Topic: Things I Can Do

[Stephen Lindsay]

I got this recipe from a good schoolfriend of mine, he often cooked while his dad was at the casino,

this conjures up all sorts of images!!

[solarsplace]

Hi

Just wondering if anyone is prepared to offer any other processes they use? even if repeated in other threads.

BTW, Chilli Prawn, any thoughts from you after your break from the forum?

Regards to all.

[Razor]

Really enjoying reading this thread and watching it develop. 

Watch the fekin' pan like a hawk and pay attention to what is happening - all to easy to day dream or start sipping beer!

I totally agree SP and yet, when you watch any of the webcams, the chef's are far from vigilant, if anything, they are really quite relaxed about their timings.  This obviously comes with experience.

Frying the spices, for me, has to be done OFF the heat, in a good quantity of oil!  It is as tricky has the garlic and ginger, if not more so!  Burn the spices and it's all over, end of!

This taste, that we all seem to agree, is hard to replicate, can anybody give a good effort as to describe it?  Big ask, I know but what do we think it is?  For me, the taste is 'onion' or an 'oniony' taste.  I often order a mixed grill from my local TA which consists of, Portion of chicken tikka, portion of lamb tikka, 1 tandoori chicken leg, 1 seekh kebab, portion of pilau rice and a portion of Madras curry sauce, all for 7 quid. 

Now the curry sauce, around the edge of the top of the foil container (between the top of the sauce and the lid) there is always like a 'paste' substance/residue.  It tastes very sweet and full of the missing taste that I can't get into my curries.  The look of this paste, to me at least, looks like curried onion puree, and is why I suggest that the missing flavour is onion.

Now I have tried doubling, even trebling up on the onions in a base but still didn't get that flavour.  Haven't tried hing (asafoteda) yet but think I will be soon.

I'm happy with everything else that I do, completely happy, and for the most part, I'm happy with my own curries.  My friends all say that they are better than their locals, and I'm sure that most of you have heard that from your friends too but unfortunately, we feel slightly different.

I'm sure the key to success is 'simplicity' but just how simple, now that is the question?

Ray

[timeless]

Of the things i have tried out from this site I have no complaints but as most have said there is just something missing within the curry. Just got to keep experimenting i suppose

[JerryM]

this shows me i must not skip too many posts - nearly missed it.

nice slant by Haldi on our journey. i find it a surprisingly difficult question to answer (easier to pick out what i can't do). this being as i only have the finished dishes to do side by side comparison with - what i'm getting at is that i've never had the opportunity to get inside a BIR to taste or confirm the individual ingredients/components.

by way of example i find intriguing Solarsplace's idea of adding tandoori masala & garlic powder to the tomato puree. i know (well actually guess) from side by side comparison that garlic powder is in the finished TA dish. i'd bet money that tandoori masala in very small amount is also present. when or how these are added in a BIR i don't have a clue (i treat them like recipe specifics).

what i do find important is to try to dissect the TA dish by tasting the individual components on their own - meat, sauce and veg. this helps to pinpoint where gaps are likely to be.

consequently in terms of "things I can Do" i have to go to the Ashoka information. with the other pieces of the jigsaw buried in the site i feel i can do quite a few recipes that i'm completely satisfied with. there are several recipes that i can't say the same though and the search goes on.

this points me to the conclusion that the basics are know to us and recipe refinement is where the gaps must be.

[Peripatetic Phil]

this points me to the conclusion that the basics are known to us and recipe refinement is where the gaps must be.

Strongly agree.
** Phil.

[solarsplace]

Hi

Just thought I would share a little progress made during the weekend.

I have never had the pleasure of being back stage at a BIR, but I have acquired a couple or portions of unadulterated curry sauce from my local, so have been trying to get as close to this as possible: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4851.0

This weekend I made a single 'tweaked' CA base as previously described in this thread, however I thought I would try the Knorr Stock Pots as someone else mentioned on the site. Unfortunately the local coop did not have any, but they did have Knorr Chicken Stock Cubes. Suggested use being 1 per 490ml. So mixed up 3 in a small amount of hot water and added into the base at the start. Also then realised I had no plain tomato puree only had my tandoori masala puree mix so after thing 'bugger this I'm not going down the bloody shop again today' decided to use that instead.

So what was it like, to put no finer point on it, absolutly stunning the base is so close to the TA's version, very morrish to taste you could have it by itself. In reality you would not really want just a portion of it with some rice, but it was very moorish to say the least. However the aroma was all BIR. When cooled the aroma deminished, but when warmed up to cook with it all came back.

Used it to create the best BIR like generic curry of all my attempts so far.

Used:

Spiced oil
New base as above
2tsp - g&g (home made)
1tsp - Madras powder
1tsp - Tandoori Masala (CA)
1tsp - JB spice mix
2tsp - Chilli powder
half tsp - Salt
2tsp - Tandoori masala & garlic tom pure mix

TBH I astonished myself with the results, the sauce was marvellous, slightly sweet but very savoury at the same time, red, warm and absolutely delicious. Very similar to the results from my current favourite posh BIR with their Madras & Vindaloo dishes.

Asked the wife to taste test some of the sauce when finished, the result was a silent nod and a knowing look - so do you want some of yesterdays warmed up too? - NO - I want this one! was the reply.

Have given a base portion to a colleague of mine who is also a forum member here to see what he makes of it.

Hope some of this experiment and info may be of some interest to you. Cheers.

[Derek Dansak]

There are so many things i would like to know more about, and if it will lead to much on an improvment on my basic madras sauce. (which i am happy with, but its no where near the standard of my local)
my questions are
1)  does adding garlic powder to spice mix improve it
2) does cabbage in base work well
3) is tarragon an overlooked ingredient
4) is extreme heat needed?
5) is the petes grabi spice oil going to be worth the effort
6) is mint leafs and curry leaf another ingedients i should use more
7) is lemon chunks in the base an improvment
the list goes on. any help on these questions i would like to know.
 cheers DD

[solarsplace]

There are so many things i would like to know more about, and if it will lead to much on an improvment on my basic madras sauce. (which i am happy with, but its no where near the standard of my local)
my questions are
1)  does adding garlic powder to spice mix improve it
2) does cabbage in base work well
3) is tarragon an overlooked ingredient
4) is extreme heat needed?
5) is the petes grabi spice oil going to be worth the effort
6) is mint leafs and curry leaf another ingedients i should use more
7) is lemon chunks in the base an improvment
the list goes on. any help on these questions i would like to know.
 cheers DD

Hi

Just my opinions, obviouly cannot speak from professional BIR experience:


1) No, not in the spice mix, but yes in the tomatoe puree mix.
2) Tried it, never felt the need to try it again.
3) Don't know.
4) Probably not, although a good gas cooker really helps the process.
5) I think so YES! YES! YES!
6) Don't know.
7) Don't know.

Cheers

[PaulP]

I agree about the cabbage. The last base I'm just finishing off was a return to the Taz base but modified slightly with about a third of a coconut block and using 500 ml of Pete's spiced oil. I cracked my upright blender jug, presumably due to the heat, when blending this one as the whole cumin and corriander seeds don't blend well with my stick blender.

This is a very simple base, lightly spiced and without cabbage, potato or carrots or fresh corriander. I prefer to introduce the fresh corriander at final dish cooking time.

I'm using a spice mix with garlic and ginger with this base and my curries have been pretty yummy lately.

Cheers,

Paul