Topic: Bhuna vs. Jalfrezi?

[ast]

I'm sure this is a pretty dumb question, but here goes...

I've never eaten or seen a bhuna except in the pictures on this site, but I have eaten a few real restaurant jalfrezis, so I'm familiar-ish with what they're supposed to be like.  Looking at the response to CK's bhuna recipe and subsequently going through the rest of the ones on the site, it looks like the ingredients and cooking methods are nearly interchangeable.  Is the only real difference that you should use less base for a bhuna and maybe nix the lemon juice/sour accent?

I've read the "unofficial" histories of both dishes on the Web in a few places, and know that bhuna's really a cooking style and jalfrezi was originally an extremely dry stir-fry used to gussy up leftovers much the same way as the original recipes for gumbo do.  However, history doesn't really seem to translate well to the modern BIR, so any insights would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

ast

[Bobby Bhuna]

I get both fairly regularly. Jalfrezi always has large pieces of Capsicum and onion, wheras the Bhuna is far less chunky. The Jalfrezi is dryer and hotter too. That's just my local, so I may well be wrong.

[ast]

Looking at the recipes on here a second time, I guess I was more influenced by the ingredient list of CK's bhuna than the others.  Regarding the consistency, I'd have thought that it'd be the other way around based on the jalfrezi's I've eaten.  They haven't struck me as particularly dry as I recall.

I'll be back in town more regularly in the next couple of months, so I'll be closer to the real deal.  I'll start exploring various places' take on the two and see if it jives with your own experience.

Cheers for the response.

ast

[Domi]

I wonder if there are regional variations (UK-wise) on what each curry actually is

I live very close to Wakefield, Leeds, Bradford and Dewsbury (all very heavily populated with curry houses ;D ) but Jalfrezis as I know them have to be cooked using peas and beaten egg (the beaten egg seems to be added last and sits like scrambled egg through the curry....might not sound nice to some, but trust me, it's delicious! ) I've never ordered a Jalfrezi from any restaurant/takeaway that has not had egg added and believe me over the years that racks up to an awful lot! yet I've never seen a recipe posted anywhere that actually uses them. :-X

It's the same with pathias......a pathia as I know them (and I've never had one that's been any different) has extensive use of mango/mango chutney, again, I've not seen any recipes posted that make them this way, so I have to ask, are all the curry houses I've ever used making curries wrong? I've made pathias using the non-mango recipes and have found them all to be sadly lacking

Is it just a Yorkshire thing?

[SnS]

Pathia does have a very distinctive taste and I've never actually managed to achieve it yet.

I've used lemon juice and white sugar, amchuur powder + sugar, both amchuur powder and lemon juice and sugar and more recently anardana powder, lemon juice and sugar.

Perhaps it's the sugar that's wrong?

Never had a Jalfrezi egg omelette yet, sounds nice.

SnS  ;D
 

[Domi]

lol try it with a nice mango chutney SnS

I found a recipe on Delia.com which uses mango chutney if you're interested...
http://www.deliaonline.com/messageboard/7/24995/thread.html

If you look at the replies and their authors, it may also interest some other members that despite one of the replies come from someone with ten years experience, he doesn't know what a pathia is or where it comes from....or maybe the restaurant he's worked in never sold any :

[SnS]

Hi Domi

I shall try the Mango chuts next time - thanks.

Have you tried that recipe? It looks a very "fussy" ... so many ingredients.

... and as for someone who's supposed to have "10 years experience" and thinks a Pathia is a dish invented for the UK market back in the 60's ! Well .. speaks for itself really doen't it?

I notice that the recipe has coconut in it ... and has no souring ingredient (lemon, tamarind, amchuur, etc) ... unusual for Pathia isn't it (?)

(btw - I forget to include tamarind on previous post, I've also tried that!)

Regards

SnS  ;D

[Secret Santa]

Perhaps it's the sugar that's wrong?

You should try jaggery (jaggery goor). It has a very intense flavour which is quite different to ordinary sugar, and as I suspect that all combinations of the other ingredients you mentioned are used in various BIR recipes you'll need to experiment to get the exact match for you.

You should also try runny honey and lime juice. So in all you've got about 10 different combinations there, you're going to be pathia'd out by the time you get through them!

[ast]

Hi Domi,

I've never seen any kind of BIR curry listed with egg in it.  That sounds very interesting.  I have to say, though, if I got one in my Jalfrezi, I'd be a little disappointed.  Still, it wouldn't surprise me about regional differences.  I would've thought they'd be less likely in the UK, but certainly in the US, you get all kinds of stuff like that.

I've never seen eggs in curry here in Ireland either.

Very interesting indeed.... 

Cheers,

ast

[SnS]

You should try jaggery (jaggery goor). It has a very intense flavour which is quite different to ordinary sugar, and as I suspect that all combinations of the other ingredients you mentioned are used in various BIR recipes you'll need to experiment to get the exact match for you.

Hi SS

I've seen Jaggery mentioned in many Pathia recipes, but never managed to get hold of any.
Have you actually tried it?
Where did you get it from?
What form is it in (solid block or prepared)

Most books say that dark brown sugar is the closest substitute.
Comments welcome please?
I'm not sure about using the honey option SS    Although I do love honey, but it's normally on toast!
SnS  ;D