Topic: Hi, How excited am I to find this website?

[daaleater]

A. Very
Hi I,m from Cambuslang which is just outside of Glasgow and I had my very 1st curry in 1985. A lamb Bhuna from the Shish Mahal which was then on Gibson St in the west end of Glasgow.
Had never tasted anything like it before, but it was love at first bite.
My only previous knowledge of curry was the Vesta variety.
Its been a long time, and a lot of curries later and here i am finding this site.
Looking forward to searching through this website and chatting with you all.
My first goal is to find a recipe for lamb kasoori which used to be a shish staple.
It was a dish described on the menu as having butter and cream, but there was something else I could never quite put my finger on. Its not kastoori, its not a typo.Has anyone else tried it ?
Anyway HELLO to you all. 

[gazman1976]

Welcome to the site, I am from outside Glasgow, the Glasgow base would be the best start for you, loads of great recipes on here and a good friendly bunch

Garry

[Naga]

Welcome to the site! There's loads of info on here, including a variety of curry base gravies, mix powders and just about anything you can think of that's curry-related.

I used to frequent Gibson Street myself, although it was in the 70's!

I suspect your Lamb Kasoori had an overload of Kasoori Methi, or dried fenugreek leaves as its otherwise known. If that's not right, someone who knows better will be along in a mo to give a better suggestion.

If you pop down to one of the Asian food stores, such as KRK and others, in Woodlands Road, you'll pick up a pack no bother. Maybe there are good Asian grocers nearer you over in Pollockshields that would do as well.

A quick Google search will land you on a few Lamb Kasoori recipes, although they tend towards the traditional cooking methods rather than the BIR (British Indian Restaurant) style that we favour on this forum.

That's not so say that traditional cooking is bad - quite the reverse! But we tend towards "assembling" meals using pre-prepared ingredients. So, you might start off by frying off garlic and ginger paste in oil, adding a sort of curry powder known here as mix powder because it contains many spices, one of which might actually be curry powder! You might even add a dod of Kasoori Methi at this stage! Then you might add blended tomatoes or tomato paste diluted with water to prevent the spices burning, followed by a pre-prepared base gravy and meat and/or veg. That would give you a basic curry in about 10 minutes using pre-prepared components rather than slaving over a hot hob for hours!

Have a look around the site and you'll soon get the idea. You'll also get a sense of those who can be relied upon to know what they're talking about - I don't include myself in that category BTW!

Happy currying!

[Stephen Lindsay]

Welcome from Dundee daaleater. Is the Shish Mahal that you mentioned not also the same one that produced a cookbook?

[mr.mojorisin]

SL,

its the same Shish Mahal that produced the book

restaurant is still in existence on Park Road across from The Doublet bar (round the corner from KRK where a lot of people buy their spices etc)

[daaleater]

Thanks for the welcome guys.
I think the Glasgow base looks like the place to start.
I,ve tried Kris Dhillons curry sauce recipe in his book the Curry Secret.
The results were ok but nothing to shout about.
The lamb Kasoori, its not a methi dish even though the name does sound very similar to Kasuri Methi.
I recently tried a zaikedar hiran from Masala Twist and there was something that reminded me of the kasoori so that might give me something else to try
Cheers and thanks again.

[Stephen Lindsay]

ty mr. m, and daaleater if you wish to explore the KD base our good friend Phil is the man to speak to as he has a deep acquaintance with KD's recipes.

[Peripatetic Phil]

ty mr. m, and daaleater if you wish to explore the KD base our good friend Phil is the man to speak to as he has a deep acquaintance with KD's recipes.

To be honest, my acquaintance with her recipes is nothing like my familiarity with her base and with her overall approach.  To my mind, the base is as good as any you will find; simple, straightforward, and so lightly spiced that it can complement any dish.  Her approach is simple and straightforward -- never mind frying the spices, all of the necessary flavour will be extracted if they are cooked in a sauce with a relatively high oil content.  Her recipes (of which I have tried very few -- basically her chicken curry with the adjustments she recommends to upgrade it to a Madras or a vindaloo) are perhaps a tad over-simple, although as I have never made her garam masala which she includes in many dishes, this may explain the perceived lack of complexity.  But as an example of the KD approach, upgraded to try to achieve a more complex set of flavours, I can certainly recommend my recent "Phil's phoolproof curry".  I found it eminently satisfactory, and would be keen for others to try it and report back.

** Phil.

[daaleater]

How stupid do I feel.I had always thought that KD was a man. I just assumed that since most chefs are male. Seems I,ve got more to learn than  just how to make a good curry.
Phil I had a look at your recipe, there is certainly a complex layer of spicing building on KD1.
To give you an Idea where I am at the moment. I am making curries using the recipe on the back of the Al Noor Pakistani Bassar but I  blend the sauce which they dont mention. I find it gives a rough approximation of some of the curries  I,ve tried in the south side of Glasgow.