Topic: New videos from Curry2Go in Chorley

[ELW]

Blimey, this thread is getting hot, but there again I like a bit of controversy  Not learning anything, but it sure makes good reading
Keep it up chap's

HS

Theres no such thing as bad publicity HS, you know that 

Rgards
ELW

[Les]

Theres no such thing as bad publicity HS, you know that 

Rgards
ELW

Very true my friend, Very true,

HS

[PaulP]

Spicey,

You misunderstood me on something I posted:

If you know how to do something, you don't necessarily need to understand why. You could be taught for 10 years by a genuine BIR chef how to cook great BIR food and you could do it by a process of copying and repetition and I suspect that is just how one BIR chef may pass down his knowledge to an apprentice chef. If you don't know how to do something, and it is a guarded secret then you do need to understand why.

In this way people can learn how to caramelise their base just by watching how BIR chefs cook their curries. That's what I meant about the chewytikka madras video. And you can get the same effect from a steel wok because I do it myself.

Anyway, I'll butt out. It wasn't my intention to wind you up.

Paul

[PaulP]

Blimey, this thread is getting hot, but there again I like a bit of controversy ;D Not learning anything, but it sure makes good reading ;D
Keep it up chap's

HS

Naughty, naughty hot stuff, we all enjoy it when the handbags come out  . If you're not careful I'll tell everyone you're a bloke and nothing like your avatar 

[curryhell]

Spicey,

Anyway, I'll butt out. It wasn't my intention to wind you up.

Paul

Well, from what i've witnessed the last couple of months it doesn't take much, does it.  The old soap box does seem to be getting a lot of use just lately .  But then again, that's what this forum is all about, the expression of individuals views,their experiences, their queries, beliefs and disbeliefs etc etc etc.  But please guys, keep it civil and impersonal.  I think we can all disagree, but let's do it politely at least.   We are civilised curry cooks, not bloody football supporters, after all ;D ;D.  We haven't quite lowered ourselves to that level just yet, or have we

[spiceyokooko]

Paul

I haven't misunderstood a single word you've written, but you've not listened to or taken on board a single word I've said.

If you know how to do something, you don't necessarily need to understand why...

This is just nonsense!!!

This does not help people coming here and and trying to learn how to cook BIR curries does it? Isn't that what this forum is for? To help people replicate that taste and flavour that these BIR Chef's manage to do so easily yet we all struggle to emulate? It's exactly this kind of misinformation that confuses people and makes them want to give up? You and others may know instinctively how to caramelise a base sauce in a non non-stick pan, but how does that help anyone else? It's exactly this kind of arrogant 'know it all' attitude I object to.

This for me and I'm sure many others like me could prove a real breakthrough in them achieving what they've been searching for and all you can do and say is, ...you don't necessarily need to understand why... ...and this topic's off thread?

This is the first time since I've been on this site that I've ever seen any explanation from anyone as to why BIR chefs use aluminium pans and why, and not just that, coming from someone (Julian) who got slated at the beginning of this thread for some of the ingredients he uses in his curries when no-one had even tried them!!!!!

Plenty of people slated his (Julians) Bhuna as looking nothing like a Bhuna, despite Julian explaining that, that's what his customers like and that he sells more Bhuna's than Madras's! I remember someone telling me early on here my Madras didn't look like a Madras, what the hell does it matter what a dish looks like as long as it tastes right? It's nonsensical!!!!!

As far as I'm concerned you couldn't make this up really it's so rediculous. And yes you have wound me up and I'll admit I'm now getting pretty annoyed.

[chriswg]

As much as I've enjoyed reading this argument unfold the answer is simple and a bit boring.

The real reason BIR's use aluminium pans is because they are cheap and they heat up really fast. The thinner the metal on the base the better, they don't want to hang around for even a minute waiting for a thicker pan to heat up!

As I've said so many times there is no secret anything, you just need to learn the techniques and that takes time. Once you crack it, you will be able to hit that BIR flavour with every dish you cook.

[Cory Ander]

I strongly suspect (I can't say for sure because I've never asked them!) that BIRs use aluminium pans mainly because they are:

• CHEAP
• LIGHT
• do the job

If anything, aluminium pans also seem to have the property of being relatively "nonstick" to me (which, I presume, is another "attribute" for their use by a BIR).

All pan materials have attributes which make them more or less suitable for the task at hand.  But I strongly suspect that any pan (including nonstick pans) will do the job more than adequately.

I, for one, can definitely "caramelise" (or read "burn"!  ) anything in any pan, without too much trouble!   

The following link it is to a good website for understand some of the engineering aspects regarding materials selection:

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/120/Common-Materials-of-Cookware

To me, it seems far more important to match the size of your pan (of whatever material used) with the size of your heat source, with the volume of ingredients that you are cooking.

Spicey:

"Pans", "reduction" and "caramelising" have been mentioned regularly, over the years, on this forum.  Unfortunately, many members will not bother to reply to threads on topics that have been discussed several times before (and who can really blame them?)

But I think you are right about one thing in particular.  This forum has been particularly weak (in my opinion) in adequately defining the term "technique" (a term regularly bandied about but seldom defined) used in BIR (or any Indian) cooking. 

I've tried, several times, to solicit inputs and ideas about "techniques" but, largely, to little avail.  I reckon I could have a fair stab at it...but I really can't be too bothered.  Here are a couple of examples:

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1283.0

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4069.0

I think it's probably because members have largely not been able to even recognise (or even identify) specific "techniques" and have otherwise been largely unable to articulate them.

Regarding Paul's comments about "understanding" - like you (and I'm sure many other members), I also like to understand the reasons (i.e. the "why?") for doing things.  However, as Paul says, life is generally not like that.  Things are done, the way they are done, because that is how they were shown to be done!  Very much "Monkey see, Monkey do"! 

I would be pretty sure that most BIR chefs would not actually know WHY (I mean really why?) they do things the way that they do.

PS:  you might get a better response from forum members if you came across as slightly less combative Spicey (now THERE'S the pot calling the kettle black!   :)   

[Cory Ander]

I've just knocked up a curry base (my own version) using "used oil" (which is, to my mind, very obviously "seasoned").  The "used oil", I used, is from frying bhajis.  And, yes, chips! - to which the oil adds a nice colour and taste. 

It's not the first time I've done it.  But, based on your comments, I want to try it again.  It's NOT "rancid oil", it's NOT "lard", it's NOT "knackered oil", nor, indeed, is it "3in1"!"  : 

It's simply oil that has been used, to fry other things, which it has picked up the smell and taste from!

The other thing I've done is to "fry", "tarka", or "bargaar", or "bhuna" (I'm now not sure which other people think it is!  But it's probably a combination of all of them!) the spices, garlic, ginger and tomato puree and added it to the pre-boiled veggies.  It makes much sense to me, since the spices needs the oil to release their flavours. And the veggies don't.

I haven't cooked any curries with it yet (I will within the next few days) but will let you know how I get on

Once again, as I posted above, I've tried using "used oil" (i.e. oil used for cooking chips and bhajis) for making a curry base (my own).  Alas, once again, I'm sorry to say that it was horrible!  It just tasted and smelt like "used oil".  I cooked a Bombay Aloo with it, smelt it and tasted it, and ditched it (i.e. the base).

I also used the "bargaar" technique (or whatever the right term is  :) and fried the garlic, ginger, spices and tomato and added it to the base after boiling the veggies.  I also then reboiled (rather than simmered) the base.  Alas, it was tasteless!  Absolutely tasteless!     

So I'm not at all sure what it is about the "used oil" that Haldi has used, or how it was produced.  Like Haldi (based on his comments), mine seems not to be the same. 

Though I don't otherwise doubt Haldi's findings.

My best result is still to very gently simmer all the ingredients (bar the spices and coriander), only until sufficiently cooked for blending, and then to add the powdered spices, right towards the end of cooking, and then to add the coriander, right at the end, before cooling.  For me, this still seems to be the best "technique" to preserve the flavours.  No prolonged cooking involved; just sufficiently long to cook (and soften) everything.

Ho hum, onwards and upwards!   

[Cory Ander]

The real reason BIR's use aluminium pans is because they are cheap and they heat up really fast. The thinner the metal on the base the better, they don't want to hang around for even a minute waiting for a thicker pan to heat up!

Sorry Chris, but you come across has having the definitive answers (once again!) 

If what you say it true (and I think it is probably partly true) then they would use very thin, and cheap, TIN!  :