Topic: Pre-cooking rewards and by-product.

[Kashmiri Bob]

I don't include whole spices in the Bangladeshi base gravy I use.  They are introduced via the pre-cooks.  Consequently the pre-cook recipe/technique is central to my efforts.  I'd go as far as saying (for me) the pre-cooks are in fact more important than the base gravy.

Rob     

[livo]

  I'd go as far as saying (for me) the pre-cooks are in fact more important than the base gravy.

Rob     

After my most recent results I'd have to join you in that.

[JerryM]

I've tried simpler methods of pre-cook and always been underwhelmed by them.

i've not experimented with pre cook liquids very much (felt it was a blind alley).

my observation is down to trying to analyse the finished dish and identify what characteristics make it taste good. its why i make each dish many times without any meat - the taste needs to stack up on its own (the spice, the base, the recipe ingredients). its the rest of the dish ingredients that are not right if reliant on pre cook.

i have no axe to grind eitherway. i guess as Bob is demonstrating there are many ways to skin the cat so to speak. one for personal preference.

[Madrasandy]

When I order a take away, the sauce in a chicken tikka curry tastes exactly the same as in a chicken curry, chicken cooked 2 different ways but the sauce is the same

[littlechilie]

its why i make each dish many times without any meat - the taste needs to stack up on its own (the spice, the base, the recipe ingredients). its the rest of the dish ingredients that are not right if reliant on

Hi JerryM

I could not agree more I cook the same tests, a dish or gravy should stand up without pre cooked ingredients.
It should taste good alone with oil,spice,garlic and sauce in the first place.

[fried]

I find that adding too much of the pre-cook sauce adds too much flavour. I recently did my standard Viceroy chicken precook and used it to make a Madras, the addition of a lot of whole spice flavour tastes good, but might not necessarily be what you're looking for if you're trying to make indentical reproductions of BIR curries.

[livo]

its why i make each dish many times without any meat - the taste needs to stack up on its own (the spice, the base, the recipe ingredients). its the rest of the dish ingredients that are not right if reliant on pre cook.

A very good point J.  I see where you are wit this, and it's much cheaper to do this as well.  I can see a lot of sauce only dishes coming up.

[JerryM]

I found the pre cook sauce too strong to. It also can contain seed. Hence the conclusion that if using better to add when making base.

As for trying to replicate a dish. I Research all the recipe I can find. Guess a good starting point then  change 1 off variable repeatedly making say 7 dishes over a week. I may even repeat until I get a taste that fits BIR. I generally eat most and chuck very little.

I find you need to make a dish repeatedly in this way to understand what each ingredient does. Even the proportions.

I often get a take out to do side by side comparison.

It's only when I'm happy that I addin meat and try out on the family.

[livo]

Looks like a plan J. 

I'm trying all sorts of different things at the moment and enjoying everything.  Some dishes are better than others obviously, but I haven't needed to bin anything yet.

My family are just getting a bit over curry so I have to mix it all up a bit or buy a bigger freezer.

[Madrasandy]

As for trying to replicate a dish. I Research all the recipe I can find. Guess a good starting point then  change 1 off variable repeatedly making say 7 dishes over a week.
I often get a take out to do side by side comparison.

It's only when I'm happy that I addin meat and try out on the family.

Yep totally agree