Topic: Chicken Bhuna from Unlocking the taste.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Noun

bhuna (plural bhunas)

A type of curry, in which the spices are cooked in oil with no water.

I agree that a bhuna should be a thick, pasty dish rather than a rich wet sauce.

/That/ is what I remember, and what I would dearly love to be able to re-create.  Do they really still serve bhunas that way in Wolverhampton ?  If so, a pilgrimage is definitely called for.

** Phil.

[Zap]

bhuna - A type of curry, in which the spices are cooked in oil with no water.

Interestingly enough, I've been to a restaurant here in the states that, while now far away, served a bhuna that sounds just like that.  It was a delicious dish, and at the time I set out to replicate it as best as I could.  It seems that it might be a bit closer to an authentic/traditional dish than many restaurants make today.  I can't say that it even had base, or if it did, there was very, very little.

This recipe was where I started, and if I recall it didn't require much tweaking.  (The restaurant dish did have some bell pepper in it, for one).  For some reason there are funny symbols that show up in the ingredients at least in my browser - but they represent 1/2 (so the ground coriander is 1.5 tsp, for example).  Also, I pre-cooked the chicken, so omitted the water and did a proper oil-based fry with the spices.  It resulted in a thick, oily sauce with a unique flavor all its own.

www.rubymurray.com/curry/displayrecipe.php?Name=Chicken+Bhuna

Could totallly be off from what the BIR dishes used to be, but thought it to be worth mentioning, since it definitely differs a lot from what is being offered today!

[Peripatetic Phil]

Looks well worth trying, Zap, but how do you interpret "freshly ground garlic" and "ground ginger" ?  Two very different possible interpretations, particularly of the latter, it seems to me.

** Phil.

[StoneCut]

If that's a US recipe then it's easy: They mean garlic and ginger freshly grated like with a microplane. Standard US cookbook procedure. Ask the foreigner

[h4ppy-chris]

Here it is on the plate, fantastic flavor. If you want it thicker just cook it a bit longer simples.

[Kashmiri Bob]

Looks bang on the money Chris. No pun intended.  Looks identical to my local.

Rob 

[Peripatetic Phil]

If that's a US recipe then it's easy: They mean garlic and ginger freshly grated like with a microplane. Standard US cookbook procedure. Ask the foreigner

Jawohl !  Vielen Dank, Herr Cut

[George]

Here it is on the plate, fantastic flavor. If you want it thicker just cook it a bit longer simples.

In the past, if anyone posted a photo like that, they'd probably provide the recipe at the same time or almost immediately someone asked for it. That's the nature of the forum, whereas you see to be into marketing tease with us needing to pay to see the recipe.

Is that acceptable? - a new model perhaps, and the way the forum should go, or would most people prefer it to remain a forum for free exchange and debate? At leash Abdul didn't tease us. He provided loads of free recipes, and mentioned there was a book available as well. I think that's acceptable, but I'm not sure about a prolonged 'marketing campaign'.

[RubyDoo]

Here it is on the plate, fantastic flavor. If you want it thicker just cook it a bit longer simples.

In the past, if anyone posted a photo like that, they'd probably provide the recipe at the same time or almost immediately someone asked for it. That's the nature of the forum, whereas you see to be into marketing tease with us needing to pay to see the recipe.

Is that acceptable? - a new model perhaps, and the way the forum should go, or would most people prefer it to remain a forum for free exchange and debate? At leash Abdul didn't tease us. He provided loads of free recipes, and mentioned there was a book available as well. I think that's acceptable, but I'm not sure about a prolonged 'marketing campaign'.

I find myself agreeing with George. ( 1st time for everything as they say  )

Strange Chris has had time to compose more posts such as this but has conveniently avoided my implied invitation to enlighten us as to his interpretation of what seasoned oil actually is ( having 'downed Julian's  version that is ).

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,11635.0.html

[Peripatetic Phil]

None of the images I have been able to find on the web really match my memories of a Chicken Bhuna from the late 60's/early 70's, and Chris's more heavily reduced version is still miles away.  The nearest I can find is this one :



where what is clear is that there is virtually no sauce clinging to the chicken (because no base sauce is involved; it is chicken cooked in spices and oil), and it  is as close as I can find to the look of the dish I most miss in today's BIRs . . .

** Phil.