Topic: Unexpected results

[Razor]

Guy's,

Ok, I have done  5 curries in a row using this method and I'm getting some really unexpectedly, good results.

I am sure I have tried this in the past, but I don't remember it giving me what I was looking for until now.

Basically, I am pureeing a tennis ball sized onion, and I mean, really blitzing it, then frying it of in a good quantity of oil, about 2 tbs, with a pinch of CA's spice masala for about 5 mins on high heat, stirring all the time.

I then proceed with my normal method:

G/G paste frying high until golden,
Add spices off the heat
Back on heat, add tom puree, lemon dressing,
Then, in goes the onion, making sure everything is sizzling,
Then in goes 300ml of Razor's base
Get this bubbling, then add chicken tikka and fresh chillies.
When it's nearly there, I add a good quantity of fresh coriander, give it a stir and it's done.

I'm getting very good curries using this onion puree!  Like I said, I'm sure I've done this before, but I don't remember it tasting this good?

Just thought I'd share it with you guy's.  Anybody else using an onion puree (not Bunjarra) to good effect?

Ray

[JerryM]

Razor,

sorry if i'm being a tad sceptical but is the puree not just a form of bunjarra - just wanting to understand better what u're getting at. how much puree does the 1 off onion end up as and what does it do in terms of the better/good result.

[joshallen2k]

Ray - I've always liked what bunjarra added to my curries in the past, but found it too time-consuming to make, versus what it added. It took too long to make for the percentage point or two it improved the curry.

How much paste does your method yield? A whole tennis ball sized onion sounds like a lot, i.e. would it not change the whole balance of the dish?

-- Josh

[Razor]

Hi Josh,

It does sound alot but, once its pureed, and fried, I would say that you end up with about a chef's spoon full.

It has to be blitzed really really well.  I was exactly the same about bunjarra.  I also liked what it added but it was just not worth the effort in my opinion, whereas this take no time at all. 

Everything just looks and tastes right.  It really was a shock first time I did it, so I just had to prove it out.  Like I said, this is the 5th time I've tried it, and I'm really happy with what it brings

Ray

[Razor]

Jerry,

You're right to be sceptical, I was when I was experimenting with this.  I wouldn't describe it as bunjarra because there is nowhere near the length of cooking required.

The onions were just 'off the shelf' type onions, no special type.  Maybe a different type of onion would give a different result, I just don't know.

It gives me about a chef's spoon full of onion puree once fried, and it adds flavour IMO to the curry.

I am as shocked as anyone about this, but, it really is working for me at the moment.

By the way, I don't think I mentioned it, but I am using this for Madras.  I expect it could be used for most of the hotter curries, with a positive outcome.

Ray

[chriswg]

I keep meaning to try this (see below). Same idea as yours but with the garlic and ginger mixed in too.

Mom's Secret Garlic Ginger Paste
This sauce is the the real secret "ingredient" that makes my mother's chicken curry in such high demand. I co-opted it for my own "secret chicken curry" (recipe to be available in the near future in a blog posting entitled "Secret Chicken Curry").

Equipment:
Food processor or blender. I use a mini food processor that I picked up in a department store for about $14.

Ingredients:
Peeled and sliced ginger - 1-2 tsps

Peeled and diced garlic - 1-3 buds as desired

Peeled and diced onion - 1 cup [Use white, yellow, or spanish onion for best results. You can use Vidalia, but the paste will already be on the sweetish side.]

Olive or canola oil - 2+ tbsp, as necessary


Instructions:
Place the first three ingredients into the food processor. (Make in 2 batches if your food processor is small.) Now add 2 tbsps of oil to the processor. Pulse the mixture until it starts to form a paste. If your processor blade starts to stick, stop and add another 1-2 tbsp of oil, as necessary, then pulse again. Repeat as necessary until you have a smooth, slightly foamy, thick white paste with no lumps. For safety, use a rubber spatula to remove the processor or blender.

Use:
This paste has many uses. Besides adding a very rich flavour to food, it thickens broths. Ginger and garlic are also reputed to clean up your blood stream by thinning your blood out a bit. My mother and I use this paste in our versions of chicken curry, but it can also be used in stir fries, stews, or even thick, creamy-textured soups. It's very easy to make, but when you do use it, add it later in the cooking process or it may burn. But add it early enough that its flavours distribute well through the dish. This works best if you add it to a large quanity of liquid, such as water or broth. Keep in mind that because of the sugars in the onion, the paste will give a sweetish taste to whatever you add it to.

[Domi]

I used to do something similar before I joined up here, Bez....blitz the onion till it was almost a pulp fry it off till it started going brown round the edge of the pan, in with the G&G cooked out till nice and brown and then in with my spices, then tom puree when I was making curries and chillis (I'd used a few bases and nothing bettered the onion blitz IMO)....I stopped doing it regularly after joining here and started making bases that actually delivered lol

I used an onion paste recipe posted on here ages ago but it was rubbish (I think the recipes gone now) but the memories of that have always put me off trying another.

[JerryM]

Razor,

appreciate the extra explanation. forwhatever reason bunjarra is a must for me - i don't make a curry without it.

the thing is though (said previously) i'm searching for a taste that i ain't got c/w the TA. i've switched the garlic/ginger ratio and i've tried roasted garlic - they ain't it. it's got to be something very simple. it's not base either. it's not the big list of 10 or so items i came up with a while ago either. the trouble is i can't really explain it either - i'm going for TA this wk to try to get a better handle.

given what u say i'll certainly give the blitzed fried onion a try - i do think what u're getting is what i get from bunjarra but clearly i need to try it if only to discount it.

best wishes

[Razor]

Hi Jerry,

I was hoping that you would give it a try, knowing that you use bunjara.  Like I said, I don't think I would use it on such as Korma or CTM but, I do think that it adds something to a Madras.

Just make sure that you cook out the rawness of the onion. Fry on high heat, in plenty of oil, and it should be fine.

Ray

[PaulP]

Hi Ray,

When you cook the blitzed onion do you fry to a particular colour such as brown or golden?

I use a recipe for lamb keema peas from the mamtaskitchen web site that uses a similar starting technique.

Paul.