Topic: The 2nd Secret Recipe Group Test

[DalPuri]

Same rules apply.

1 You can choose any recipe from this site. e.g. Main dish, Sides, Rice, Breads, Pastes, Dips, Traditional or BIR, fried snacks, Anything. Even gravy! 

2 Each pairing should PM each other their chosen recipe for the other to cook.

3 You will have one month to complete.

4 The recipe should remain a secret to the forum until it is cooked and reviewed in this thread.

5 Be prepared for your partner not to have all the ingredients in your recipe, so have a 2nd choice ready.

I'll drop out again to make the numbers even.  I'm happy to just organise things as its quite hard to source certain ingredients living in the hills. It was equally as hard for two of my sisters in Blackburn and Tooting!
Anyway, Have fun!   ;D

Cheers, Frank. 

p.s. PM's all sent this time. 



So the pairings for the second Secret Recipe Group Test are:




Chewy's Gora Bengali Chicken Roast
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,11596.msg90186.html#msg90186

Uncle Franks Chicken Sagwalla
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,11596.msg90395.html#msg90395

ifindforu's bombay potatoes pre-cooking and cooking method
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,11596.msg90452.html#msg90452

976 bar's bhuna
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,11596.msg91307.html#msg91307

Curryhell

[RubyDoo]

OK Guys lets kick round 2 off with .......
Chewy's Gora Bengali Chicken Roast

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,7846.0.html

Kindly offered up to me this morning by Fried as something he enjoys and wanted a second opinion 

Well having got my head around the fact that this was not going to be a spicey roast chicken in the true sense and having all the ingredients to hand I thought what the heck and just got on with it. The only issue of concern was the fact that my lot are picky about chicken on the bone. You know the sort, picks at it then leaves most of the meat untouched instead of picking the bu&&er up and ripping it apart with their teeth.  So this was going to be a meal for me alone although I may just take some off the bone and say nothing.

A few pics then and comments to follow -

Ingredients  ( yes the naughty eggs are still incarcerated and doing 'bird'    )


First stage fry off the onions and whole spices.


Deep fried spiced chicken


Add tomatoes, peppers etc


Almost there


Finished dish


Left overs ( chicken hidden within! )


Now, hoping all those pics come out ok, my thoughts..........

Easy to make? Yes, put simply, but a bit of a faff having to deep fry chicken. We normally only ever use the fryer for bhajis. The oil is then drained into storage and kept as spiced oil. For those that keep the fryer 'oiled' up all the time then this will of course pose no problem.

Taste?  VERY nice and VERY spicy. Not hot but an explosion of strong spices fighting with each other to tickle the taste buds. Others have described this as sweet and smoky. Did not taste sweet but definitely smoky. I think this comes from the black cardamon in the main and, to some degree, the Indian Bay. I do like to snip the ends of the black ones to expose the seeds whereas the green ones just get crushed a bit. I personally like the whole spices and do not mind biting into a green cardamon or clove now and again. Others may not like this.

This ended up very dry and I actually added twice as much water as the recipe suggests. Still not much sauce but what was there was thick and clung nicely to the veg.

Didn't like the tomato skins. My fault, should have blanched then peeled before using.

Salt?  There was no way I was going to use 1tsp on the chicken and another whole TBS in the cooking. I added another 1tsp instead and found the dish well seasoned at this level.

They say the proof is in the eating. Well I certainly did that. Half of it in fact for lunch today which will not only mean that I am on cereal for dinner but shall no doubt get a bo**ocking off the missus too for my abject gluttony. 

Thank you to Chewy for posting this dish and thank you also to Fried for pushing it my way and giving me this opportunity to try something completely different.

[Malc.]

Nice write up and pics RD and thanks for reminding me, as I have still not got around to this dish, something that is going to be rectified soon.

Just a couple of questions, did you use water or thinned out base? And did you use white onions or regular brown onions?

PS I see one got away

[RubyDoo]

Nice write up and pics RD and thanks for reminding me, as I have still not got around to this dish, something that is going to be rectified soon.

Just a couple of questions, did you use water or thinned out base? And did you use white onions or regular brown onions?

PS I see one got away

Thanks Axe.  I used white onions that had brown skins  i think they would therefore be regular brown to you. I only used water as the recipe gave that option and I had no base defrosted. I think the strength of the spices in this would overpower any normal base anyway.

PS. One was scrambled for eating duties.

[Naga]

Eggscellent report, RD - on the ball and first in like the last time too!

This one of the (probably) very many recipes that have slipped under my radar and certainly sounds worth doing. Makes you think how many other recipes, tips, hints, topics and techniques have gone missing and lie buried under the mass of posts on the site.

Anyway, your take on it looks very appetising indeed and it obviously hit the spot!

[PaulP]

Nice one RD, I like the look of that and it's on my to-do list.
I know what you mean about tomato skins. I wonder if the recipe would stand using tinned italian peeled toms?

Paul

PS: Those onions look like what I call red onions ??

[RubyDoo]

Nice one RD, I like the look of that and it's on my to-do list.
I know what you mean about tomato skins. I wonder if the recipe would stand using tinned italian peeled toms?

Paul

PS: Those onions look like what I call red onions ??

Recipe has both white and red onions Paul.

[DalPuri]

30 days cant come quick enough for you eh Ruby.  ;D
I think everyone should sit back and let Ruby be the chief tester. 
Well done RD, another top notch report!

Frank. 

[fried]

Jesus, you must've started making that before I even sent you the recipe!

Glad you enjoyed it. I don't use anywhere near the amount of salt in the recipe either.

I've also made it with normal roast chicken pieces before and that tastes delicious too. Although the fried version is something else.

Nice to compare a traditional bhuna with a BIR style one.

[goncalo]

I guess I'm not gonna add anything that hasn't been said about how great that report and pictures are, RubyDoo!

I am making another batch of taz base to give life to curryhell's proposed challenge. I am not sure I'll be able to have it up before the weekend, though :-)