Consensus - Best Practise

[JerryM]

Stew,

There is definatly something in adding water then reducing back to the consistency you want, during this reduction process the magic happens.

just to be sure you mean at the simmer stage after adding the base. i too find this crucial even though it makes a big mess of my kitchen (well the newspaper anyhow thanks to gary's tip)

a dish that contained no other spice but chilli powder and turmeric.

eagerly await the results. for me this too is part of the magic ie very few spices.

[Derek Dansak]

thats interesting. the bir chef i know, showed me quite a lot of that adding water and reducing down technique. he used it with great effect with lots of dd spice mix and chilly powder + chicken bones and chicken, green chillies, cardomaon, cloves, bay leaf, covered in water and boiled right down. produced a really tasty quick easy curry. he called it "staff curry". apparently its part of learning to do a vindaloo.

[Cory Ander]

The one thing I do know however, is that I will instantly recognise the missing depth of flavour, savouriness and overpoweringly lovely aroma that accompanied them, if I ever do manage to find one.

I agree with your comments about the 80% versus the 95% attainment of a DECENT BIR curry SS (regardless of how "enjoyable" it might otherwise be).

I can certainly recollect the taste and smell of curries that I thoroughly enjoyed, and hanker for, from the early 80's (25 years in fact!).

But I do disagree that those same curries can't be had anymore though.  They can, I've had them.

[Secret Santa]

the acid test for me is this: taste the curry the next day cold. a real bir curry tastes amazing the next day cold. mine taste very very nice, but not quite the same.

This is absolutely right DD, I couldn't agree more. The old style curries I am trying to reproduce not only have the missing taste and aroma but they retained them easily until the next day when cold. Good observation!

[Secret Santa]

But I do disagree that those same curries can't be had anymore though.  They can, I've had them.

Ohhhh, you are a tease CA! 

So are they in Cambridge like the ones you recommended before? If so it's about time I made the effort to get there. Let me know please.

[JerryM]

Secret Santa,

CA is teasing for sure everyone knows the best curries are in the midlands and i think Cambridge is near watford and a bit too far south. ;D

[Panpot]

Guys, I have bean eating BIR curry for over 30 years now and have eaten them all over the UK, Ireland and abroad though nothing in France comes near. Glasgow takes a lot of beating particularly the portion sizes. There is something different today so I agree with Secret Santa but occasionally I still find the old magical taste and aroma.As I have posted elsewhere today I have a visit to the kitchens of a Glasgow BIR coming up on Sunday. I will explore this idea of changing taste over the years. I hope Secret Santa it has nothing to do with ageing taste buds and nostrils.

[Panpot]

Just had a thought, this post is a good idea JerryM and having been away for a wee while I have been aware that a couple of great stalwarts of the site when I first got involved and was learning about bases and other good stuff have been noticeably missing. I feel that their opinion matched by your own and the others who regularly post now which includes guys from back then too and new names to myself would be of value. Perhaps Curry King or Stew could consider teasing them with an email to have their input. Then again given that I have been away they could have gone to the dark side with their experience or sadly they may just have moved on.

I am thinking of guys like Darth and CurryQueen who inspired me along with CA and CurryKing and a hole load of others back then. If I took time out and was a away for a while then I suppose they can too but it would be good to have some of you guys bouncing ideas around, just a thought.

[Secret Santa]

I hope Secret Santa it has nothing to do with ageing taste buds and nostrils.

No, that had crossed my mind too, but I still make recipes that I used to make as a teen and they still smell and taste the same. Unless of course it's a loss that's particular to BIR curries. 

EDIT: I realised after posting this that I have actually had a bombay aloo a few months ago that had the old taste I am looking for (actually I would say it was about 98% there). Strangely it did not have the nice aroma though. This was at a buffet and none of the other curries had the taste!

[JerryM]

spot on panpot.

Stew could consider teasing them with an email to have their input

i'd add the following to the list: George, Haldi, Secret Santa, SnS

maybe it could be tied into some financial benefit to the site as a whole as this would be clearly very valuable information and a short cut to improved success.