Topic: What's Missing?!!! (Stock, Seasoning and/or Flavour Enhancer?)

[King Prawn]

IMO the taste does not come from chicken or any other meat. It might help if you are preparing a meat dish, but other than that it's not important.

I say this with conviction as my local BIR has both a normal and vegetarian gravey in the kitchen and either will produce 'the smell' and 'the taste'.

KP(V)

[spicysarsy]

Sorry Chilli, with reference to my last post, I did mean Jaggery, not demera. Paul 

[NairB]

IMO the taste does not come from chicken or any other meat. It might help if you are preparing a meat dish, but other than that it's not important.

I say this with conviction as my local BIR has both a normal and vegetarian gravey in the kitchen and either will produce 'the smell' and 'the taste'.

KP(V)

Agreed KP. A couple of my mates are veggie and when we eat together, their curries 100% veggie have the same smell, taste so its not the chicken stock IMO. 

[King Prawn]

Just wish we knew *where* it was.....

KP(V)

[Yellow Fingers]

It's definitely the base
I made an exact copy of a curry when the takeaway sold me some spice mix and curry gravy
I did the same again, with a base I made, and it wasn't quite as good

Hi p...err, haldi   

I must admit I'm in a state of flux over this one. I'm honestly not totally convinced one way or the other. The base you refer to in your post though, wasn't that the one bought from the restaurant that you said produced a good curry, but not with the taste and smell as we would normally require? If so how can you be sure it really is in the base?

YF

[Cory Ander]

......IMO the taste does not come from chicken or any other meat.....I say this with conviction as my local BIR has both a normal and vegetarian gravey in the kitchen and either will produce 'the smell' and 'the taste'.....

I hear what you're saying KP, but the intensity and depth of flavour and aroma, savouriness and richness do not have to (only) come from chicken or meat or their (natural or pre-processed) stocks. 

They can also come from (natural or pre-processed) vegetable stock and/or other (pre-processed) non-meat based seasonings and flavour enhancers (e.g. salt/MSG/sugar/starch/onion/garlic/spice/herb/articial flavourings/etc mixes).

Regards,

[Chilli Prawn]

I find this thread very interesting and something in my brain cell says there is some connection.  In my non-ucb production I do not add any extra flavour adjusting/enhancing ingredients, e.g. stock, just salt.  Over the years I have discovered two main processes that influence the final flavour.

1. The cooking of the meat in the sauce or precooked
2. the stage in which salt is added and what amount is used.

There is a third not so important, which is the addition of GM and acidifier at the later stages.

Yes, the spices and their amounts to make some difference but the prime changes in flavour and smell.

If you watch good chefs prepping they all produce their own stock which they use to create their signature dishes.  These can be made totally from vegetables or totally from meat, or a mix of the two.  They can be pre roasted before simmering and reduction or not.  Rarely are any flavour modifiers/enhancers used, e.g. salt, pepper, etc., are used, the flavour comes purely from the natural flavours releases in the base.  However wine or vinegar are used quite often

Food for thought?
CP

[haldi]

 If so how can you be sure it really is in the base?

YF

Get some base and spice mix and try it
You can just make a sauce or add prawns (which are not BIR precooked)
If they won't give you the stuff, I'm sure they would sell it
I believe that when the base is cooked in the curry, it produces "the taste"

[Yellow Fingers]

I believe that when the base is cooked in the curry, it produces "the taste"

Interesting. Are you saying that the shop bought base on its own doesn't have the "taste and smell", but when you then make the curry it develops the taste and smell while cooking?

YF

[After8]

Funny, isn't it, how most BIR stuff seems to have that smokey taste. This includes the naan breads and the dishes that don't use any base. I've noticed pretty big bags of MSG, and some stuff called meat tenderiser, at my local Asian suppier.  I bought some MSG once, but bottled out from using it as I had no idea how much to put in.

When you think of it, a restaurant is judged purely on flavour, not how good the food is for you. There aren't really any combacks regarding the actually health benefits (or lack of) as long as they don't overstep the line. If there was a cheap, powdered product that I could buy which would  enhance my work and make my business more profitable, I'm pretty sure I would use it!

A8