Topic: Jb's takeaway base gravy

[Micky Tikka]

Well said Phil 

[mickdabass]

does coconut have to b in the basegravy

I feel sure you will still get excellent results without the coconut block. I think the most important part is to make sure the onions are cooked properly

Regards

Mick

[littlechilie]

Hello and welcome to any new curry members, if your looking for a solid base Gravy then please take time to give jb's gravy a try.  In my opinion it's still one of the best out there.  My only advice to is stick to the recipe, don't add your own touch! or think you need a little more of this or that as you will fail.

Happy cooking, We are having bhindi bhaji and pilau tonight, I included a photo of jb's base as I just cooked a batch and remembered the old CRO forum.

Link http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=13136.0

[Nickywelsh]

Really good fun JB, did you hang around and get offered any Iftar goodies.

Was this better for you than the Zaal visit, i.e. a one to one tutorial with these cooks.

Just to back up your report about adding a Garlic tarka, which is old school BTW and not a lot of my locals do anymore.
I took a phone pic of a 30lt restaurant base last night, you can see the sliced garlic floating on top of the oil, before the base was blended.



Although you say only one clove of Garlic, sliced and fried (Tarka) to finish,
even in a 3kilo base I would use at least 5 cloves of Garlic to get the flavour into it.

Anyhoo, what level would you rate this TA's curries and have you tried any of their speciality dishes.

Good Post
cheers Chewy

This garlic tarka has given an extra 5% toward getting the 100% BIR taste (imho)! Just looking for a final 5% I'd say. It's given a new depth and smokiness to my base gravy.

I've added it to the Dave Loyden base which I prepared yesterday ready for the weekend...we'll see how it goes...P.S. no hing though, couldn't find any here in NZ. Will order online, and from what I hear the hing could be the big difference with his base.

[Edwin Catflap]

Hello and welcome to any new curry members, if your looking for a solid base Gravy then please take time to give jb's gravy a try.  In my opinion it's still one of the best out there.  My only advice to is stick to the recipe, don't add your own touch! or think you need a little more of this or that as you will fail.

Happy cooking, We are having bhindi bhaji and pilau tonight, I included a photo of jb's base as I just cooked a batch and remembered the old CRO forum.

Link http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=13136.0

Hi Littlechillie, is the link to the final iteration of the dish. Ive read the post in the past and the addition of the tarka appears midway through. It would be good if there was a link to the absolute final recipe?

Cheers

Ed

[littlechilie]

Yes JB had provided,it's the full recipe, just read through to the end.

The only other real problem I have encountered with replicating BIR is correctly cooking spice. Remember it needs to be fried until the raw odour has gone!!!!! This is especially important when frying chilli powder, not done correctly will change the flavour in the final dish.
Everything else is plain sailing... good luck.

[Peripatetic Phil]

The only other real problem I have encountered with replicating BIR is correctly cooking spice. Remember it needs to be fried until the raw odour has gone!!!!! This is especially important when frying chilli powder, not done correctly will change the flavour in the final dish.

Interestingly, I found a counter-example to this just this week.  While visiting the homoeopath's in Camden Road, Tunbridge |Wells, I noticed a halal grocer advertising ready-made kebabs in the window (I forget the brand -- four letters, that is all I can remember now).  When I tried cooking them, I found them very pleasant when wrapped in a ghee'd chapati, but lacking a little in heat.  So, I just dredged raw cayenne powder on them, and it was a great improvement -- no trace of a "raw spice" flavour at all, which I attribute to the ghee in which I had cooked the kebabs soaking up (and binding with) the essential oils from the cayenne,

** Phil.

[littlechilie]

The only other real problem I have encountered with replicating BIR is correctly cooking spice. Remember it needs to be fried until the raw odour has gone!!!!! This is especially important when frying chilli powder, not done correctly will change the flavour in the final dish.

Interestingly, I found a counter-example to this just this week.  While visiting the homoeopath's in Camden Road, Tunbridge |Wells, I noticed a halal grocer advertising ready-made kebabs in the window (I forget the brand -- four letters, that is all I can remember now).  When I tried cooking them, I found them very pleasant when wrapped in a ghee'd chapati, but lacking a little in heat.  So, I just dredged raw cayenne powder on them, and it was a great improvement -- no trace of a "raw spice" flavour at all, which I attribute to the ghee in which I had cooked the kebabs soaking up (and binding with) the essential oils from the cayenne,
** Phil.

Hi Phil, good point! Raw cayenne pepper can be very present, it's pure raw hot pepper after all. But I would not want two tablespoons of cheap bulk catering chilli powder on my dinner.. maybe that would send your kebabs to the kitchen bin rather quickly.
LC

[Edwin Catflap]

guys the recipe on page 1 doesnt have the garlic qtys etc, what page is the final version. i have read before but its 46 pages long. Any pointers to the complete version would be a great help

ed

[Secret Santa]

Ed this is just my personal take on this as I revisited this recipe in the past fortnight and I use a whole head of garlic for the 3L base in the original recipe. I also think that adding the tarka and then cooking on is a mistake as it loses the very effect the tarka is added for which is the rich smokiness of the garlic. I add it right at the end when the heat has been turned off and then blend it in.

It's a decent base but there's still no magic there for me although I do like the garlic tarka addition.