Topic: curry base

[PaulP]

Sorry if I'm asking a dumb question but I assume that the whole spices are eventually removed from the finished base?

I'm intrigued by the use of black cardamom and fennel seeds in the base.

Paul

[stevejet66]

Hi all, right, just to straighten a few things as requested by weight,

2lb onions.

chopped coriander  1 tbls off. (roots/stems)

ginger 1 inch square block or as near as

fennel seeds are a bit like  star anise but not so powerfull and they blend well once softened.

as regards the ghee yes you will get lots floating, will get a different taste if you use only cooking oil.

whole spice's can be put in some muslim cloth and left in, do not remove.

hope that helps,
the ham.

[moonster]

Paul,

once the base is complete, simply sieve the base to lose the cardamons and cinnamon stick.
 imagine accidently chomping into a black cardamon
regards

Alan

[PaulP]

imagine accidently chomping into a black cardamon
regards

Alan

My thoughts exactly - thanks Alan.

[stevejet66]

if your remove the cardomons remove them the day after, not before or use muslin cloth to retain them,  mind you i have muched on one before now :-X

[moonster]

Hi all,

I have just made CA's Ceylon with Hams base (only omiitting the salt) from CA's recipe due to the high salt content in Hams base.

Credit where it is due this base really works for me and i made what i consider the best CA ceylon using hams base.

It was like making a completley different curry in both taste and texture to what i have made before using CA's recipe being the only change to spec was the curry base.

food for thought for the fellow curry makers who believe a base makes little difference to the finished dish.

Alan ;D 

[curryhell]

Thanks to the guys for there efforts on this one, tried it last night still doesnt taste like a bir, at the end of the video it shows some stock being added from another pot to the final base,Akhni stock , if you look at the video carfully it doesnt look like just a few spices in water, it looks like its full of something else, i.e meat stock or whatever it maybe.

Just to clarify, as I happened to be one of the attendees, the saucepan contents were water, green cardamons, cassia bark and Asian bay leaves  - NOTHING ELSE.
As for the base not being BIR, it is as good as the best on here and better than many IMHO.  But you obviously rate your own very highly.
I have read your base thread and to be honest, there's nothing new or different about it.  It has similarities in ingredients, spicing levels and method to others already discussed on the forum, many of which i've made.  However, it does contain something which has pricked my interest of late; the inclusion of whole spice.  This, coupled with Moonster's endorsement means i'll have to make it and use it for my easy madras recipe.  If it makes as good a madras as i ended up with in the week i'll be happy.  If it delivers more, i'll be one step closer to curry heaven.  My report will follow in due course on the base and the madras.  Anybody else care to try this one out?
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5346.10

Regards

G0MSQ

Rather than post feedback in a Zaal thread it's only right to do so in the original.  Ok, so yesterday  I set to and made this base. I do like to have at least two bases in the freezer to choose from, preferably three.  Worst case scenario, i'd end up tipping it the down the drain and it wouldn't have cost me much other than time and effort.  I did intend not trying any new bases other than IFFU and the little india base.  But the inclusion of the whole spice pricked my interest plus the content of the thread.
Anyway, results so far.  When i was cooking the onions ginger and garlic it definitely took me back to the good old KD days.  In fact worse.  This really did smell unpleasant.  So i continued with the bagghar bit and added it to the blended onions and cooked it for a further hour.  I was expecting it to start emitting that BIR smell that it was supposed to have.  It didn't, i can only describe the smell as medicinal, brought about by the black cardamon I think. So i left it too cool with the whole spice sitting there until this evening. 
I did check the smell out this morning before i left for work and it had improved in aroma considerably.  So I did the taste test tonight.  Compared to the many other gravies  i've made i can only descibe it as tasting "thin" if you know what i mean.  A weak mild onion soup almost like consomme with a little sharpness from the tomato puree but no bitterness.  As for the whole spice they added a little background flavour and improved the aroma overall but i could barely detect any curry notes at all.  That said, one can't judge a gravy until it's in the finished dish I believe.  But then again,  if this was a stew i'd be binning it .  Will post the results of a madras made with this base later in the week.  I took a few pics during the process.

The really foul smelling onion mixture



The bagghar



The finished article

[Peripatetic Phil]

It certainly looks the business.  As to the smell, I have never understood this.  I use KD base all the time, apart from very occasional experiments, and I have /never/ experienced a horrible smell.  Perhaps it's just me : maybe my olfactory organs are less sensitive to whatever it is that others dislike (there may be some truth in this; when I travelled regularly in Ontario I never found the smell of skunk to be offensive, although it was most certainly noticeable).  Maybe I'm just drawn to feral smells (I like the scent of fox, for example).  Ah well, another digression : sorry chaps . . .  Do let us know how the Madras works out : for myself, I think of the base as the ground bass -- it is the melody, played on the spices and herbs at the time of cooking, as well as the skilful control exercised by the conductor (a.k.a. the chef) that I believe makes up at least 90% of the BIR experience.

** Phil.

[curryhell]

I've always found the smell of the KD base very off-putting but this was tolerated as the results were quite acceptable at the time. That's a very eloquent way of putting the curry making process.  Everything working together in perfect harmony.  Haven't quite worked out yet who is playing the bum notes though  or whether the conductor is simply having a bad day.  Will post the madras results later in the week.  I'm kind of all curried out at the moment.  Hard to believe of any of us, but true :

[curryhell]

Made my Easy Madras curry with this base tonight.  The results and pics are posted here:

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=8786.30