Topic: Jb's takeaway base gravy

[Madrasandy]

Looking good zap, doing my curry cravings no good whatsoever mind!!!

[littlechilie]

Great update Zap, the curry looks awesome

I upped the oil content on my last batch of gravy, but to be honest I think I was looking at it wrong.

A recent conversation on a post I read gave me these points.

I now realise it's the curry cooking stage itself that needs the greater amount of added oil, to little and you end up with a boiled sauce.  not tasting well at all.

The More oil and the sauce fries hot in oil, this is were the flavour develops along with the spice and garlic caramelisation.

[ziggycat]

I use the standard chef spoon of oil when cooking the final dish,  how much more are you suggesting?

[Zap]

I now realise it's the curry cooking stage itself that needs the greater amount of added oil, to little and you end up with a boiled sauce.  not tasting well at all.

Okay, THIS screams of similarity to Chinese and stir-fry technique.  I've spent a bit of time getting that whole thing figured out within the present limitations I have (normal stove).  Especially when stir-frying meats or watery vegetables, it is easy to drop the wok temperature if too much is added at a time, and that results in the juice leaving and boiling instead of frying.  I end up doing meat in 3-4 batches with the burner cranked, since it is the most dense item as far as absorbing heat is concerned.  Before I start I preheat the wok, then preheat the oil, then begin (and meat is at room temp as well).

I believe that the ultimate key to mastering technique on home stoves is not overloading the pan AND being patient.  Too much addition at one time = temperature drop = no frying.  I actually use a small ladle for adding base (2 oz / 59 ml) for this very reason.  When I start a dish, enough oil has to be present to properly fry the ginger/garlic, spices, tomato, etc. until I am ready to add the base.  Then I also have to give enough time for the base to properly reduce and start caramelizing before each additional ladle. 

Resorting to longer cook times, and thinking things look a bit "cooked down" at times before adding additional base has helped with flavor consistency and intensity.  The final fry-down is watched most carefully with the final ladle (and finishing additions) until the sauce has reached the proper consistency.  My take is that every single reduction, with the addition of base, gets cooked down and concentrated/caramelized.  The more effectively this happens, the more punch the sauce ends up with.

When I stopped trying to emulate videos so much, I got much better results.  Now, if I had the same equipment they do in the video, then I'd have a messy/burned disaster if I tried to deviate too much from their techniques as-shown, or would be cooking on super-low flame at all times.

I find that I've really been cooking some excellent curries as of late, and this new base looks like it is going to be a further boost to them.

[littlechilie]

Zap, I couldn't agree more with your statement above, I am finding the correct amount of oil prevents the caramelisation sticking and burning.
I am finding more oil keeps it frying, enabling you to lift the pan and shake the curry rather than scraping it off the bottom while still creating those deep taste.

What u mention about adding little gravy and reducing is the same steps I use, I then add the last ladle to really just make up the volume as the taste is already there.

[Wrington]

Well, I've made a base sauce before from an indian restaurant cook book, but this is the first I've made in a while and it smells and tastes fab (I could eat it on its own!). Can't wait to try out a curry to go with it!

[ELW]

welcome wrington , let us know how this goes good or bad

Regards
ELW

[currymeariver]

Possibly relevant to the onion boiled flavour and and heat discussion:

When onions and their relatives are heated, the various sulfur compounds react with each other and with other substances to produce a range of characteristic flavor molecules. The cooking method, temperature and medium strongly affect the flavor balance. Baking, drying, and microwaving tend to generate trisulfides, the characteristic notes of overcooked cabbage. Cooking at high temperatures in fat produces more volatiles and a stronger flavor than do other techniques.

via http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/8289/why-do-onions-taste-sweeter-when-cooked-at-lower-temperature

[Dajoca]

Welcome Currymeariver.

Nice link to relevant info there and it has led me to my new word of the day.

fructooligosaccharides

Awesome.

[Peripatetic Phil]

fructooligosaccharides

Works better for me with a hyphen :  "fructo-oligosaccharides".  The original is probably American, and the hyphen was sadly lost by the Pilgrim Fathers somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic ocean ...

** Phil.