Topic: Three baltis

[JerryM]

Bengali Bob,

i take it the 2 side by side pics in the foil are in fact your makes (Balti chicken madras vs Balti chicken). if so would be interested in the recipe. i too have this same reluctance say to adopt what i know as we are aiming for something quite different and following what you know will only produce same so to speak.

going to try my thoughts "adjustments" monday night.

will pull the 100 Best Balti info - the info i have only has 5 recipe i think and they did not set me wild as an instant short cut.

Next up for me will be to combine the best of the BBComp and LB bases - each has advantages whilst still aiming for a stripped down base (from BIR). call it an aromatic gm base.

i don't expect a early break through on this but happy to enjoy the journey over what i see will be most of the winter. the chef is a real good move.


ps thanks to mushroom mike for confirming the lovage equals ajwain

[Kashmiri Bob]

Yes, first couple of my efforts Jerry.  Will write more.  Got a stinky cold at the moment.  Reckon an Ex hot balti chicken special is on the cards tonight, to see if that will shift it. Cough and splutter.

Rob 

[Kashmiri Bob]

Balti garlic chilli chicken dopiaza





I think this one is a cracker. Bursting with balti flavours.  Even though my nose is bunged-up. Second attempt. Burned the first one cooked in a steel balti.

Think I'll have it tonight with boiled basmati rice.  Fed up with naans.

Rob   

[mickdabass]

That looks great Rob
Which recipe did you use?

Regards
Mick

[Naga]

That dish looks splendiferous, Rob! I'm for a Chicken Jalfrezi in front of the Champions League game tonight, but I could be persuaded to make a late substitution if you could give some recipe pointers.

Good luck with the cold - I usually find a good dose of our local Chinese T/A's Hot and Sour Soup does the trick for me, but there's nothing like a good chilli kick to get the sinuses flowing, that's for sure! Now if only I had the recipe for that soup...

[Kashmiri Bob]

It's all a bit of a hotchpotch at the moment Mick.  Just trying to find my feet and following on from where I got to last year.  I've made the Kushi base. But left out GM as it is an unknown (rather than adding one at random that will influence every dish made using the base).  Instead I'm adding various GM's (early and late) as I go when cooking individual dishes. Not ideal but it's a start. Only tried two balti GMs so far.  One knocked up by guesswork similar to the Adil balti flavours/aromas, and this one (no saffron):

http://www.indiancurryrecipes.com/2010/05/balti-garam-masala-a-balti-variation-of-garam-masala/

The latter is looking to produce some positive results for me (I've now increased the amount of rose petals significantly), even though I am already fairly certain it's not going to give me what I would like ideally, i.e a good match to the restaurant baltis I've had recently. Early days though, and of course ias we know it's not just the balti flavours/aromas, there are the texture(s) and sweetness to think about.  Jerry's plans/progress look really interesting. 

The main thing that is throwing me somewhat at the moment is that the Kushi base, spice mix and pre-cooks are, I feel, essentially very much like what (in the right hands) can be used to make typical high-quality "BIR faire", whereas the actual dishes from the Kushi are (in my experience) high-quality "Birmingham balti".  Both highly desirable food stuffs, yet markedly different in nature.

Today's dopiaza effort was made along these lines, with additional kewra water and soy sauce, and based around Mick's (CBM) Garlic chilli chicken tikka dopiaza video. Highly recommended.

Rob 

Cheers Naga.  Just in case the spicy dopi doesn't do the trick I've made some trad Bengali chutney, which is basically fresh pineapple, green chilli, garlic, and shed loads of salt.  It blows your head off!

[Naga]

...I've made some trad Bengali chutney...It blows your head off!

Remember - we like photos, Rob lol!

[JerryM]

i'm now half way there 5/10. it's as far as my BBComp base and own chef garam will take.

i can post on dish 3 if needed. dish 4 i would make again and say 5/10

dish 4 recipe:
veg oil 1 chef
black cumin 0.5 tsp (light grind)
crushed chopped garlic 2 off clove
par boiled chopped onion 1 chef
methi 1 tsp
chilli 0.25 tsp
paprika 0.5 tsp
bassar 0.5 tsp
chef garam 0.25 tsp
tandoori masala pwdr 0.25 tsp
blended chopped fresh tomato 1 off
base 300 ml

i think the tandoori masala could be left out and probably the paprika needs adding to the base.

interesting the affect of the flash pic 1 & pic 2 same dish:





next up will make a better base. i also need to add in a better chef garam and will wait till Bengali Bob feels he's in right ballpark.

well pleased so far. nothing like what i normally produce but feel that's what's needed. loving the journey

thoughts taking forward:
1) Cumin -  0.25 to 0.5 tsp works. Needs light grind. add to oil not with spice
2) Red colour - looks like oil only ie sauce is more greyish. paprika in mix adds some Colour (0.5 tsp). for moment want to stay off tom puree
3) Onion - chopped par boil essential. The extra cooking helps soften the whole cumin
4) Tomato - fine chop fresh adding after spice was still lumpy. Used blended and adopting blended tin toms with a few fresh segments
5) Garlic - crushed fine chopped at start adopted
6) Frying - only light frying of spice needed otherwise darkens the dish
7) Methi - restrain from using too much (1 tsp max)
Lovage "ajwain" - maybe add with cumin at start

[Kashmiri Bob]

Great work Jerry.  The finish on your photo looks a lot more like what is needed; looks very good.  Interesting on the use of bassar, which of course is used widely in Pakistani cooking. Nice one. I tried blended plum tomatoes alone for the balti madras I posted earlier.  Took over somewhat, I may have added to much.  Have ordered some tomato powder to see if it brings anything.  Hopefully I won't end up with a Balti cup-a-soup!  I think soy sauce is a definite ingredient for the baltis.  A splosh soon after the base goes in.  So far I've been using Amoy reduced salt.

Rob     

[curryhell]

Jerry, which pic is a more true representation of the dish you cooked?