Topic: Variations on a recipe

[haldi]

I spent a good hour chatting to a very good asian chef
I know the ingredients in his curry gravy and he was extremely helpfull in details of how to make it
Seriously, if I could cook this I would feel I had accomplished everything
The ingredients are so simple and few
Onions,water,salt,oil,canned tomatoes,chick peas,garlic, turmeric and spice mix
It needs to be cooked for three hours
This cooking time affects the mellowing of the spices and darkens the oil
I have a bought sample of the gravy too
So I know exactly what aroma (and that's incredible), taste and look to aim for

I decided that making too small quantities, was a waste of time
It's too easy to misjudge a small measurement
So I standardised on two kilogrammes of onions
That's about 10 or 12

I bought a couple of 5 kg sacks of onions really cheaply from an asian store
One pound twenty a bag!!

I made three versions of the gravy and got three very different results
You wouldn't have thought it possible
I varied the amounts of
salt
turmeric
spice mix
and water

Apparently their curry gravy is cooked with the lid on the pot
This makes a massive difference to the water required
All the water comes out of the onions
You need equal oil to water in the gravy
I put in 500ml of each and it turned out runny

If I get an exact match to the curry gravy sample, I will post it
But along the way I found out something very important
The AROMA comes from the spice mix
Not the onions or turmeric

If I heat a tablespoon of the genuine sample of curry gravy, in my microwave, it gives off this amazing smell
We all would recognise this
One of my curry gravies actually achieved this aroma, but alas not the exact flavour

For this one I put in ten desertspoons of spice mix for two kilogrammes of onion

I know we have discussed this before, but I was surprised at how salt affects the finished sweetness
two desertspoons made a neutral base
four desertspoons made a sweet one

I feel a little closer to the goal than I was

I have attached a picture to show how the onions rose above the liquids at the start of cooking

[mike travis]

Hi haldi,  nice post and pictures. Looks like you are on the right track. Keep up the good work..regards..mike..  ;D

[ast]

Haldi,

Very interesting experiments.  I'd be interested in hearing more about your journey as you zero-in on the results.  I think having more of the "if I add that, I get this effect" in the discussions will probably help a lot of people too, so please don't just wait to post your finished recipe.

Cheers,

ast

[Yousef]

Great post Haldi,

If anyone is going to crack it i fee sure you will.
I am looking forward to the next post.

What spice mix are you using for this base.

Stew