Topic: Hi

[Hybrid]

Hello fellow curry addicts. I'm Ian, 45, Scottish and a big curry fan. Not quite a novice, but lots to learn about BIR dishes, my all time fav being "south Indian garlic chilli chicken", which is what lead me to learn how to cook BIR curry in the first place! I was sick n tired of take away AND restaurants trying to pap me off with "regional" excuse for their rubbish dishes, generally C\W tikka'd chicken! Best one I tasted was in a restaurant in glasgow called "Bombay blues", it was awesome. Since then I've had comparable dishes and truly pathetic. I have a recipe for what I have found to be the best effort yet, but...........I'm here to learn!

[Peripatetic Phil]

Welcome, Hybrid.  Like you, I too detest dishes in which the chicken is pre-tikkad.  Here down south they are usually listed as the Chef's Specials or House Specials, and I have long learned to either ask deeply searching questions before ordering, or alternatively to simply avoid them like the plague.  For me, a simple (but good) Chicken Madras is all I ask for; if they can do that correctly, then there is a fair chance they can also do some of the more complex dishes to my satisfaction.

** Phil.

[Hybrid]

Cheers. yeh, me too m8. i can go to every TA in my town and order the same dish and not get two the same or similar. We're not talking base sauce different either, taste, texture, ingredients and heat. My area seems to have confused over cooked, dried out tikka chicken with pre cooked chicken and the sad thing is that most neither notice nor complain. Personally i use a pressure cooker to pre cook my chicken and am very happy with the 10 minute results! moist chicken!

[chewytikka]

Hi Hybrid
Welcome, interesting to know what ingredients in your "south Indian garlic chilli chicken" recipe,
make it "South Indian" as opposed to just "BIR Garlic Chilli Chicken"

Are your local BIR's and TA's Pakistani or Bangladeshi run.
cheers Chewy

[Hybrid]

Cheers. Not sure about what makes it south Indian, but I'd guess the coconut, chutney and the heat in the dish might be something to do with it, but you'd need to ask the chefs. We have both Indian and Pakistani run TA's and restaurants, boy do those guys not like each other! The difference in the base gravy is evident in the finished dish. Its usually the non Indian TA's that tikka ALL their chicken too, I say non Indian because we also have a Turkish run TA, which was good while the Bangladeshi chef worked there, but turned to shit when they decided they could run the show themselves. I'll post the recipe and you can decide for yourself, but that's not to say this clone isn't missing ingredients that would be in genuine south Indian chilli chicken. The recipe is from a Bangladeshi chef who works in a Glasgow TA, I'm told. So....where should I post it?

[gazman1976]

A warm welcome to the forum, I too goto Glasgow for my curries, post it in the main recipe section

[Hybrid]

Thanks Gazman. Irvine is where I live m8, our TA's WISH they were Glasgow quality! they are, however heavily influenced by Glasgow style. I'll make an effort to get it posted tonight. I made it the other night so I could post a picture too, but forgot all about taking a picture till I'd started eating it cos it's so damn tasty! I took the pic though, minus a couple of mouthful's ;-) I'll post both later once I get the kids to bed. have you tried Bombay Blues? not quite the place it was in the 90's, but still serving good food. It's near central station.

[gazman1976]

I work 2 mins away from Bombay blues, visited it on occasion in the 90's and still for pakora, once got their tindaloo in the 90's lol, if you think that is nice then try the Punjabi at charing cross, that's where I go now, its the best place in Glasgow, and I have tried most of them lol

Garry

[Hybrid]

I shall, thank you. The spooky thing is I noticed it on Saturday on way home from M&D's with the kids.