Topic: Top Tips for Creating that BIR Curry "Taste" and "Smell"

[Bobby Bhuna]

Hey guys. To name a few in no order:

• Minimal spicing - this is the most important thing I've learned (thanks CK). Less is more!
• Very few spices, namely turmeric, coriander, cumin, paprika, methi, chili and perhaps a little green cardamom in main dishes (have I neglected to mention any?). Most of us will have far more in our cupboard than most BIRs have in their kitchen. (from everything I have heard from first hand encounters on the site, and my own experiences at watching chefs cook curry from a distance / results obtained personally)
• Consistency procedure - start off with the first two small ladles of base being evaporated right off, then obtain the desired consistency with subsequent ladles. I don't think it's anything to do with caramelisation but more about imparting the full flavour of the spices into the dish
• Diluted tomato paste - you can't get it right otherwise, the tomato paste clumps up and makes it too easy to burn the spices. Diluted tomato paste goes in, get stirred and evaporated a little, off the heat, spices added, back on the heat and 30 seconds of high heat and stirring.
• Enough oil - you need IMHO a good 4 tbsp otherwise it's too dry to fry the spices properly
• Correct volume of salt - this depends on the base. Keep tasting regularly and you'll get it right

Cheers

BB

[emin-j]

Hey guys. To name a few in no order:

• Minimal spicing - this is the most important thing I've learned (thanks CK). Less is more!
• Very few spices, namely turmeric, coriander, cumin, paprika, methi, chili and perhaps a little green cardamom in main dishes (have I neglected to mention any?). Most of us will have far more in our cupboard than most BIRs have in their kitchen. (from everything I have heard from first hand encounters on the site, and my own experiences at watching chefs cook curry from a distance / results obtained personally)
• Consistency procedure - start off with the first two small ladles of base being evaporated right off, then obtain the desired consistency with subsequent ladles. I don't think it's anything to do with caramelisation but more about imparting the full flavour of the spices into the dish
• Diluted tomato paste - you can't get it right otherwise, the tomato paste clumps up and makes it too easy to burn the spices. Diluted tomato paste goes in, get stirred and evaporated a little, off the heat, spices added, back on the heat and 30 seconds of high heat and stirring.
• Enough oil - you need IMHO a good 4 tbsp otherwise it's too dry to fry the spices properly
• Correct volume of salt - this depends on the base. Keep tasting regularly and you'll get it right

Cheers

BB

That's interesting BB , I have never seen base added before Spices ( I could be misreading   ) I have personally watched two BIR Chef's cook my Madras plus a good friend of the family who is Indian and a very keen cook all put Garlic / Ginger / Tom / Spices first ,and have said Spices must be fried in the hot oil , not added after ,  interesting post BB 
Which Base and Curry Recipe do you use BB to be able  use minimal Spicing .

[jimmy2x]

great discussion

tonight i went for a curry at a local restaurant.

i had a vindaloo, and my observations were it had that chilli hit right from the point it touched my lips, now i havent so far been able to get that, when ive made a curry the chilli hit just seemed deeper in the taste, a moment of tomato,onion before i can realy taste the heat.

i would add though the pilau rice recipe http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?PHPSESSID=5b65a58d0ca5693c634700224a4742b2&topic=1383.0 from cory ander was better than they did, and the cory anders one also looked better, i add tumeric to the pan of rice with that recipe, and the wife and me both agreed my one made from this recipe was far superior. I picked out a bit of cassia bark and i found a green cardomen in the wifes so its pretty similar.

also the riata given with our chicken tikka and chicken tandoori starters was not as good as the one http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1224.0 once again by cory ander on here. infact i have no intention of looking to alter or change it in any way, im happy with it now.

however there chicken tikka was superior http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=874.70 the one here just has a bit of an aftertaste, there's was juicy and with lashings of coriander and the side salad on the plate looked realy good, the tikka and tandorri came with a lovley red onion mixed with it. it was superb we both agreed.

So a kinda mixed bag for me, but im happy to say im realy progressing thanks to you guys on here. That vindalloo had a lovley sting to it, which i just cant get, could it be puerred green chilli?

the wife had a pathia, something ive never tried, niever had she said it was wonderfull and suprisingly hot, and insisted i have a go at making it for her.

So to get back on topic, my top tip is to go out have a meal and then compare your process, you might be suprised how close you realy are to making something as good or better than you can go buy, it also gives you a idea of what you still need to work on.

regards

[joshallen2k]

That's interesting BB , I have never seen base added before Spices

I don't think that's what Bobby was suggesting. At least I hope not!

[joshallen2k]

Another one that came to mind is:

Make sure your spices are fresh!

I was making a curry the other day and measured out some ground coriander. I smelled the spices and noticed there was very little aroma. I checked my cumin and found the same. I also noticed my curry powder had expired!

I dry roasted and ground up some newly bought seeds and the aroma difference was night and day. The fresh can of curry powder was remarkably better too. No surprise, that particular curry was the best I made in yonks!

Gone are the days when I buy big bags of spices, and big cans of curry powder.

[Bobby Bhuna]

That's interesting BB , I have never seen base added before Spices ( I could be misreading   ) I have personally watched two BIR Chef's cook my Madras plus a good friend of the family who is Indian and a very keen cook all put Garlic / Ginger / Tom / Spices first ,and have said Spices must be fried in the hot oil , not added after ,  interesting post BB 
Which Base and Curry Recipe do you use BB to be able  use minimal Spicing .

Hi Emin-J. You weren't misreading, just making assumptions, as I said nothing of the kind

It goes oil, then onion and capsicum if using, shortly followed by garlic and ginger until light golden, followed by diluted tomato paste, evaporate slightly, off the heat, then spices (including methi), back on high heat for 30 seconds, then base in the method I described.

I'm currently using CA's recipes with great results. However, I have mentioned that I think the synthesised spiced oil does little and that I enjoy my curry sauce a little thicker than CA does, again, no disrespect to CA, that's just regional variance and my preference - his recipes are amongst the best and most precisely documented, leaving little margin for error if followed correctly.

Cheers

BB

[Cory Ander]

we need to get down to the Nitty Gritty......perhaps we could start by listing what type of frying pan you use then what base recipe followed by which Curry recipe then which order you cook your Spices and at what temperature ? ...........

Whoooooooa EminJ!  I agree that we need to get down to SPECIFICS, but I believe we need to focus on what members KNOW is essential to creating (or help create) that BIR "taste" and "smell". 

For instance, if someone feels an aluminium pan is ESSENTIAL to getting the taste (or at least essential to contributing to it) then they should say so.  Otherwise it's not particularly relevant, I feel, and may just side track us.

I think implicit in members posts is that they feel that they CAN achieve the BIR 'taste" and/or "smell" (and they really should say which it is, if not both), whatever that means to them.  In which case, being specific about the curry base used, for instance, would probably be relevant (e.g. when Josh says "when that base hits the frying spices in the pan... whoa! There's the smell guaranteed", it would relevant to know which base he's specifically referring to...or if he thinks it's not relevant).

[Cory Ander]

When that base hits the frying spices in the pan... whoa! There's the smell guaranteed.

Ahem....following on from my previous post....and which base might that be please Josh? 

[Cory Ander]

Minimal spicing - this is the most important thing I've learned...Very few spices...

What do you consider to be "minimal spicing" BB (quantity per main dish serving, say)?  Are you saying you can't produce the BIR "taste" and/or "smell" if you use more (or a wider variety of) spices?

...namely turmeric, coriander, cumin, paprika, methi, chili and perhaps a little green cardamom in main dishes

Are you saying that ALL of these spices are essential to creating the taste and/or smell BB?  And no others are?

Correct volume of salt - this depends on the base. Keep tasting regularly and you'll get it right

Roughly how much might this be per main dish serving?  Do you think you cannot get the taste and/or the smell without it?

[joshallen2k]

Ahem....following on from my previous post....and which base might that be please Josh? 

Right now I'm using yours. 

I have experienced the same "Whoa" of BIR aroma (and great taste in the finished curry) using both the Bruce Edwards and SnS bases.

-- Josh