Topic: Urgent Help Required,please

[Panpot]

I am an avid fan and user of this fantastic site and tonight I have a bit of a challenge.

Normally when having friends round I cook a couple of curries and keep them for a reheat just before serving, they are always delighted but I know something is missing.

Tonight I intend to cook each individual curry on its own and absolutely fresh. I am wondering how I keep the completed ones hot before serving them. I have the kind of hot plates that use a little night lite candle or I can put them in the oven, any ideas?

Also I am having onion baghi as the starter and wondered whether I could precook then till about half cooked and finish them just before starting. I am only cooking for four so not too much but I want to minimise the time between each course and keep things as fresh as possible, can anyone advise? Certainly in Scotland Pakoras are all precooked but not sure whether fully or partial.

Almost desperate Panpot

[Jeera]

Hi mate, i think your one the right tracks there. Here's what I'd do.

1. pre-cook onion bhajis - btw, you might ant to try Curry Kings veg pakora recipe instead (best I've tried and identical to what you get in scottish BIRs)
2. Pre-cook rice (assuming ur having rice)
3. Make each curry and keep them warm in the oven in seperate bowls.

Re-heat bhajis and serve
microwave rice and serve heated curries.

[Panpot]

Thanks Jeera as you will know then in Scotland they always refry the pakora but I wonder if they are partially cooked first also I have yet to find anywhere  a perfect recipe for Pakora you get in Glasgow so the Bhagi recipe I am using works great its a variation of one on here.

[JerryM]

i cook the onion bhajis upfront and microwave when needed

i also stick to CK's CTM for one easy recipe that i can cook in my wok (ie 4 persons at a time)

the rest i pre fry whatever ingredients (onion, green pepper) and then fry to order a double portion (again in the wok) - i normally make Admin's Jalfrezi.

I measure everything else out ready and have everything laid out.

i only make naan and pre cook them all and microwave to reheat.

best wishes and luck.

a few links
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,1334.0.html

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2687.new;topicseen#new

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,2637.0.html

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,539.0.html

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,2664.0.html

[Panpot]

Thanks JeeryM, In the end I went for the tea light burners under copper bottomed stainless steel pans that I got up in Brick Lane in London last year from one of the Asian stores there. To be fair they did the trick although the total cooking time for individual curries was a nightmare. I partially cooked the bhajis and finished them off just before serving and they were great and did chapatis round the same time,no bother there.

I usually do what you do with the wok and cook big portions a few hours ahead and just reheat them in the wok before serving and that always works. This time I wanted to be able to  provide four fresh but different curries done in an individual pan exactly like the ones used by Glasgow BIRs and bought in one of the cities Asian stores. Each curry was a success and looked and tasted fantastic but it took roughly an hour for all four with the first ready a good 50 minutes ahead of the last but kept hot in the steel bowl. Thankfully the drink and good nature of our mates helped it along.

I wonder if anybody else has any better way of dealing with this since clearly in the BIRs and takeaways each dish is cooked individually in single sized pans. All my meat and of course base sauce was precooked while all the spices and the other ingredients were all ready to go. For what its worth I had all the non meat ingredients for each dish placed on a plate ready for there order of cooking and it worked a treat and the colours and variation on four plates looked great when the others arrived before I started.

Yet another learning experience in this amazing adventure into cooking BIR replicas. Cheers Panpot