Topic: Experienced members base sauce of choice

[976bar]

tgad2007,

many thanks for the extra advice. i do agree on the importance of the cinnamon coming through.

and yes it is quite different to standard masala made or branded. i feel it's actually wrong to call it garam masala. i used garam in my description so it does not get confused with the infusion spice ball method. i very much like the taste of the finished product. it's just very difficult to know which mix proportions will give the best result in the final curry. i know this would improve as u start to use it and gain experience. i'll call it whole spice masala.

the reason i chucked some of the roast spice away was i had no idea of the initial proportions to roast - i just think i put too much cinnamon and Casia in at the start. my cinnamon and Casia are as u describe "tree bark" like.

i've added in anis and taken out the cloves - just personal preference.

best wishes.

Cassia (Cinnamomum aromaticum) is a close relative to cinnamon (C. verum, C. zeylanicum, or "true cinnamon"), Saigon cinnamon (C. loureiroi, also known as "Vietnamese cinnamon"), Camphor laurel (C. camphora), Malabathrum (C. tamala), and Indonesian cinnamon (C. burmannii). As with these species, the dried bark of cassia is used as a spice. Cassia's flavour, however, is less delicate than that of true cinnamon; for this reason, the less expensive cassia is sometimes called "bastard cinnamon".[2]

Whole branches and small trees are harvested for cassia bark, unlike the small shoots used in the production of cinnamon; this gives cassia bark a much thicker and rougher texture than that of true cinnamon.

[JerryM]

have had several goes at making tgad2007's "roasted spices" and settled on the following whole spices:
   
cinnamon, 10gm   (~90cm)
black cumin, 5ml      
casia, 5gm
fennel, 30ml   
asian bay, 2g (4 off)
black pepper, 5ml   
green cardamom, 15ml
whole clove, not used
star anis 15ml (~2gm)

has anyone else worked on the proportions - would be interested in what they've arrived at. i've cut the roast down to 6 hrs for expediency.


earlier original within this topic http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2203.msg33181#msg33181

[JerryM]

forgot to add pic. not sure how much it makes - container is 75 dia by 30 high.

[Panpot]

Jerry, what can I say, are you really roasting is for 6 hours? You are the man but can you say it's worth while and don't you think even the best BIRs won't go to this length but if your own is better than packaged then I will follow your lead.PP

[joshallen2k]

Yes wow. 6 hours.

I roast mine just until fragrant, about 6 or 7 minutes on low-medium heat shaking frequently.

Jerry - why do you roast lo long? and how do you avoid burning roasting this long?

-- Josh

[Razor]

Bloody hell Jerry, I don't even sleep for 6 hours, nevermind roast anything for that long ;D

[JerryM]

Razor, Josh, Panpot,

i've adopted this method in place of the spice ball for getting whole spice into the base.

the oven is at 60C (the lowest setting on my oven).

i am sure u can get the same result via the frying pan using i think chris303's suggestion of frying the spice separately so that the small spice don't get overcooked.

the oven for me works and is quite a simply fool proof approach - i being prone to burning the spice if i use a frying pan - i just can't get that delicate balance right of enough heat to extract the essential oil (or whatever the technique is - it's an area i'm not clued up on).

[Panpot]

OK, I can see your reasoning Jerry. Any chance you could give us a typical recipe where you use the mix where you feel you are benefiting. I would be easy enough to do six hours on day I was making up all my Base, Bunjarra and Pastes. PP

[JerryM]

Any chance you could give us a typical recipe where you use the mix where you feel you are benefiting.

Panpot,

i add it as standard to all bases that i make regular (1 tsp per 800gm onion). i don't use it in any dishes or pastes. for me it is definitely not garam masala. in the spice ball i used to use cardamom 4 off, bay 4 off , anis 1 off. these are the essentials the rest are just a bit of fine tuning that i've adopted from tgad2000 and i think Achmal.

the roasting does not need keeping an eye on so to speak. i roast in a shallow steel roasting tin and give it a shake now and then (something like x1 each hr). as u say it's almost done by the time base, g/g, bunjarra etc are done.

[json70]

Maybe a base sauce should be just that, a base.
Onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and maybe a little turmeric and paprika.

Just a thought.