Topic: A New Development?

[Stephen Lindsay]

My partner and I have been getting a takeaway curry on Wednesday evenings when we are making our way back from an evening class in St Andrews. We were pleasantly surprised when we went there first as from the outside it just looks like a shed, but inside it is really well equipped and the staff there are very friendly. So we got chatting to the chef owner who is still a relatively young chap in his thirties but nevertheless he has been working in the trade for 17 years and he said he started in a well known restaurant in Dundee where he was only allowed to work front of house to begin with.

We got chatting about some local restaurants and he seems to know most of the places and who runs them and he was particularly complimentary about the standard of cooking in the two or three places that I go to.

We have become well known faces now and I took a chance and showed him some pics of my own curries and he asked a few questions about recipes and I got the impression that he realised I had a fairly good working knowledge of how to cook a decent curry. So I said to him that I would cook a couple of curries for him and bring them in to get his opinion. He was very happy to do so.

You will have seen my recent post where I took a bunch of curries through to my friend's house in Edinburgh., so on that morning I did another two curries - a medium chicken curry (basic, no place to hide) and a Pasanda - completely different of course, but deliberately so as I wanted to try and show him a bit of variety. So we took them into him on the way to Edinburgh and I will get some feedback the next time I see him.

I am looking forward to some constructive criticism!

[livo]

I thought your Pasanda photo looked excellent. It would have been my choice.

[littlechilie]

Good luck Stephen, I

[Stephen Lindsay]

Good luck Stephen, I

[Stephen Lindsay]

I thought your Pasanda photo looked excellent. It would have been my choice.

Livo - the Pasanda is not something I would usually cook, but I had enough lamb for two curries. I did a lamb Madras because it is my pal's usual choice and as I like a creamy curry with lamb I opted for the Pasanda. I also cooked it with no spice mix, just the spice that is in the Taz base. For me this was a revelation because it was as close to a restaurant curry as I have ever managed to achieve. I was therefore well pleased with the result.

[littlechilie]

I thought your Pasanda photo looked excellent. It would have been my choice.

Livo - the Pasanda is not something I would usually cook, but I had enough lamb for two curries. I did a lamb Madras because it is my pal's usual choice and as I like a creamy curry with lamb I opted for the Pasanda. I also cooked it with no spice mix, just the spice that is in the Taz base. For me this was a revelation because it was as close to a restaurant curry as I have ever managed to achieve. I was therefore well pleased with the result.

Hi Stephen, I would love to hear a more in-depth description of your non use of mixed powder. This would fit perfectly into the recently resurrected mix powder topic.. Over spicing of curry is something that in my opinion  takes us far away from authentic Bir.

[Peripatetic Phil]

The one thing that struck me about the Taz base (which I have cooked only once, for February's group test) was that it seemed very turmeric-heavy; -- his base is far yellower than any other I have tried.  But the finished curries, on the other hand, don't seem turmeric-heavy at all.  I have no theories to explain this, I merely report it out of interest.

** Phil.

[Unclefrank]

I am a big fan of the Taz base and also Stephens recipes that go with it, still use them to this day, so thanks Stephen.

[Stephen Lindsay]

The one thing that struck me about the Taz base (which I have cooked only once, for February's group test) was that it seemed very turmeric-heavy; -- his base is far yellower than any other I have tried.  But the finished curries, on the other hand, don't seem turmeric-heavy at all.  I have no theories to explain this, I merely report it out of interest.

** Phil.

My base might be even more yellow Phil because I tend to use a yellow pepper instead of red or green - I find the green makes it a little more grey. Not a major issue but just a small preference.

[Stephen Lindsay]

Hi Stephen, I would love to hear a more in-depth description of your non use of mixed powder. This would fit perfectly into the recently resurrected mix powder topic.. Over spicing of curry is something that in my opinion  takes us far away from authentic Bir.

LC this is the only time I have not used mix powder in a curry and it worked certainly for the Pasanda. In most recipes I will use 1 tsp. My partner was quite taken with this the first time she watched me cook a curry because she was amazed at how little spice mix was used.