Topic: curry vid from a bir in Swansea

[nrgh]

Good article on the local swansea rag's website about a BIR owner and an interesting behind the scenes video - I guess this is just a temporary link so enjoy it while it's there.
http://content.thisis.co.uk/south_wales07/cookeryclass.wmv
Kev.

What does rags mean .... is it a term of endearment ?

[Cory Ander]

"Rag" is British slang for a newspaper (or periodical) nrgh

"Rag's" is therefore something belonging to the rag!  

[Cory Ander]

Hey Brum!

This is a REALLY interesting video! 

The only concern I have is knowing how good the curries are? 

Do you know which restauraunt it is?  If so, has anyone tried it?  If so, how good are the curries from it?

[Cory Ander]

I think the question was whether the flaming actually adds anything to the BIR flavour, and I think the jury is still out on that one

Hi Santa,

The jury's not out for me Santa...I KNOW it adds to the BIR flavour!

Who else has tried flaming to the extent shown in this video?  If so, I'd be VERY interested to know your views please?

[Cory Ander]

Yes, you can definitely hear him say "chicken stock", interesting. At least it's going into the finished dish though and it's not in the base sauce.

Yes, I think you're right there Santa...he does definately say "chicken stock".   

He only added it to the second "chicken something?" dish though and not to the prawn dish

It doesn't necessarily imply that stock (chicken, meat or vegetable) is not also used in the currry base however 

[nrgh]

"Rag" is British slang for a newspaper (or periodical) nrgh

"Rag's" is therefore something belonging to the rag!  

Thanks for the clarification .

[Cory Ander]

These are some of the things that I think I observed and found interesting in this video:

General:

• Meals - One is a prawn (what?) dish?  The second is a chicken (what?) dish?
• Curry base - light colour, oily and runny (water-like)
• Cooker - wide and powerful (but not too powerful) flames
• Pans - look like cheap aluminium and/or mild steel (?)
• Cooking technique - shaking, stirring and copious flames shooting all over the place
• Addition of ingredients - mostly done off-heat
• Onions - although he chops the red onion, I didn't see him actually use it in either dish
• Limes - only a condiment for dressing of the final prawn dish
• Ghee- tub of (Pride?) butter ghee in the background but didnt see him use it (probably only for storage? as always!)
• Pre-cooked meat and potatoes (?) evident on the left-hand-side

Prawn Dish:

• Oil - uses quite a lot (maybe 100-150ml) to pre- cook (fry) the prawns.  Can't see what type of oil though.  Interesting (slow/small) dispenser!  Adds it to a cold pan?!
• Sauce for prawn dish - cooked in a separate pan with (in order of addition):

- Oil?
- Precooked onions (sliced and golden, not brown)
- "Butter" (or margarine?)
- Pre-cooked garlic (brown and runny? looks more like egg yolk!)
- Tomato "juice"(?) (runny)
- Chopped (not pre-cooked?) ginger
- Chillies (Fresh? Sauce?)
- "Garlic pepper little bit" (??)
- Chilli powder
- Salt
- Some brown powder(?) (spice mix?)
- Methi (dried leaves?)

• The precooked prawns were added, together with:

- 1 ladle (about 140ml?) of curry base
- Tomato puree (looked thicker than the "juice"? to me this time?)
- Fresh tomatoes
- A pale "Vindaloo sauce"? from a retail bottle??? ? what IS this stuff??
- Vinegar or oil?
- Coconut powder
- Single cream as a "final touch" (don?t you just love the look on his face here!)
- Fresh coriander and lime topping

Chicken Dish:

• Preheating oil looked to be only for a few seconds?
• Sauce for chicken dish:

- Oil(?)
- Pre-cooked onions
- Precooked garlic
- Tomato puree ("juice"?) or was this reclaimed oil?
- Something else
- Some white powder(?) other than salt
- Some other powder
- Chilli powder
- Spice mix(?)
- Dried(?) methi leaves
- Curry base
- Chicken stock (pale, runny and oily)
- Couldn?t see the rest

Some interesting stuff going on here.  I found the following particularly interesting:

• A lot is mentioned about "technique" being "the secret"?.  However, nothing in the way of "technique", other than shaking, stirring, heat, flames and order of addition of ingredients seemed apparent to me here?
• The colour and consistency of the pre-cooked onions and garlic and the tomato "juice" or puree
• The simple, cheap, unseasoned, pans being used
• The relatively small amount of curry base that appeared to be added
• The use of chicken stock in the chicken dish
• The presence (but no apparent use of) butter ghee
• The use of "butter"
• The pale "vindaloo" sauce!!

Of course the resultant curries could be crap!  Is there anyone who knows the place, has tried the curries, and can report back?

What have other people observed?  Can anyone verify or add to what I think I saw?
 
Thanks again Brum ,great post!

[Secret Santa]

Yes, the two most surprising things in it for me were the butter (i think you can actually hear him say butter) and that bottle of shop bought pale coloured sauce of some kind, very weird. If anyone can fill in the missing spices that would be good too.

[Yousef]

Ive uploaded the video to the server, so you can view and download and keep to review.

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/download/cookeryclass.wmv

Stew

[Cory Ander]

Yes, he definately says "butter", thought it looks a little pale to me (and is maybe a little too expensive to use)?

I'd be really interested to know what that pale coloured "vindaloo sauce" was! And also that "garlic pepper a little bit"! 

What dish has butter, fresh chillis, chilli powder, fresh tomatoes, "vindaloo sauce", cream and coconut powder in it? Topped with coriander and slices of lime? A vindaloo strength Butter King Prawn Bhoona something or other? 

....looked very nice though!