Topic: Completely stumped!

[MethiGoshtFreak]

Been making curry for 25 years.I take it seriously and have tried all approaches and most techniques on this great site.
I think i may have to give up though.
Dont get me wrong,the curries i make are great but missing that elusive BIR factor.
My local takeaway is open plan and ive gotten to know the chefs well.
Theyve let me tsste their stockpot and its similiar to most bases here.
The chef starts with ordinary new oil,G&G paste,tomato puree.
Coupla mins frying,adds chicken.some chilli powder,methi,gsrammasala,turmeric and lsdles of base.
All in front of me,no great secrets,and within 7-8 mins he's done.
Its a fantsstic curry EVERY time and that delicious BIR taste.
What the hell are we missing??
Ive copied him move for move but still seems like im a million miles away.
Have these guys got special voodoo or summat??
Im totally flummoxed.

[solarsplace]

Hi MethiGoshtFreak

Well, the first thing is to forget giving up! - how will you ever reach your goal if you don't keep trying?

Even though you think you are certain of what you saw, there are imediatly questions that present themselves as possibilities of sources of differences such as:

Did they let you cook along side the chef on their stoves?

What is in their garam masala? is it packet mix or a custom restaurant masala made in house?

Did he really add tumeric on its own?

Was the tomato paste dilute and could there have been any other ingredients mixed with it?

Always so many other factors to considder.

Cheers

[PaulP]

Is there any chance that the chef would let you cook the same curry under his guidance with the same ingredients?

It would be great if he could cook you a curry, then you try to cook the same curry in front of him and then take the two home and get people to taste them and compare your effort with his.

I agree with the previous poster that you can't be sure what's in his GM and tom puree.

I hope you don't give up!

Cheers,

Paul

[MethiGoshtFreak]

Thanks for the replies and encouragement guys.
Ive been eating a coupla curries a week from this takeaway for 10 years.
EVERY TIME its superb with that perfect BIR taste.
The chef doesnt let me cook but i watch him from 5 feet away.
Tomato puree is usual stuff we can all buy.
Stockpot no different taste to most bases on here.
Usual G&G paste and ive tasted the garam masala,it tastes just like any we could buy e.g. East End/Rajah.
Sprinkling of dried methi leaves,chilli powder,turmeric,cumin & salt.
Coupla mins low heat then gradual base ladling over high heat,with pre cooked chicken added.
Sprinkling of garam masala and fresh corisnder two minutes before end.
In total 7-8 mins and no great secret but he NAILS the BIR taste EVERY time.
I wont give up trying but sometimes its bloody frustrating! Lol

[PaulP]

It's interesting that your chef uses a combination of GM, cumin and turmeric for what most of us would use mix powder.

I must admit I don't use GM much due to earlier disasters many years ago following recipe books.

Glad to hear you won't be giving up  But out of interest have you tried cooking like he does with the separate GM, cumin and turmeric?

Cheers,

Paul

[MethiGoshtFreak]

Hi Paul

The chef uses less than half a tsp of cumin and turmeric about halfway thru cooking.
I wouldnt have thought they made that much difference tbh.
Curiously enough tho i once asked him if he used the turmeric for colouring and he said 'no...some spices are for flavour and colour but some are important for texture to gel with the base sauce'
I do wonder about this aspect.
Occassionaly too ive noticed he adds about a tsp of ordinary flour about 2 mins from the end of cooking.
Again when asked why he replies 'texture'.
Food for thought...

[prawnsalad]

After reading this I just wanted to reiterate my belief that the only way we'll get there is by getting a chef to intentionally teach us exactly how to make BIR dishes as if he were instructing a trainee at his own restaurant.

And as before this may mean a fee organised by the mods.

Watching and guessing will never be enough, it's been reprover so many times now.

[loveitspicy]

After reading this I just wanted to reiterate my belief that the only way we'll get there is by getting a chef to intentionally teach us exactly how to make BIR dishes as if he were instructing a trainee at his own restaurant.

And as before this may mean a fee organised by the mods.

Watching and guessing will never be enough, it's been reprover so many times now.

The only problem is not every restaurant / takeaway would like to give away their secret spice mix - Mike on here curry barking mad has some good videos on his site and he is a nice guy! likes a leg pull and can give it back - NORMAL GUY! anyhow get in touch with him or look at his site.

DON'T forget every chef cooks their own way and all curries are regional THE SAME AS FROM INDIA OR PAKISTAN they are all regional as well with differing but similar ways to cook.

I agree it would be great if a top chef would like to show all.

I cook quickly - very quick and on high heat - i CANNOT cook in the kitchen in the house because of the splashes and the heat and oil residue - i built a little shack out back which i started cooking stuff in - fitted a fan and a chimney to take out the majority of the heat steam and oil / curry fumes.

Example - pan HOT smoking oil in twirled round the pan and up the sides a bit (stops the g/g from burning when it splatters and spits) - G/G in whiz it about with the spoon stirring it into the pan - 4/6 seconds at most - off the heat - all spices in that i am using garam masala , chili, spice mix whatever - straight on top of that tomato puree back on the heat on high stirring - it splatters and pops and gives off a great aroma which does make your eyes sting if you are right over the pan, 6/8 seconds at most - the paste starts to turn dark red ( any longer and it will burn) pre- cooked chicken in stirring to coat then a ladle of base in stirring etc oil starts to separate immediately another ladle of base in followed by whatever you are making and then turn down the heat a little add another ladle of base and cook until desired consistency is required.

I use 3 ladles usually per curry roughly about 300 grams the rest is made up of the ingredients 120/140 grams chicken etc.

Chicken Bhuna yesterday on the scales in a microwave box with lid weighed 495 grams - nearly half a kilo of good quality food.

Others DO NOT cook like me - but every chef is different - a normal curry say Bhuna like pictured yesterday after all the onions and the peppers are pre cooked takes about 7 mins to cook or less

best, Rich