Topic: BIR, keep it simple - 9 Korma Chameleon recipes

[Korma Chameleon]

I've been cooking curry's over 20 years, but only in the last couple of years did I get into base sauce. Amazing how you can knock up a curry so quick.

Lots of different chefs method's are very similar but very wordy, which tends to make them seem different and can have you lose focus on the main thread. While documenting, I try and keep things simple and put the rest of the "fluff" down to experience. This way I managed pull together 9 completely different curry recipes in 1.5 pages of A4. Essentially it's a super short, concise, ebook. Thought I'd share. Not sure if this is the best place for such a thing, but I see this thread as more about 'keeping it simple', using a standard approach, adapted slightly for each recipe, and less about the recipes themselves. Follow this standard approach, and take ideas out of other peoples recipes to try and match what you are looking for in your own curry.

CURRY METHOD

Pre-fry
6 tbs veg oil
1-2 tsp garlic & ginger paste
1-2 tbs fine chopped onion & green pepper
Fry above until just before browning.

Spice fry
1 tsp chilli powder
Spices
Add above and fry some seconds.

Main cook
1 portion base sauce
1 tsp salt
1 portion of pre-cooked meat
On high heat, add some base sauce bit by bit to prevent the spices burning. Add the salt. Add the meat. Reduce to simmer. Thicken the sauce to the desired consistency.

Late additions
Add the aromatics and other late additions and simmer for a minute or 2.

THE CURRY'S
You'll notice I only fill in the blanks below. The ingredients in the curry's below are to be ADDED to the standard cook outlined above...

Standard
Spice fry: 1/2 tsp cumin powder.
Late additions: 1 tsp garam masala, pinch fenugreek leaves, fresh coriander.

Madras
Pre-fry: 1 tbs tomato puree, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce.
Spice fry: 1 tsp mix powder.
Late additions: pinch fenugreek leaves.

Jalfrazi
Pre-fry: half onion, half green pepper, half red pepper, 1 star anasi, 1 tbs tomato puree.
Spice fry: 1 tsp cumin powder.
Late additions: 1/2 tsp garam masala, pinch fenugreek leaves, fresh coriander.

Bhuna
Spice fry: 1 tsp coriander powder.
Late additions: 1/2 tsp garam masala, fresh coriander.

Bhuna Masala
Pre-fry: 50g mushrooms, half green pepper.
Spice fry: 1 tsp cumin powder.
Main cook: 1/4 tsp red food colour powder.
Late additions: 1.5 tsp garam masala, pinch fenugreek leaves, fresh coriander.

Do-Piaza
Pre-fry: 2 small onions (cut in strips).
Spice fry: 1 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder.
Late additions: 1 tsp garam masala, pinch fenugreek leaves, fresh coriander.

Korma
Change to standard: only 4 tbs veg oil, no ginger & garlic paste, no onion & green pepper, no chilli powder.
Spice fry: 1 tsp cumin powder.
Main cook: 2 tbs finely ground cashew nuts, 1/4 tsp yellow food colour powder.
Late additions: 150ml single cream, 1/2 tsp garam masala.

Sagwala
Change to standard: 7 tbs veg oil.
Spice fry: 2 brown cardamoms.
Main cook: 200g well chopped frozen or tinned spinach.
Late additions: 1.5 tsp garam masala.

Rogan Josh
Spice fry: 1 tsp cumin powder, 2 tsp paprika.
Late additions: 2 tbs yoghurt, 1 rough chopped tomato, 1 tsp garam masala, pinch fenugreek leaves, fresh coriander.

My favourites are the Jalfrazi & Sagwala, both made unique with the addition of their respective hard whole spice. Keeping my recipes written simple like this allows me to see easily what it is that contributes to the flavour of each curry, and so more easily pick out problem additions or omissions as I continue my search for perfection. My current base sauce of choice is Chewy's, which I split into 6 portions and cook with 400-500g meat.

[macferret]

That's a really good way of presenting recipes. A big LIKE from me.
Cheers,
Tim

[Unclefrank]

Same here http://www.notdelia.co.uk/british-indian-restaurant-curry-different-curry-styles/

[noble ox]

That's a good reference table
 Keep it simple

[Korma Chameleon]

Same here http://www.notdelia.co.uk/british-indian-restaurant-curry-different-curry-styles/

That's interesting; I'm not the only one  . So in a flash I can see what I can take from those recipes and what I wouldn't want to take. It well illustrates how such an approach can aid your own progress. For example, the key difference in your link between Madras and Vindaloo (other than chilli) is lemon vs. vinegar. But a Jalfrazi without pepper is not a Jalfrazi for me. But of course we have our own regional expectations, so when in such a format, such things are easy to see and tailor.

In almost 20 years of cooking curry from scratch, I had a strong portfolio of 2 curries. Inside 2 years using the base sauce approach, I have a strong portfolio of 9, and quickly growing.

[Garp]

Thanks for Sharing, KC  Although I wouldn't go along with all your recipes, I agree wholeheartedly with the concept.

[George]

Thanks for Sharing, KC 

Should you be thanking KC or the person behind notdelia? Or are they one and the same?

KC - please clarify.

[Garp]

Should you be thanking KC or the person behind notdelia? Or are they one and the same?
KC - please clarify.

I'm not really that bothered, George. Was just being nice

[Korma Chameleon]

Thanks for Sharing, KC 

Should you be thanking KC or the person behind notdelia? Or are they one and the same?

KC - please clarify.

It's not me if that's what you are asking. I'm actually Delia incognito  . I've never before seen a recipe written in such a way. Such probably does exist, and proven now, but I developed my shortened approach on my own and for my own benefit. That said, when I look deeper into the recipes in the nondelia link, base sauce etc., it's not really close to what I aim for. Some of it looks like it probably wouldn't turn out so well, like for instance having 4 tsp of spice mix as well as the other spices added to make each curry for 2. It strikes me that would be over spiced. But that's sort of irrelevant to my thread, as what I bring to the party here is the concise method approach, one that helps me and would probably aid others who tried it.

[macferret]

I'm not sure I can unpick who is and who isn't Not Delia, but whoever invented the format, I can only restate that I like the idea of recipes being presented in a shorthand that competent chefs will understand.
It always gets my back up when someone who has just eaten at my table casually says that I might like to email them *the recipe*.  (This has happened in restaurants as well as at home.) They don't stop to think that I have just done a  technical job that took years of hard yards to learn, and they assume that I can  just send them a page of A4 or maybe a Tweet to explain how. [I'm trying really hard not to use rude words like patronising (moderated) here.]
When you get off a bus you don't ask the driver to text you how to drive a Routemaster.  Airline pilots are not asked to scribble down how they do it so someone can have a go at home. I'm not remotely comparing my competency with that of an A380 captain, but the hours that are required to reach his/her competency are not dissimilar.
To be fair, a few people have phrased their request as: Could you teach me to cook this? But no-one has ever asked: How long would I take to learn to cook this? [Two years. Minimum.]
This rant has a conclusion: it is a great pleasure to be in the company of people who know what they are doing and can share recipes in shorthand like this.