Topic: CA's Chicken Phal, Vindaloo, Madras and Curry (Illustrated!)

[haldi]

Yes, the gas burner is really for outside use (i.e with barbecues) and is powered by bottled LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas)
Regards,

Hi Cory,
             Amazing shots
Two questions:-
                         Does this burner get as hot as a restaurant gas cooker?
                         
                         Do curries cooked on it, match your normal takeaway curries?
Thanks

[Cory Ander]

Does this burner get as hot as a restaurant gas cooker?

My domestic cooker (largest ring) is 12MJ/h; my barbecue wok burner is 18MJ/h; this burner is 30MJ/h; I've seen 4 ring burners at 50MJ/h (I figured this was overkill and went with a smaller burner instead)....

....but some Chinese restaurants are between 80 - 150MJ/h     See here http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1664.0

I haven't found out what a typical Indian restaurant burner is.  I do ask, in the gas show rooms, but they don't seem to know....they think I'm kind of weird.....which is kind of weird 

Things spit and spatter all over the place, so it seems plenty hot enough.  My gas cooker (12MJ/h) is a bit weedy in this regard.  My barbecue burner (18MJ/h) is pretty good (and maybe ideal?).  This burner seems plenty capable enough to me (and even a bit scary at times!).  It is a regulated low pressure burner.  If I want it hotter, I'll just whip the regulator off (and probably burn the house down in the process!) 

                 
Do curries cooked on it, match your normal takeaway curries?

Do you mean in terms of taste and/or smell Haldi? 

I think there is noticeably more (and somewhat nicer and different) smell produced when frying the spices at these higher temperatures but, to be honest, I'm struggling to get a really good taste and smell from this particular curry base 

Nevertheless, I do think these higher heats contribute significantly to "the taste" and "the smell"

Don't get me wrong, the curry shown was a damn fine curry, but lacked some depth and strength of taste and smell that I know I can produce using my own curry base. 

Regards,

[Curry King]

Have you posted your curry base on here CA?

[debbie63]

Hi There,
This phal curry looks fantistic but im wondering if 6 tbsp of chilli  powder, of any strength
seems a bit excessive.
Has anyone tried this recipe with the full 6 tbsps of chilli,if so i would like to know if  you had to call the fire brigade due to the excessive heat from your breath.

[Cory Ander]

Hi Debbie63,

Welcome to cr0 and thanks for your comments Debbie.    

Naturally you have to call the fire brigade, that's what a phal is all about!   ;D

There is also an option to pep it up with some fresh chopped chillis of course

Regards, 

[Curry King]

If I'm making a phall I will always use fresh chili in place of too much chili powder as it really comes back up on you, well me anyway 

I find a couple of scotch bonnet's chopped into a pulp and added at the begining along with a "healthy" dose of extra hot chili powder is just about right.

cK

[Blondie]

Hi Debbie63,

The 6 tsp of Chili isn't that much when you consider that the recipe is to serve 4.  As you can see that only means 1 1/2 tsp per portion.  that doesn't seem much to me as I put 1 tsp of chili powder and fresh chilli's in to my Vindaloo, which I don't think is as hot as my local's Vindaloo.

Cheers.

Blondie

[Cory Ander]

Thanks for your comments Blondie.....

....but just in case people get the wrong impression, that's actually 6 TABLESPOONS (tbsp), not 6 teaspoons (tsp), of chilli powder in the Phal!  ;D

Naturally, people should put as much, or as little, chilli powder in as they wish.  One person's phal is another person's madras after all! 

BUT!  Please bear in mind that a PHAL was DESIGNED to blow your socks off!  And you won't do that without copious amounts of chilli  (powder or otherwise) I'm afraid!  ;D

A PHAL is not for the feint hearted, for sure!  

Has anyone tried it (or the others) yet by the way?

Regards,

[stargazer]

Why don't u use Habanero peppers? They are very, very Hot and have a pleasant flavour that would be more pleasing,imo, than an overdose of Cayenne. I had some Mexican salsa with Habaneros in a San Diego restaurant and it was great. Also, they infuse a nice bright orange colour.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habanero

[Cory Ander]

Hi Stargazer,

Sure, you can use any kind of fresh chillis instead of (or as well as) chilli powder.  I've mentioned this in the recipe.

Curry King says he uses Scotch Bonnets/Habernero chillis in his.  I also use them, from time to time, but I use them very judiciously.  This is because I find they impart a very distinctive flavour that I do not detect in BIR Phals (and nor do I particularly like the flavour). 

I'm also pretty sure that BIRs mostly use chilli powder to obtain the heat.

At the end of the day, each to their own I suppose 

Regards,