Why we cannot produce that missing taste ?

[ghanna]

Hi, Pete
I have seen one of them they are about 60cm in diameter , they are huge.
The only difficulty with them is when they want to wash them.
They wash them out side in the yard with a hose.
I can still smell the curry gravy when the hot water hit the pot,it is very nice.
It is very heavy as you said ,even when it is empty it is still heavy.
Some places hire them for wedding cooking, i think they are not expensive to buy.
Thanks
ghanna

[pete]

 

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.

After your questions I asked a few to a chef.
This one said that they boil all the meat or chicken in water, turmeric and salt.
So that shoots down my idea.
That leaves the tandoori cooking and poppadom frying.
Poppadoms smell lovely.
I have wondered recently if their cooking oil is used in the curry gravy or in the main meal.
One demo I went to used oil from the deep pan fryer.
I had just seen that used for frying peppers and onions, but I am sure it must be used for the poppadoms and chips too.
The tandoori cooking.
We've all had a go at tandoori chicken and that doesn't give the smell you mean.
But how about the lamb?
I've not tried that.
It's definitely not fenugreek.
I use that every time I cook and that is not that smell.
What I find puzzling, is that sometimes I get the smell on my clothes and hands.
So I must be working with whatever is giving the aroma.
Mustn't I?

[Curry King]

For them to show anyone in a set up demo, the actual ingredients for the base which they use for the customers - they'ed have to be bonkers.?

From the chefs and restaurant staff Ive spoken to before I would say its the other way round, they think we are bonkers for trying to make it at home!!

[DARTHPHALL]

Asafoetida Can make your house smell like a take-away ! 
& its the ingredient in my "smell like my local take-away " Tindalloo.
                                      Experiment with it 

[merrybaker]

One demo I went to used oil from the deep pan fryer.
I had just seen that used for frying peppers and onions, but I am sure it must be used for the poppadoms and chips too.

And onion bhajis, and samosas, and puri, and pakoras... those would all add flavor to it.? And that oil flavor would be hard to reproduce without making all those things at home.?

Asafoetida

Ooh, I hate that smell!? I had to put the container inside another tightly-sealed jar -- otherwise I can always smell it. There's a reason it's nicknamed "devil's dung."

[ghanna]

Hi, Darthphall
I agree with you Asafoetida has a very strong taste
When you fry it in the hot oil in the beginning of the cooking its taste mellow and start smell like onion.
In some parts of India there are some people that don't eat onion or garlic ,because of that they use Asfoetida as a  substitute for them.
Thanks
Ghanna

[ghanna]

Hi, Mary
Because of its very bad smell, they nicknamed  it , this is the reason.
Thanks
ghanna

[ghanna]

Hi , George
RE  : reply no :83
yes i do agree with you .
The missing taste and the smell  are connected.
I always wondered  about this nice smell.
We need to ask about it more.
Thanks
ghanna

[ghanna]

Hi, George
What does it smell like ? I want your opinion please.
Thanks
ghanna

[George]

Hi, George - What does it smell like ? I want your opinion please.

Ghanna

Good question, but how does one describe a smell!  My hunch is that the aroma wafting down the high street from curry houses comes from cooking spices in the most general sense of the term. All I know is that 'that smell' seems very similar from restaurant to restaurant, town to town. So, if I'm right, it just depends on the blend or the inclusion of one or more key spices. The diversity of suggestions on 'that smell' is interesting. I must experiment by frying up a crude mix of onions, garlic and ginger, plus various spices, to see if I can produce anything like the same smell. I will certainly try Asafoetida as kindly suggested here.

I think you get the smell even before the restaurants open for business, while they are 'warming up' so I assume it's not always from cooking final dishes.

Regards
George