Topic: oil colour

[Dylan]

Why oil is required for fullsome flavor. (scientific bit)

1.Oil serves as a flavor enhancer - it makes taste molecules hang around taste receptors for longer (making food taste more tasty).
This is one of the reasons low-fat alternatives are often fairly tasteless and "unsatisfying".

2. Most flavor and odor molecules are actually closer to oils than they are to water (think of essential massage oils); They are dissolved/ extracted faster and more efficiently in an oil medium.

Cut the oil from a curry and you'll cut the flavor.

[merrybaker]

Why oil is required for fullsome flavor. (scientific bit)

Interesting.? Now that's science in the service of humanity!

[DARTHPHALL]

Actually i believe we can get around it ;D as the health issue was not my real point, just the fact that in the first base sauce it is superfluous to use oil as disappears in that huge vat along with all the other ingredients.
put the oil in at the second curry making stage so that it stays golden rather than Ruby Red & therefore more like my local Take-Away(which was my real point  ;D ). & its healthier as you are not "cooking the oil" & changing it characteristics.
Hope this clears things up (remember the Hammers !!!). ;D ;D

[DARTHPHALL]

I have made very tasty curries without much oil, you just need to rely more on the quantity of spices/ingredients etc..etc..

[pete]

Does this mean that the base/gravy mix is better made omitting the veg.. oil ?? Would be interested in all of your opinions on this.

A chef told me, that without the oil, the spices won't cook right

[DARTHPHALL]

But you will be cooking them in oil in the second stage .Which in turn will bring the flavor out when you make the actual curry.
I will try this weekend & see if there is any taste difference.
& as Ive said my local has a golden oil not ruby Red, i am trying to copy them & by the sound of it they make a slightly different curry to most with some better quality ingredient(so i`ve been told by some forum members ).& there curries are the best i`ve tasted by a large degree(to my personal taste that is !!).
Sometimes i think people are afraid of trying things out because thats what we`ve been told to do & thats what everyone else is doing. So i`ll have to follow(BAH BAH weak sheep !! ), if i have to boil up a fine chopped Football & leave it in the sun for 6 years while i cook curries but achieve the taste then so be it. ;D ;D ;D ;D
Diversify, cooking is art & therefore we need to break some rules to achieve our goals,especially when cooking curries, take it easy ;D , relax & enjoy the experience of cooking curries. ;D .
Unless any of you know a way of using oil in both base gravy & actual curry & not ending up with a Ruby Red oil at the end ?

[Curry King]

Why not remove the oil from your base before blending it and use veg oil in the final currys,  also try leaving out tom puree at the beginning.

But if your making a vindaloo then it will get the ruby red oil from the chili powder if anything, espically if added in large amounts! 

[Mark J]

Im with pete, a decent amount of oil is required to fry the spices right.

I have also read that one reason for lashings of oil is so there is less chance of spices sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning whilst the chef is cooking many dishes

[pete]

I have tried so many different versions of curry gravy.
Some made up, some from books and the internet.
The gravies I tried without oil, came out like an old style vegetable stew.
Check out Pat Chapmans recipe:-

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=259.0

that uses very little oil

[Curry King]

The 100 best balti gravy recipes don't use as much oil and ive produced some very good results from their gravy.