Topic: Concentrated base Gravy?

[Vindaloo-crazy]

I've had both curries from UK and curry from Oz. I can say they are wildly different Oz curry is what we in the UK would think of as "authentic Indian". Nothing like BIR at all. For obvious reasons (being a Pom) I much prefer BIR.
There're loads of beef curries here too; not a common feature of BIR at all.
A vindaloo here is about just short of madras strength.
Most places seem to use chicken thigh and not breast meat.
Rice is completely different; I couldn't recognise which bowl contained pilau rice...
Lots of fish curries and starters here.

[shanew]

My experience of Oz take-away was dissapointing to say the least. I spend a few months each year just outside Perth with family and have tried a few. The first thing i noticed was the strange assortment of veg they put in. most BIR's i have had in Leeds tend to be chuncks of meat, onion and gravy with the odd addition or peppers or tomato's depending on where i go, (normaly only have balti or madras) in Oz, anything goes so it would seem, i've had lamb tikka madras with sweetcorn and cubes of potato, the sauces seem to be much thinner and the rice is like non i've tried before. this extends to chinese too, had roast duck with lemon and egg fried rice, the duck dish had lettuce, not chinese but regular iceberg and other veg which appeared to include diced swede and parsnip.
I decided to treat the family to a taste of home with Darth's BIR madras clone which itself caused problems with finding ingredients, who'd have thought methi would be so hard to find? trips to cole's, woolworths and a few local asian stores were fruitless so i ended up have some posted out. secondly the cost of making the base is crazy at the moment. $3 for a few sprigs of corriander, $28per Kg for garlic!! with spices and veg the base cost aroun ?20 to make so i can understand the average price of ?19 for a takeaway but and extra $5 for rice is rude!

Back to the original post, poor aussies are missing out on good currys

[ivangough]

I've had curry in many Australian cities, and a few UK places. They're different, and what you prefer would likely depend on where you're from and what you're used to. I like both styles, and have had good and bad meals in both countries. Sydney for example, has never won me over with their curry, yet I've had great curry in both Melbourne and Brisbane. Gaylord in Soho (London) was great, as was one of the places I went to in Leeds. Brick lane however, has held mixed results for me, with 2 good meals and 1 bad so far. Chutney Mary's in Chelsea was a highlight, as was a place in West Drayton, near Heathrow airport. The main difference can be found right here on this site, in the different base sauces. BIR curries use a soupy base and the final dishes tend more towards a sweeter, less spicy flavour. AIR curries use a concentrated base mix with more spices and onions, and the final dishes reflect that. As I've said elsewhere on this forum, the Vindaloo is a perfect example of the differences between the two. BIR Vindaloo is a hotter version of a Madras, and may only have a small amount of vinegar for the tartness. AIR Vindaloo is very tangy, and as Masala Mark has noted, AIR's use a concentrated base plus Vindaloo paste to give it that flavour.

Both different, and if cooked well, both great IMHO..