Topic: Saffron vs. Darth 100 Percent Madras Clone base sauce comparison (illustrated)

[Secret Santa]

it's always good to read what someone's opinion is...

Absolutely and I wasn't belittleing Bobby's efforts if that's the way it came across. I think it's a great post and a great subject, just look at all the talk it's generated.

By the way where is darths 100% base, I can't seem to find it.

[Unclebuck]

its here santa

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,674.0.html

[Secret Santa]

Cheers unclbuck!

[Domi]

all the best debates become heated, I'm sure we all have backs (or backsides ) broad enough to bear the strains ;D as long as things don't denegrate into petty back-biting I'm all for it!

[Secret Santa]

Following the recipe is OK for less confident cooks, which is why I feel it's important to specify a base to use.

You're absolutely right. I've been making BIR style curries for so long now that I forget just how much of a black art it is to the uninitiated. That got me thinking. What would I think of the first curry I cooked from this forum using any base and any recipe if I had never cooked BIR style before but had eaten in BIRs?

Answer. I think I would be bloodywell impressed that on my first try I managed to at least approximate what I have had in restaurants.

I really wish this type of forum was going when I got into this lark, it would have saved me days of experimenting and bags of wasted ingredients.

My point is that while for the oldies like me mixing and matching bases and recipes is not ideal, for the beginner it isn't a real issue.

[Domi]

ah but without experimenting and getting things wrong, you wouldn't have been able to get them right SS You get to know how spices smell too raw or overcooked, which you can't get from just reading a recipe and both of which can ruin a curry.

Every one of us is searching for their own ideal curry, and I'm happy to say I've found mine...but it doesn't mean I'm going to stop looking for more recipes ;D Bases are as important to the old as to the new, we'll all tweak recipes in some way to suit ourselves, but it doesn't then mean that the base is flawed, it's just not to our taste.

Oh....and cooking skills and techniques all come into play too another thing that comes with experience

[George]

As far as I know, all BIR's use one base for all dishes

I agree. Kitchens I've had sight of only appear to have a single large vat of base, which was used for everything they make, at least for the duration of the time I was watching.

One trick I thought of, to use for dinner parties at home is to use more than one base, to try and add a bit more variety to the dishes, than you typically get from a single BIR. And to use a different spice mix too, like Rajah in one base and Bruce Edwards in another.

Regards
George

[Rai]

Ok then, I'll go first

Rai is a... -  ;D just kidding mate

So youre determined to immediately continue where you left off are you bobby? 

[Bobby Bhuna]

So youre determined to immediately continue where you left off are you bobby? 

Oh come on Rai, I was just playin! Anyway you deserve it after your nappy related antics (lol, that came across wrong)

[JerryM]

for me - Too many words confusing the learning. So very simple summary

We crave know-how to make near restaurant/takeaway std curries. We act collectively to help each other as alone we have no chance. We all have opinions which is good. Telling people their wrong only helps self ego.

The post uses a control (rajver madras) to compare 2 bases and finds 1 base better than the other. This is perfectly ligament and relevant.

To satisfy our craving we follow the BIR approach of a base (or maybe two) which delivers the potential to make many dishes. This is a base which passes a threshold (gets the nearest to producing a curry of restaurant/takeaway standard). Individuals will make changes (to the base, dish recipe & technique) as they see fit for their taste buds. This has nothing to do with the threshold and is opinion.

It?s likely that both bases actually pass the threshold. We can postulate on why we think having passed the threshold 1 base is better than another but we don?t know and it probably doesn?t matter (the final cooking stage & recipe now being the crucial factors).

eg

I made the saffron base just recently. It clearly passed the threshold. I will reduce the turmeric by 1/5 in future and swop salad pots to normal pots. This is opinion and does not affect the quality of the base.

I made the ronnoc base a few weeks earlier. It did not pass the threshold. It clearly had potential but I could not work out what was wrong and would take too long by trial an error so it?s off my list. It?s was either the celery or the spices but that?s just opinion.

Thanks once again bobby for spot on post. i won't be making darth's next as planned and will need to look again at the poll for my next challenge (I do remain pretty settled with the rajver parker21 and saffron bases feeling that a significant step up from this quality is unlikely).