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

[DARTHPHALL]

I've changed my mind over the last year, i don't think the ingredient is a key to the secret, but the technique/method.

[heat required]

hi , ive been trying to get the bir for many a year now, ive tried a few bases , kris dillon,pat chapmans and a few off the net.you speak of the secret ingredient which im not sure there is, iI feel there must be, then i think its to do with technique, im not sure but the nearest i got was an ordinary chicken curry which i seen on mamta gupta`s site in which there is the normal onion,garlic ,ginger tomato cumin,corriander tumeric .I added a few cloves cinamon stick .while on my quest i asked a few asian grocers how to make a restuarant curry and the nearest i got was to do the usual but add methi and at the end she said ( och stuff the restuarant guys) add some yoghurt at the end.Which i tried but it still wasnt right, then when on mamta gupta`s site i read about using asafoetida in dhals so i decieded to add a pinch with the cumin seeds in the oil before the onions. well the smell was there bir well nearly not too strong but there...me the other half and my daughter had it that night it was better than normal but still not the taste. The small lot which was left got put in the micro till the next night i was going to through it out but decided to heat it and try it when my wife and daughter came in they said its like a real indian in here..shame they couldnt taste it it was so good best ive ever tasted really like bir i ate the lot lol  so to me the methi yoghurt and asafoetida and leaving to the next day is the answer but i need to try different amounts but i will report back when i get it perfect.
btw i asked an asian shopkeeper lots of times and got the same usual recipe without the yoghurt asafoetida and methi..when i told him about asafoetida he looked puzzled and him and his wife said they never heard of it which tells me thats part to do with the secret.
hope this isnt too long and winded but i feel if the people on here try this and experiment we will get the perfect bir

[DARTHPHALL]

I've done some experimentation with Asafoetida & it does help in respect to the strong Garlic smell you get in Bir's, but not always (as usual), although recently i have been going back to my roots in Curry Cooking terms & i think i will incorporate it in my next oven cooked Curry (this weekend i will post results okee dokee) 
Cheers for now ya buggers  ;D

[Chilli Prawn]

Yep Hing (Asafoetida), which if I reall rightly literally translated means 'Devil's Dung' it is a gum resin that comes in lump or powdered form.  It is a form of flavour enhancer rather than an up-front flavour of its own, e.g. brings out the flavour of Garlic & Onions; in some recipes it is used as a replacement for the latter.  It should be used very sparingly  and only in some curries.  I know that BIRs used it in base preparation sometimes, but I am not aware they use it in their fast food meals (but then that is only my experience). 

So you may have a point here.  As Hing does not disappear but amalgamates in the dish by melting in the hot oil, you have to add it to the hot oil right at the start of cooking, usually before anything else, and you only let it fry for 1 or 2 seconds max.  Whatever you do do not be tempted to add a lot of it as all the flavours will screw up; a small pinch is all that is required for say, a meal for two.  Don't bother with lump form unless you are 'Tempering' as in Tarka Dhall.

Hope this helps
CP

[merrybaker]

Asafoetida...It should be used very sparingly 

I'll agree with that!!  And it smells up the kitchen something awful.  I keep it in a closed container inside a jar that is tightly sealed.  If they are using it in BIR kitchens, I'm surprised it doesn't smell up the whole place with that unmistakable odor.

[heat required]

i hope im on the right path  but remeber and leave it overnight , it definately changed my curry, ive not had much time to try it again but i will and report back ..best of luck and i hope we find the holy grail

[currycruiser]

Hello all! I made my first posting the other day re "THE SECRET" and today stumbled on this poll. Tis' all very interesting! But the thought that came to mind was wouldn't it be a hoot if some of the guys on this site could get together and open up a BIR/Takeaway maybe somewhere where BIR curry is popular and let the "great british public" decide if what you guys are acheiving is any better or worse than than that that the "professionals are achieving? Would they tell if there was a secret or not?

[Chilli Prawn]

Hmm, interesting, but I think it would end up with ladles and Kharais at 20 paces.  What may be a good idea is to produce our own cookery book using the most popular recipes  and the best techniques.  I mentioned before that I was involved in such a task years ago and we were going to donate the proceeds to UNESCO, I reurned to UK before we finished it.  Just a thought.

CP

[chipfryer]

Perhaps just like the Chinese as has been stated here do. Reuse the Wok or pan for the same type of meal with just a damp cloth wipe off after cooking might be the key?

My Vindaloos here and back home in many cases have one particular aroma that is not in other dishes. This is a completely different kettle of fish and proves that in at least this instance I do have something missing. The nearest I have found in this case is Paprika and Asofoetida

Again and only in this instance I think it is a combination of these two with a good helping of salt at the start of cooking? The filters in my microwave are rich with this aroma from gentle warm ups and only Paprika comes even close to it.

As regards the general aroma from a restaurant? I've always taken this to be Tikka roasting and being prepared since it is a longer process.

I've also noticed that some other chicken dishes NOT TIKKA have the same aroma on the odd occasion.

[brum_57]

I believed for years that the secret ingredient was the chef's own garam masala mix but dont subscribe to that view now - I think it's all down to cooking technique and lots of heat. I will be purchasing a black iron fry pan soon, these are used in BIR's so I beleive, they hold the heat well and are quite cheep. I have a full size carbon steel wok which gets hotter than the flames of hell but dont use it for indian meals - It's just too darn big and has a habit of tipping over on the hob

Kev.