Topic: Pataks

[silvertongue]

From the BBC website, Tuesday, 29 May 2007:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6700173.stm

AB Foods buys curry firm Patak's 
 
"Patak's employs 650 people at its Wigan factory

"Food giant Associated British Foods is to buy the Patak's Indian food business from its founders, the Pathak family.
Under the deal, AB Foods will take on the company's entire business and brand - except for its operations in India.

Based in Wigan, Lancashire, Patak's was set up by the Pathak family in 1957 and it is thought to supply about 75% of the UK's Indian restaurants."

Could it be that many of our favourite restaurants and takeaways achieve 'the taste' by using prepared curry pastes and other ingredients from 'trade size' cans and jars which they simply add to their curry gravy?

Discuss!

[Unclebuck]

From the BBC website, Tuesday, 29 May 2007:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6700173.stm

AB Foods buys curry firm Patak's 
 
"Patak's employs 650 people at its Wigan factory

"Food giant Associated British Foods is to buy the Patak's Indian food business from its founders, the Pathak family.
Under the deal, AB Foods will take on the company's entire business and brand - except for its operations in India.

Based in Wigan, Lancashire, Patak's was set up by the Pathak family in 1957 and it is thought to supply about 75% of the UK's Indian restaurants."

Could it be that many of our favourite restaurants and takeaways achieve 'the taste' by using prepared curry pastes and other ingredients from 'trade size' cans and jars which they simply add to their curry gravy?

Discuss!

Hi silvertongue, good point yep i will have to agree a lot if not all do use prepared paste to some main dishes, tikka especially comes to mind.. its does have it uses - but unlikely to be used in any base gravy IMO.

[JerryM]

silvertongue,

this is a horrible nightmare for me and you've now made it worse. ;D

first i think it was either domi or haldi who confirmed they use it and find it very good. i keep looking at it "with distaste" as i go past it in my local store.

it would be the end of the dream for me if it really is used by so many - i must admit i sold myself that it was only used by the BIR/TA's where i did not like the food.

i only live 9 miles from wigan albeit there is an official boarder. they do make exceedingly good wigan kababs though (in wigan - not pataks).

[silvertongue]

From Uncle Buck:

"Hi silvertongue, good point yep i will have to agree a lot if not all do use prepared paste to some main dishes, tikka especially comes to mind.. its does have it uses - but unlikely to be used in any base gravy IMO."


I think the final sentence of my post was slightly ambiguous when I said 'could it be that many of our favourite restaurants and takeaways achieve 'the taste' by using prepared curry pastes and other ingredients from 'trade size' cans and jars which they simply add to their curry gravy...' I didn't mean to suggest that restaurants/takeaways use wholesale pastes to make their curry gravy, I think you're absolutely right, Uncle Buck - it's unlikely they use it in their base gravy - but I guess that's the idea - the base is so versatile - it can be used from korma to madras. They make a really simple 'onion gravy' or curry base - probably from the usual suspects - onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and a few basic spices such as turmeric... then they simply add the right paste depending on what was ordered.. a ladle of curry gravy and a chef's spoon of paste cooked quicky on a high heat, pre-cooked meat and vegetables added and hey presto!

If the article I cited is correct, it would explain how a large number of restaurants and takeaways - allegedly 75% - all seem to achieve this unique 'taste'. It would also be a shame for those of us who have enjoyed attempting to recreate the restaurant flavour at home if the answer is in a jar!

This said, it's still possible to create a really good restaurant style curry using regular spice mixes and other ingredients as part of the process of transforming that basic curry gravy - so important for the restaurant texture - into something special.

[rallim]

The owner of an Indian restaurant I frequented a lot let me into his kitchen and lo and behold large jars of Pataks pastes, Tandoori and a Tikka jars. When I asked what they were used for I was told for marinating chicken and meat . A mixture of both pastes with yogurt and some other spices the restaurant chef added for flavour. When I asked why, he told me it saved time and the two pastes were very good along with their own spice mix. I then asked if they used any other pataks pastes for their curries and was told no they freshly made the pastes used for their meals.

[JerryM]

rallim,

i'd go along with what u say. it sounds right and i feel would taste right. i find making marinades from scratch a bit of a bug bear and not really convenient - hence i only tend to make tikka for the weekend and make do with broiled chicken the rest of the time.

i might just buy a small jar on the qt :-X

[Cory Ander]

Evidence suggests that commercial curry pastes are commonly used by BIRs.

I think it may account significantly (but not totally) for what many people perceive to be the general demise in the quality of curries today, compared to those of yesteryear (i.e. the 70s and 80s), when commercial curry pastes were far less commonly available or, therefore, used. 

I'd also suggest that Indian restaurants in other countries, such as Australia, predominantly use commercial curry pastes.  It is strikingly obvious from the tarty taste (from the preservatives, stabilisers, etc) of their curries.  I believe this is why their curries are so markedly different from decent BIRs curry, and particularly different from those BIR curries from the 70s and 80s.  Edible and enjoyable, for sure, but not quite British, having neither "the taste", "the smell", nor "the appearance of a BIR curry

I often use small amounts of commercial curry paste, but generally in addition to other spices for "balance" of flavour, much like I often use both fresh and bottled garlic and ginger.

[JerryM]

gone and done it  - bought the tikka curry paste on offer at special price of ?1.19 for 10 portions so not bad on price at all (does 1.25kg chicken).

the trouble is things have got worse since i got it home.

i can't believe it but the 1st thing i wanted to do was taste it. u can't believe it - a footnote on the jar in bold says, "it is important that this product is not consumed uncooked".

surely they mean the chicken tikka not the paste.

anyone dared to try it! suppose silly question really.  ;D

[JerryM]

i did try it (and lived).

the taste was along the lines of lime pickle - i now know that the warning is more about putting people off the paste instantly than food hygiene.

for me this is all about spur of the moment cooking. so i followed the instructions on the jar adding oil, the paste, evaporated milk (had no yoghurt) but followed rallims good words:

and some other spices the restaurant chef added for flavour

should i tell u or not. 2 tsp of leena Tandoori masala and put it in the fridge 24hrs.

bbq'd it and then added to Curry kings CTM.


wow! going to have to eat my words. this yucky tasting stuff does produce the goods. the taste is not as good as starting with fresh ingredients (CA's tikka recipe) but for ease it rates 10 out 10.

Nb the only comment from 1 of the 2 testers was that the meat was a little tough. (reason, i normally marinate for 3 days and feel this makes a big difference).

[Tamala]

so i followed the instructions on the jar adding oil, the paste, evaporated milk (had no yoghurt)

Evaporated milk is not a substitute for yoghurt jerry

the meat was a little tough. (reason, i normally marinate for 3 days and feel this makes a big difference)

It may do, but bir tikka is generally not tough and they certainly wont marinate for 3 days!  A couple of hours, maybe, and overnight if youre lucky.

Using yoghurt instead of evaporated milk would help jerry