Topic: Interesting Read

[Curry King]

I found this today, the second article down:

http://www.the-tls.co.uk/subject_by_subject/subject.aspx?path=/subject%20by%20subject/social_studies/


Heres the interesting bit:
She has a robust, non-purist attitude to culinary change, even to chicken tikka masala, and very nearly penetrates to the ultimate secret of the Indian restaurant kitchen ? the three-pot method. (Though she never defines ?curry? strictly, Collingham uses the term as most Indian cooks do, to describe dishes that are sauced.) Many curry recipes call for onions to be cooked slowly for a long time, which makes it impossible to prepare dishes from scratch only after they have been ordered. So instead of using a paste of freshly ground onions they developed a thick, brownish curry base ?made from pur?e of onions cooked in their own moisture without oil?, giving the ?slightly raw onion flavour which is one of the distinctive tastes of Indian restaurant food?.

Indeed, but go into almost any Indian restaurant kitchen (including those in India), and you will see two other vats of sauce, one red from its tomato base, the other cream-coloured, based on ground almonds. With an appropriate protein ingredient, vegetables and prepared masalas ? spice mixtures ? herbs, aromatics, varying quantities of chilli powder, mango chutney, sugar or cream added, their combinations and permutations produce the familiar biryanis, kormas, jalfrezis, dhansaks and vindaloos. This three-pot system is of course anathema to any Indian domestic cook, who prepares everything for the meal, including the masala, completely ab initio, but I know of only one Indian restaurant in Britain that does so.

[d14ryl]

interesting...i am just learning the one-pot method so it'll be a while yet 

[Ashes]

Ah I thought you were going to talk about Lynne Truss, just read of of her books "Eats, Shoots and Leaves"(very funny).

Anyway, "CURRY,A biography,Lizzie Collingham" I read over the summer this year. And it was fun reading where
different curries in your local have originated. Although in the end it was a little "curry-fact overload" so if you
wanna read Curry, read it in small mouthfuls

Another book id recommend is "Star of India : The Spicy Adventures of Curry", another ripping read for the
strange people who are facinated with the world of BIR.

[DARTHPHALL]

I`ve used the 2 pot method with good results, Pureed base added to cooked Onions (A bit like the two Onion method etc..)
I think Ganna commented on my method being used in the more up market Bir`s & wondered were i got the idea from, no I'm not a Chef posting misinformation  ;D.
Also this way you cook the Oil twice without having to reclaim etc..

[Ashes]

I once saw an aplication of an indian chef looking for work, he wrote that he knew several different styles of cooking and wanted
to get away fromt he 3 pot curry. Obviously the 3 pot curry was the bog standard curry? Sounds good to me, cause that what we are after?

I presumed the 3 pot method was, onion base, spice mixed tomato addition and the final cooking but it is obviously more
complicated than that

[George]

Darth / Ashes

I'm sorry but you've lost me! My take is that the 3 pots approach involves making up three almost completely different base sauces, which end up being used for the relevant (stage 2) dishes.

e.g. pot 1 base would be used for chicken madras, pot 2 would be used for CTM and pot 3 for lamb passanda or korma.
There may be a bit of mixing too, like including some of pot 1 in both CTM and passanda/korma dishes.

I didn't think '3 pot system' refers to the various stages in preparing a 'stage 2' dish, like when you start with partially pre-fried onions, then add some base later, together with spices, tomato or whatever.

Regards
George

[DARTHPHALL]

My 2 pot method is very much as KD`s ...Or you can use my 99.9 % Vindalloo base as an alternative http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=465.0 ( i prefer mine as it has a greater depth of taste KD`s just cannot touch !!).
? ? ?INGREDIENTS.( KD version).
? ?2LB (900g) COOKING ONIONS.
? ?2oz (50g) GREEN GINGER.
? ?2oz (50g) FRESH GARLIC CLOVES.
? ?2.75 PINT (1 LITRE 570ml) WATER.
? ?1 TEASPOON SALT.
? ?1 TIN (400 g ) TOMATOES.
? ?8 TABLESPOONS VEG OIL.
? ?1 TEASPOON TOMATOE PUREE.
? ?1 TEASPOON TURMERIC.
? ?1 TEASPOON PAPRIKA.
? ?
? ?METHOD.
? ?1. peel & roughly chop onions, ginger & garlic.
? ?2. blend until smooth ginger & garlic in 0.5 pint (275 ml ) water.
? ?3. put onions ,blended garlic & ginger in large saucepan & remaining water.
? ?4. add salt bring to the boil, turn down heat to a low simmer for 40-45 minutes ,leave lid on.
? ?5. when time is up leave to cool.
? ?6. blend all the curry base until completely smooooooth !!? ?
? ?7. blend until smooooth? ?the tin of tomatoes (yes take them out of the tin first !!)
? ?8. put the oil, tomtoe puree, turmeric, paprika & blended tomtoes in large saucepan, bring to boil,turn down heat & cook for ten minutes.then add to blended
? ?onion mix,? bring to the boil again,turn down heat allow to simmer on a heat that allows you to skim sauce without it splattering everywhere,
? ?you will know that fine line on your own cookers as it varies.
? ?9. as it simmers away you`ll notice a froth rising to the surface,you need to skim this of & keep doing so for 20-25 minutes,keep stirring as to stop sauce sticking
? ?to pan.
? ?10. leave to cool .
? ?11.you can now freeze . split into 425ml (0.75 pint) portions.
Then instead of just adding the normal second stage i will fry off 1 whole Onion(chopped !) 1 Teaspoon grated Ginger & 1 Teaspoon grated Garlic, then add all the necessary ingredients for whichever Curry you are making.
I hope this clears up my meaning of the multiple pot Base sauces etc...
Yours DARTHPHALL..... .....

[DARTHPHALL]

Also bear in mind i only cook Vindalloo,Tindalloo & Phall Curries so I'm unsure on how other Curries would taste using the above methods & ingredients.
DARTH....

[Ashes]

Youre probably right George, ive not idea what it is, it seems feasable that you could use 3 different bases

[Mark J]

Ive seen at least 2 bases in my local - what we call the standard base plus a base used for korma, pasanada etc (kids curries as the local owners refer to them  ;D)