Topic: Who believes there is a secret ingredient to the curry base?

[acik24]

Well put Adamski,

There is no secret. Somewhere on the internet I read a survey on Chicken Tikka Masala. They tested 38 all from different restaurants and the only common ingredient between all 38 was the chicken!

I have made loads of curry sauces all similar to the ones on this site and they produce curries far better than most restaurants!

Regards ACIK24

[Bangra]

lo Corry,

            By cooking process ,I think its the right amount of spices added at the right stage  and cooked for the correct length of time ,
  I believe certain BIR's will get a distinct taste by using different oils ie mustard oil or ghee and adding extra bits and pieces, butI reckon if the main part of the dish is done right using Garlic Ginger and the main 5 spices ,Coriander,Cumin,Turmeric, chilli powder and maybe Paprika.
  I also think the addition of the tomato element is important ,i have tried puree,passata ,ketchup and combinations of all 3 but still cannot get it quite right but sometimes close

[haldi]

This has been driving me mad for years and I am beginning to think I will never get this right
The curry gravy is far more complicated than it seems
I have seen three made start to finish and there seems nothing complicated
But there is this hidden flavour and a hidden aroma
I just bought a fantastic vindaloo and a carton of undiluted curry gravy
The previous day I had prepared some curry gravy
I wanted to prove a point
I know this particular vindaloo recipe very well

Dead simple
Heat curry gravy oil
Add some tomato puree, cook a minute
Add some curry gravy, cook a minute
Add main ingredient,salt and more curry gravy
Add spice and half a tomato
Cook five minutes and it's ready


So I tried this recipe with my purchased curry gravy (after diluting it)
It was absolutely amazing
Standing over the frying pan with this fantastic BIR aroma
It was to die for
The curry was right and it had the "taste"

So I did the same recipe with my curry gravy
I got no aroma or "taste"

So I conclude that BIR curries can be prepared at home, but the secret lies in the gravy
We think we have got it right, but we haven't
I am at a loss
I still haven't tried a full sized base
Perhaps that's the only thing left to try
The difference between restaurant and home made curry gravy is not apparent until it is re heated
The smell is almost like poppadoms
Maybe old poppadoms end up in the gravy
Maybe the oil they are cooked in, is used in the gravy
I seem to have hit a brick wall, after getting so close

[lorrydoo]

Haldi your dedication is impressive and I know how frustrating it can be.  I bought a Madras sauce from my favourite BIR and took it home and subjected it to an autopsy.  I removed what solids I could find and tried to identify them with the help of my wife who is a qualified chef.  We found what looked like; fragments of bay leaf, the skin off a green chilli or capsicum, some small seeds that could have been cumin but they were slightly smaller a bit like arjowan and we also found some very small spherical objects which could have been some kind of flour or milk product or poppy seeds, just dont know.  There was also a tomato component floating around along with lots of oil.    From a taste point of view and over and above the normal flavours we detected, a strong chicken flavour, very slight hint of cinnamon and Turkish delight (rose water).

[Shug]

I wonder if Heston Blomenthal could be persuaded to take on curry?  ;D

[Bobby Bhuna]

  What a good call. I can see it now, "The Perfect BIR Curry". What do you reckon he'd be playing you on his mp3 player?

[SnS]

Could it be that a commercial kitchen can produce a far hotter flame than we can at home. Is it the higher cooking temperatures that makes the difference?

Also, as they use much larger volumes of spice than we do, I guess theirs is always fresh.

I did read once somewhere, that they will only use medium size spanish onions despite this being more prep work than if they were to use the large onions available in the supermarkets.

I dont think there is secret ingredient.

[Shug]

Actually, looks like heston already has:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/tv_and_radio/perfection/about_index.shtml#episode_one

Dunno if/when a repeat might be.
Anyone see it when it was on?

[George]

Actually, looks like heston already has:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/tv_and_radio/perfection/about_index.shtml#episode_one

Dunno if/when a repeat might be.
Anyone see it when it was on?

I started a thread on this and pasted the full (long) recipe here at this forum. It can't be hard to find. I suggested he try CTM in an email to Heston and the producers after the first series. Who knows if this helped to influence him in some minor way but it was good news.

Please see:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2064.0

[Secret Santa]

Maybe the oil they are cooked in, is used in the gravy

I know that some (if not all?) used to use the old frying oil for the curries. It was driven as ever by economy. The old oil had to be disposed of if not used up and that cost money so they reused it for the curries. But then the councils (not sure if they all do this now) started to collect their used oil (and chippies old oil etc.) for free because it can be turned into biodiesel. Perhaps that's when some of the smell/taste started disappearing from BIR curries?

I definitelty think it adds something but you have to fry a shed load of bhajis, pakoras etc. to get the same depth of flavour into the oil as the BIRs do.