Topic: Lamb <whatever>

[Peripatetic Phil]

Planning to make a lamb biryani, I yesterday made a lamb curry to use as the base.  I followed no recipe (whence the name) and did as follows

[Secret Santa]

So was it the synergy of all the ingredients that resulted in this serendipitous outcome or do you attribute it to a particular ingredient? The kala namak seems to stand out as not typically BIR.

[livo]

This sounds interesting.  I see you found some kala namak (black salt) and it would seem to provide the taste you wanted?  How was the lamb pre cooked?

The 2 mirch powders you've used are yet another source of frustration and amusement, (for me anyway) depending upon which information / misinformation you read.
 Kashmiri Chilli is a variety of chilli (grown in a geographical region i think) yet some claims are made that Kashmiri mirch powder is a blend. Mild and colourful.
 Deggi, Degghi, Deghi mirch or (other spellings) is apparently a blend containing the Kashmiri variety and others including Paprika, but it is either extremely hot or very mild and used mainly for colour.  

Anyway, it would appear that whatever it was you used was to your liking. I guess that's what counts. ;D

[Peripatetic Phil]

So was it the synergy of all the ingredients that resulted in this serendipitous outcome or do you attribute it to a particular ingredient? The kala namak seems to stand out as not typically BIR.

It [kala namak] is something to which I have become somewhat addicted, having discovered only very recently just how different it is to Himalayan pink salt,  As to synergy/serendepity, a little of both I feel, since I tried exactly the same with a chicken leg (chopped through the bone) and although it was perfectly edible it lacked a certain je ne sais quoi.  It (the chicken curry, that is) certainly picked up when I added some onion salad (which I had also eaten yesterday, albeit with a little tomato which I didn't have today) but while the lamb was 100% pure BIR heaven, the chicken was sadly only 85%.

This sounds interesting.  I see you found some kala namak (black salt) and it would seem to provide the taste you wanted?  How was the lamb pre cooked?

Not entirely sure.  I took it from the freezer, and all that my label said was "Currying lamb, pre-cooked".  Almost certainly bhunaoed in a Mehran masala, but which one I can no longer be sure (probably "fry/karahi  mutton masala"), then basically made into a curry using normal techniques and cooked until soft.  That may well explain the difference with today's chicken, which I defrosted in the microwave oven at 10% for 95 minutes immersed in 350ml KD1 base which I then used to make the curry.

The 2 mirch powders you've used are yet another source of frustration and amusement, [...]

I use only the MDH brand of these, and with MDH I can be confident that the Kashmiri is primarily for colour whilst the Degghi is for heat ...

** Phil.

[Secret Santa]

It [kala namak] is something to which I have become somewhat addicted, having discovered only very recently...

The only time I think I've used black salt is way back in the mists of time when, like many others, I was making spice blends from scratch believing that somehow this was how BIRs must do it and was, at least in part therefore, the BIR secret. We're talking around forty years ago though! On that occasion it was used for making chaat masala and possibly tandoori chicken. I may have had occasion to experiment with it since then but memory doesn't serve. The fact that I didn't pursue its further use presumably meant that it didn't, for me, ring any BIR bells.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I was making spice blends from scratch believing that somehow this was how BIRs must do it

I have to say, that is exactly how Mrs Bari (of the Golden Temple, Bodmin) does it

[chewytikka]

It [kala namak] is something to which I have become somewhat addicted, having discovered only very recently...

Amazing, it only took you 7 years for Kala Namak,
has your flatulence levels increased since you have become addicted?
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=6109.msg60808#msg60808

Goes well with Tripe

[Peripatetic Phil]

It [kala namak] is something to which I have become somewhat addicted, having discovered only very recently...

Amazing, it only took you 7 years for Kala Namak,

70 years, not 7.  Indian food did exist before you joined this forum, CT, although I appreciate that this will come as something of a blow to your ego ...

[Peripatetic Phil]

Made a third version of this last night, again using a chicken leg chopped through the bone, but on this occasion allowed to defrost naturally (before chopping, needless to say !) and then cooked from raw by adding to the pan as soon as the spices and g/g paste were giving off their "we need base" smell.  I used Laziza fry/karahi masala (two teaspoonsful) as the basic spice mix, plus degghi mirch, Kashmiri mirch and kala namak as before,  Not quite as good as the lamb, but close

[TikkaTai]

Made a third version of this last night, again using a chicken leg chopped through the bone, but on this occasion allowed to defrost naturally (before chopping, needless to say !) and then cooked from raw by adding to the pan as soon as the spices and g/g paste were giving off their "we need base" smell. 

I'd like to try this tonight Phil  How long did you cook the chicken leg for approx

Tai