Topic: Well, guess what?, never been here before

[scalexkid]

As title really....

my local tandoori does 'Ceylon Prawn', the endorphins start to move as I bring it home gently in the car, racing as I lift the lid of the tinfoil tray then BOOOOOOM! dive straight in with a spoon and "why have my lips gone numb....

I would love to replicate it.

[Sverige]

Hi and welcome. Speak to Madras Andy who is the resident expert on ruining a curry with too much chilli powder 

[Madrasandy]

Interesting post title scalexkid, welcome to the forum.
Sverige how can you say such a thing, chilies do not ruin curries  ;D ;D

[scalexkid]

Well now, just where do I begin...

Since my first post I have bought a large Stainless Steel pot and lid for base sauce, a mid-size steel frying pan for breads etc, and after what seems an eternity, (sons wedding, a spell away, VAT return to complete etc yada yada) followed Mick Crawford's eBook base sauce recipe and so made a start on my curry journey.

I have discovered that Norwich is not the 'indian' spice merchant capital of the world, and a saturday stroll along the street lined with BIR's took me to two rather different styles of Asian food shop. The first Mr Miah's was a little disappointing, he has been there for years, but he freely admitted that he was undergoing a complete overhaul of his shop and stock, so a hundred yards along was the 'Asian Bazaar'. Just walking in was an assault on my senses, a multitude of languages/accents, aroma's so enticing, vegetables I do not see in the 'farm-shop' places I go to normally, labels and freezer chests with produce from all over the (former) empire. This place has caribbean, West African, Indian sub-contintent goods a go-go.

In all I spent about ?20 on various goodies, still could not get Cassia Bark, or asafoetida and one or two other bits, nor did I see any cooking utensils or those natty round stainless steel multiple spice lidded containers.

Mrs Scalexkid came in and approved of the aroma wafting through so not a bad way to spend an afternoon, shopping & chopping, slicing and dicing, browning and boiling... and then whizzing with a hand blender before turning out 6 tin-foil trays and lids, 2 for prompt use, 4 for freezing.

Korma is about as lively as the missus will stand, and CA's recipe from here worked well, with just plain rice (Delia's perfect rice recipe work OK), and dare I say it some frozen Paratha's from ASDA  rounding it all off.

it looked, smelled, consistencied and tasted like supermarket take-away. A result. Of sorts, got to fine tune just where chicken is sourced (tonite's was catering grade frozen bits), just how much ground almond is added, spice mix after browning (again, tonight's was Shwartz Korma blend) etc.

But, without a doubt a daily read on here , reading of others successes has spurred me on to at least try.

Scalexkid

[Karahi Master]

Hi Scalexkid

Hope you are well. Did you actually manage to buy and spices from the Asian Bazaar. If so list them and I will try to run you through a recipe for a curry. Long term you are going to have to ditch the frozen base thing. Don't know where that idea came from? Curry bases are best prepared fresh. Never known one to be frozen.

[madpower]

Dont ditch the freezing idea,i think you will find plenty of members are well stocked up with frozen base,it is best to freeze it on the thick side (it saves space)and then add water to thin it once it as defrosted,i personally cant tell the difference between fresh and frozen.

[madpower]

I have a great recipe for a ceylon i was given,i will post it as soon as i find it.

[london]

Freezing is the way to go, I use zip loc bags to save on space. If I had to spend over an hour cooking a base every time I wanted a curry I don't think I'd bother and would just get a TA.

London.

[Peripatetic Phil]

If I had to spend over an hour cooking a base every time I wanted a curry I don't think I'd bother ...

You could always do what your (great-) grandmother would have done; simply keep the stock pot (i.e., base pot) on the stove and bring it to the boil once a day.  Which is, I suspect, what most T/As and restaurants do -- keep the base hot on the stove all the while the premises are open.

** Phil.

[scalexkid]

like the ever boiling stockpot idea phil. but my dad who spent nearly two years in Delhi in 46/7 doing national service in the RAF existed, I suspect, on Corned Beef and Spam and does not see any attraction in spiced food.

so the everlasting aroma (now waning after saturday afternoons cooking session) would not appeal.

scalexkid