Topic: Undercover Curry - Anyone heard of it?

[Secret Santa]

Here's another classic quote from this book (talking about the base):

...the vegetables gradually reduce, releasing their moisture and flavours into the oil. (This is a BIR secret that restaurant owners would prefer you didn't know about).

So slowly cooking veg in oil releases moisture and flavour eh? How did those sneaky BIR owners manage to keep that one secret?... :  ;D  ;D  ;D

[Ramirez]

Here's another classic quote from this book (talking about the base):

...the vegetables gradually reduce, releasing their moisture and flavours into the oil. (This is a BIR secret that restaurant owners would prefer you didn't know about).

So slowly cooking veg in oil releases moisture and flavour eh? How did those sneaky BIR owners manage to keep that one secret?... :  ;D  ;D  ;D

Yes, I remember reading that and thinking, 'what?'.

[Secret Santa]

These are the quantities I used for the small (2 litre) version of the base (scaled from the large):

Onion                      3/4 full
Cabbage                 handful
carrots                    1/2
Red pepper             1/9
Green pepper          1/9
GG paste                 4tsp
Tomatoes               1/4 tin
Salt                         2 tsp
Coriander                2 tsp
Cumin                      2 tsp
Asafoetida               2 tsp
Fenugreek               2 tsp
Curry powder           2 tsp
Turmeric                   just less than 2 tsp
Chilli                        pinch
Coriander leaf           small handful
Oil                           200ml
Water                     1/2 cup

[Stephen Lindsay]

the author was working in a ( BIR ) laugh laugh in Aberdeen , Aberdeen is shite for curries

except for mutton curries, as they excel at all things sheep related?

[emin-j]

my question is this ! if you think its so bad and members on here could have done better then

A : why did you buy the book

B : why on earth are you going to make the base lmfao

A. I didn't. 

Secret Santa , have you got the book ?

B. Good question. I know...I emphasise, KNOW... that this base will be no better or worse than many other bases I've tried.
That said, how can I reasonably make comments if I haven't actually made it - which is what you're saying and others will be thinking, so i'll make it and I can then comment without you being able to say my comments aren't valid because I ain't made it myself!  ;D

[chriswg]

I just made a half quantity of the big base recipe, it fitted nicely into by 10 litre stock pot. All I had to do was halve everything, I couldn't see the point in only making 2 litres.

I'm a big fan of the base, but I didn't think the Madras recipe offered anything new. I didn't add in the optional tandoori sauce but I doubt that would have made any significant difference. That BIR taste is still elusive. I'm sure once we crack the method (as we have with onion bhajis) the actual recipes will become less significant. In the book, he doesn't really reveal anything exciting or new about how to cook the curries.

[solarsplace]

Hi

Having personally tried several of the bases on this site, I can say also that I am a big fan of this base. However, I am not saying it is better necessarily than the others on the site - it just has a different taste to the other ones I have tried and am enjoying the variety and tastes this one is giving.

Been cooking outside on the a new 8Kw gas ring and getting very pleasing results, which are closer to the BIR taste than I have ever before managed to get. To me, cooking with that extra massive volume of heat does make a difference.

Here is last nights Chicken Jalfrezi, which had excellent flavour, although needs more chilli powder than the recipe states.

Plus here is another one for silly & confusing cooking terms 'A scant handful of peppers' - WTF is a 'scant handful'?

[gazman1976]

looks good solar , where did you get your gas cooking ring from ?

[Curry Barking Mad]

The author of the book sent me the following email yesterday....

Hi Mick, Hey can you please tell the boys on the forum cr0 that I have never been a member of the forum and didn't know about it until 5/7/10. I appreciate all of their comments and have answers to all of their queries. I am really flattered by all of the content on the forum and I sincerely hope that they continue contributing to the forum. I've never known a Jamie Oliver book to come under such scrutiny and I'm happy that undercover curry can stand proud and take it on the chin. its great to see  that some of the forums contributors are big enough to try the recipes and give it a fair shout before they comment.Unfortunately there are some that wish they had written a book first and their sadness is all to apparent. I can be contacted directly at dave@undercovercurry.com  and will reply to any question that appears on the forum as long as it is sent to this email address and my answer is placed in the forum in order to counter the original criticism. I have no intention of becoming a member of the forum but I'm happy to answer any questions you all have. Thank you all I really appreciate you all giving my book so much attention. Respect and regards to all curry fans everywhere. Oh and by the way I'm not a Scot and Aberdeen has a selection of the very best curry houses anywhere in the UK.
Cheers, Dave Loyden

[George]

I couldn't see the point in only making 2 litres.]

Surely, the point is that it costs less, it's more manageable and there's less to waste, if you don't like it. I'll be following the SS approach of making 1/9, 10% or something like that. I don't need industrial quantities and I don't want to find storage space for a catering sized stock pot.

>I didn't add in the optional tandoori sauce but I doubt
>that would have made any significant difference.

How can you know if you didn't try it?

>I'm sure once we crack the method (as we have with onion bhajis)
>the actual recipes will become less significant.

All good recipes include the method, of course. Ingredients and method are both important, so I disagree with your logic.


>In the book, he doesn't really reveal anything
>exciting or new about how to cook the curries.

I think that's unfair.