Topic: New Base Gravy from visit to Saffron

[spiceyokooko]

You're on the wrong forum pal.

Yes, I forgot the forum seems to be mostly about copying what BIR's do without actually understanding why, perhaps that's why so many people struggle to achieve the desired results!

[Peripatetic Phil]

Yes, I forgot the forum seems to be mostly about copying what BIR's do without actually understanding why, perhaps that's why so many people struggle to achieve the desired results!

I disagree.  What you forgot (or to be more accurate, what you overlooked) is that few if any forum members (other than your good self, of course) will be interested in blending their own Deggi Mirch, so offering advice based on /your/ interpretation (and blending) of Deggi Mirch is unlikely to be of much use to others.  Most members on this forum, if they want to use Deggi Mirch, will buy a commercial brand, of which MDH is by far the most easily available in the UK.  Therefore telling them what to expect if they use that brand, in terms of flavour, colour and heat, is far more likely to be of use than telling them what to expect if they blend their own to match your own (?unpublished?) forumul{a|ae}.

** Phil.

[Secret Santa]

Yes, I forgot the forum seems to be mostly about copying what BIR's do

Now you're getting it. 

[DalPuri]

Phil, you seem to be arguing for arguments sake.  :

How many BIR's do You think actually use Deggi Mirch (if any)?

What do you think makes the Best restaurants stand out from the crowd?

Do you believe that the top restaurants in the world use pre-ground packet spices?

Or are they a cut above the rest because they care more about their ingredients?

I think people should take a leaf out of Spiceys book because i believe he is trying to make His food a cut above the standard T.A.

It shows a lot of dedication to the cause and i for one, admire that.
Its more creative than what i do and many others on here. 

[Peripatetic Phil]

Phil, you seem to be arguing for arguments sake.  :

No, I'm not DP : I am just trying to keep the discussion factual rather than other worldy.  This particular debate started when Goncalo asked about the apparent inconsistency between the ingredients for the recipe (the main subject of the thread) where the recipe states "sweet paprika or deggi mirch".  Sweey paprika and deggi mirch are as different as chalk and cheese, and the fact that Spiceyokooko chooses to blend /his/ Deggi Mirch so that it resembles sweet paprika is completely irrelevant : the Deggi Mirch that Goncalo would almost certainly use is MDH Deggi Mirch (by far the most easily available in the UK) and therefore it is essential that this thread clarifies that MDH Deggi Mirch is far far hotter than sweet paprika as well as having a totally different flavour.  Ensuring that this is clear to Goncalo and other readers is my only reason for continuing the debate.

** Phil.

[spiceyokooko]

the Deggi Mirch that Goncalo would almost certainly use is MDG Deggi Mirch (by far the most easily available in the UK) and therefore it is essential that this thread clarifies that MDH Deggi Mirch is far far hotter than sweet paprika as well as having a totally different flavour.  Ensuring that this is clear to Goncalo and other readers is my only reason for continuing the debate.

And that's where all the trouble started Phil.

If you read back to what was said, at no point was it ever mentioned this was MDH's version of Deggi Mirch. You naturally assumed it was.

I made my comments based on what the generic Deggi Mirch was, which is pretty close to Paprika. You made your comments on MDH's version which was not explicitly stated in the recipe. Nor was it stated in goncalo's question. So how do you know it was MDH's version or the generally defined generic version?

You're merely assuming that the recipe author meant MDH's Deggi Mirch (despite explicitly stating Deggi Mirch OR Paprika) and that anyone making the recipe will also use MDH's version.

And not only are you assuming without knowing you continue to argue the toss about your potentially wrong assumptions as well!

And no doubt the original author of the recipe ingredients is wrong too to have said Deggi Mirch or Paprika, because it doesn't sit happily with what your own sole experience of what Deggi Mirch is that comes out of an MDH box!

Good grief.

[DalPuri]

I agree that anything which leads to superior flavours is a lead worth following, so if blending your own chilli powders is worthwhile, I'm keen to hear more.

As it happens, I was "introduced" to MDH Deggi Mirch by someone at one of the top London Indian Restaurants. He said their chef used it. The flavours in their dishes were amazing - probably the best Indian food I've tasted anywhere in the UK. So, if it's good enough for them, I thought it should be good enough for me, and I've used it ever since.


So yes, I do believe that the top restaurants in the world use SOME pre-ground packet spices.

Touche. 

"A" top restaurant George. 

And deggi mirch alone isn't going to make a dish taste amazing.
I personally dont like the flavour of the MDH. I dont know, something about it tastes odd to me.
I quite often look at it and hesitate, then opt for one of the other two chilli powders i have when cooking a curry.
If i want heat, i'll add some bog standard chilli powder.
If I want flavour, i'll add Kashmiri.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I made my comments based on what the generic Deggi Mirch was, which is pretty close to Paprika.

No, you did not.  You made your comments based on /your interpretation/ of the constituents of "generic Deggi Mirch", as blended by you.  I have now asked three times where you have bought "generic Deggi Mirch" and not once have you answered this direct question : instead you tell us that you blend your own.  What on earth leads you to believe that you know more about how Deggi Mirch should be formulated than (say) MDH ?  In your own words "good grief".  Have you /ever/ bought (not made, bought) generic Deggi Mirch, if so from where, and what were its characteristics in terms of heat, flavour and colour ?

** Phil.

[uclown2002]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz   

[spiceyokooko]

No, you did not.  You made your comments based on /your interpretation/ of the constituents of "generic Deggi Mirch", as blended by you.

Phil, we've been over all this, why are you determined to carry on arguing this point just because you've made a fatal mistake in assuming that the original recipe must have meant MDH Deggi Mirch?

I've explained in some detail what Deggi Mirch is. In Hindu Deggi/Degi/Deghi means flesh of the pepper and Mirch means pepper or chilli. Loosely translated it means skin or flesh of the Pepper/Chilli. Lal Mirch simply means Red Pepper or Chilli. These are generic terms, not to be confused or translated by pedants such as yourself into brand names.

The next thing you'll be trying to tell me is that Garam Masala is only Garam Masala as long as conforms to what comes out of a Rajah packet. Now, you and I both know that Garam Masala can take almost as many forms as there are manufacturers who make it and not one of them will use the same ingredients. They're not generally interchangeable, Rajah's Garam Masala will be different to West Ends which will be different to TRS's and so on. Chilli powders are no different.

You'll then try and tell me than something is only Hot Chilli powder as long as it comes out of a packet that says Hot Chilli powder on it!

Do you not think I've tried MDH's Deggi Mirch? I'd be surprised to be honest if there's a single Kashmiri Chilli in it and is probably full of the much cheaper and much more easily obtained Byadagi chilli combined with more generic Lal Mirch, cheap fillers and artificial colouring. I didn't like it, I didn't like it's flavour and thought it was over-priced for what it was, particularly given I didn't know what ingredients it contained. But if you think it's good and can't taste the difference carry on buying and using it.

If you want to continue with your view that Deggi Mirch is only what comes out of an MDH packet and ignore the fact that as defined it is a generic blend of Kashmiri Chillies and Pimiento/Capiscums that is entirely your choice. Remain in your ignorance.

This is my last comment and post on this subject as I can see it's boring the pants off everyone else.