Topic: What? More oil??

[haldi]

Hi haldi,
I too am aware of the use of old oil in the gravy, I saw this a few days ago on the Maliks webcam, my only question would be :: 1/ is it oil that the poppadoms were cooked in? or 2/ is it oil from the fryers that the bhajis etc were fried in ?

Bob

It's definitely oil from chips and bhajees
Mainly chips
Loads of chips
I haven't seen poppadoms cooked in it, but maybe that too

[Derek Dansak]

Hi CA, lets face it, there must be more to this business than the basic steps /techniques  we are all performing, otherwise we would all be doing perfect bir every night. personally i feel we have yet to master new preperation methods to achieve new flavors. and a few new techniques that might be part of those preperations. i believe our conceptual schemas of cooking true bir are not very developed. thats why we miss the true bir taste. i would stress the preparation side of things more than technique. we have only really seen the tip of the iceberg. we know very little about how bir chefs prepare stuff during the afternoons. between all of us, we must be able to crack this by trial and error?

[JerryM]

DD,

sounds as if you've got some fixed ideas on the above which is certainly out of the box thinking - any chance of an example to help understand exactly what u're getting at.

at the mo my biggest problem is consistency. i currently put this down to technique and intend revisiting UB's malik video (following Achmal's prompt) to help put this in stone in CA's technique post.

i'm a sort of a disbeliever (very willing) of the chip oil. i saw it go in on one of UB's malik video and will report where when i come across it. i hope it's a red hearing.

UB's malik video link : http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3013.0

[Cory Ander]

Hi CA, lets face it, there must be more to this business than the basic steps /techniques  we are all performing, otherwise we would all be doing perfect bir every night

Hi DD,

Yes, I agree with that DD.  I suppose it's a question of what that leads us to conclude?  I conclude that the "missing taste" is in the curry base and oil.  Others may conclude that it's in the "preparation and technique".  It may be (and probably is) both of course.

However, I've never been too comfortable with peoples' assertions that it's in the "technique" because they seldom define what "technique" actually means.  And, from watching restaurants and videos, it is not apparent that there are any particular magical "techniques" going on in the cooking of the final dishes?  Just some frying and stirring!

I feel we have yet to master new preperation methods to achieve new flavors. and a few new techniques that might be part of those preperations....i would stress the preparation side of things more than technique

Can you give some examples on what you mean by "preparations" DD?  Do you mean things like pre-prepared "onion paste", "garlic/ginger paste", "red masala paste" and "precooked meats"?

[Derek Dansak]

Hi, Its so hard to say what preparations are missing as i just dont know. It could be some random thing like letting a combination of spices mello, or slightly decompose in oil for a few days/weeks then cook with this oil. I am keeping an open mind. and will try some random ideas (much like haldi has). i believe random experiments with the spices + oil are darn useful. we should have a thread just to record odd experiments. and if these experiments are being endorsed on a permanent basis by the cr0 chef. It has to be the way forward to a better understanding of achieving a complex taste. our current recipies are possibly too simple. the taste needs developing, and intensifying. from cooking with my locals base i can honestly rule out the base as being any importance at all. although others may disagree! and i am sure they will  ;D. they may have been hiding some truth about their oil though. but it looked like veg oil.

[JerryM]

i believe random experiments with the spices + oil are darn useful.

they may have been hiding some truth about their oil though. but it looked like veg oil.

thanks Derek for the further understanding. i too feel there is margin to be gained here. it's probably a no3 for me behind technique & spicing.

i would extend "spices" to include whole and am still particularly interested in the red & yellow variety of curry base oils.

i also felt from the malik video that whilst there is a lot of ingredient essentially going in off camera (eg from under the oven) there is also significant difference in when spices are added across ythe range of dishes. it's quite a complicated picture and one we can only pick off at a bit at a time - hence the need to experiment as u say.

[Cory Ander]

i would extend "spices" to include whole and am still particularly interested in the red & yellow variety of curry base oils

Hi Jerry,

A couple of questions if I may?

1)  Do you think the use of whole spices is prevalent in BIR cooking?
2)  What do you mean by "yellow....oil" please?  I have only seen red?

[JerryM]

CA,

1) i don't think whole spices are prevalent in BIR cooking ie dish cooking. i do feel they have a part in the base. i've made several bases with and without whole spices (using cardamom, anise, bay and lately cinnamon). i find the base better with the whole spice than without.

2) the curry gravy oil is something i keep wrestling with. the "yellow" oil is as in the malik video. it's also used by my local TA. all the bases on this site use red oil. the difference for me is no paprika and no or very little tomato in the yellow yielding base. the trouble is i feel i've had my best results (finished dish) using the red oil eg the saffron base.

i've been using a yellow base for some months now - so i have at least 1 control to try out my attempts at cooking dishes (as opposed to plain curry sauce which for me is sorted). i was going to switch back to red next but given the "technique" work i feel i need to stick with the yellow for just 1 more go (to try maliks cooking method).

on "extend" spices to include whole i was getting at that i haven't really tried out any variation as using the 3 off spices worked pretty good for me from the off. it's only recent that i introduced cinnamon but this isn't coming through in the base yet (i'm only talking subtle - that depth of spice without 1 overpowering the rest).