Topic: Pat Chapman - Why so much hostility?

[bmouthboyo]

Hi Guys,

I am new here having come from KD cooking background. Just wondered how come people seem to dislike Pat Chapman so much? Have not come across his work but from what I can read on here people seem to not like the man, just wondered why?

[madmatt]

Good question B, I wondered the same.
His curries are not at all BIR, but he's done a lot to promote cooking curry at home here in the uk over the years, and his video seems to show good presenting skills IMO. He seems an ok bloke to me.
Looking at his website, his India cooking tours look like fun.
If my 6 numbers come up I would definitely give it a go
Matt

[Graeme]

I dont think we dont like him, i would never say that.
Also i dont think this site set out to dislike anyone.

Please try his books if you want to. I have a few
and revisit them from time to time but for me i wasted
quite a few years as i thought his books were sold as being bir.

However one or two pages in his books did produce good
results for me but using an oven.

[Stephen Lindsay]

I have no axe to grind with Pat Chapman and own several of his books. My take on him is that he was the first to try and emulate BIR cooking and his books were sold on this basis. Unfortunately they didn't really do that, especially his earlier books but I think they got progressively better, especially his "Curry Bible" which is a pretty good book that I tend to use for reference purposes these days. I do think of him as being someone that was flying the flag for curries and he has done a lot to promote curries, albeit within a business context.

I still use his tandoori masala recipe for my chicken tikka and I seem to recall CA saying he did too?

[parker21]

hi if you read this thread is sort of explains it and i was the original poster, modern indian restaurant cooking HA!

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=277.0

he is called the curry king LOL! if you also refer to the posts regards to curryhouse cooking by bruce edwards originally featured in the Curryclub magazine, the 1st book has a list of 200 restaurants! BIR? but none of the recipes actually used in the book actually state a base is used. he has led millions of people all over the world trying to create the curries like they actually get in a restaurant, he even states in the book having spent 2 weeks in 2 kitchens and descibes the day in each of how it works and then that is the closest any of his books get close to Bir cooking, He has seen it all and has failed to pass the info on to others acurately, no sorry thats wrong at all! and he is also very rich off the back of it! he has had more than enough ofmy money unless he does what is says on the tin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

regards
gary

[t-c]

I have several books of his, and found the tandoori recipes really good. I cook the chicken tikka for work mates and they can't get enough of it.

So for me, the 3 or 4 books I have of his have been worth it. 

[PaulP]

I checked out his entry in Wikipedia. He's had quite an interesting life - trained as a fighter pilot and other interesting stuff. It does sound like his Indian cooking knowledge comes from a traditional background though and not BIR as we know it.

Paul

[Domi]

Pat Chapman's recipes are like curries my 80 year old mum makes, they're edible and nice enough but a wide mile away from restaurant/take-away style as he claims....he did get people started on the path though so he's due favour for that but I'd never buy nor borrow another of his books. Then again he could have had experience of some of the worst curry houses, in which case he's excused

[DARTHPHALL]

Pat Chapman got me into the oven method & it works very well.

Does anyone cook curries via the Oven on here?

[Les]

Hi Darth
I do Abduls Staff Chicken Curry in the oven, and would recommend it. But use chicken thighs,(2 per person) not breast, The chicken is so tender and just falls off the bone, and the kid's like picking it up in their hand's
But haven't tried any other ones, Is their some more recipes on here for the oven? I normally cook curry's for 4 people so oven would be a bonus

HS