Topic: More info on the Kushi Balti book.

[George]

We're never likely to get anyone to see the full making of the base as done in a restaurant just because it takes so long.

I'm beginning to doubt the time taken, now, other than continual simmering after the sauce is made and being used. I see a figure of 45 minutes being mentioned quite a lot and I reckon that sounds about right for any kitchen where time is money. Moving from a 45 mins base sauce to a 6 hour base sauce simply won't produce the strong smell I've referred to. It's more likely to REDUCE the aroma coming off the finished dish, IMHO.

I suggest again, that the smell coming out of the take-away containers is not coming off the tandoor or any other source at the restaurant. It's coming only from the bag when I smell it. The inside of your car is another aroma trap as you carry a take-away home. Perhaps this smell could be onion tarka, or fenugreek or something else which is very pungent, and goes into most curries. I'm amazed we haven't cracked the smell yet, if not the taste. Or perhaps some of you have - perhaps some of your curries do smell like that.

Pete and others mentioned, I think, in previous threads, that the taste was not present in various restaurant demos they'd had. I reckon that's simply because they left out one or more steps.

Can't any supporters of this site (ideally Indian-looking, to stand more chance of being accepted) get a temp job as a kitchen hand in some BIR, for a few days, and report back?

Regards
George
 

[Ashes]

I know about the smell of dried fenugreek leaves, it can overwhelm a curry
and doesnt seem to work if you add it too early to a dish
but what about fresh fenugreek, ive heard its available in the u.k.

[Yellow Fingers]

Isn't anyone friendly enough with their local curry house to get a sample of the base they use on a daily basis? If you were then to cook a curry with that and it had the smell and taste, whereas before your curries didn't, that would finally tell us whether the base is the critical ingredient.

[Curry King]

Im sure Pete managed to get hold of some curry house base? 

[grimmo]

Hi all,

I might be getting my own hopes up as well as some of yours possibly, but I've dropped hints with the missus for a while now that for me next birthday (which is a bit of a milestone) I would like to spend the day being a kichen boy in a curry house somwhere.
Her wry responses lead me to think that she might have been able to sort it somewhere. its the middle of next month.

There's no gurantees of course but my thinking is that if somewhere is willing to let me in for the day then there's a good chance they won't be trying to hide anything. All being well, I'll see a base sauce going from onion sack to plate.

Now...does anyone have one of those covert cameras  that they can lend me?!

[Ashes]

make sure the curry house has a large bag of secret ingredient

[pete]

Im sure Pete managed to get hold of some curry house base??

Yes I did
The infuriating thing is that it doesn't have the taste
It was very like "muttley's" curry gravy
I have had meals, from this take away, with and without the taste
Work that one out!
At that place I saw them with another large pot of curry gravy on their stove (15 inches tall)
It had been boiled the evening before
I saw them use a large hand blender (about 18 inches long) and puree it
Then they heated it up and added a couple of very large spoons of spice mix
I was told that it needed cooking for longer and would be used when the old pot ran out.

[raygraham]

I know about the smell of dried fenugreek leaves, it can overwhelm a curry and doesnt seem to work if you add it too early to a dish
but what about fresh fenugreek, ive heard its available in the u.k.

Hi A.S.
Yes, fresh Fenugreek is available over here although not everywhere, mainly areas with a high ethnic population. I agree dried fenugreek is a bit overpowering. I have had quite a few meals almost spoilt by adding the amount the recipe said. I now tend to add about half this amount, maybe a little more which seems about right. It is certainly a main component in many curries, if not bases. I wonder what substituting dried for fresh might do?
It is strange that the book "100 Best Balti Curries" talks about fresh "Methi" and also how easy it is to grow yet none of the recipes in the book seem to use it fresh only dried.

Ray

[pete]

I have tried fresh fenugreek leaves
It tastes nothing like dried
It seems almost like a mild tasting spinach
More texture than anything else
I didn't think it added anything, that I would want to repeat

[traveller]

I had the same experience Pete.  My dad grows fresh fenugreek and once I substituted it in a rice recipe that asked for dried and there was no taste!!  I was sure that putting the fresh one would add more taste but in the case of methi, dried is where the taste is!  My dad dries his own and thats what I use.  Fresh methi is only used in a handful of indian dishes - mostly dry dishes like with potato.