Topic: The Ultimate Curry Base version 2

[DARTHPHALL]

I have downsized my own base Gravy to 10 Onions (left other ingredients the same quantities) with no apparent detrimental effects on the flavor of the final dish cooked with Base gravy.
hope this helps you Johnboy.

[Chilli Prawn]

CP,

We had a big debate some time ago on wether or not certain recipes could be downsized, it can't be helped going over some previous topics.  The only way it's not going to happen is if new members are forced to start reading every post from December 04 before they are allowed to post any new topics   ;D   

Are you going to organise and anniversary party for December then? ;D
CP

[Curry King]

I think last year we just had a happy birthday thread where we all posted what currys we would be making for xmas day 

[Yellow Fingers]

CP, I just started prep for this base recipe and I know you say the amounts are approximate but there is something seriously wrong quantity wise. I'm making 3 pints so I've quartered everything for a 3 pint pot. By the time I'd added the carrot (1 large), leek (1 small) and pepper (1 large) there was no room left in the pot for anything else. Can you suggest where the error is please so I can get on.
Also you say any pepper can be used, but it's clear that a very different base will result from using a red pepper to one using a green pepper for example.

YF

[George]

...I know from years of experience  :-[.  Its the ratios of the ingredients that are important and it is not proportional either, i.e. if you use a 7 litre pot instead of a 14 litre pot you don't just halve the quantities!...I am not sure whether the amount of onion is relevant either....

I'm sorry but I'm totally confused here! The original recipe specified a 12 pint stock pot and then said to use enough onions to almost fill the pot. Now, we're talking about  a stock pot of about twice the size, at a whopping 14 litres which would give roughly double the weight in onions, yet the carrot amount, for example, has presumably not changed at "About five large ones".

This can't be right, can it? Please clarify almost everything again, in order to give your recipe the best chance of success here, by anyone who tries it.

I seek confidence in the large-volume original recipe. Once I have confidence in what that is, I will try and scale it back pro-rata to perhaps 2 or 3 onions, with ALL the other ingredients scaled back, too. But I need to know the starting point.

Regards
George

[Chilli Prawn]

Hi YF and George, I humbly apologies, the error is on my part I use a large stock pot which is about 26 pints  to the top but i fill it to a mark I made which is 22 pints.  I note my recipe says  12 pints! so I must apologise for the typo.  So a quarter would be 5 1/2 pints! Which accounts for you problems YF.  Sorry 

The veg stock amounts are not that important, but the spice ratios and amounts are.  If you want you can cut up the veg you have in half and cook each separately, reducing each down to a third and then combining them to reduce further.  Now the sticky question about onions, my recipe says put all the veg in and top up with onions, which is not helpful to you guys.  However I would still say do the same as you ratios will approximately equate in a cut down version.  Onions do not add much flavour but are used mainly for bulk.

As far as the peppers are concerned I just throw in what I have available, which is usually a bag of Tescos Value mixed peppers, I don't use expensive stuff.  I don't think it really matters as it is a long cooking/breakdown process, so the only possible difference would be sweetness.  (green peppers become red or yellow peppers as the sugar reacts with UV).  So if you are using green just add about half teaspoon of light brown sugar or Gur.

Sorry I can't be more helpful as we only cook in commercial quantities.  I did get Mark to check my type-up of his recipe and got him to try it and he said it was perfect and all the quantities are correct (I had concerns also you know ) However I am talking to Mark tomorrow and I will ask his opinion on reducing quantities, and post his response..

Good luck, and sorry to cause you this confusion.  Please get back to me if you have any other queries.

CP

[Yellow Fingers]

CP can you confirm the quantities of spices in the spice base please. In your preamble you mention that the base should be quite bland, but this is a serious amount of spices, far more than in any other base I have made.

YF

[Chilli Prawn]

I can see your point and it has been raised by others previously (and answered I hope, but probably on a digression on another thread  : )  Yes this base is a bit more beefy than most, but then you don't use very much base in the cooking.  If you want to make it more mild then reduce the chilli by half (you can always add more later) and you can reduce the spice by 25% with out much change happening.  If you are doing a 3 pint job then cut them down quite a lot.  Sorry to be imprecise but I have never experimented with smaller quantities.  And if I dare mention it, the original handwritten scrawl says use chef's spoons so I have had to do the conversions. : :-X, but as I said Mark has checked the recipe, tasted and approved it.  Maybe it would be better to wait until I have had my meeting with Mark tomorrow.

CP

[Fandango]

Hey CP - wanting to try this but I also need to make a smaller amount.

Did you meet with Mark in the end?
Cheers
F

[Chilli Prawn]

Yes I did meet Mark, and we are going for a big bash with real time cooking/training/video in January sometime.  He has offered to come to our place to do it.  So I will get first hand info on how a real BIR operates and get some more recipes to boot.  However, one drawback is that Mark doesn't want to publicise unless it is for charity, neither does he want to reveal his proper name (I am not sure if I have said that the name Mark is an alias) because he is worried about possible consequences (I am sure you understand).  So be patient and I will get the basic gen here in the New Year, and I will try to get the video DVD for UNICEF off the ground also.

Happy cooking
CP