Topic: BIR Spice mix - where is it from?

[PaulP]

I've noticed from here and other sources that for BIR style curries the spice mix usually contains proportions (in roughly descending order) of Turmeric, Corriander, Cumin, Paprika and Curry powder.

I wonder what the origin of this spice mix is. I've searched for Bangladeshi and Bengali recipes but not found anything similar.

Last weekend I made to spec the Lamb Shank Korma from the "50 Great Curries Of India" book. This has corriander powder but no cumin and no turmeric whatsoever. It does have garam masala and mace.

My wife liked the result almost as much as my BIR efforts (much to my horror) but for me using too much mace or nutmeg can result in something tasting like toothpaste or cough medicine!

I've searched through a Madhur Jaffrey book I've had for years and once again there is nothing like our BIR spice mixes to be seen, and the use of turmeric tends to be low quantities.

I just wondered whether anybody knows what the origin of our BIR spice mix is.
I'm not complaining - it works for me but just curious.

Paul.

[emin-j]

PaulP , Is that the book by Camellia Panjabi ? If so I bought a copy at a Car Boot sale on Saturday for one pound  ;D excellent read too.

[PaulP]

Hi Emin-j,

Yes that's the book. You got a bargain for a quid!

I think I need to practise browning onions properly as my lamb shank korma wasn't anything like the photo. Nothing like a BIR korma though, it was quite sour and spicey.
The lamb shanks need 2 hours plus in a caserole dish to get the meat falling off the bones.

Paul.

[CurryOnRegardless]

Hi Paul

Cooking onions is one of the more difficult things to master, seriously. If you think about it no two onions are ever really the same, they all have different water contents, natural sugars etc, depending on the type, time of year, time in storage, place of origin etc, etc,.
It also makes a difference how the onion is sliced. Think of the root end and the pointed end as poles then for frying they should be sliced longitudinally, from pole to pole, I've no idea why this is but it works.
There's no real substitute for practice but cooking onions remains a 'black art' and I think cookery books just gloss over the problems or ignore them altogether, probably because the author is no great shakes at cooking the things either. Personally if I see "cook the onions for a few minutes until transparent" in a recipe then I just know the author hasn't got a clue.
Take heart and keep trying but cooking onions properly and repeatedly is one of the more difficult things to master, I've been trying for years but still screw up more often than not.

Hope this helps, regards
CoR.
 

[PaulP]

Thanks for that CoR. I was watching a few videos on Youtube last night.

What surprised me was the low amount of oil and several chefs saying not to stir too frequently. A lot of real Indian recipes call for heavily browned (but not burned) onions and it is definitely a skill to be had.

I think the pan is important too - the heavy bottomed stainless steel pans seem to be used a lot for cooking caramelized onions.

I guess onions are cheap enough to just practice with a few times without actually making a meal out of them.

[chinois]

I've noticed from here and other sources that for BIR style curries the spice mix usually contains proportions (in roughly descending order) of Turmeric, Corriander, Cumin, Paprika and Curry powder.

I wonder what the origin of this spice mix is. I've searched for Bangladeshi and Bengali recipes but not found anything similar.

I noticed these were the most common spices in recipes that werent BIR too though Paul. A point to remember is that indian cookbooks probably arent a true reflection of what most indians/bangladeshis eat. They are usually dishes for the rich or for banquets. I suspect the 'average cook' uses simpler ingredients and what they have at hand. I reckon our members have more spices in our kitchens than most indians! I have no proof for this, just a hunch!

I saw this 'BIR spice mix' used in a restaurant in udaipur, rajastan where i had some lessons. They mixed ground turmeric, coriander, cumin and kashmiri chilli powder (similar to paprika), salt and MDH curry king. Identical to a lot of BIR mixes i've come across and i dont imagine the chef had any connections to bangladesh or the UK.
The only other spices he had was a box with cassia, cloves, aniseed, bay leaves and both cardomoms all mixed up.

I've mentioned it other threads but he used MSG, red colouring and ketchup for the kadai we made. (i just wanted to point out that using commercial curry powder and sweet sauces such as ketchup or mango chutney arent just british influences)

[PaulP]

Thanks for the reply Chinois. Indian cooking has become a bit of an obsession since I joined this forum and started getting some good results.

I do think the spice mix can make or break a curry.

Paul.

[Stephen Lindsay]

Hi Paul

I don't know the origins of the spice mix either but when you think that most BIR is cooked to western palattes by Bangladeshi people and then compare that with Madhur Jaffrey and Camellia Panjabi (who are Indian) then my view would be that I would expect to find differences.

[commis]

Hi

Thanks for that chinois, I'd missed that you were in Rajastan. This is all starting to tie in with a conversation I had the other week. Not sure if people will except what I was told, as it's going to go against some pre conceptions.

Regards

[Malc.]

What were you told commis?