Topic: Chef Abdul salam

[livo]

It doesn't matter if it's "BIR" or not.  I'll make this recipe and try it out. Then, after having made it, I might make comment on the end result and where I am, whether it's "BIR" or not won't matter.

This has great potential and I'm eager to give it a go.

[George]

This has great potential and I'm eager to give it a go.

I agree. I'm also keen to try both the base and chicken curry. I've never heard of anyone processing solid spices and bay leaves with a blender before, but that's not to say it's a bad way of preparing a base.

[Garp]

It doesn't matter if it's "BIR" or not.  I'll make this recipe and try it out. Then, after having made it, I might make comment on the end result and where I am, whether it's "BIR" or not won't matter.

This has great potential and I'm eager to give it a go.

I have no issues with it not being BIR; I love traditional/homestyle/whatever you want to call it cooking.

My only issue was with it being advertised as BIR, and being something completely different.

BTW Livo - please observe social distancing and keep at least two metres between my posts and yours 

[George]

I have no issues with it not being BIR; I love traditional/homestyle/whatever you want to call it cooking.
My only issue was with it being advertised as BIR, and being something completely different.

I agree with you, too.

[livo]

My concern as well George, so I'll probably split it in two before blending only half the bark and leaf in one portion.  I doubt it will be significant but you never know.

I take your point Garp.  I admit to being initially frustrated with Latif's Inspired for making a base gravy but then showing more traditionally cooked dishes that didn't use it.  He eventually did and I don't know how he actually cooks in his restaurant for service to patrons. But really, if Chef Abdul actually used this method to produce the dish he sold in the restaurant and it is a Base Gravy and Mixed Powder dish what exactly makes it not BIR?  You've said it isn't BIR. Why is it not?

Is it just the chicken cooked from raw?  Misty Ricardo recently ran a live stream giving similar advice. You could use pre-cooked or cook in the dish.

Is it just the reverse process of dilution at the finish instead of start wet and reduce in stages. Is it because he used a wok instead of an aluminium pan? Is it because he cooked it at home?

I'm not having a chip at you Garp. I'd just really like to know what it is exactly that makes any dish BIR or not.  I've converted traditional recipes to replicate the commonly practised "BIR" method before and done side by side with no significant discernable difference.

[George]

... You've said it isn't BIR. Why is it not? Is it just the chicken cooked from raw?  Misty Ricardo recently ran a live stream giving similar advice. You could use pre-cooked or cook in the dish.

You raise an interesting point and it's my reason for being keen to try Abdul's recipe. I believe there's no better way to kill a BIR style curry than adding fresh chicken with minimal spicing like Misty does. But Abdul adds so much spice that it could compensate for all the chicken juices and taste good.

[Secret Santa]

what exactly makes it not BIR?  You've said it isn't BIR. Why is it not?

It's not ... because of the quantity made and the time taken. A true BIR curry, as exemplified in this forum, is a single portion dish able to be cooked in five to ten minutes. Just as in a BIR or takeaway on a busy night. BIR is a term introduced on this forum in its early days and now liberally abused by various Youtube patrons.

Of course, technically, anything cooked in a BIR is a BIR dish but for the aforementioned reason ... not always!

P.S. I just noticed your point about the use of raw chicken. The only time you'll see raw chicken being used in a BIR is for a staff curry, like in this one. In all BIR curries it will be precooked meat as a time saving and hygiene factor, so that would be another reason for this not being what we know as BIR.

[romain]

It's not ... because of the quantity made and the time taken. A true BIR curry, as exemplified in this forum, is a single portion dish able to be cooked in five to ten minutes. Just as in a BIR or takeaway on a busy night. BIR is a term introduced on this forum in its early days and now liberally abused by various Youtube patrons.

My guess is that he has adapted his signature dish for home cooking in this video. I looked at the images in his gallery and I didn't see any chicken curry on the bones. Plus from what I gather, the dining public generally wouldn't go for it.

[livo]

Thanks SS.  Your answer makes complete sense and is sort of what I expected. It also infers that there is "The BIR Method" which is not restricted to Britain as it is now used globally, and there is "BIR food" which is geographically limited to The British Isles and may or may not be prepared using The BIR Method.

In future when I'm asked if I've ever tried BIR food I can answer  "yes but no".

Indian takeaways and food hall outlets over here have curries pre-cooked in heated bain-marie. Is this something you have in UK?  I've seen these cooked and it isn't traditional home style or done in single serves to order, but it is definately Indian restaurant style food.  Can bulk dishes for multiple helpings be considered BIR?

It doesn't matter.  What does matter is that Chef Abdul has provided a restaurant base gravy version that is different and interesting. I recently tried another different curry base raised here in the forum (Waqar from Sweet Centre Bradford video)  and my family loved the dishes I made in using it.  I look forward to giving Chef Abdul's gravy a test run with both the dish he made and in BIR Method dishes.

[George]

when I started eating Indian food in this country, "on the bone" was the norm, with a 50p surcharge for "off the bone" and a further 50p surcharge for breast rather than leg. 

I recall the same choice but it was all pre-cooked so nothing like Abdul's recipe.