Topic: Should we use Pataks pastes?

[Stu-pot]

If we want a BIR restaurant flavour, should we use Pataks?
If the restaurants use them, should we ignore them and say they are sheet or use them ourselves?

I found a great quote from back in 2009 by GEORGE...   and George, you are so right:

"I think I look at it in a completely different way! If BIRs which produce top flight BIR dishes use ready mixed pastes and other bought-in ingredients, then I suggest we need to. It seems highly likely they do - I've seen several commercial products in every BIR kitchen I've ever viewed. A key challenge must be to figure out exactly when and where these products are used, and to follow suit, even if it's unhealthy and the products contain loads of salt and horrible chemicals. Nobody said BIR food is good for you!
Report to Moderator     Logged"

I've even seen the 3 Pataks in 50% of kitchens I've been to in India!   Lol.... 

What's the problem with using them. Do we think we are "better than that" ? 

[Stu-pot]

Just found a quote from Phil... Probably many years ago (do you still Support Phil?)

My view is that it is important to be open-minded about all ideas; if someone achieves success using a Patak's product, let he or she share tjheir success so that others can try to emulate it if they wish.  Patak's products are not evil, they are simply commercial versions of pastes (etc) that every Indian housewife would have made for herself in the past; preservatives are not evil, they are a useful adjunct in our modern lifestyle, and if a product can have a shelf life of (say) six months with preservative, or six days without, and still taste the same, then let us not rule it out simply because it contains "chemicals".  Everything that we eat/drink/respire contains chemicals, and we ourselves are made of chemicals; it can, I suggest, be useful to remind ourselves of that from time to time.  Read the late Jack Pridham's Chemophilia for an refreshing perspective on this from a very well informed and respected academic.

** Phil.

Hope you guys don't mind your earlier quotes being brought to date?

This is a forum after all!

I AGREE WITH THEM.   

[Peripatetic Phil]

Just found a quote from Phil... Probably many years ago (do you still Support Phil?)

My view is that it is important to be open-minded about all ideas; if someone achieves success using a Patak's product, let he or she share their success so that others can try to emulate it if they wish.  Patak's products are not evil, they are simply commercial versions of pastes (etc) that every Indian housewife would have made for herself in the past; preservatives are not evil, they are a useful adjunct in our modern lifestyle, and if a product can have a shelf life of (say) six months with preservative, or six days without, and still taste the same, then let us not rule it out simply because it contains "chemicals".  Everything that we eat/drink/respire contains chemicals, and we ourselves are made of chemicals; it can, I suggest, be useful to remind ourselves of that from time to time.  Read the late Jack Pridham's Chemophilia for an refreshing perspective on this from a very well informed and respected academic.

** Phil.

Hope you guys don't mind your earlier quotes being brought to date?

Absolutely not, and I stand by everything I wrote that you have quoted above.
** Phil.

[Garp]

I suppose it depends on your aims, Stu.

If you want to make curries like they do in BIR/TA, and they use Pataks pastes, then use it. What has interested me more, over the years, has been trying to make these things using the basic building blocks like single spices etc. It's just what I want to achieve from my cooking, and there is a lot of satisfaction in it for me. Like making a good garam masala; once I found I could make one every bit as good as commercial, I'm happy to go back to the commercial one I like after that. But that's just what I want to do, and everyone has different aims.

As for Pataks pastes, I adopt the approach that it is an effort v reward thing. Do I really want to spend six months messing about trying to replicate them? Of course I do. Will the end  result justify the effort required? In this case probably not. Not that I use them much though I do love the garlic pickle now in my Basanti, and I use the pastes for Chewy's red masala sauce.