Topic: BIR cooking method

[ELW]

@ELW



It doesnt go on at all in some places, the spices are sometimes cooked in the base.
The spices were all cooked the same way in the zaal/fleet visit, regardless of vindaloo/ Madras/ bhuna / roshney.

The Zaal use mix powder when making a curry spices ground are in the mix powder the post explains the cooking of them.

Some places don't use powdered spice at all except in the base, but still turn out a bhuna. How does that work?
There was no difference in spice frying technique(zaal) in any of the dishes. It was only noted that the spice mix could be cooked longer than they thought possible.

[noble ox]

GerryM
Said
My post was aimed at learning something new. I was not wanting to go back to school though.

Its a bit hard for some to remember on this forum that are all levels of curry cooks,
The post was to help all not just the "top of the class gang" who appear to be more skilled at blindly picking holes in threads for ego massaging

ELW
said
Some places don't use powdered spice at all except in the base, but still turn out a bhuna. How does that work?

The base is not the END product its the cooking of the curry and the mix powders that are added in MOST birs You need to see not watch some of the videos for many examples
Some chefs add spices because they know them by heart mix powders are used so that not so skilled  staff members can help out

[mickdabass]

Thanks Noble Ox for posting the information.
The author of the material is not really of interest to me. After reading the info I have decided that most of it is not in my humble opinion relevant to my own personal curry quest, but feel sure it might be to some people somewhere.
Thanks again

Best Regards

Mick

[noble ox]

Thanks for the pos response Mickdabass
If it helps 1 person that is what a forum is for

[ELW]

GerryM
Said
My post was aimed at learning something new. I was not wanting to go back to school though.

Its a bit hard for some to remember on this forum that are all levels of curry cooks,
The post was to help all not just the "top of the class gang" who appear to be more skilled at blindly picking holes in threads for ego massaging

ELW
said
Some places don't use powdered spice at all except in the base, but still turn out a bhuna. How does that work?

The base is not the END product its the cooking of the curry and the mix powders that are added in MOST birs You need to see not watch some of the videos for many examples
Some chefs add spices because they know them by heart mix powders are used so that not so skilled  staff members can help out

It's a forum after all noble ox, if there's holes then they'll be picked. It's better than cheerleading, backslapping worse still adult jealousy
 There's alternative methods of achieving bir@home, unfortunately there's not much of it on this forum. No powders are used at all when cooking the finished dishes in one of my locals.
Only powdered turmeric & whole spices blended in the gravy. The gravy is tailored by the chef/cook to be versatile.
The dishes all taste different, with a very slight aniseed flavour in the background. The guy knows what he's doing.

Regards
ELW

[Secret Santa]

No powders are used at all when cooking the finished dishes in one of my locals.
Only powdered turmeric & whole spices blended in the gravy.

Can you elaborate on that a tad ELW as I'm having difficulty understanding how a BIR curry can be made with no added powders...by which I assume you mean chilli, methi, mix, etc?

[Madrasandy]

Yes ELW could you elaborate on the no powder added to the final dish, Im very interested in this, I sometimes use blended chilli's instead of powder but after that Im struggling to see how it can be done

[ELW]

The only powders I use in the base are turmeric & sometimes gm. Whole cumin/coriander in the base. Blended green chilli paste in the base,  a very small amount. Kashmiri chilli powder although nice adds a flavour i've never tasted in a curry here, so that's out. If I never had any fresh chilli, i'd use powder but it takes minutes to make

Didn't really think of methi as a powder. But yes dried methi leaves in the finished dish not in the base.
No mix powders flash fried in the pan

If i've got some made, i'll add Ashoka banjara paste to the finished dish, which has a touch of gm cooked slowly in the paste. If the gravy is under or overcooked the banjara paste will be lost as will a mix powder alternative.

Think one of my locals uses whole spice /water stock to flavour their gravy, as with zaal/kushi stuff
Regards

Of note to showing its not a regional thing there's a video somewhere of jb doing a mix powder free pathia
at a place called zaman in datchet I think


It all gets there in the end,. Cooking of the onions & veg properly makes it bir, that's the bit you cant really learn quickly,without making mistakes
Regards
ELW

[madstwatter]

I think you are right as my curries seem to be ruined by an over powering flavour coming from the veg and onions rather than the lack of a particular ingredient. What am I not doing right? I have cooked the veg and onions for various different lengths and have used pressure cookers etc but the taste doesn't seem to change.

[JerryM]

noble ox,

my english is not that brill and all should always ask me to clarify what i mean if its not clear.

my issue with the post was that it could send members on the wrong track.

the details on tarka etc at the start of the post originate from Traditional cooking.

they are all used in BIR. the importance though is in applying those basic statements in the BIR. this application is not well visible but crucial in mastering the BIR.

in short the most important "half" of the information is left out.

i would have liked to explore the application and was the aim of my post.

in short the topic is great as Traditional Cooking Method.

in the end the post has got all mixed up. just one of those things