Topic: Undercover Curry - Anyone heard of it?

[Secret Santa]

It?s the genuine secrets - there are no half truths and nothing is held back. For example, to our certain knowledge, no-one has ever before put down in print the actual ingredients the British Indian restaurants use to make the gravy, the sauce

It's just as well I was using my digital bullshit meter on this quote. If I'd been using my old analog one its needle would be wrapped around the end stop!  :

[Curry Barking Mad]

plus the use of reclaimed oil being important to the flavour of the Base , this has been mentioned previously on the Forum but how many follow it up

I mentioned the use of used bhaji frying oil over a year ago and do this regularly,
I get the oil from my local restaurant after they have fried over 100 bhajis in it, 5 or 6 at a time,

Mick

[George]

My copy came today and I think an excellent read

I agree it's well written and is a 'good read' but so are many books of fiction. I didn't buy it to read like a novel but for what sounded like breakthrough recipes. As with Pat Chapman and Kris Dhillon the book's objectives are as clear as crystal on the cover. Then things go downhill rapidly.

With the 'Undercover' book, it starts off explaining how the author and co-writer met and what led to the 'undercover' work. It's interesting and they also make the point that  the book is more about techniques than ingredients. Surely, we need both. On page 6 they say "There are some excellent books around giving accurate information on, and insights into, Indian cooking. It's just that - unlike this book - they don't specifically address the unique flavours and methods of traditional British Indian restaurant cuisine."

I thought I might start with an attempt at Tarka Dhal, not least because they say it's an 'iconic dish' immediately associated with BIR cuisine. "It is considered to have the legendary BIR flavour." cr0 should have taken out a patent on the term "BIR". So flavour has been mentioned at least twice now. So far, so good but when you get to the recipe, they say you add dried whole spices to the Tarka to infuse their flavours ino the oil. But they don't suggest the best spices to use, let alone give an indication of quantities. If we're after the 'unique' flavour, how can that make sense?

[joshallen2k]

Sounds like this book is a mixed bag. Imprecise ingredients and quantities is completely unhelpful.

Don't think I will shell out for it, let alone whatever the shipping is going to be to Canada.

To those who did buy it, anything that stands out for any individual recipes or techniques?

Is there a tikka recipe worth adding to the Recipe of the Month?

-- Josh

[joshallen2k]

I mentioned the use of used bhaji frying oil over a year ago and do this regularly,
I get the oil from my local restaurant after they have fried over 100 bhajis in it, 5 or 6 at a time,

Mick - do you think this spiced oil could be replicated at home? I'd figure a scaled down oil pot (few litres) and cook say 25 bhajis would infuse the oil similarly to cooking 100 bhajis in a commercial sized fryer?

I've tried a few spiced oil concoctions, skimmed curry oil, bunjarra oil, etc. but never anything as simple as "bhaji oil".

-- Josh

[George]

Sounds like this book is a mixed bag. Imprecise ingredients and quantities is completely unhelpful. To those who did buy it, anything that stands out for any individual recipes or techniques? Is there a tikka recipe worth adding to the Recipe of the Month?

One thing which stands out is the use of very unusual key ingredients in at least two fundamental dishes - a bit like using chocolate in chilli con carne. He implies that all/many/most BIRs use these ingredients but I've never seen them mentioned before, so it seems unlikely. It's more likely it's just a good spin to make the recipes look new and distinctive - to help make people feel it's worth buying the book, in an act of desperation. If these (partial, imprecise) recipes produce good results, I'll take back my doubts. There's another of my pet hates - recipe options. How can these be needed if you really know the best recipe?

[CurryOnRegardless]

The person purportedly worked for 3 years in Indian restaurants and doesn't have a set base sauce recipe? 

My memory is a bit vague because it was a while ago but didn't Andy, who went off to form the other curry website, also claim to have worked in a BIR for three years? 

Thought 'Andy' used to claim 10 years experience, or was that another Andy with a book to flog?


Cheers
CoR

[solarsplace]

Hi

Well, I guess we could go on for a long time remaining doubtful and dubious about this book, author and content.

The proof as they say, is in the pudding (curry) - I for one shall be making the bhaji's, base and a vindaloo exactly to the books spec (well as best as I can ascertain from the precise specs ) this weekend and will report back...

There are some spices in the bhajis and base, that I have not used before, namely ajawain & asafoetida, plus several other things that are all similar, but slightly different to the ways I personally do things, so it will be a hopefully exciting experiment!

cheers

[Secret Santa]

I mentioned the use of used bhaji frying oil over a year ago and do this regularly,

Mick, I've been using reclaimed oil since before this forum existed and it's been mentioned on this forum not long after it started some six years ago, so it's not a new idea.

[Secret Santa]

they say it's an 'iconic dish' immediately associated with BIR cuisine.

Is it? Really?

I must have missed the point of BIR then because I've never had tarka dall at a BIR and neither have any of my friends.

Tell you what is iconic though, CTM. Does this truly iconic dish have fruit cocktail in it in your experience? No, mine neither, but apparently it's a requirement in their recipe. Laugh!  ;D

I reckon they went so far undercover that they ended up in a 70's bistro and not a BIR at all!  :