Topic: the real base sauce taught by Indian chef

[ronnoc]

here is ingredients in order as i forgot to mention sugar.

KORMA
meat or veg of choice
8 table spoons of oil
little bit of G/G (maybe 1/4 tea spoon)
1 heaped dessert spoon of curry powder

3 heaped table spoons of ground almond powder-1 heaped table spoon of coconut powder. or you could use 1/2 and 1/2 or even one or the other as long as it totals to 4 heaped table spoons.

1/4 pint yogurt, milk or cream. any will give good results.
1 rounded table spoon of sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 pint of ronnoc base sauce, saffron or other similar mild version.
garnish with flaked almonds and corriander. or which ever your own fav takeaway does thiers as this is what you will want to compare to.
follow info on previous post for instructions.
ronnoc

[Cory Ander]

1/4 pint yogurt, milk or cream. any will give good results

I can absolutely guarantee you that this will give wildly different results and that 1/4 pint of yoghurt is a no no.

[haldi]

I can absolutely guarantee you that this will give wildly different results and that 1/4 pint of yoghurt is a no no.

I have to agree with CA
Yoghurt curdles and can easily ruin a curry
When I first started trying to make restaurant style curries, I followed several recipes that had yoghurt (pat chapman rhogan josh for example) and it just doesn't seem to work
I have seen korma cooked loads of times
At the place where I used to watch, they only used uht single cream from a carton.
Here's the recipe:-

4 tablespoons curry gravy oil
2 ladles curry gravy
1 desertspoon spice mix
1 desertspoon coconut powder
Pre cooked ingredients
1 desertspoon sugar
? cup of uht single cream
Finely chopped nuts

Heat the oil for two minutes
Add the gravy and cook for about four minutes
Add the spice mix, coconut, sugar and half the cream
Cook another five minutes then add the precooked ingredients
Cook another five minutes then stir in the rest of the cream
Add a little more curry gravy if it is too thick
Put into carton with the nuts on top

If you have a good curry gravy, it's really easy to make
I've known two chefs prepare this with almost identical recipes
They hated making it because of it's popularity and simplicity
They used to call it "English Curry"

[SnS]

4 tablespoons curry gravy oil
2 ladles curry gravy
1 desertspoon spice mix
1 desertspoon coconut powder
Pre cooked ingredients
1 desertspoon sugar
? cup of uht single cream
Finely chopped nuts

Hi Haldi

1) Do you know which spice mix?
2) Dessertspoon - I assume to be 10ml (2 x tsp)?
3) What nuts?

Only reason I ask is that I also intend to get some BIR Korma facts and tips from Saffron (next visit). I'd like to nail down this Korma thing and produce a good BIR recipe (yours sounds well on the way).

SnS  ;D

[haldi]

Hi Haldi
1) Do you know which spice mix?
2) Dessertspoon - I assume to be 10ml (2 x tsp)?
3) What nuts?
SnS  ;D

Hi SnS
      this place changed hands about eighteen months ago
The new owners won't let me in
The chef objects, and says his recipes are secret

The spice mix was five spices
I think it would be a similar to the one I posted recently
1 coriander, half cummin,1 curry powder,1 turmeric & 1 paprika ratio
This chef at this place worked with another one who definitely used that mix

A desertspoon would be 10ml as you said

and the nuts were chopped almond slithers
They had a really fancy touch about them
They were brightly coloured
Red,green and orange
I don't know if they were bought like that or if he coloured them himself

I would be really interested in any Saffron recipes
I reckon their base is very similar to the base I am currently getting demos from
I think these recipes are complimentary
So my recent Rizala,Phall and Dopiaza posts could work well
I've looked into their unblended curry gravy pot and you can see the chunky onions ,chopped green peppers and tomatoes
I am sure it's very similar

[SnS]

I would be really interested in any Saffron recipes
I reckon their base is very similar to the base I am currently getting demos from
I think these recipes are complimentary

I'll keep you posted Haldi

SnS  ;D

[Chris303]

Just a quick observation.... surely most bases are real bases? I am sure there thousands of establishments all over the UK all using different yet similar bases. Even my local turkish kebab shop can produce a tasty sizzling indian curry in several minutes.

[SnS]

Just a quick observation.... surely most bases are real bases? I am sure there thousands of establishments all over the UK all using different yet similar bases. Even my local turkish kebab shop can produce a tasty sizzling indian curry in several minutes.

Hi Chris

There are over 8000 "Indian" (mostly Bangladshi) restaurants in the UK, all using curry bases which are bound to be similar. These recipes (up until now) have been closely guarded by the chef's and only privy to very few. The only book I've ever read with a recipe for curry gravy (and recipes to go with it), is the The Secret Curry by Kris Dhillon.

How many Indian cookery books have you read that tell you to make a curry gravy first and then go on to include recipes using this gravy. Not many. That is because it is a method adapted to the BIR trade and not "authentic" Indian (or Bangladeshi).

I'm not 100% sure what your real point is Chris, but I do know that getting the gravy right is half the battle in reproducing the BIR curry.

If your local turkish kebab shop can produce a tasty sizzling indian curry, then please ask him how he makes the gravy. He may disclose his "not so secret" recipe to you. You never know it may even be better than some on this site.

Best regards

SnS  ;D

[ronnoc]

yogurt is a no, no.
well it does curdle. agreed, but this is down to bad cooking mostly as i know fine well it goes in some BIR dishes. like i said you can use what you want in the form of cream. i use milk and get great results. so i was basicaly saying you can follow what i do if you like or if you prefer to use the cream like the takeaways then find out what it is. i could of made that up but prefer to tell it like it is. the only thing that i have changed from the BIR is the use of milk.
well so far i have gone out of my way to share what i have been taught only to be slated by people who have not even givven these a go. so far only two have had a go and both have givven two totally different comments. one says my gravy was too strong in G/G and Garam Masala when just about every recipe i have seen on here must use twice as much.
the other had good results but felt it was rarther mild and needed extra spices. a lesson well learned for you all. you can always add but can not take away. i have spent some time taking photo's to help. i was also about to let you in on the other secrets needed to make some of the other dishes but for what thanks.
good luck with your forum

[SnS]

Hi Dave (Ronnoc)

Sorry to hear you feel so bad about all this. Your information was of great interest, but to some extent I can see why not many have actually jumped in, feet first, to try it yet - and hence the lack of positive (or negative) comments.

I guess the main reason for it not being tried is that most members here will expect to be supplied a recipe that is least 95% correct, before committing themselves (and expense) to trying it.

From what I've read on this thread, the recipes appear to be a case of hit or miss and have changed significantly with time, and with too many options thrown in.

Given more time, and probably subject to final "ironed out" and "definitive" recipes, I'm sure this situation would have changed with more members trying your recipes with subsequent positive feedback.

Regards

SnS  ;D