Topic: Parsi chicken with apricots

[Kashmiri Bob]

Last night's dinner. Parsi chicken with apricots served with boiled basmati rice. Kris Dhillon's recipe from The New Curry Secret. Replaced the individual powdered spices with mix powder, and adding a chopped green chilli. No cream, forgot.  No chopped coriander garnish either. It just don't look right without it!  The frazzled straggly looking things are deep fried ginger julienne; seemed a good idea at the time. Overall a fairly decent curry, but I've made better.





Rob   

[Peripatetic Phil]

Without wishing to seem provocative, why would you replace the individual spices with mix powder ?  Surely the spicing is at the very heart of an Indian recipe, and to replace one carefully evolved combination of spices with an ad hoc combination that you just happen to have at hand does not seem to me to be calculated to either achieve authenticity or to bring out the best in the dish ...

** Phil.

[Kashmiri Bob]

Without wishing to seem provocative, why would you replace the individual spices with mix powder ?  Surely the spicing is at the very heart of an Indian recipe, and to replace one carefully evolved combination of spices with an ad hoc combination that you just happen to have at hand does not seem to me to be calculated to either achieve authenticity or to bring out the best in the dish ...

** Phil.

Several reasons Phil.  I've made this dish before (and many from KD2) and found that the easiest way to mess-up is by adding the powdered spices individually.  Problem is the recipe(s) in the book generally serve 3-6 people, whereas I invariably want to scale down to just one portion.  Overdo one individual spice and the dish may be heading for the bin. I also want it all done and dusted in 10 mins, BIR style, as this for me is an important aspect of getting a dish (made with a base gravy) right. No time for exact measurements.  Also, the mix powder I use was made for me by a restaurant chef and, since starting using it I haven't looked back.  Can't go that far wrong really, imo.  To be honest the amount/type of vinegar to use for this particular dish was my only real concern.     

Rob 

[Peripatetic Phil]

OK, the scaling issue I can certainly understand, and I do appreciate that if you /like/ your mix powder then you will be inclined to use it even if the recipe calls for something different (as I use Bassar Curry Masala).  But if you want to achieve what Kris has created, then I think you have little option but to use her spicing :  you could, after all, make up a "mix powder" unique to this dish, but scaled for 3 to 6 portions, and then just use it pro rata.  In fact, if you habitually make a number of dishes, it may be worth your while making up individual "mix powders" for each.  But in the meantime, if you want to share your restaurant chef's "mix powder" recipe with the rest of us, I for one would be very interested.

** Phil.

[Kashmiri Bob]

Good idea that Phil. I will try it.  I know what the ingredients are in the chef's mix powder, but not the proportions.  It's his secret.  I have given some to a couple of forum members to get their opinions.  Heavy on cumin and paprika apparently.  I do like it a lot, which is just as well as getting though 4 kg of it may take some time.

Rob 

[Peripatetic Phil]

I do like it a lot, which is just as well as getting though 4 kg of it may take some time.

Maybe you could sell it in 100gm jiffy bags !
** Phil.

[Kashmiri Bob]

I do like it a lot, which is just as well as getting though 4 kg of it may take some time.

Maybe you could sell it in 100gm jiffy bags !
** Phil.

Nah. It's just a hobby this home curry making malarkey. Chef would not be too impressed either.  I think there are many good recipes for mix powder on here that would give similar results in terms of aroma/taste. One of the main reasons I like the chef's mix is that it has a lovely orange/red colour.  This gives the base gravy a nice colour, and so on. 

Rob 

[uclown2002]

Good idea that Phil. I will try it.  I know what the ingredients are in the chef's mix powder, but not the proportions.  It's his secret.  I have given some to a couple of forum members to get their opinions.  Heavy on cumin and paprika apparently.  I do like it a lot, which is just as well as getting though 4 kg of it may take some time.

Rob 

Do you use the chef's gravy as well?  If not, which one do you use?

[Kashmiri Bob]

Good idea that Phil. I will try it.  I know what the ingredients are in the chef's mix powder, but not the proportions.  It's his secret.  I have given some to a couple of forum members to get their opinions.  Heavy on cumin and paprika apparently.  I do like it a lot, which is just as well as getting though 4 kg of it may take some time.

Rob 

Do you use the chef's gravy as well?  If not, which one do you use?

Yes, I make the chef's gravy.  Again nothing particularly new.  Similarities to, for example, the Zaal base recipe, but with no whole spices, and it contains coconut (e.g Mouchak). The bagar is what is important. To quote one chef, "no bagar, no taste".  It's a tricky technique to get right. Get it wrong and the gravy will be lacking, or worse.  Ifindforu described the bagar ages ago:

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,7621.0.html

From what I have seen the G/G paste always goes in first.  Then the mix powder, followed by the blended tomatoes. Widely used in traditional handi cooking and BIR style. Base, pre-cooked meats/veg, even pliau rice.

Rob 

[Kashmiri Bob]

Should say 1:1 for G/G paste as well.  Also worth reading Ajoy's blogs. Bagar can also be used to make pastes. Some chefs still do them this way, no Pataks, rare though from what I've seen.

Rob