Topic: Portion amounts

[davidandbess]

Hi guys, this is a very informative site with lots of detail for getting your preffered BIR
but I have been checking out various recipes and info and everything appears to be on the large scale i.e. base sauces even some of the actual recipes, since I will only be cooking for my wife and I, it is somewhat tricky trying to find suitable measures. Is there no way to include recipes and info for the home rather than the large kitche/restaurant.
Dare I say it even a seperate thread/forum

Thanking you in anticipation, David

 

[Chilli Prawn]

Hi D&B.  If you look through this Forum (yes i know it is big  :) you will find lots of similar posts to yours and very good replies that extend back to day one.  There is no easy solution I am afraid because BIR recipes, especially bases, work better when made in bulk.  However some of the stars here have put in a lot of effort to create recipes that work with smaller amounts.  In most cases with BIR stuf you can not simply reduce the volumes by ratio.

This page may help you http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1255.0 we have tried to put together some reference material and conversions.

Don't be put off and good luck with your mission.
CP

[davidandbess]

Thank you for your reply, you know I have sat here at this computer for the last 3 nights trying to digest all the info  but there comes a time when you have to get off your a@# and experiment, wish me luck.
Regards d/b

[merrybaker]

Hi, d&b.  When you find out how much the base sauce smells up the house (and clothes and furniture), you'll be glad to make one big batch and get it over with. ;D

But you can freeze it in single-serving amounts.  Then, any time you want a curry, just thaw a packet of sauce and toss it into the other ingredients, and you've got a curry in no time! 

[Mark J]

Hi mate

I only cook for myself and my wife as well.

The base recipes are always fairly large but are generally designed for freezing so the idea is you make a batch of base and freeze it in smaller 1-2 portion sizes eg

The final dish recipes are almost always for 1 portion

cheers

Mark

[Curry King]

I used to make a batch of base and use it before it had chance to go of, cut back a bit now though so freeze it like others have suggested.  When you make a base seperate into portions and freeze, as mentioned by merrybaker when you have all the premade "stuff" frozen or made up in the fridge it takes very little time and effort to whip up a curry!

cK

[davidandbess]

OK will try out and freeze into portions, better make sure I get it right

Regards D/B

[After8]

Yeah D&B, just to add to what CK said, making a curry for yourself is a 10-minute job when you have all the stuff ready. Its no more bother to make things in large amounts, as the bulk of the work is in washing up and hanging around when it cooks.

I do 1kg of rice at a time. When I have a curry, I just defrost a bag and 'ping', job done!

A8

[George]

The reason I don't make large volumes of base is that I don't see it as either necessary or desirable.

I don't see it as necessary because my experience is that pro-rata scale-downs work perfectly well. I know that some others disagree.

I don't see it as desirable because if you're not too keen on the recipe you try, or you make a mistake, then there's potentially an awful lot of base to use up or throw away. It could, effectively, block you from trying any further recipes for several weeks or months, until you use up all the existing sauce. If you use the base even quicker, it could be unhealthy.

It is however necessary, in my opinion, to start with original large scale BIR kitchen recipes and work from there. I'd sooner scale the recipe down myself than have the chef do it and publish his 'home version' in a book or anywhere else.

Regards
George

[Mark J]

I don't see it as desirable because if you're not too keen on the recipe you try, or you make a mistake, then there's potentially an awful lot of base to use up or throw away.

Thats the reason I avoid large base recipes also