Topic: PanPot's Ashoka South Indian Garlic Sauce

[JerryM]

this is going to be a real tricky one to get right (down to making a much smaller qty).

it is i'm sure exactly what i'm after though.

i've had 2 goes at it. the 1st very nice. 2nd not as good.

i left out the flour and reduced the vinegar by 1/3.

pics of 1st & 2nd go:

[chinois]

About the only problem I now have with curries is avoiding them getting too thick, adding an extra thickener is the last thing I would do!

Just add a splash of warm water when it's getting thick. Helps it cook properly too.
I put the kettle on before i make curries so it's there when i need it.

Panpot, do you know what type of vinegar they use?

[JerryM]

will be interesting to learn what the ashoka use - i don't think the vinegar type will matter much. i used the clear. the important thing for me was to get the vinegar taste subtle.

[JerryM]

i had to make a 3rd batch last night having used it all up the previous night.

i'm now sorted on this - it takes a bit of trial an error in the cooking and proportions  but it soon comes together. i've stuck to 1/3 vinegar and no flour. i also used the malt on the 3rd batch and maybe a tad better.

this is exactly what i was searching for and is a bit of the jigsaw for me.

many thanks Panpot - i can't put in words how good this sauce is for me - best thing since sliced bread.

[Cory Ander]

best thing since sliced bread

Hmmm, makes me wonder....what was the best thing BEFORE sliced bread, do you think? 

[JerryM]

CA,

most probably in the wrong historical order - mash & gravy until garlic arrived.

[CurryOnRegardless]

Hi JerryM

What dishes and how much per dish have you been using, I fancy giving this stuff a try but I've managed to get myself thoroughly confused with it, something easily done and which seems to be happening all too often recently!

Cheers
CoR

[JerryM]

CoR,

i've only used for the 1st time this week. i've been making plain curry sauce (5 off) and settled on using 3 tbsp. i've had different results so far myself - it's very difficult to make in small qty. the last go worked best and used 480 ml of water pro rata from the recipe.

i am hopeful it can be used in sylheti. i think in smaller amounts it could be used in other "red" curries. it's my sole focus at the mo.

the cooking time & heat seems to play a big part. i blended the garlic in the water before adding to the pan and the rest of the 1st stage ingredients.

ps i also added some mango chutney once i understood the flavour of the original recipe to effectively add sugar in place of some of the sugar.

[Mikka1]

This has started pricking my interest now. Having looked around there are a bundle of traditional Indian Garlic/Chilli combos and it is my experience that these are often bastardised in the restaurant keeping little faith with home cooking.

This one from Sulekha: (There are many).
http://food.sulekha.com/chilly-garlic-sauce-id11001-26584-recipe.htm

There was another article on this which I found interesting regarding fusion of China/India combinations which we all know about these days. Sadly I think CA is right when he said in another thread about curries not being what they used to be perhaps?

The right restaurants however still cook the most astonishing dishes so all is not lost. It does look as though the Garlic/Chilli sauce is a main dish sauce which also figures with it being added to a base sauce. (Other thread Santa).

So there you have it. It's real, is used and obviously makes a difference to the dish.

Shhhhh don't tell anyone, they'll all be doing it.  ;D

[chinois]

I'm keen to try this. This looks like a standard chilli sauce recipe but with chilli powder instead of fresh chillies as a shortcut. Did it taste like a chilli sauce you've bought before Jerry? Buying a jar might be easier for some people is what i'm thinking.
I've been noticing that prepared pastes/sauces seem to be 'the secret' if anything is. Whether you make them or buy them, they always have one thing in common: strength and balance of flavour. Check the below list and notice they all have saltiness, sweetness, sourness and savoury.

Mango chutney This is my favourite BIR tip. My dansak and pathia are the most popular of my dishes.

Tomato ketchup As with chinese food and ragus this just works. Of course it should as there's tomato in most curries and it's savoury and sweet: exactly what you're looking for. I had to apologize to my girlfriend for not believing it's credibility in cuisine until Heston Blumenthal used it!

Bunjara This tastes beautiful on it's own and is very moorish. I used quite a lot in the finished dish to start with but i think i've realized that it just needs to be seasoned correctly when made. It should be sweet, savoury and salty with a bit of sourness (and bitterness?) from the tomatoes.

English mint sauce I havent used this myself but have spotted it in tandoori and chasni recipes. If i remember rightly it's quite sour. The coolness of mint also adds a dimension (in the same way chilli does).

Sweet chilli sauce Like tomato ketchup, it's a classic that works it's magic in almost any cuisine. I havent used it for a while in BIR but something normal like maggi or linghams is what i'd go for, rather than a caribbean one that tastes of scotch bonnet or a thai/chinese one that's overly sweet and gloupy.

This garlic chilli sauce Yet to try it but should probably be classified with the sauce above.