Topic: salt how much to add

[PaulP]

I believe my curries are pretty healthy. Like I say, 1.5 grams of salt per portion is lower that a can of supermarket soup. As for the oil I use rice bran oil which is considered as healthy as olive oil. The only downside to eating oil is the sheer amount of calories you can consume but I can quite easily eat less in the day knowing I have a curry to look forward to in the evening. I'm not fat at all, my BMI is about 22.

I eat about 2 home made curries per week and probably 1 or 2 takeaway curries per month. Lovely jubbly 

[Razor]

Hi twoSheds,

It's an excellent question and the answer is really dependant on your preference.

My view is this, a curry should be savoury. Salt goes a long way in achieving this but it is not the only option.  I don't add any extra salt to my final dish, preferring to include it in my base and spice mix.  I make my base 3000ml at a time and use 1 tbs of salt for that quantity.  My spice mix contains just short of 6% salt in it.  So, I feel that my end curries have enough salt in them for me to know it's there, but never too much to describe the curry as "salty".  I also feel that cooking with salt, allows you to use far less than you would use to achieve the same flavour if you just used it as a seasoning.

To get the savouriness that I desire in my dishes, I like to add fenugreek (Methi).  Ground for my base and spice mix, and dried leaf for my end curry.

My suggestion, would be to use salt in your base and spice mix or, to start from scratch.  Use no salt, then increase in small increments each time you cook a curry.  The only thing with this is, you taste buds can be quite unstable.  One day, 1/4 tsp would be plenty, another day, it may not feel like enough, and another day, it may feel far too much.

Good luck,

Ray

[George]

Your last post reads like you only have say 9 or 10 currys a year? is that correct?

For BIR style curries, yes, that's probably about right.

I have a fair few supermarket chilled curries on top but I view those as a lot healthier because they have to print the ingredients and other info on the packet. Now, they are still not what you'd call 'healthy food' but I suggest they are 10 times healthier than a BIR curry (unless you only eat something like dry chicken tikka).

[JerryM]

I also feel that cooking with salt, allows you to use far less than you would use to achieve the same flavour if you just used it as a seasoning.


My suggestion, would be to use salt in your base

this is an area i've known for a while i've not bottomed. so far i think i've concluded what razor is saying - more salt in the base has a bigger impact than more salt at frying stage.

has anyone else had similar experience.

the trouble is for me is that i'm pretty sure the chef at my local TA adds salt at frying stage and the base is not as salty as say the ashoka which is quite salty.

George,

appreciate your comment on how much in total u use. i check how much i use in total tomorrow. i am pretty sure i am using less than i need for BIR comparable.

[George]

It would be interesting to send some samples of BIR food to a lab for analysis. If 100 of us contributed GBP5 each it might just fund the most basic type of report. I know there's a greater chance that pigs will fly, given that we probably don't have 100 active members.

[Vindaloo-crazy]

But it wouldn't tell us what ingredients were used to make the base, whether pastes had been used etc. Plus what constitutes a proper BIR curry changes depending on where you live. My North West England taste is different to Glaswegian tastes for instance.

[Vindaloo-crazy]

I use all purpose seasoning instead of salt at the frying stage.

[JerryM]

Even at the reduced salt and fat levels you might be using, I really fear for your future health (strokes, heart attacks, etc) given the frequency with which I believe you consume this stuff.

George,

i can fully understand what u say. i think it's "moderation" in my overall diet that must cancel it out. as u're aware i'm paranoid on cholesterol. in fact lack of magnesium through this low sat fat diet i follow was to blame for my recent back trouble. my blood pressure is really v.good - i actually put it down to the healthiness of curry.

i checked the "total" salt (base & frying) range that i use. in the base it ranges from 0.75 ml to 2ml (c/w 6ml ashoka as spec, which i reduce to 3ml) and when u add in 1/4 tsp at frying gives a range of 0.4 to 0.65 tsp per portion.

given what u use and Razor's confirmation of the greater effect in the base i'm thinking of upping base salt to deliver a total of 1 tsp - which on the face of it sounds very high but i'm convinced this ballpark what BIR's use. i'll make the change on the base i'm planning for next week as a 1 off test.

[JerryM]

just a general thought on this subject.

i've always pondered why BIR chefs don't taste the food. i'm firmly in Gordon's camp of taste taste taste.

could it be the fact that high salt (>1/2 tsp) added at frying makes the taste so awful that no one would want to taste until it's been left for ~5 mins after being cooked.

[CurryOnRegardless]

just a general thought on this subject.

i've always pondered why BIR chefs don't taste the food....

Could it possibly be because no Asian people would ever eat "that shite food" to quote a taxi driver of my acquaintance?
 

Regards
CoR