Topic: Few newbie questions........

[joshallen2k]

i feel getting the CTM right is down to the tandoori masala it's got to be the Leena variety or equivalent (the pink variety).

Jerry - I totally agree. I don't seem to be able to get the usual UK spice brands, and I've tried about 6 different tandoori masalas, and they can vary in taste significantly.

the only thing i do different (but which i believe common practise) is to put some of the tikka marinade (CA's for sure) in after the base goes in.

I will try this too. How much do you add?

it's got to be carnation not cream and the coconut block is a must for me.

I guess this is down to personal taste. I tend to prefer the cream over the carnation, I've tried both. I've even tried condensed milk in lieu of both cream and sugar. On the subject of cream, what do BIRs use? Is it carnation or UHT cream? Up until now, I've used coconut block exclusively for CTM, but will give CA's suggestion to try coconut powder instead. Makes sense that BIRs use that.

--- Josh

[Secret Santa]

...CTMs from various BIRs, they found that they contained up to the equivalent of 20 tablespoons (I think it was tablespoons...seems a lot!?) of sugar in them (I guess this must be sugar in all its various forms?)! 

Watch the malik video, you will see that it's not far off! 

[Secret Santa]

You might want to try one of the commercial tikka/tandoori pastes (in place of the tandoori masala)?  It's probably one of the few curries where the inherent tartiness of these commercial pastes (from the stabilisers, preservatives, etc) can actually can be beneficial....in my opinion.

You're probably right there CA. The Pataks ones contain tamarind, I think, which is probably what josh is after.

[Secret Santa]

On the subject of cream, what do BIRs use? Is it carnation or UHT cream?

I know that George has seen them use UHT cream in a korma (lots of it), and I'm pretty sure haldi may have seen a similar use. The Maliks videos show them using a carton of UHT cream. I am a bit sensitive to the taste of Carnation cream and have definitely tatsed it in a korma I had many many years ago. So, on balance, it would seem that UHT cream is the most used, but some establishments may use Carnation or indeed other brands of 'cream'.

[parker21]

hi guys have used both single elmlea cream and carnation evaporated milk to make kormas and peeps prefer the 1 with the evaporated milk. i have seen them use uht single cream from those cartons in a korma, but never seen these for sale anywhere maybe a wholesale thing.
regards
gary

[JerryM]

Josh,

once the coconut block is in and melted i taste the sauce (there is only the tikka to go in at this point) - sometimes i don't put any marinade in - other times upto 4 tbsp (12 ladle volume) adding one at a time until the taste is what i'm after.

i'm going to try coconut flour when my stocks of coconut block run out.

[dellydel]

Right guys,

I tried out the SNS Saffron base and thought I would report back!

I halved all the ingredients as I wasn't sure my 5L pot would accommodate the full recipe and it was my first go so it made sense to make less in case I messed it up!

Anyway, I gathered all the ingredients together;



Then chucked them in the pot;



This is how it looked just after the, tomato's and spices added after the blending stage;



This is how it was looking during the heavy simmering stage, notice all the froth building up on top;



Even after 30 mins though, I only got a bit of oil coming to the top, so I let it boil for another 10 mins and noticed no additional oil rise to the top  .  Somehow the base ended up thicker than it should of, it certainly wasn't like a runny soup and maybe it was for this reason the oil had not separated like it should have.  But here is what I ended up with;





Tasting it, it certainly tasted better than the KD base does when cooked!  I left it in the fridge for a day and have now frozen it.  I plan to cook up a Madras this Thursday night so I will report back once tested!

Hi SNS,

Thanks for the welcome!

What dish would you recommend trying first to accompany your 'Saffron' Base then buddy?

Really cant wait to try it out  ;D

Cheers

Del

Hi Del

As a start, the SnS base has a Madras recipe to go with it. I believe this to be an easy curry to start with and recommend you try this first.

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2757.0

There are a few other curry recipes mentioned here in this thread that would be okay with the base - Admins Jalfrezi being a good choice.

Regards
SnS

Thanks for the suggestion SNS, I will probably try the Madras you mention first, however I have a couple of questions;

When you state 'garlic paste' and 'ginger paste' - are these made in a blender with water or are these in an 'off-the-shelf' tube form?

'tomato paste' - again, is this just tubed tomato puree?

'1 tsp chilli' - I have a pot of Rajah Chilli powder is this ok?

0.5 tsp kashmiri mirch - is this just another type of chilli powder, as shown here, is this a crucial ingredient? can I use Rajah Madras curry powder instead?

some dried methi - how much is this a pinch?

Sorry for all the questions 

And any comments welcome guys!

Cheers,

Del

[parker21]

a pinch is normally 3 fingers grouped together, a chefs pinch is normally regarded as 4 fingers grouped together
regards
gary

[Bobby Bhuna]

Right guys,

I tried out the SNS Saffron base and thought I would report back!

Great report Dell! Much appreciated! I wouldn't worry about the consistency, just add some water to thin it out a little! Alternatively evaporate less of at the curry stage, although I wouldn't do this myself... Just stick a little water in I reckon.

[JerryM]

dellydel,

you're up and running well done! the pics in the carton look like mine except a bit too thick (add more water - the base should not stand up ie soft peak).

i tend to take the scum off with a spoon - i've never really known whether it needs it. but making the full batch the level is further up my pan and easier to skim off. the only difficult bit for me is too get the scum off fast enough before the oil starts rising. Maliks video shows that they don't bother removing it so who knows.

on the oil not rising i would say down to not adding enough water after the main cooking stage ie making it quite thin which then thickens as the simmer evaps the water back off again. i've have found it takes at least 1 hr before i get oil though.

the garlic/ginger paste for me is best made fresh. i know others successfully use jars. i prefer to make it with less ginger ie 3:1 garlic/ginger. it does not need much water just enough to allow it to puree (1/2 way up the volume). i also add oil to help stop it turning green.

tom puree is out of tube or jar (double concentrate).

rajah chilli powder will be good.

kashmiri mirch is chilli powder. i swear by the rajah curry powder as part of the mix powder (spice mix).

a pinch for me is 1/3 tsp.