Topic: Can I cook raw meat in the gravy/base sauce

[hezzie]

I've had a dig round and all the recipes seem to say chuck cooked meat into the curry sauce.

If I've got a few hours to spare can I add raw meat into the base sauce and let it cook slowly like that, or does the thickness of the gravy stop the meat from becoming tender, I've always wondered about that, even with stews, I've always thickened at the end but wondered if I could save the gravy and add more meat and veg later or would the thickened sauce somehow not penetrate the food.

Anyone know the answer to this?

Thanks.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I've had a dig round and all the recipes seem to say chuck cooked meat into the curry sauce.

If I've got a few hours to spare can I add raw meat into the base sauce and let it cook slowly like that, or does the thickness of the gravy stop the meat from becoming tender, I've always wondered about that, even with stews, I've always thickened at the end but wondered if I could save the gravy and add more meat and veg later or would the thickened sauce somehow not penetrate the food.

Anyone know the answer to this?

Absolutely.  I use raw chicken as often as I use pre-cooked, and these days even more often.
** Phil.

[Malc.]

Yes you can and it will add flavour to your base. Then you need question if you want that chicken flavour in your base. It certainly wouldn't bother me.

[hezzie]

Cheers for the answers chaps.

[Peripatetic Phil]

The one thing I might usefully add is that I wouldn't actually start it off in the base; I would start it off in an oil/base/g+g mixture, quite possibly after marinading in Kashmiri masala, and only add the base in quantity once it has been sealed.

** Phil.

[hezzie]

The one thing I might usefully add is that I wouldn't actually start it off in the base; I would start it off in an oil/base/g+g mixture, quite possibly after marinading in Kashmiri masala, and only add the base in quantity once it has been sealed.

** Phil.

OK, thanks Phil.

erm g&g?

[Peripatetic Phil]

erm g&g?

Garlic & ginger puree -- either bought ready-made (in which case it will probably contain vinegar and/or preservatives, neither of which worry me) or home-made by blitzing together equal quantities of peeled garlic and peeled ginger with sufficient oil, then stored in a jar and additional oil added to seal the top.  Some freeze it in ice-cube trays; I just stored mine in a jar in the 'fridge.

** Phil.

[goncalo]

I've done it once and I like it, although, I recommend ladling the chicken out when done and not leaving it there swimming (or more like drowning, actually) in the base as you will eventually ladle it and it's quite annoying when you just want to add base and you keep on adding more chicken too (yeah, empirical!)

[hezzie]

Ok, thanks you two.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Hmmm, looks as if I may have misunderstood the question.  You are not (I now realise) asking about adding raw meat to the base sauce once it is finished; rather, you are asking about adding raw meat to the base /while you are making the base/.  In which case my original answer was wrong.  I have never intentionally added raw meat at this stage, because I like to control how my meat cooks, but I have added a chicken carcase from which the meat has already been removed.  It is rumoured that that was standard practice in the 60's/70's.

** Phil.