Topic: Why we cannot produce that missing taste ?

[Curry King]

Is it feasible that perhaps the curry house has one pot of base for Meat Dishes and one pot for Vegetarian, this would then rubbish all the worries people are having.

This could be true but then if the chicken stock is the missing "taste" what is added to to the veggi pot to give that the "taste" ?? ? :

Personaly it doesn't bother me what they do to make my curry as long as its the way i like it!

[George]

My gut feel is that, whilst chicken stock my be a very useful ingredient, it is probably not the X factor which leads to 'that taste'. I repeat again, there is a link in my mind between the smell wafting down the street from curry houses, and 'that taste' in the dishes you eat. Doesn't anyone have a firm idea what leads to 'that smell'? One certainly does not produce a smell anything like that when making traditional (English) chicken soup, also by boiling a chicken.

The two main vegetable dishes which I eat in BIR's are the mixed vegetable curry which always comes with chicken biryani, and also sag aloo. Both these vegetable dishes have 'that taste'.

Regards
George
 

[pete]

Doesn't anyone have a firm idea what leads to 'that smell'? One certainly does not produce a smell anything like that when making traditional (English) chicken soup, also by boiling a chicken.
Regards
George
 

I believe that smell to be the meat and chicken being cooked for later use.

[George]

Doesn't anyone have a firm idea what leads to 'that smell'? One certainly does not produce a smell anything like that when making traditional (English) chicken soup, also by boiling a chicken.
Regards
George
 

I believe that smell to be the meat and chicken being cooked for later use.

You may be right, but I'd be amazed. I asssumed it was spices but I could be wrong. Perhaps the smell comes from spices in with the meat and chicken? Could everyone else please enter this debate. What do you think causes 'that smell' from curry houses on the high street? On another forum, at least one person suggested fenugreek. Do you ever get 'that smell' from your own kitchen?

The reason I'm interested in the smell, is hopefully to help lead us to the taste.

[Curry King]

I think that "smell"? ? is a combination and quantity of all the different dishes they have cooked and are cooking.? ?Ive peered through the window of one of my local taleways a few times, in there small kitchen theres always 2 or 3 chefs with pans on the go.? At home I make 5 or 6 dishes for a curry night and although when people come round they say, "it smells like a restaurant in here", it doesn't to me.

[Yellow Fingers]

My best friend is a very commited vegetarian, and he loves his curry. So when I mentioned this to him he was very worried.

So he called up his local take-away which he uses every week and asked to speak to the manager

The manager told him they would never use chicken stock or any meat product

Let's see now. Say I'm I'm a curry house manager and I get a phone call asking whether there is chicken stock in the veggie curries. Now what would I say, given that my livelihood and that of the 70,000 other employees in this trade, depends on the continued sale of curries. I'm going to lie through my teeth aren't I.

I don't know whether there is or is not stock in the base sauce, although I suspect that there is, but what I know for sure is that no one in the trade is going to admit to it if there is. Sales would drop, court cases would flourish, it's just not going to happen. This is why I keep repeating that someone needs to see the whole of the base sauce preparation.

[Curry King]

This is why I keep repeating that someone needs to see the whole of the base sauce preparation.

All good and well assuming that every single BIR in the country make there base exactly the same which we know is not true.  Just because one does it doesn't mean they all do.  As far as im concerned ive seen a base made through from start to finish there was no chicken stock invloved, im quite prepared to belive that some BIR's may use it but not all.

[Yellow Fingers]

As far as im concerned ive seen a base made through from start to finish there was no chicken stock invloved

You've seen this done in a indian restaurant from raw ingredients to finished curry?

[pete]

You've seen this done in a indian restaurant from raw ingredients to finished curry?

No one,except Bruce Edwards (curry house cookery extracts) has seen it.
I don't see how anyone ever will.
I asked at another curry house recently and I got the "why should I tell you my secrets" bit again.
He said even the barman, who had been at the restuarant for 18 months, didn't know.
He couldn't speak English very well so I would have to have watched to understand.
The trouble is that it takes so long.
You will have to be there for 3-4 hours

[Yellow Fingers]

No one,except Bruce Edwards (curry house cookery extracts) has seen it.

and Pat Chapman of course? ;D

The trouble is that it takes so long.
You will have to be there for 3-4 hours

Which is why I asked the question. I don't believe anyone has seen the whole base sauce preparation actually done in a real restaurant. But if anyone has please speak up!