2.5 ltr oil for a 7kg batch..more than the original BB posted base, which he has since corrected to 1.5l from 2. 

I'll make this base again when i get a bigger pot, as there may something to be learned from this approach.


Oil has long since been the source of conflict & power plays  :

If someone disagrees with with my arithmetic above, i'm interested hear how to scale the ingredients properly

Regards
ELW

[Martinwhynot]

Thanks, George.  I don't feel on this forum I've been arguing a case, more defending myself from the attacks   When there's alternative places to go it kinda makes someone's decisions that much easier - if I left I'd definitely not be the first and it's the same few that spoil it - all the time.  I can cope with lively banter but that was a rarity on this topic. 

Hopefully my video proves it is a base to consider.  I don't want it to restart an argument. If anyone feels it is aimed at them perhaps they need to look inwardly as it was a general comment based on some of the diatribe that was cut out of the topic by moderators, etc.  I don't mind arguing a relevant point but it gets tiring when it travels sideways to the point it is no longer about the curry. 

[Martinwhynot]

Sorry for any offence caused, only intended as a joke,   

You may have tried to make a joke of it but it was also a bit of a dig, misleading and unnecessary.
[/quote]

Sorry Frank, if there was a little dig it is small change in comparison to the nonsense that was seen on this topic.  I'm a great believer in "if the cap fits..."   

Regards,

Martin   

[spiceyokooko]

Firstly, thank you for taking the time and trouble to make a video of yourself cooking a Chicken Tikka Dopiaza. It's always interesting to see how others are doing things.

But a couple of things (well more than a couple actually) here struck me as being strange. So a few observations:

- Why are you adding base cold? I always heat mine up first because I don't want a pan heat drop when I add it. Also, why are you taking the pan off the heat when you add it? This just drops the heat in the pan right down. Or is this simple expediency, you just don't have enough hands?

- Why add g/g paste half way through cooking? Why do you not fry this off at the beginning?

- Tomato paste added half way through cooking? Why? Why do you not fry this off earlier and caramelise the sugars in the tomato paste?

- Spices added half way through cooking? Strange!

You mention no 'oil slick'. Erm, you didn't cook this long enough or hard enough to get any oil separation!

I have to say, this is one of the strangest ingredient addition and cooking techniques of BIR I've come across. Is it specific to 'glasgow curries' you refer to here or is there some other reason for this cooking sequence?

[RubyDoo]

Firstly, thank you for taking the time and trouble to make a video of yourself cooking a Chicken Tikka Dopiaza. It's always interesting to see how others are doing things.

But a couple of things (well more than a couple actually) here struck me as being strange. So a few observations:

- Why are you adding base cold? I always heat mine up first because I don't want a pan heat drop when I add it. Also, why are you taking the pan off the heat when you add it? This just drops the heat in the pan right down. Or is this simple expediency, you just don't have enough hands?

- Why add g/g paste half way through cooking? Why do you not fry this off at the beginning?

- Tomato paste added half way through cooking? Why? Why do you not fry this off earlier and caramelise the sugars in the tomato paste?

- Spices added half way through cooking? Strange!

You mention no 'oil slick'. Erm, you didn't cook this long enough or hard enough to get any oil separation!

I have to say, this is one of the strangest ingredient addition and cooking techniques of BIR I've come across. Is it specific to 'glasgow curries' you refer to here or is there some other reason for this cooking sequence?

Ditto ( lazy way out accepted ) to all of the above. Have to add though ( and repeat ) that the 'base' being added is not a base but a finished and full ( flavoursome maybe too although we did not like the end product ) sauce - SAUCE as in finished CURRY SAUCE. I do not mean or intend offence by shouting but just adding some emphasis by way of my capital letters.

[Martinwhynot]

Hi,

Thanks for the questions:

Cold base: It had been defrosted and then heated up in the microwave so was actually quite hot, although not like in a pot.

g/g halfway through cooking: It didn't, it went in at the start with tom paste, methi, chilli, etc.  The process starts with base instead of oil and it's a different technique - more used than you might think.

spices & tom paste halfway through: as above

Oil separation:  This is a different technique so can't be compared to what you may be doing.  The base is actually a fully cooked out 'sauce'.  It's more ready to go than a watery base.  Also, as there are no dry spices being added, it doesn't need so long to cook out the raw taste, etc.  The oil had definitely separated from the base at the end (perhaps it didn't come out well enough in the video though).  But definitely a finished dish, trust me.

I accept this is a different method!  I've had several comments to the effect that this is the style they've seen in their BIRs and were a bit relieved to see it offered here.  It's just a regional thing.

Hope that answers your questions, have a look at the recipes posted here and see the technique as it's written.  You start with a dry pan and put in base instead of oil.  Taking the pan off the heat is commonly done in BIR to add things (You Tube has countless examples) but not enough hands was a bit of a factor, lol!  The curry is still cooking for around 8-9 mins - the video was chopped up a bit as I was running out of memory as I progressed.

Regards,

Martin 

[George]

Thanks, George.  I don't feel on this forum I've been arguing a case, more defending myself from the attacks   Hopefully my video proves it is a base to consider.  I don't want it to restart an argument.

Yes, I agree, but try not to take offence (that's my suggestion, anyway), other than some comments which I agree do go a bit far, like anyone suggesting you and BB1 are the same individual (assuming you're not)! Most of the debate concerns oil levels and the authenticity and value of the recipe. It's like a sort of robust peer group review. As I said, hold you ground whether it's defence or 'prosecution'!

I know from my own trial of the BB1 sauce that it has aspects of value, so your findings, videos and everything are of much interest, thanks.

[RubyDoo]

'Different technique' is a good point and one to be respected but the addition of g and g and tom paste etc was not at the beginning and there was no frying off of either of them. This throws up two points for me. 1. they will still have a raw taste within the curry unless that gets masked by the sauce / 2. if the former applies then there is no reason to add them in the first place.

[spiceyokooko]

Martin

Many thanks for your prompt reply to my questions.

So it's a different technique and method altogether to what I'm accustomed to. I shall put my 'Curious Cat' Hat on and investigate this curry sauce further! It does sound a lot like the Taz base I've tried already but seems to have some differences.

Cheers!