Topic: korma paste from the take-away

[jb]

Here's how my local take-away Chef prepares his korma paste.It's quite simple to do,and although I know korma is not everyone's favourite curry I think it's still good to know how a genuine BIR chef cooks one.The paste itself is really a time saving measure,much like the massala paste I've posted before it saves a lot of time when the kitchen is busy and the chef has a lot of dishes to cook at once.

First in a pan he puts in 8 chef spoons of butter ghee and then adds 1 chef spoon of ginger/garlic paste.Then he takes one of his large empty yoghurt pots and fills it with equal amounts of mango chutney,tinned fruit cocktail,plain yoghurt an a little water.This is blended and then added to the big pot.After cooking this for a while he fills a large empty tomato puree tin with sugar and then adds that together with a carton of UHT cream.He then adds a big tray of mixed coconut flour and almond powder,he said more coconut rather than almond.The last thing he adds is a tablespoon of kewra water and then blends the pot so its's really smooth.Here's how it looks in the take-away....

[jb]

Like I said,the paste is quite simple and it does save the chef a lot of time cooking a korma instead of added seperate ingerdients to the pan like I've seen other chefs do.The kewra water is new one for me,I've seen it on the Chef's shelf before and wondered what he used it for.I think it's sometimes used for Indan deserts,although I seem to remember the Kushi Balti book used it in their massala paste.

I still go to the take-away every week,usually on Sunday although sometimes on a Friday Or Saturday as well.It's great watching the chefs cook,I've watched them cook just about everything on the menu now.I still find it strange how welcoming the guys are,they have no problem in me watching them cook and If I go early before the place opens I get to see them do the prep work as well.Still can't see any magic or secret ingredients though!

[Unclefrank]

JB how much almond powder and coconut powder would you say there is in the big tray?
Thanks.

[Peripatetic Phil]

If I go early before the place opens I get to see them do the prep work as well.Still can't see any magic or secret ingredients though!

Nor will you ! But without any doubt at all, you will become a far far better BIR chef from seeing curries made by real experts rather than reading 2nd-hand reports, and you will also become a far far better chef than most of your readers here can ever hope to aspire to, myself (of course) included.

** Phil.

[Micky Tikka]

Thanks for posting jb
interesting stuff again
cheers MT

[jb]

JB how much almond powder and coconut powder would you say there is in the big tray?
Thanks.

Bit difficult to say exactly,it was in one of the trays they use for their pre-cooked potatoes or meat.They scoop it out using an old catering size tomato puree tin,I reckon about three tins were there.Certainly more coconut than almond,whereas the masala paste has more almond than coconut powder.Everything is done by eye,the chef knows exactly how much to put in his pre cooked stuff.

[Secret Santa]

Looking at the ingredients in this curry and the ones in the chicken garam masala it's difficult not to think that they're more like Scottish concoctions than anything you'd normally find south of the border. Does this guy have roots up north perhaps?

Good stuff btw jb, keep it coming.

[Unclefrank]

Cheers JB.

[Sverige]

Another great and informative thread JB, much appreciated.

[Graeme]

Thanks for posting this, good stuff :-)