Topic: That slightly BURNED taste/aroma of good curries!

[Spottymaldoon]

I came out of wartime Britain, where the food was just @*:-X*@  and had my first real curry in London (Chittagong Restaurant, West Brompton) in 1960 and became an instant addict.

Since that time I must have eaten thousands of curries: in Britain, India, France , Germany, USA, Canada, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, HK, Japan, Korea and even in Romania (the very worst).

The best Indian curry ever was in Muthus Singapore ( http://muthuscurry.com/flash ) and all this time I have been trying, as people do here, to reproduce the 'authentic restaurant taste'. I have followed Madhoor Jaffrey and produced pleasant-tasting dishes that quite remind me of curry, but they do not have 'the taste' I crave. I thought I was onto something when I got Chris Dhillon's "Curry Secret"  but his curries don't make it in my hands - and I notice he doesn't fry his spices - adding raw cumin, garam marsalla and mehti leaves almost at the very end.

What I always noticed was the slightly BURNED taste that good curries often have. And, when you walk into a restaurant that has poor ventilation, the air smells of deliciously  singed spices!

I am a newcomer here so I shall show deference and I come here hoping to be educated. 

I make one observation: any good dish must have both taste and aroma just right. We talk a lot about taste (what the tongue does: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, hot) but far less about aroma. Many chefs get the taste balance right but they murder the aroma by destroying the spices and herbs with heat (Italian chefs are the worst: and they compensate by loudly [and threateningly] praising their food just before you eat it!).

Chinese chefs get a special taste and aroma on food by their 'flambe' technique wherein they literally set their wok on fire!

My question is: how do Indian chefs get that slightly burned taste and aroma into the good curries?

[mike travis]

Hi spottmaldoon,  welcome along, interesting points. Look forward to hearing more from you..
                       ;D ;D

[Spottymaldoon]

Thank you Mike. I had more time to look through the many posts here and have to say it's a forum after my own heart. This "old" posting caught my eye because it came close to the question I'm asking - sorry for the unconventional extract:


Quote from: pete on March 28, 2005, 03:59:36 PM

"This weekend, for the first time in ages, I went to a take-away with an open plan kitchen. They only used one temperature for every stage of everything they were cooking for me and other customers - full blast heat.

I suggest that, to get as close to the restaurant kitchen approach, and taste, in your own home, there are a few things which are absolutely essential:
- a gas hob on full blast (If I had electric, I'd change the hob for sure!)
- figure out how to ignite/flambe the food every few seconds whilst cooking and rolling around the wok. The effect of fire must surely have a significant effect on the taste.
- unbelievably unhealthy quantities of vegetable oil and salt."

Cheers
Spotty

[Cory Ander]

Welcome to cr0 SM 

I think you'll find loads of stuff on "the taste" and "the smell" on here! 

Look forward to hearing more from you soon 

Regards,