Login with username, password and session length
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
As you know I have been in discussion with Bruce Edwards and he has kindly provided CR0.co.uk with an article on the restaurant Curry Sauce and Basic Curry. So here it is.......Bruce EdwardsI discovered this forum about a year after it first came online, and have visited it from time to time since then. Initially progress seemed slow, then people started reporting on kitchen demos, and things started to get interesting. Very soon there was some good information, but also a lot that wasn't helpful, and some - well I wont say any more. The difficulty for many people was just what to believe Common problems are that when someone sees for the first time what goes on in a restaurant kitchen they're are in an unfamiliar environment, their observations are often unreliable and they often misinterpret what they have seen. They might see a pan on the cooker on a burner that resembles a rocket engine and so conclude that a high temperature and lots of heat are necessary, but they fail to notice that the contents of the pan are only simmering, because it is a small pan and most of the heat is going up the side. The chef then takes the opportunity to impress the visitor by producing a sheet of flame with a flick of his spoon and a shake of the pan, and the impression is reinforced.Another example is quantities; the visitor sees a massive pot of sauce on the cooker and asks how much coriander/turmeric/cumin etc. he needs in his pot which is 'this' big. The chef, trying to be helpful, makes a guess. Now think about it. If your pot is 6 inches in diameter and the same in depth, and the restaurant one is three times this, [distinctly possible] then the restaurant one actually contains TWENTY SEVEN times the volume of yours, as simple arithmetic will show, but a fact that might easily be overlooked.People look for recipes with a definite result in mind. And while recipes are obviously important and have a part to play, what BIR cooking is really all about is using Traditional Indian methods and spices to cook dishes that are not typically 'Indian'. When everything is right, the Restaurant Flavour/Smell is produced, almost as a by-product of the process as a whole. Of course the chef will have heard of this, but probably wont be too clear about what we actually mean by it. He will almost certainly assume that we are talking about general spiciness. Only a true British Curry Enthusiast can fully appreciate it.
I'm sorry but I am not convinced with this extra heat theory, my cooker here (Thailand) has a main double deep burner ring(same takeaway) and I have tried the high heat theory before ,don't even try ginger and garlic as it burns in an instant as well, as many other ingredients, yes it might work if you cook on medium in the first two mins and throw the base in (sounds good) how many recipes on this forum though say cook 4 mins , 8 mins or longer after adding ginger and garlic and adding base one spoon at a time, it won't work, it takes too long for a takeaway, but members rave on about their recipes using this method, why?
Quote from: ThaiExpat on November 19, 2010, 06:40 PMI'm sorry but I am not convinced with this extra heat theory, my cooker here (Thailand) has a main double deep burner ring(same takeaway) and I have tried the high heat theory before ,don't even try ginger and garlic as it burns in an instant as well, as many other ingredients, yes it might work if you cook on medium in the first two mins and throw the base in (sounds good) how many recipes on this forum though say cook 4 mins , 8 mins or longer after adding ginger and garlic and adding base one spoon at a time, it won't work, it takes too long for a takeaway, but members rave on about their recipes using this method, why? ThaiExpat,what you say is exactly right. i cook the curry in 5 mins on full right through (something like 30 sec g/g, 60 sec spices). with this heat the skill is in the early stages in not overcooking or burning. i don't see any difference in taste upto the end of the spice stage. i don't know enough about why the heat works but gut feeling is that the heat is not needed at the g/g and spice stages. for me i see the difference between low say 3 kw and high say 7 kw when the 1st chef spoon goes into the spices. i think water "thin" base is also a factor and believe the oil and water burns somehow.this is the link to my exploits http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1851.0. i've now had something like 12 mths of further practise cooking in the garage - since my last post and feel very comfortable and happy.clearly it's not for everyone - believe me if you can cook in your kitchen then you are not cooking at the same temperature as i do. watch the extract in your local TA.moonster,i am working on pizza at the moment and the idea of a heat mass "pizza stone" has cropped up there. i'm hopefully trying out today myself. in terms of curry i can see it working in this application too and making the difference you report. best wishes.
