Topic: Sample of curry gravy

[pete]

Any chance oil that had previously fried poppadums could have been used for the gravy?

The pan they used was abot 4 inches deep and 10 inches wide
The oil was near the top
That's a lot of oil to throw away.
The oil would take on a poppadom flavour
I reckon you're right!

[DARTHPHALL]

The poppadoms at my local are almost white also Blondie 

[lazydays]

i was reading an aticle on MSG recently .Here's an extract .
I like the idea of the Popadom oil though . that would definately have flavour .

Monosodium glutamate is the sodium salt of glutamic acid. When MSG is added to foods, it provides a similar flavouring function as the glutamate that occurs naturally in food.

MSG is a flavour enhancer that has been used effectively to bring out meaty taste in foods. Many researchers also believe that MSG imparts a fifth taste, independent of the four basic tastes of sweet, sour, salty and bitter. This taste, called "umami" in Japan, is described as savoury or meaty.
Originally commercial MSG was extracted from natural protein-rich foods such as seaweed. Today MSG is produced by a natural fermentation process that has been used for hundreds of years to make such common foods as beer, vinegar and yoghurt.

The natural flavour-enhancing levels of glutamate in food varies greatly, but is high in foods such as tomatoes, mushrooms and parmesan cheese. MSG enhances many but not all food flavours through the interaction between glutamate and other flavours. It works well with a variety of foods including meats, poultry, seafood and many vegetables. It is used to enhance the flavour of some soups, stews, meat-based sauces and snack foods. MSG harmonises well with salty and sour tastes, but does little for sweet foods such as cakes, pastries or candies.


Hope this is of interest

[CurryCrazy]

Interesting post lazydays...I like the umami idea, and seeing as nobody can actually describe the "taste" at least we can give it a name now ;D

Has anyone used MSG in a home made curry?

[DARTHPHALL]

Having looked at the description of MSG & having a Take-away tonight , as i drove home with my Vindalloo .I thought to myself.
There is that strong savory flavor that I'm trying to capture, as Ive said before everything else i can copy but not this & i do have a sneaking suspicion that MSG is the missing smell/taste ( having used MAGGI liquid seasoning on meat many times) it is very similar a savory beefy & salty but not as in strong sharp salty, but down toned tasty salty.
Looks like I'm about to buy some MSG & a Bottle of PURE CAP ( HEAT in a Bottle  !!!).

[vin daloo]

I tried msg in my curry but it didnt seen to make a difference - but then again i may have been overspicing things so i couldnt tell. Ill give it another go soon without adding too much spices.  I read somewhere that msg is a lot healthier than salt to add to your food.

[Mark J]

Ive recently tried MSG for the first time and it didnt seem to make any difference either

[raygraham]

From what I have read MSG has very little actual taste if any. My understanding is it alters the consistency of a sauce for example but it's primary function is as a FLAVOUR ENHANCER. I have always thought it's use in Chinese cooking was to give added flavour to an otherwise fairly bland dish (although not all are bland by any means). Our Curry Base may get that extra kick of flavour with it's use but I am not convinced it is one of those "magic ingredients" we look for.

Ray