I'm BITTERLY Disappointed!!!!!

[Cory Ander]

if you think I can help I am happy to share my 'secrets' for the things you mention.

Thank you for your kind offer to help us Kris, I'm sure that any assistance you are able to provide would be gratefully received and appreciated 

Do you still have ties, or contacts, with Bangladeshi British Indian Restaurateurs, who might also be willing to advise us Kris (say, for free advertising)?

PS:  Congratulations on sorting quotations out, 'tis easy when you know how isn't it?!   

[JerryM]

Any help from Kris would be fantastic (and i don't say that often).

having thought more about suggesting the idea to my local TA i've begun to realise that it's not that easy.

1st up is what is the value to the TA or restaurant. i can't really hand on heart come up with credible. money does not drive the staff at my local (am sure it does for the owner but he does not work their and probably knows nothing about cooking).

2nd is the front man has no idea on the cooking. he's good at his job - to make the customers happy. the chef gives the impression of a being very friendly but private at the same time. he greets me warmly and knows when i've not been in. i put it down to him not speaking much english.

having weighed things up then Kris's help sound's like a breath of fresh air.

i also think it might be prudent for whoever provides this help to decide what help we need. as Kris point's out it's what we don't know that we need to focus on - for me that's the basics (something like spice, technique, ingredients ie recipes are not the immediate priority the building bricks need to be confirmed 1st)

[JerryM]

had a further thought on the subject as follows;

a "wish list" complied by the members would be good in terms of general interest and mutual help.

it would also serve as a good starting point for identifying what we don't know and potentially give an idea of priority.

for example i'd love to know how much spice goes into a BIR curry. i appreciate there will be variation across the dishes but what's the ball park. i use 2tsp per 200ml finished. this question becomes a tad complicated as u then need to know the same for base spicing to maintain the overall balance.

a more simple example would be to establish what part if any garam masala plays in BIR.

some members may already know the answers which would enable them to be eliminated without troubling the external help. a short list would then focus our minds on the real needs of us collectively.

[haldi]

Hi Folks
        I've spent hours and hours at takeaway kitchens.
One thing these chefs repeated again and again, is that you can't cook like they do, at home.
I have been desperate, for years, to prove this statement wrong
I have watched and studied most aspects of these chef's cooking.
The only secret is the gravy and the reclaimed gravy oil.
Given either of these you can produce 100% results at home.
I know, because I have done this.
But can I produce the gravy and oil, on my own?
No, I can't, and I have tried every which way to do it.

I have even been allowed to make a full sized base at one takeaway kitchen
Yes, I actually made it
The very stuff they sold on to customers.
Our missing ingredient is the oil put in the gravy.
This is "used" oil
It is seasoned and full of flavour from all the things previously cooked in it.
Surprising little spice goes into the base.
If you scaled it down to a four onion base you only need about half a teaspoon of spice mix and the same quantity of turmeric and salt.
The main flavour is from the oil

If you cook with genuine curry gravy oil or curry gravy, you get an amazing aroma straight away.
That is the real BIR we all are after

Having said that, we can make some great curries, with recipes posted on this site.
They are a lot of fun
But, in my opinion,they are not BIR quality
I wish they were

If I owned a takeaway, I could do this 100%
But until then.............

[Bobby Bhuna]

The only secret is the gravy and the reclaimed gravy oil.

Hey Haldi, hope you're well.
Where is the oil that they put into the base from? Fryers or?

[haldi]

Where is the oil that they put into the base from? Fryers or?

I've seen different methods
One is the used deep pan fryer oil goes into the base
Another is where the oil from the fryer is used to fry the curry in
And also I have seen old curry gravy oil going into the new base

I admit that this has been at only four places, and accept that this may not be common practice everywhere.
But all these places produced excellent curries.

Going back four years to my Bengal Cuisine demo
They used different oil to cook my "made before my eyes" curry
This came from a ghee pot on the stove
It was far darker oil than the oil created from my demo base.

When I recreated my demo base and curry at home, I was dissapointed
I'm sure that's because I wasn't using the "special" oil
Using bought "curry gravy oil" I have made curries with the missing "taste"
I have done this even without using curry gravy

[currymonster]

Has anyone actually tried infusing an oil with spices/flavourings and use that to cook the main dishes?

[Cory Ander]

Has anyone actually tried infusing an oil with spices/flavourings and use that to cook the main dishes?

Yes https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3295.0

[JerryM]

Interesting post by Haldi on the used oil. something i've not tried.

I'd add that a high output burner (~7kw) also makes a big difference in the taste. I'm still trying to eliminate the hit and miss but when i hit - it's very different to anything i made on the stove at 2.5kw or my 3.0kw gas hob. even my wife get's interested.

I personally think part of the reason for BIR's saying that it can't be done at home is down to the heat - which u can't do in a domestic kitchen - i now only cook curry in the garage (down to the smoke and mess).

[emin-j]

had a further thought on the subject as follows;

a "wish list" complied by the members would be good in terms of general interest and mutual help.

it would also serve as a good starting point for identifying what we don't know and potentially give an idea of priority.

for example i'd love to know how much spice goes into a BIR curry. i appreciate there will be variation across the dishes but what's the ball park. i use 2tsp per 200ml finished. this question becomes a tad complicated as u then need to know the same for base spicing to maintain the overall balance.

a more simple example would be to establish what part if any garam masala plays in BIR.

some members may already know the answers which would enable them to be eliminated without troubling the external help. a short list would then focus our minds on the real needs of us collectively.

JerryM,do as I did and show interest in Indian cooking and then ask casually about ingredients and methods,I will probably be going to my T/A tomorrow and hope to have a taste of their Curry Base and maybe even do a bit of cooking