Topic: Basic Procedure

[Stephen Lindsay]

I took this to mean sequential rather than all in at once but worth clarifying

[trucker5774]

trucker5774,

the basic questions are always the best. we are all keen to hep so just post when you get stuck. the search button works a treat too.

interesting on method. another to add to the pot:

1) flame on full add oil, g/g - quick fry until aroma
2) pan off heat, add puree, spices, chilli, salt, 1 chef spoon base - stir till mixed
3) back on heat fry till aroma - judging this is the  trickiest part (no more than say 60 secs for me - sort of as soon as the liquid had dried around the pan rim)
4) add base 1 off chef spoon at a time
5) cook till surface craters or oil rises

...........and the meat at the end...cooked? uncooked? Sorry Jerry, I don't mean to be a pain. I have cooked curries for years, but want to go in as a complete novice and begin a new experience. ........A little like finding my way around the site. I had a donner kebab tonight after a beer or two

[JerryM]

sorry all  - initial list was simplistic - thinking there would be little interest.

1) flame on full, add oil, g/g - quick fry until aroma. stirring all the time
2) fry pre cooked chopped onion or un cooked sliced onion /green pepper. the pre cooked until the oil starts to release and the un cooked until they start to brown at the edges and the onion slices break up. stir all the time.
3) pan off heat, add all in 1 go: puree, spices, chilli, salt, bunjarra, 1 chef spoon (4 tbsp) base - stir till mixed.
4) back on heat fry till aroma - judging this is the trickiest part (no more than say 60 secs for me - sort of as soon as the liquid has dried around the pan rim). no stir generally.
5) add pre cooked meat, stir and fry until pan comes back to heat
6) add base 1 off chef spoon at a time waiting till pan comes back to heat. occasional stir from now on - side to side and around the rim (base and side of pan). add pastes and such like as soon as there is enough liquid ie coconut flour, almond powder etc
7) when almost done add final ingredients: fresh coriander, cream, lemon dressing etc
8 ) cook till surface craters or oil rises.

clearly everyone will have their own personal preferences. it would be good to understand what the main differences are so that we can all try them out and improve.

although i list 8 steps i think of it and cook it as if it were 3 stages:
A) oil - steps 1 & 2
B) spice - steps 3 & 4
C) base - steps 5 to 8

[emin-j]

Hi JerryM , surprised to see you add your Spices at the same time as you add some Base Sauce etc , I was told by the Chef's at two BIR's that the Spices should be fried in Oil without the addition of Base the Base would come later.

This is the order I use which is the same as the Chef at our favourite T/A .
1. Add Oil to pan , heat on medium.
2. Add a small amount of dried Methi leaves to the Oil
3. As the methi starts to sizzle add the Garlic / Ginger Puree , fry for approx 45 seconds stirring all the time.
4. Add Tomato Puree fry and stir for approx 45 seconds
5. Add Spices or Spice Mix and Chili Powder fry until Toffee smell
6. Add I ladle of Base stir well .
7. Add precooked meat stir in and increase heat slightly
8. Add 2 more ladles of Base adjust heat to have Curry bubbling steady
9. Add Coriander stalks ( if using ) add Salt to taste ,  a pinch of Garam Masala and a small squirt of Lemon Dressing
10. Serve with Garnish of Coriander leaf.

[JerryM]

emin-j,

you're right of course - spices for sure can be fried in the oil. i spent about 3 mths when i 1st joined the site perfecting this art. the addition of a small amount of liquid (i use base, but water in the tom puree does same) helps with consistency. the end result is no different.

SECOND METHOD

just for completeness i see this "hot" fry as needed for only certain dishes. the "all in" Dipuraja method works very well for what i call "ingredient" dishes ie CTM, Korma where the taste of the dish comes more from the ingredients than the spice.

i use both methods albeit most dishes that i cook fall into the hot fry category.

[Panpot]

Thanks emin-j and Jerry between you have it. It seems to me this might best me morphed into a post in it's own rights for beginners and first viewers of the site. It is as important as what base to use,etc. For what it's worth. I cooked a couple of curries on Friday night and having run out of both the pre cooked G/G pays and Bunjarra from The Ashoka I used the G/G paste and Bhuna Onion from the latest book instead. My wife quietly told me that "that wasn't the best curry you have served up Over the past few years." She was more than right I don't believe I can recreate both the smell and flavour I searched for for over thirty years without the pre cooked G/G paste and the Bunjarra. PP

[trucker5774]

Thank you all for the input and the welcome feeling to the site. I will, of course, be back with more questions when the search is just too much conflicting ideas for my limited brain power!

[trucker5774]

I am towards the end of making Razors base. All seems well except the tomato mix still seems to be very oily. 150ml seems like a lot of oil but I stuck with it and went in with faith! Do I just need to cook for longer? is my pan too small? does it oil reduce? Should I just carry on and not worry?

[Peripatetic Phil]

I am towards the end of making Razors base. All seems well except the tomato mix still seems to be very oily. 150ml seems like a lot of oil but I stuck with it and went in with faith! Do I just need to cook for longer? is my pan too small? does it oil reduce? Should I just carry on and not worry?

The oil content certainly won't reduce (it can't boil off, unlike water) but unless/until Ray replies to the contrary, I wouldn't worry.

** Phil.

[Ramirez]

I also had this issue, where the tomato mixture didn't look as thick as the one pictured in the OP - mine came out fine though.