Topic: Three baltis

[JerryM]

have cooked my 3 fav (and most made BIR) using the balti base and oil. i switched to my norm ingredients, method of cooking and mix powder. none of family could taste a difference. i feel if i did side by side with my norm base(s) and oil there would be a difference.

in short well pleased it means i can switch between the 2 and gradually progress balti. dishes were kashmiri, butter and mogul.

looks like i have 1 off portion of base left and intend to repeat previous Balti adding in 0.25 tsp ajwain with the cumin and 0.5 tsp pomegranate seed.

after that the key thing for me is to work on the Chef Garam to understand more of the difference between the Balti version i made and my norm stuff.

i feel at ballpark 7/10 at the moment on Balti.

[curryhell]

Good new Rob and Jerry. Good to see the hard work you're both putting in on this is beginning to pay off at last.  Must be real hard eating all them takeways Rob, especially when they're below your normal standard      Looking forward to further progress reports soon.

[JerryM]

made last dish ie dish 4. used 0.25 tsp ajwain with the cumin. found i had no pomegranate seed but used my pomegranate molasses (grendaine molasses on bottle).

i liked the ajwain - not overpowering but just sat in there nice. the pomegranate in this dish is not for me. of course the seeds will give a different result but i am happy with the dish as is - essentially based on the andy munro video.

it's as close as i can remember balti.

up next for me is to make my normal base and use it to make balti. this would be ideal as it would allow me to make BIR which i've missed yet gradually refine the current balti recipe over a few makes.

ps i used 7 sec count to fry the spices in oil and felt this a big improvement from pushing the frying. it's only 4 secs down from the 11 sec i used when i felt the dishes came out overcooked. shows how fine this cooking is.

[Kashmiri Bob]

Myself and Goncalo attended the Kushi Cooking Course last week.  It was, erm, interesting.  More on that later.  We also managed to fit in a couple of sit-down baltis, at the Adil, and another restaurant in the balti triangle, the Shabab.  My balti chicken from the Adil was pretty spectacular again.  By comparison I found the same dish from the Shabab decidedly average.  Goncalo doesn't know this but I found a metal rivet in my Shabab balti.  I thought one of fillings had fallen out, but I've just re-examined it, and it's definitely a bloomin' rivet!  Also got some free popadoms, which was nice.

Rob   

[Peripatetic Phil]

I found a metal rivet in my Shabab balti.  I thought one of fillings had fallen out, but I've just re-examined it, and it's definitely a bloomin' rivet!  Also got some free popadoms, which was nice.

They only gave you those so that if you broke a tooth they could blame in on the popadom
** Phil.

[Kashmiri Bob]

The Shabab card, and complementary rivet:





Quite relieved it was just a rivet Phil.  Always embarrassing when a filling drops out when eating in a restaurant.  I quickly stuck it in my pocket when no one was looking.  However, when I checked next day my dentition appeared intact, and I started to wonder, if it's not my amalgam, then whose is it?  This has been bothering me as I thought I'd lost it, but it turned up today on the bathroom window ledge. Phew!

Rob 

[Peripatetic Phil]

What a good job you are an honest and non-litigious chap, Rob.  Some would immediately have deliberately damaged a crown and then sued the restaurant for punitive damages ...

** Phil.

[curryhell]

So I take it you would not class your visit to the Shabab as a riveting experience then Rob?    ;D Or maybe it was  :

[mickdabass]

Myself and Goncalo attended the Kushi Cooking Course last week.

Rob 

Hi Rob

Looking forward to your report on this

Regards
Mick

[Invisible Mike]

I'll second that! Any major breakthroughs on making baltis?