Topic: 4 base sauces tested

[chipfryer]

Yes I am over here now but have not always been here. Some curries I've had here have been less than good. Others have been superb. I totally think Cory Ander is right about the 'Flaming process' it makes so much more sense to me but I need to keep the kitchen  ;D

Thanks Santa 

Unless I've misread your posts I think you are in the US? If that's so how do you know
that you're achieving the right results for the BIR taste?   

[chipfryer]

I think more people should do this frankly. A poll won't tell you the reasoning behind anything just like not showing your working out in math.

I think also that what I like as a taste will be way different from anyone elses. I just thought it would provide my benchmark from which others can get their own.

Thanks very much LorryDoo.

Off to burn the kitchen down now.  ;D

I like how he ranked the bases.

[chipfryer]

Hi Greg.
I wish there were a crying or eating icon.  ;D

That's a tall order mate. I have just precooked some tatties and beef is stewing now. Both recipes as per this forum. I am taking pics but camera is not the best. Let you know in the AM how it all turns out?

Best.

Hi Chipfryer
Some photos of your future findings would be really appreciated, I assume you are going to try the base sauces with individual recipes which is after all the real litmus test.Given that there are numerous recipes per dish you could be a very busy person.
Greg

[Jeera]

Thanks Jeera.
Nice name that. Better than my potato's in oil. 

I've been blessed with a darned good nose. I'll try as many as I can but of course there is the time factor.

What I would like to see and regarding Greg's post earlier is see more activity in posting comments. I never go by "Reading Views" people can read something 20,000 times and never come back and tell you what it was like 

Feedback will help everyone not least me.

Can you suggest something that you have tried and liked please?
Many thanks

Best.

MarkJ base and jaspers Munich BIR base are my favorites however I need to confess I haven't tried many of the others.

I prefer minimal spicing on the final dish, the use of of stock and the flaming/scraping of the final dish definately works when you get it right. I also like using a runny base and let it boils away on a medium heat in the final dish (untouched) for about 5 mins until it thickens. This is the way I've spied some open plan BIRs doing it and it helps get a  more concentrated flavour from the base rather than using lots of spices in the final dish.

I'm curious about your final dishes experiences too.. keep it comimg please

[chipfryer]

Chippies BEEF MADRAS

I used ---
Mark J's precooked meat Method found here:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=80.0
Chilli Prawns precooked potatoes found here:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1260.0
WOODPECKER21's base sauce
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,278.0.html

===================================================

Ingredients (All level spoons - before grinding if ground) This list is ordered by use.

3 TBS oil or more if you prefer?
Base sauce. I didn't measure this but it was about 4 ladles
1 lump of frozen tomato paste dissolved in water
1 TSP Salt
1 TSP Curry powder
1 TSP Cumin seeds Freshly roasted and ground
1 TSP White Coriander seeds Freshly roasted and ground
2 TBS ungrounded dried fenugreek
2 TBS finely chopped coriander leaves and stalks
2 Table spoons Thai tamarind concentrate

===================================================

Method.
** Please see the three preparations above - These obviously need to be cooked ahead of time.
NOTE: I am eliminating fresh garlic since this is problematic at times. There is also NO Chili powder at all. What is the point of cooking heat when you don't really know what your food actually tastes like? (Just my notion)

1. Add oil to pan on HIGH heat.
2. Add about 2 TBS base sauce. Ahhhh the aroma!
3. Add tomato sauce dissolved in water.
4. Add ground spices cook these well constantly turning and shaking the pan
5. Add more base sauce and keep turning and shaking
6. Add more base sauce etc until you have enough for your ingredients.
7. Add meat make sure your pan is on the highest setting at this point - Flaming is good!
8. LOWER heat <<<<<<!!!
9. Add potatoes
10. Add Fenugreek
11. Add cilantro

At this point we need to see if our meat is tenderizing? Beef is stubborn as we all know. I covered the dish at this point with a glass lid from a large pan and allowed the aromas, herbs and spices to get to grips with the other contents.
Approximate cooking time around 40 mins. I know, I know. Too long. We'll get onto that another time.

An image of the final product is here: Although there was no garlic or Chili in the cooking process I can tell you this is delicious and the best I've done from a base sauce which is the missing ingredient in Indian cooking to my mind.
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2042.msg17338#new

I'd love to see someone else's cooking method compared to this using just bare quantities of spices other than those in the base sauce. My best cooking is with lowered amounts just like in Chinese food.

Thoughts?

[chipfryer]

Hmmm great question!

All I know is that practices here are different as regards local restaurant food. The end product seems the same however. Perhaps I am looking for what I like maybe?

Interesting post chippy
But is this really achieving the BIR taste or more towards some type of authentic/fusion recipe.
Greg

[Secret Santa]

I am eliminating fresh garlic since this is problematic at times.

This sort of stood out when I read this post. I think if there is anything that we definitely do agree on in this forum, it's that all BIRs use raw garlic added at the beginning of every curry. So this just doesn't seem right to me.

[brum_57]

I am eliminating fresh garlic since this is problematic at times.

This sort of stood out when I read this post. I think if there is anything that we definitely do agree on in this forum, it's that all BIRs use raw garlic added at the beginning of every curry. So this just doesn't seem right to me.

tend to agree with santa on the garlic - why is it problematic chippy? shouldn't be  when I start a curry I throw in a couple of tbs of finelly chopped onion followed by a tsp of garlic paste, keep it moving fast enough and there shouldn't be any problems.

Kev.

[chipfryer]

I just didn't want that to get in the way of other spices that I wanted to taste in my food really. I've usually a darned good nose and only on a few occasions have I actually smelled garlic in an Indian meal. It doesn't mean it isn't there of course.

Bare spices and bare base sauce only sort of thing. Just bought a meal from my Indian USIR place. Smells and tastes nothing like mine at all.

There is a spice that I am not using correctly because their Naan bread tastes ans smells similar too. That spice is whole Cumin seeds I think?

Time for me to ponder and languish in that area we all dwell in sometimes, Ignorance Hahaha  ;D

I'll get there I'm not far off now what I want.

OH Salt! Yes salt. What do you use? What type of salt please?

 

[chipfryer]

I've just tried my own variant of base sauce as posted in the sauces section but in a complete form. If everyone was getting annoyed by my rampant questions and long postings I can reveal now that I have at least cracked my aroma and taste problem compared to my USIR. I would say both now are nearly equal.

It wasn't just the base sauce it was the following which credit goes to Chili Prawn for. This is a simple garlic/ginger puree which I adapted only slightly.

I cooked no meat in this dish. It was a test and worked very well indeed.

PART 1.

1 TSP Salt
1 TSP Paprika
1 TBS Ginger/Garlic puree
1/2 TSP Oil
1/2 TSP Vinegar

Mix the above thoroughly into a paste.

PART 2.

1 TBS Tomato paste
Add water to make a smooth runny Tomato Sauce. (edited)

Method
1. Add 3 TBS Oil to hot pan.
2. Add Tomato Sauce - Cook well on high heat.
3. Add Spice Puree - Cook well on high heat.
4. From your HOT pot of base sauce stir in a little at a time and keep it moving.

Continue until oil and sauce are fully cooked and mixed.

*** The real difference from my adapted base sauce and many others here is that it already had heaps of Fresh Fenugreek cooked into it, It also had Parsnip which smelled a little funny in the base sauce alone but as the heat got at it that all changed completely.
It was a number of things in fact. I tried this a second time with Stewpots sauce and got a similar effect but the rich aroma that Parsnip added was missing.

I'm not suggesting this is final at all but it sure ended a lot of my woes as regards flavor and aroma for that last 5 years. My base sauce was not properly blended and I'll need to rectify this next time. I just hope it doesn't affect the final product which was in fact very tasty.

Base sauce:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2032.0