Topic: Base Sauce Theory

[jb]

"plus my Spice Ball filled with Green Cardamom pods,Cloves,Cassia Bark,and Asian Bay Leaves"

I do like the idea of a few whole spices in a base sauce,not many recipes on the site use these.I do but I don't have a spice ball so it's a bit of a pain fishing them out at the end!!  I presume this idea came from the Authentic Balti Curry Book?

[hampshire hog]

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I cook a base - then let it stand all day - reheat the base to boiling before bed - next morning reheat to boiling again - let it stand to go cold - my base goes through this sometimes for 3 days definitely 2 days - then i cook curries or freeze the base. My curries are not watery and somewhere this week a comment was posted on my picture how the sauce is like velvet over the chicken - this is why!
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Best, Rich

Interesting - over the last 2 months I have combined 2 base reciepes from here (+ hard spices in a spice ball) - which by nature end up at least taking 2 days to finish. I'm still working on it but once finished I'll post it here, but yes heating - cooling - reboiling - simmering - coooling seems to enhance the base and although I can only get the oil to release in the early stage on day 2 (still working on that) I'm sure you have something with this theory

[Unclefrank]

Loveitspicy i do mine nearly the same way, i cook my base as desired in recipe(when recipe tells you to cook for a certain amount of time) but turn the heat down to lowest possible for an extra hour (with lid on) then turn off heat and leave (as you do) all the next day, but i dont heat it up again (when i have left the base and came back to it the next day there is always a nice redish oil on top of the base),then the following day when i am ready to freeze the base i heat the base up again on a low heat, once it has come up to boiling i ladle into pots still hot and place lid on and leave in my curry room, once cooled down thoroughly i freeze.

[loveitspicy]

Loveitspicy i do mine nearly the same way, i cook my base as desired in recipe(when recipe tells you to cook for a certain amount of time) but turn the heat down to lowest possible for an extra hour (with lid on) then turn off heat and leave (as you do) all the next day, but i dont heat it up again (when i have left the base and came back to it the next day there is always a nice redish oil on top of the base),then the following day when i am ready to freeze the base i heat the base up again on a low heat, once it has come up to boiling i ladle into pots still hot and place lid on and leave in my curry room, once cooled down thoroughly i freeze.

Its the ONLY way to make a great curry! all the flavours are through as you know - there is simply no way that i would make a base and then make a curry out of it - there aint no flavour in the base at all - its just an onion type gravy but left and reheated a couple of times the flavours shine through

best, Rich

[emin-j]

Loveitspicy i do mine nearly the same way, i cook my base as desired in recipe(when recipe tells you to cook for a certain amount of time) but turn the heat down to lowest possible for an extra hour (with lid on) then turn off heat and leave (as you do) all the next day, but i dont heat it up again (when i have left the base and came back to it the next day there is always a nice redish oil on top of the base),then the following day when i am ready to freeze the base i heat the base up again on a low heat, once it has come up to boiling i ladle into pots still hot and place lid on and leave in my curry room, once cooled down thoroughly i freeze.

Its the ONLY way to make a great curry! all the flavours are through as you know - there is simply no way that i would make a base and then make a curry out of it - there aint no flavour in the base at all - its just an onion type gravy but left and reheated a couple of times the flavours shine through

best, Rich

Perhaps at last were getting somewhere 

[alarmist10]

This looks like an idea with real promise!  I, too, freeze my base gravy and yes...it does give better results when used later.  It's going to be really interesting to try the cook, cool, re-heat, cool etc method.  Also interesting to hear the explanation of the 'head chef's night off' syndroma that we've all experienced before.  Thanks for sharing the secret.
al

[emin-j]

If you look at Marinating,the longer you leave it Marinating the better the flavour as it gives the Spices time to 'infuse' right into the Meat or whatever your Marinating,I think it's probably the same principle problem is Freezing might stop this process.
I am going to move my Base from the Freezer to the Fridge tonight for Saturday's Curry then Saturday AM put on the worktop so to get to room temperature for a few hours,certainly going to experiment in various ways.

[PaulP]

THE TWO HOUR RULE

I was reading this thread with some interest yesterday and since things were quiet at work I did some searching for advice on leaving cooked food at room temperature.

It seems that there is a 2 hour rule whereby you don't leave cooked food at room temperature for more than 2 hours before refrigerating or freezing. After this time the amount of bacterial growth just increases rapidly. Apparently cooked vegetables (i.e. base sauce) are a real magnet for bacteria. The situation would be even worse if you used meat stock in your base.

Now I know (in advance - hello Phil  ) that many of you will have survived such episodes with no harm but that may not be true for everybody that you plan to feed. I found a thread on Chowhound where people were discussing this subject and certainly a few people got sick from leaving cooked food out all night. Usually it is an accident and has happened to me, like making a 4 portion chilli and forgetting to put the half leftovers in the fridge before bed. I binned the food the next day, much to my annoyance, and I didn't know about the 2 hour rule then.

Ignore this advice if you wish but it is the official line on food safety.

Stay safe folks! 

Cheers,

Paul

[loveitspicy]

THE TWO HOUR RULE

I was reading this thread with some interest yesterday and since things were quiet at work I did some searching for advice on leaving cooked food at room temperature.

It seems that there is a 2 hour rule whereby you don't leave cooked food at room temperature for more than 2 hours before refrigerating or freezing. After this time the amount of bacterial growth just increases rapidly. Apparently cooked vegetables (i.e. base sauce) are a real magnet for bacteria. The situation would be even worse if you used meat stock in your base.

Now I know (in advance - hello Phil  ) that many of you will have survived such episodes with no harm but that may not be true for everybody that you plan to feed. I found a thread on Chowhound where people were discussing this subject and certainly a few people got sick from leaving cooked food out all night. Usually it is an accident and has happened to me, like making a 4 portion chilli and forgetting to put the half leftovers in the fridge before bed. I binned the food the next day, much to my annoyance, and I didn't know about the 2 hour rule then.

Ignore this advice if you wish but it is the official line on food safety.

Stay safe folks! 

Cheers,

Paul

You are right in what you are saying but here's the posing question?
How many TA's and restaurants have you looked in the kitchen to find the pan of sauce on the stove - being regularly topped up or warmed up - not everyone make a fresh base everyday no matter how busy the place is

best, Rich

[emin-j]

Thanks' PaulP,will move from freezer to fridge and not so long at room temperature then