i spoke to my resturant owner last night

[Yousef]

I have made the base before using Pete's Gravy (Dec 04) and because of the layer of oil on top about 2cm i have managed to keep it in the fridge for 2 weeks without it going off.

I think i am going back to grass roots with pete's gravy and will try to improve my cooking technique.
Ive been out and got myself a gas burner from a camping shop for ?10 will be cooking full steam ahead on that.

Remember peeps there are people who lurk on this forum who i am convinced give dis-information to throw you off the trail or for a laugh.
I don't want to start an argument but some peoples comments are suspect............
S

[Curry King]

Remember peeps there are people who lurk on this forum who i am convinced give dis-information to throw you off the trail or for a laugh.
I don't want to start an argument but some peoples comments are suspect............

Ive thought that myself, for all we know there is a chef or two on here that are trying to through a spanner in the works 

I can't see why though im sure that most chefs are approachable and don't mind talking about it once you know them.

[ghanna]

hi,all
when i go inside the restaurant kitchen and watch them prepare my curry ,i notice that the oil separates very quickly from the gravy even when their  gravy is very thin .
when the gravy is that thin it only means that they watered  it a lot, so how come that the oil separate very quickly when there is a lot of water in the gravy ? i have been told that the oil will not separate from the gravy unless much of the water is evaporated.
in my kitchen it take me some time to get the oil separated ,i cook over a very high heat  like the restaurant do.
if any one know the reason for this ,please tell me.
thanks
ghanna

[DARTHPHALL]

Hi Ghanna , done a Vindaloo tonight(pureed the ingredients) my oil separated as soon as it came to the boil, (3 minutes approx..) & yes it was another experiment , looks like its going to be another success, (slight variation on my Phall like recipe) mmmmmm HOT !!! ;D ;D ;D

[ghanna]

Hi,Darthphall
It take approximately the same time for me , but in the restaurant it is quicker,it take less less time.
I don't know why.
Thanks
ghanna

[DARTHPHALL]

Are they using gas ? as this will heat up much quicker & give a higher heat. I believe this has a lot to do with the reason we all are struggling
to get that taste, see my thread on cooking the oil for 20/30 minutes on high before cooking. As the curry ended being that sweet you
would have thought i`d put several spoons of Sugar in it.Maybe this is why we all get variation. You know when you use the same ingredients for a certain dish yet the curries taste very different virtually every time you cook them.Also i`m going to experiment with Lasan chicken tonight will let you know how it turned out , wish me luck i`m going in !!!  ;D

[ghanna]

Hi, Darthphall
yes they are using gas and so do i.
When you say that you cook the oil on high for 20 to 30 minutes do you mean you heat it up like when you are going to fry chips ?
I wish you luck with the  Lasan chicken curry.
Please come back and tell us.
Thanks
ghanna

[DARTHPHALL]

Yes oil hot enough to cook chips !! experiment cooling as i write this. :-X

[ghanna]

Hi, Darthphall
waiting for the results , any news.
thanks
ghanna

[DARTHPHALL]

Ghanna.
Turned out different than what i expected but i had a bowl last night & enjoyed it.
  I was wondering why bother with the curry base at all (trying to put myself in take-away business mode !!)
  But it does not taste like my local take-aways, but i believe there is a lot of scope with this method(the curry had the not so harsh flavour
,like the take-away) as i think the strong onion base may be hidding the taste.I will continue with this experiment with a few other variations.

  INGREDIENTS.
1. SMALL GOLF BALL SIZED ONION.
2. 400 ML VEG.. OIL.
3. 4 SMALL (50 PENCE SIZED) TOMATOES.CUT INTO 4 PIECES.
4. 4 BAY LEAVES.
5. 1 DESERT SPOON CURRY LEAVES.
6. 1 TEASPOON GROUND BLACK PEPPER.
7. HALF TEASPOON SALT.
8. HALF TEASPOON TURMERIC.
9. 1 TEASPOON GARAM MASALA.
10. 1 TEASPOON CORIANDER.
11. 1 TEASPOON CUMIN.
12. 1 TEASPOON FENNEL SEEDS.
13. HALF TEASPOON ASAFOETIDA.
14. HALF TEASPOON GINGER.
15. 3 SPRING ONIONS WASHED & CHOPPED .
16. 1 RED PEPPER FINELY CHOPPED.
17. A WHOLE GARLIC BULB CHOPPED FINELY.
18. 3 DESERTSPOONS HOME MADE CURRY POWDER.USE GROUND SPICES BELOW.USE 1 TEASPOON OF EACH.
       CORIANDER,CUMIN,GINGER,SALT,FENUGREEK,GARLIC,CHILLI,CINNAMON,PEPPER,PAPRIKA,BAY LEAVES, CARDAMOM,
       CARAWAY SEED.
19. 5 TABLE SPOONS EXTRA HOT CHILLI POWDER ( USE WHATEVER SUITS YOUR HEAT RANGE)
20. 1 400 G TIN TOMTOES ( BLENDED TILL SMOOTH  ).

  METHOD
1. Heat oil till really hot, put in onions & cook till golden, keep stirring as at theses high temps.. they will stick quickly.
2. Add blended tomatoes, bring to boil, turn down simmer 5 minutes.
3. Add all spices & curry powder.
4. Put a little water in if starts to go too thick.
5. Bring to boil add Bay & Curry Leaves.
6. Simmer medium/low 10 minutes , keep stirring.
7. Add chopped Garlic,Spring Onions, Red Pepper,small Tomatoes & small Onion.
8. Bring to boil, cook on medium simmer 10 minutes, keep stirring (add little water only if necessary).
9. Turn off heat & allow to stand for a few hours before eating or best to wait next day.
     hope this turns out as good for you as mine did.
                                                                        all the best........ DARTHPHALL......