Topic: Zaffrons cooking lesson - What questions would you like me to ask?

[chriswg]

Hi all,

I have been emailing some Indian chefs recently to ask a few questions about various things from onion bhaji recipes to what oil they use in their base sauce.

One of them who I have known for years has invited me in one lunchtime to teach me how to cook a BIR curry. This is a place I rate very highly and was my all-time favourite restaurant before we moved out of the area.

I'm thinking I will go next Tuesday. The head chef is off on Mondays so hopefully Tuesday will involve a fresh big batch of base.

So, I'll go notebook in hand and take as many notes as I can on everything they show me. Hopefully this will include making a base then cooking some curries for the lunchtime customers. As this is likely a once in a lifetime opportunity, I want to make sure I ask every question that we need the answers to. So far I plan on asking:

1) What type of oil do they use. Do they reclaim it from the base. Do they use old bhaji fryer oil in the base.

2) What temperature and how long do they cook their bhajis for. Im hoping they will run through the recipe for this.

3) Does the head chef think he could cook exactly the same tasting curry at home, if not why not.

4) I'll be most interested in a madras and vindaloo recipe so I will make sure I ask for their ingredients and method for those along with the base sauce.

5) I'll try and see how they make their keema naan. This should also help with all naans and keema rice.

Please can you let me know what else needs answering. Ask me anything you like and I will do my best to get an accurate answer from them.

Hopefully those going for a similar experience in Sussex and Bristol can ask the same questions so we get a few different opinions. I would assume they will all do things pretty much the same though.

[joshallen2k]

Ask them for their Chicken Tikka Masala recipe!!

[Rabbits]

Mushroom Bhaji recipe for me please 

[rallim]

Hi chriswg

Can you ask if the restaurant uses bought Garam Masala or curry powder, any kind of bought spice mix or if they use a restaurant spice mix (I've heard of restaurants using a Rogan Josh spice mix).

Also if you don't mind if they use any pastes eg: Pataks, restaurant made pastes eg: a ginger chili paste, tomato paste etc just any kind that they use in a mix and match way for cooking their curries with and achieving the desired taste.

I hope the above makes sense.

Oh and again if you don't mind if they have a Patia sauce recipe.

Thanks in advance

[Unclebuck]

Spice Mix, Base gravy, Madras. get some video footage if you can if not photos. All the best UB.

[JerryM]

chriswg,

well done on getting this mighty big opportunity. any info is good for our learning. on a general note i've found in general getting "what not to do" info can be equally helpful. don't try too hard on your 1st visit (less haste more pace).

my interest is along the lines of rallim's - what's in the spice rack, what's on the bench paste's etc, what qty of spice per portion. print this pic off to get up to speed before you go http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3009.msg26649#msg26649. i keep it on my kitchen wall.

the rest i feel we pretty much know.

[billycat]

MUSHROOM BHAJI  whatever next

[George]

I want to make sure I ask every question that we need the answers to.

This seems like a great opportunity. I hope it goes well but why not simply look and learn - let it be driven by what he normally does, which customer orders come in, etc. Be passive - ask hardly ANY of the other members questions, or even many of your own, at least not until the 3rd or 4th visit of a few hours each, i.e. if the 'course' lasts that long. Get clarification of what he adds or does, sure, but I wouldn't go much beyond that or you'll run out of time and come away with less useful information.

[Cory Ander]

MUSHROOM BHAJI  whatever next

A top BIR dish BilyCat (and one which is suprisingly hard to truly reproduce)!

And add special rice to that too (equally hard to truly reproduce)! 

[chriswg]

This is a 1-off, 2 hour opportunity so I need to make sure I gather as much info as possible on ingredients and methods. I will make sure I run through spice mixes, pastes, base sauce, madras, vindaloo and tikka massala. I'll take notes if anyone orders a mushroom bhaji or special rice but as I have never eaten either before I might not get everything right. Onion bhajis however... I'm not leaving until I am 100% certain I know exactly how they do them.

Everything else, I will watch an learn and try to absorb as much as possible. If they let me take some pictures with my phone then I will.