Topic: How do you get the best out of Bassar

[JerryM]

Traditional Kashmiri Masala (Basaar) is an interesting one for me. it's certainly not a missing ingredient.

i've just bought a packet and have only tried it in one curry using 2tsp (200ml finished portion) in place of mix powder (spice mix).

i was surprised that i liked it. having tasted it out the packet i thought it was really going to be well over towards traditional spicing.

i'm thinking of:
1) using it instead of curry powder
2) adding it to my mix powder (spice mix)

would appreciate other's experiences

[mickdabass]

Hi JerryM
I mix it 50:50 with BE spice mix and find it adds a bit of extra depth to my currys.
Rgds Mick

[commis]

Hello

If it's the King of Spice brand send for the recipe sheet, very interesting insight to Pakistani food.

Commis

[adriandavidb]

I think it's Ok, I use 4 tps per 450ml base, so about the same ratio as you JerryM. I slighty prefer Bruce Edward's, but having said that, basaar does give an interesting result.

One thing I have noticed that seems odd, the shelf-life of King of Spices Basaar does not seem very long for some reason, compared to normal ground spices.  I've had a couple of bags up to now, and you only get a couple of months to use it up!  The consistancy is strange too, it's almost slighty damp or oily, compared to a 'normal' free-flowing spice mix.

Taste is nice, pungent, slighty 'fizzy' almost.

[Bobby Bhuna]

And just as I was slagging it of...

After all my bitching, in tonights curry I thought I'd give Basaar one last chance, with a good dose of 2 generous tsp into my madras, along with 1 tsp BE and 1 tsp chilli.

I'm ashamed to say that it was one of the best Madras I have ever made :-X

Seems you just need a really good dose of the stuff to feel its magic.

It really was an awesome curry!!!

Btw, I think the greasyness of the mix comes from the mustard oil, high on the ingredients list.

[adriandavidb]

I may give basaar another go Bobby!

[JerryM]

thanks all,

really good help. will try out suggestions on next base. i like the idea of them particularly as a extra "complimenting spice" to the mix powder (spice mix) rather than  a direct replace. sounds a bit more promising given BB's result.

commis u must be a lawyer - i'd not noticed the SAE bit on the packet or the digbeth address.

[Secret Santa]

After all my bitching, in tonights curry I thought I'd give Basaar one last chance, with a good dose of 2 generous tsp into my madras, along with 1 tsp BE and 1 tsp chilli.

Interesting that you should say that Bobby. A long time ago I used Bassar in my vindaloo along with mix powder and it produced a definite old style vindaloo taste for me where the vindaloos used to be a different beast to the madrases and not just madras + extra chilli powder.

I tried it again some time later and the magic had gone, but I'd forgotten the exact quantities I'd used. Perhaps I'll try it again now in light of your comment and up the quantity.

It is a very definite vindaloo ingredient for me though and doesn't work in a madras, at least if your aim is old style curries anyhow.

[Bobby Bhuna]

I tried it again some time later and the magic had gone, but I'd forgotten the exact quantities I'd used. Perhaps I'll try it again now in light of your comment and up the quantity.

I had the rest of that curry for lunch today and it is excellent. Well if I'm entirely honest about my addition of a fair quantity, this is what I did.

• Put a few tbsp veg oil in pan on hob and chose heat setting 4 (halogen hob)
• Mixed around 1 tsp garlic puree with around 2 tsp tomato puree and around 10 ml water in a ramekin and put that into the hot oil, along with a pinch of salt
• Once most of the water had evaporated off I added 1 rounded tsp BE, 1 rounded tsp Chilli powder and 1 rounded tsp Basaar.
• At this point, the volume of spices meant that the paste was thick. I added some more oil to loosen it up again.
• I then did the usual base sauce bit by bit thing, during which for some reason I decided to get the Basaar back out and tipped some out of the packet into the sauce and stirred it in.
• Stuck in my boiled chicken thigh fillets and wallah (great value - every bit as good as breast for curries IMHO - this was my first time using them but will never look back)

Genuinely up there with the best curries I have made.

[Bobby Bhuna]

It is a very definite vindaloo ingredient for me though and doesn't work in a madras, at least if your aim is old style curries anyhow.

SS, there is no doubt that you have far more BIR chomping experience than me, so for me, I'm afraid a Madras is just a fairly hot curry with no veg ;D. But forgeting about classic Madras / Vindaloo flavours, the taste that Basaar added to my curry is delicious and really reminds me of the smell of walking past a BIR on the way home from the pub.

That said, a fairly hot Vindaloo has me suffering quite severely. A hot Madras kind of heat is where my passion lies!