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

[raygraham]

Hi All,

I wonder whether this pre-frying method is much of a consequence to the real taste we seek!

I don't want to be a spanner in the works but when I see my local take-aways and restaurants cooking the masses of curries we buy ( tons every week ) they are so fast at cooking your order, surely they don't have time to include those special secrets and methods in their dishes that makes the answer so special we can't work out what the unknown secret is, if there is one at all !!.

For me I cannot believe? there is so much untold, secret information in such a hugely popular business that refuses to give us more simple clues to the answers we seek.

Keep digging and we will get there in the end....!!!

Ray

[Mark J]

I dont think pre fried onions is the key to anythimg too exciting, just a component I have seen 2 kitchens use and I always tend to use it now

cheers

[raygraham]

I will add this much. Cooking Onions in their raw state without pre-frying does tend to leave  a raw taste in the sauce. Adding spices etc afterwards masks this raw taste somewhat. However, frying onions until golden or even caramelised does add a depth to the taste so is worth that extra effort.

Ray

[DARTHPHALL]

I have tried many various ways to cook Onions & i have to agree they are a component but not " The whole " taste.

Do you think if i should order my take-away wielding a crowbar & then ask for the ingredients they`ll see it my way ?
& tell all  ;D ;D

DARTHPHALL..... .....

[raygraham]

Hi all,

Continuing with the Onion? debate I am about to embark on another base sauce trial that I posted a while ago.
It is the "Daag" base sauce that asian women use as a time saver in their busy lives.

Here it is again.

Ingredients

2 lbs Onions, chopped finely
1 ?? x ? ? piece of fresh Ginger, chopped
6 large Cloves Garlic, chopped
3-4 Green Chliies, chopped
6 small Tomatoes, pureed
100 ml?s Veg Oil
4 tsp Coriander Pwdr
? tsp Cumin Pwdr
? tsp Turmeric Pwdr
? tsp Garam Masala
? cup chopped Coriander
1 tsp salt

Method


Heat Oil in a pan and fry Onions until Dark Brown (20-30 mins).
Add Ginger, Garlic and Chilli?s fry 3 min?s
Add Coriander Pwdr, fry 4 min?s , keep stirring
Add 2 Tbsp?s Water if mixture starts sticking
Add Cumin, Turmeric and Garam Masala
Stir 30 sec?s and add Tomato and Coriander Leaves, stir
Add 400 ml?s Water and the Salt and cook on low for 15 min?s
Remove from heat, store in airtight container in fridge.

On the face of it you can see a resemblance to the majority of bases on this site. However, interestingly it suggests to cook the Onions until DARK BROWN and also has a far greater proportion of Ground Coriander than any other spice!!..............Hmmmm!

There was no specific recipe given for the use of this sauce as it seems to suggest it is ready to add just meat and it's complete but I will choose a standard Madras / Vindaloo recipe from the site and try this as well.

I will report back once I have given it the once over.

Ray

[raygraham]

Do you think if i should order my take-away wielding a crowbar & then ask for the ingredients they`ll see it my way ?
& tell all? ;D ;D

DARTHPHALL..... .....

You could try it and let us know what happens!! However, you might find getting your curry home with two broken legs and a crowbar up your a--e a bit tricky!!

Ray

[DARTHPHALL]

As this is such a small quantity recipe Ray I`m going to endeavor to try it next week ill post my findings.
Would you suggest cooking the Onions slow until Brown or as fast as possible without burning the pan  ;D.

DARTH....................

[Mark J]

This recipe comes from Camelia Punjabi and as I recall they are slow cooked

[DARTHPHALL]

Thanks Mark.... i`ll go.... for slow  ;D.
As Ive done Brown Onions ( Quick ) in my " DARTH MASALA " & that was a tasty Curry.


Yours................DARTHPHALL..... .....

[raygraham]

Yep, the recipe does say cook for 20-30 mins, I suppose the slower the better.
Has anyone made this before??
Ray