Topic: using ghee or not

[jb]

In almost every picture or video of a BIR kitchen I always notice a large tin on the stove from which the chef takes a spoonful of oil to make his curries.I always thought this was just pure plain veg oil but after watching this I'm not so sure....

http://cbm-mick.blogspot.com/2010/05/restaurant-bhindi-bhaji.html

It's clearly a tin of ghee and looks identical to most tins I've seen most chefs use.So is it ghee they use??  Could that be a vital part of the elusive taste???  Unless they empty the ghee out and replace it with veg oil which I doubt.

Some great videos here I have to say.

[Stephen Lindsay]

I used to use ghee when I started cooking Indian food - homestyle one off recipes for four etc. A lot of these recipes used ghee and I find it to be a rather strong taste. I personally don't use it in curries I have made within the context of this forum.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I used to use ghee when I started cooking Indian food - homestyle one off recipes for four etc. A lot of these recipes used ghee and I find it to be a rather strong taste. I personally don't use it in curries I have made within the context of this forum.

Setting off to cook curry with a friend over the weekend, and having run out of ghee, I called in at our local Indian convenience store and picked up a small tin from there.  Unlike every other place from which I have bought ghee, this store keeps the ghee in the 'fridge.  And what a difference it seemed to make : none of that "rancid butter" smell that I normally associate with ghee; instead a clean, fresh smell that made the pilau taste wonderful.  So don't necessarily rule ghee out, but do learn to differentiate between fresh ghee and rancid ghee.

** Phil.

[chewytikka]

Hi jb
In my experience, all three, Veg Ghee, Animal Ghee and Veg Oil are used in BIR cooking.
Standard curries = Veg Oil, Special Curries = Ghee. Certain preparations = Ghee.
The stove top ghee tin will usually have Veg Oil in it.
The Tandoori Chef will have a tin or container of Animal Ghee, next to the tandor, to baste the Tandoori meats etc.
Animal Ghee completes a good Tikka Chicken.
cheers Chewy

[emin-j]

I notice in the Butter Chicken Video Mick asks the Chef if it's butter Ghee he is using and the Chef replies " Not Butter Ghee just Butter " 

Also when I watched my Curry being made at my favourite T/A I asked if it was just Veg Oil he was using and the Chef replied " Veg Oil with some Butter Ghee in it ".

[chriswg]

As I've mentioned before, for me Veg Ghee really sets a dish apart. Try it next time instead of Veg oil and you will notice an instant improvement. Butter Ghee is too strong a taste for me.

[JerryM]

i started using butter ghee from KD1. it was too strong tasting for me.

some BIR's use it on their naan bread once they are cooked - you really can tell and once i know they use it i tell the waiter to leave it off.

i've been using marg since ashoka (mainly in base plus a few dishes ie butter chicken) but being conscious on the cholesterol front i'm going for chriswg's recommendation - veg ghee on the next shopping strip.

i've chilled quite a few BIR dish samples and never found much solid fat telling me that it is not used extensively.

[solarsplace]

Hi

Have to go with Chris on this one.

Been using this brand of veg ghee for a couple of months now. Really been getting on well with it. The dishes come out far less oily (although I do like an oily curry too).

Interestingly any chilled and fridged remains of mains or saag aloo etc always come out from the fridge with the same consistency as from my favourite restaurant & TA, rather than in a lake of red oil like my efforts before.

I find personally the taste of veg ghee, very subtle and you would be hard to tell any difference between that and cooking oil (I think). However butter ghee would impart quite a pronounced difference in flavour.

[emin-j]

I have read that Veg Ghee is banned in India due to the amount of Trans Fats in it 

[solarsplace]

Hi

This fats, good or bad or otherwise seems to be swings and roundabouts to me.

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5419.msg55917#msg55917

Seems to be pro's and con's to all of them. I think the key has always to be moderation.

This Wiki article seems to suggest it is some kind of fake veg ghee that is banned?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghee

Its the same old story though with everything, a proper fry-up now and again is great, but start having one every day etc...

Cheers