Topic: Why do British Indian Restaurants (BIRs) use a Curry Base?

[JerryM]

back in the 70's Indian Curries were not so popular as now so there may not have been a need for a Curry Base and the flavour of the 70's Curries may have been from a ' Curry from scratch method

emin-j,

the lack of popularity was down purely to personal perception. i for one was forced into my 1st restaurant (sit in the cold car was the alternative).

for me i'm 100% sure they were made from base.

curry from scratch is a recent ploy by restaurants to extract extra cash for the dream of something better. fleeced is my word for it. top chefs may well be able to pull it off. i have a 60? bill for 3 from a couple of yrs ago which set my mind at rest.

[Cory Ander]

do you think it possible that back in the 70's Indian Curries were not so popular as now so there may not have been a need for a Curry Base and the flavour of the 70's Curries may have been from a ' Curry from scratch method ' ?

According to Pat Chapman, "formula curries" (i.e. those using a curry base and other pre-prepared ingredients) were pioneered in the late 1940s:

"Many of our 'Indian' restaurants operate to a formula which was pioneered in the late 1940s. In those early restaurants, a way had to be found to deliver a variety of curries, without an unreasonable delay, from order to table. Since all authentic Indian recipes require hours of cooking in individual pots, there was no guarantee that they would even be ordered.So cubed meat, chicken or potatoes, dhal and some vegetables were lightly curried and chilled, and a large pot of thick curry gravy, a kind of master stock, was brewed to medium-heat strength. To this day, portion by portion,on demand, these ingredients are reheated by pan-frying them with further spices and flavourings. At its simplest, a Medium Chicken Curry, that benchmark of middle ground, is still on many menus, though sometimes disguised as Masala, and requires no more than a reheat of some gravy with some chicken"

This is from Pat's website which can be found here:  http://www.patchapman.co.uk

[Cory Ander]

curry from scratch is a recent ploy by restaurants to extract extra cash for the dream of something better. fleeced is my word for it

You pays your money and you takes your choice Jerry, I'm not sure "fleeced" is the right word!

They (i.e. "Indian" restaurants generally) are simply differentiating themselves by going with a more "traditional/authentic" style of Indian cooking (i.e. less formulaic, without a base, etc), more regional (i.e. regional Indian rather than specifically Bangladeshi) and more diverse menu variations using more varied and fresher ingredients.  They can then charge more for their dishes which are generally slower and more costly to prepare.  I'd do the same if I were in their business! 

[JerryM]

i'll ask them about daag.

i asked about daag. not heard of it. the only suggestion was dhal which being lentil is not what we would be interested in (in terms of curry base).

i did not speak to the boss - so might find more but not looking good (they do have relatives back in SA).

[Razor]

Guys,

I can't quite recall where I heard or read this, but I'm sure that the Indian term for base sauce is also referred to as 'Garab or Grabbi'?

I have seen a stream on youtube whereby they call their base a Grabbi.

I have an old Indian cookbook which is from the late 50's written by Savitri Chowdary.  All traditional fayre here with no mention of any base sauce!

Ray

[Curry Barking Mad]

Many Bengali owned/operated outlets call the base sauce  garabi or grabbi, pronounced gar-rarbee,,
it stemmed from Bengali's who struggled with the English language trying to say "gravy"

[Razor]

Achmal,

Many Bengali owned/operated outlets call the base sauce  garabi or grabbi, pronounced gar-rarbee,,
it stemmed from Bengali's who struggled with the English language trying to say "gravy"

I'm sat here, pronouncing gravy in a very strong Asian accent ;D and I think what you say could well be spot on. 

Until anyone can come up with a better explanation to the name, I'm going with this one ;D

Ray

[Malc.]

This sits well with what I thought I heard the IG Chefs saying, it certainly sounded like 'garabi' but I wasn't sure.