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

[Cory Ander]

Great replies guys 

I reckon that, if we can get the specifics down on how to create that BIR "taste" and "smell", this will prove to be an interesting thread (great suggestion eminj)

I'll try and produce a summary, after the thread has run a while......

I'd love to hear some tips from some of our other long standing members too...such as SS....

[JerryM]

smell:

smoke from high heat cooking - say ~ 7kw

taste:

thin base
low spice base & dish


i'll give it some more thought. i probably would find it easier to list what don't make any difference but that's quite a big list.

real good post CA.

[emin-j]

Great job your doing here CA 
My point of going into detail ie type of frying pan , base etc is just  my way of thinking,
if we find say 7 members believe they produce ' the taste ' and 3 members don't and we then find the 7 members use Aluminum pans and the other 3 don't the Aluminium pans could be a ' Top Tip ' ? I think the ' Top Tips ' are coming on nicely 
If we dissect all this info I think we should find some solid answers.

[Secret Santa]

I can't reproduce the taste or the smell, but then I seem to be looking for something that others aren't.

I think I can put my finger on what is ruining modern BIR curries though or, in other words, what is taking them away from my notion of the ideal taste and smell:

1. Not using a spiced oil, whether specially prepared, or recovered from the base and/or curries
2. Using commercial pastes, notably Pataks'
3. Possibly the use of too much spice. I've settled on minimal spicing of 1 to 2 tsp, not including methi or chilli. Just watch the online BIRs like maliks, they're really ladling those spices in.
4. And last, but for me not least, the lack of use of methi in the savoury curries. Although I think this is more prevalent here than it is in the BIRs (so I suppose that is a complaint about the curries on this site and not the BIR curries!)

[Secret Santa]

I think the synthesised spiced oil does little

If that's the case BB then it can only be that the version of spiced oil you are using is lacking in some respect.

Next time you make a curry be really liberal with the oil so that you can recover, say, six TBSP from your finished curry. Use that to start your next curry off and if you don't notice a marked improvement in your curry, there is something seriously wrong going on.

Actually, even better than that, is to use recovered oil from the base in the curry and then use the recovered oil from that to start your next curry.

[emin-j]

Secret Santa , Unlucky for me I had my first Indian Curry in the late 80's so it sounds like I may have missed the best Curry years  : previous to this were my Chinese years 
However your comments about Spiced oil etc on the two occasions I have watched a BIR Chef make my Madras , your right neither of them used Spiced oil BUT the Curries were fantastic tasting to me  and if I could replicate that taste on a regular basis I would be more than happy   

[Cory Ander]

i probably would find it easier to list what don't make any difference but that's quite a big list.

I think it's probably all too easy for each of us to say why we CAN'T do something; I think it would be far more productive to focus on why we CAN do something.....keep thinking Jerry! 

[Cory Ander]

My point of going into detail ie type of frying pan , base etc is just  my way of thinking,
if we find say 7 members believe they produce ' the taste ' and 3 members don't and we then find the 7 members use Aluminum pans and the other 3 don't the Aluminium pans could be a ' Top Tip ' ?

I see where you're coming from emin-j, I just fear that we will then have so much (conflicting) information that we will be unable to see the wood for the trees once more (still!)......

[Cory Ander]

I can't reproduce the taste or the smell, but then I seem to be looking for something that others aren't

I'm not sure that's true SS, there are quite a few of us that are after that taste and smell prevalent in  BIR curries during the 80's.  I know I am.  Where I disagree is that I believe it can still be found and recreated (whereas you are adamant that it can't).

I think I can put my finger on what is ruining modern BIR curries though or, in other words, what is taking them away from my notion of the ideal taste and smell

Are you able to change these around to "Do's" (i.e. positives) rather than "Don'ts" (i.e. negatives) then SS?  I think that would be more fruitful (probably for you as well as us)

So what do you think it is that's required to get the taste and smell of BIR curries of the 80's then SS?

[JerryM]

Secret Santa,

1, 2 & 3 of your list (gravy oil, no pataks and the like, low spice - i'm 1 tsp max) is defo my list too.

on taste i've added an extra thought:

taste:

thin base
low spice base & dish
"right ingredients and right proportions - per dish"