Topic: Base Gravy,Oil v Without Oil.

[sp]

from my recent stint helping out in a BIR kitchen the Pakistani chef told me that the oil is essential, the more the better, up to 10 litres of oil is used in the base ("you don't have to eat it!" - scooped off and put in the bin after the oil seperates during main-dish cooking), and no water.  It's just onions, spices, salt, oil, yoghurt and a touch a tomato puree for colour (as the white tower stuff "is tasteless") and "if your gravy isn't right, your curries won't be right".  and when they were cooking the staff curry (usually chana chaat) i was told that it was "the same ingredients, just cooked in a different way".

unfortunately i never found out exactly what those spices (apart from chilli powder and cumin seeds) were and i was always either there when the gravy was getting started or blended at the end, they were a bit evasive when it came to the gravy, everything else they were very open about with recipes, the naans, pakoras, methods etc

[sp]

also when making the curries themselves, the base tasted just like a normal curry sauce itself, but a mild version, so when making a madras for example they'd use a ladle of (oily) base to start off, followed by garlic & ginger paste (50/50 ratio), freshly chopped coriander, methi leaves, chilli powder, meat or vegetables, any accompaniments like sliced peppers etc, then a couple of ladles more base, cook through, scoop the oil off the top into the bin and serve.  korma was the same base, but with st ivel uht cream, almond powder, sugar and coconut block

[littlechilie]

Hi
Garp yes I'm using no tomatoes now as it's added at the start of dish.

Sp
thanks for your kind info, I have never eaten an oily korma nor would I want to! I just couldn't imagine the base you describe working with the oil content so high.

[littlechilie]

Here is a Vindaloo cooked tonight, using a no oil basic Onion base approach! IMO every bit as tasty as any good quality BIR.

[sp]

Some photos from my time in the restaurant kitchen...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1427861947496092.1073741834.100008169000315&type=1&l=6504f71798

[haldi]

Im not sure I completely agree there lc, Ive made jb base with no peppers and it is not as good as when made with IMO

I did the same
I omitted red pepper when I had none in the house, and the base was not as good
It's a very carefully balanced recipe
You don't realise this until you start changing things
I've probably ruined many bases by just a wrong quantity or missing a little something

[ELW]

Some photos from my time in the restaurant kitchen...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1427861947496092.1073741834.100008169000315&type=1&l=6504f71798

Nice post sp.

ELW

[bamble1976]

Hi littlechillie

do you find you get a lot of water seeping out of the curry on to the plate?  I Find it happens in a normal base if I do not cook the base until the oil rises to the top therefore I would expect it to be worse using a no oil base?

barry

[sp]

Thanks, I'm adding more photos at the moment and have a video or two to upload as well

[macferret]

Tomato in the gravy - I'm not a fan. But then I prefer a Bangladeshi old-style curry such as you got in the London area in the 1980s (and often still do in Brick Lane and South London.) The high tomato content is more of a Pakistani / Punjabi thing.  Glasgow curries tend to have a lot of tomato in the base, for instance. But I find it too sharp. All a matter of taste of course.