Topic: It's in the oil and technique used - I think!

[curryqueen]

Hi all,

since ghanna made those two fantastic posts last weekend, re: reusing oil in Indian kitchens I have been experimenting.  I have made a vindaloo, pathia and skimmed two thirds oil from them and put back into base gravy.  Last night I made a madras and did exactly the same - took the oil off and put back into base gravy.  I think that there is definately a smell/aroma increasing everytime I make another curry with this base.  I shall continue to make a dhansak and dupiaza this weekend and will report back with results.  The only thing with this method is that there is usually no, or, very little oil that forms on top of kormas, tikka masalas etc.

[curryqueen]

I might also add that I am not leaving my gravy out of the fridge!  Its against H&S regulations and its a sure way to get a jippy tum apart from the obvious loads of chillies I use.

[ghanna]

HI.Curryqueen
 i agree with you about the oil.
you know a lot of Indians immigrated to different parts of the world ,there are a lot of them used to  and still living in Ethiopia.
They influenced the cuisine of this country a lot.
please see the following spiced oil or butter that ETHIOPIAN use in every kind of  their cooking ,they call it NETTER  KEPPEHA
500 ml oil or butter
one small onion +3 cloves garlic +1 inch ginger .......minced until fine in a kitchen machine  .
half a teaspoon turmeric or still better saffron
10 whole cardmoms
2 whole black cardmoms
10 whole cloves
5 inch cinnamon stick ( no cassia park please )
dry red chillies to your liking
2 tea spoons whole coriander
2tea spoon whole black onion seeds
2 tea spoons fennel seeds
2teaspoons fenugreek seeds
pinch of whole mace
1 tea spoon ajawan seeds
few bay leaves
1 tea spoon royal cumin seed ( black cumin
1 tea spoon black pepper corns

Bring all the above ingredients to the boil, then lower the heat to the lowest setting and leave there for at least1 hour .
leave to cool and the next morning stain the oil, and smell it ,it is out of this world.
it is even better if you use butter because during the procedure it is going to be clarified  ,so you are going to get spiced ghee.
the colour of this oil or butter is between red and orange, it depends upon how many red chillies you are going to use and how many tea spoons of turmeric you are going to use .
i forget to say using it as you use any kind of oil in cooking .

i hope i helped
thanks
ghanna

[Curry King]

mmm, sounds good ghanna I might even have to try this  ;D

[ghanna]

hi, curryking
believe me it is very very nice , i think you are going to like it.
please come back and report.
thanks
ghanna

[ghanna]

hi, all
MR PAT CHAPMAN  gave a different recipe of this spiced oil in  (250 favorite hot &spicy dishes )  he called it   NITER KEBBEH
the recipe i gave above is tottally different from MR PAT CHAPMAN.
please see his recipe as well
thanks
ghanna

[curryqueen]

Hi all,  I have now made five different curries and put most of the oil back into gravy each time.  I wish you would all have a go at this because each time I do this it is smelling more like a take-away!  I scoop the oil from the top of the gravy to start a dish and the rest is normal procedure.  JUST PUT OIL BACK INTO THE GRAVY AND HAVE A GO.  Have a try and please let me know.

[pete]

JUST PUT OIL BACK INTO THE GRAVY AND HAVE A GO. Have a try and please let me know.

I started doing this after recently seeing it, at a restaurant.
The trouble is that I only do curries at the weekend.
So during the intermediate time I am freezing the sauce.
I'm cooking again on Saturday
This could lead to the taste, but I just know, it can't be healthy.

[curryqueen]

Hi Pete,

I know it can't be too healthy, but, for the mean time while I am experimenting it will have to do.  I do keep the gravy in the fridge.  I shall make another couple of curries this weekend and I know that "the taste" is emerging every time that I do this.  After this weekend I am going to bottle the oil instead of putting it back into the gravy.  I should still get the same results from using the seperate oil instead of incorporating it back into the gravy and will continue to do so.

Pat Chapman may be rather dated when it comes to modern methods of cooking BIR curries, but have a look on your recent post.   I have posted a stock that Chapman had in one of his books.  I can't see myself that the introduction of a meat/chicken stock is going to make much difference myself but I will give it a go next time.  Keep going Pete, you are doing us proud!

[Cory Ander]

Posted by Mikka and moved to here by CA

I'm going to try this spice oil recipe in the am. It does look the biz since it has a lot of ingredients
which might mimic older or reclaimed oil perhaps.

HI.Curryqueen
 i agree with you about the oil.
you know a lot of Indians immigrated to different parts of the world ,there are a lot of them used to  and still living in Ethiopia.
They influenced the cuisine of this country a lot.
please see the following spiced oil or butter that ETHIOPIAN use in every kind of  their cooking ,they call it NETTER  KEPPEHA
500 ml oil or butter
one small onion +3 cloves garlic +1 inch ginger .......minced until fine in a kitchen machine  .
half a teaspoon turmeric or still better saffron
10 whole cardmoms
2 whole black cardmoms
10 whole cloves
5 inch cinnamon stick ( no cassia park please )
dry red chillies to your liking
2 tea spoons whole coriander
2tea spoon whole black onion seeds
2 tea spoons fennel seeds
2teaspoons fenugreek seeds
pinch of whole mace
1 tea spoon ajawan seeds
few bay leaves
1 tea spoon royal cumin seed ( black cumin
1 tea spoon black pepper corns

Bring all the above ingredients to the boil, then lower the heat to the lowest setting and leave there for at least1 hour .
leave to cool and the next morning stain the oil, and smell it ,it is out of this world.
it is even better if you use butter because during the procedure it is going to be clarified  ,so you are going to get spiced ghee.
the colour of this oil or butter is between red and orange, it depends upon how many red chillies you are going to use and how many tea spoons of turmeric you are going to use .
i forget to say using it as you use any kind of oil in cooking .

i hope i helped
thanks
ghanna