Hi folks, heres my tuppence,
I met my local takeaway owner the other day in asdas and asked him how they get the "taste" and he said "our pans retain all the flavours" so maybe chipfryers right in saying that, like the chinese do, only wipe down your pan, don't wash em, like a good omelette pan. Ok I suppose if your using them everyday but...
As for asafoetida I thought that was only used in authentic curries where using garlic/onions are against their religion, however I've tried using a little instead of freshly fried onions and garlic in the main meal to no effect, possibly cos they're in the base anyway.
Cheers
Mike