OK.... what is the BIR smell?

[joshallen2k]

I've been making my own curries for some time, thanks to cr0, happy as Larry.

Tonight I stopped by a takeaway on my way home (its been months). Since I was starving, on my way home I popped my hand into the carton of chicken tikka and ate a few, and a good rip of naan.

Finished the meal when I got home. Wasn't too impressed, I've made as good (in one way or another).

But the smell is something I've never reproduced. About an hour later I got into my car to go get something, and whoa, the BIR smell was there. I know it will be there in the morning.

I cannot identify it. Its not methi, not onion, not any individual spice. My BE spice mix smells somewhat close, but not quite.

Has anyone figured it out, or have any suspicions on what it might be?

-- Josh

[JerryM]

the only thing that comes close for me is when reclaimed oil hits the hot pan. It has to be a 2nd generation ie clean oil into base, removed, added to 2nd base, removed.

as soon as i open up the air tight container - it's their BIR land

[joshallen2k]

Reclaimed oil? Possibly yes, but I think it may depend on the ingredients in the base you reclaimed from. The stuff I reclaimed from the Saffron is close but is missing "something" aroma-wise that seems to be consistent in BIR smell.

Also, its been posted that reclaiming the oil is not a consistently practiced thing, that some BIRs don't do it.

[JerryM]

u need to recycle the oil a in a few batches of base before it reaches the smell test standard.

the only other thought (which has been raised before) is methi. i had gone right of it (have never used it - don't like the taste it adds when added after the rest of the base has gone in ie post frying stage.

the SnS June 08 madras changed all this. SnS's spice mix included the methi so it when it at the frying stage. i feel this is a step improvement in it's use (flavour). i'm not 100% sure it got closer to BIR smell though.

the only other thing on my radar is to try out whole green chilli in the base (puncture them with a fork) - prompted by Bobby B's recent post. this may be another piece in the jigsaw for the BIR "smell" with love.

[joshallen2k]

Recycling - that's an interesting comment. I never thought of that.

Just reading the Bruce Edwards post, and he makes a point of saying its not necessary - which is in line with those who have witnessed demos doing it both ways. The "because its there" reason Bruce gives may be all there is to it.

[SnS]

  SnS

[joshallen2k]

SnS, what put the issue to rest for me this time (not that I didn't believe you!) was that it clicked that "because its there" might be just an acknowledgment that some BIRs might be doing it to cut costs - which I can believe. I was already bought into your suggestion that it wasn't necessary for BIR taste!

Still smells good though...

[JerryM]

Josh,

i've made 2 identical bases (see the CRO2 dev) and proved to myself that the no reclaim and the reclaim methods produce equally good bases. the no reclaim at the mo (for me) needs what i call the water trick during the cooking simmer stage (the boiling off/addition of extra water after the frying stage) to pull off the same amazing result as reclaim.

where i do see "taste" a difference is in using plain oil v spiced oil at frying stage when comparing the same curry using the same base. the oil reclaim simply provides a supply of spiced oil and removes the need for the extra boiling off at cooking stage.

the "recycle" simply means any left over spiced oil gets put back into the next base - this again leads to a significant improvement

I remain a big fan of SnS and yourself irrespective of whatever method u are more comfortable with. It?s all the same to me.

[Derek Dansak]

the bir smell is partly due to loads of methi being cooked all day. slowly cooking  yogurt and oil infused with cardoman cinemon cloves chilly etc is also another bir smell which lingers. its a good question! 

[joshallen2k]

I've read before that methi is the key ingredient to the BIR smell. I personally don't see it. A blend is probably the best answer.