Topic: You're not going to like this

[ghanna]

hi,Pete
yesterday i made the chicken jelly kept it refrigerated, skimmed the chicken fat from the top.
i used only the chicken jelly in the curry gravy, it added specail kind of taste and richness to the gravy.
it mellowed the onion taste a bit,the dominate flavor was the chicken flavor.
sorry Pete i couldnot taste that missing taste that all of us are after...
i am going to carry on using your curry gravy  (600ml oil ) really and honestly it is one of the best.
Pete do you think that we will ever discover how to produce that very nice taste ?
my hope is fading.
thanks
ghanna

[pete]

I made the chicken jelly stock and waited for it to be cold and set.
The smell was not particularly nice but reminded me a little of chicken flavoured crisps.
It was surprisingly very "un spicy"

[Mark J]

So you really think this is it Pete?

bad news for vegetarian curry lovers everywhere!  :-[

The last couple of curries I have made (and the one that had the taste) both used vegetable stock to dilute the thick curry gravy, and funnily enough I have just this morning bought chicken stock cubes ready to add my curry gravy for tonights curry!

[pete]

So you really think this is it Pete?
bad news for vegetarian curry lovers everywhere! :-[

I really hope it is.
Short of the different cooker theories, and salvaging the oil, I can think of nothing else.
Here's a picture anyhow.
And I will carefully check my new curry gravy against the bought one.
Did anyone else manage to buy any restaurant curry gravy?

[Dylan]

I worked as a chef for a while (not in an Indian, I'm afraid). There used to be a massive vat of stock simmering all the time. It would go in all the sauces and soups we made. At the beginning of the week we'd have a huge delivery of bones and "chicken frames" from the butcher. We'd boil them up with vegetable trimmings. The whole thing was left simmering, even over night.

Few other tips on stock:
If the thought of boiling up carcases repulses you, you can now buy ready made "proper" stock at most supermarkets. I've never tried it though, so I can't vouch for its flavor.

 If you roast the bones/meat first before simmering, you can avoid the worst of the smell (it also makes a more intensely savory stock as the bones caramelize).

Once a stock has come to the boil, just simmer on the gentlest of heats - this keeps it clearer.

Only use stock cubes as a last resort. Their usually comprised of fat salt and MSG

Stock freezes well so you can make a large amount, and freeze in batches.

[pete]

I have now compared the bought curry gravy with what I made.
This is getting so close to judge now.
It gives a very similar after taste.
Very very similar.
I still think the bought one is a little better.

[Mark J]

Only use stock cubes as a last resort. Their usually comprised of fat salt and MSG

I have to say the MSG content is one of the reasons why I use a stock cube   

[joe2]

If we all decide that this is the secret of the TASTE, I thnk we all had better be carefull what we say regarding all BIR's using this method.? It could have very serious consequences, maybe even reaching newspapers etc.

For example, my sister has been veggie for about 10 years, but often eats BIR? food, always prawn, veg or dall. I know she would be furious to discover her curry had been made from stock using boiled meat bones.

Just a thought folks ...........

[pete]

I made four curries tonight using the curry base+chicken jelly.
Sag bhajee, prawn balti, veg vindaloo and veg madras.
Everyone said they were the best I had ever made.
I thought so too.
I am very pleased, but don't I like the thought of the jelly.
I compared my sauce again to a bought one.
A couple of slight differences still.
The bought one is a little sweeter and has a fragrance of "popadoms".
Maybe they use the same source of oil for frying poppadoms too?

If we all decide that this is the secret of the TASTE, I thnk we all had better be carefull what we say regarding all BIR's using this method.? It could have very serious consequences, maybe even reaching newspapers etc.

I agree with Joe.
I wouldn't want this to affect the takeaways we all love.
That really would be counter productive.
Maybe I was told wrong, but my results are very good.
Someone else give it a go and see what you think.
I used the 600ml oil curry gravy (with the emphasis on browning the garlic ginger.)
I had about a pint of gravy and added two heaped tablespoons of the jelly.
I reboiled for ten minutes and used it.

The recipe for the jelly is seven posts up

[Curry King]

Everyone said they were the best I had ever made.

Did it have the "taste" ?  Im tempted to try it but im not sure about putting that jelly into my nice fresh pot of gravy.

I do think my currys now have that taste just I can't taste it