Topic: Vegetable Vindaloo demo

[pete]

Veg Vindaloo

I know most of you probably don?t have Vegetable Vindaloo very often, but it?s a goal of mine to make it.
I had another demo with this dish
The fact is that weather it?s a veg, prawn or chicken vindaloo, they still have the taste of the amazing sauce with them
In truth, I think that?s the best part

Ingredients

3 ladles Curry gravy
Curry Gravy oil
1 desert spoon sliced fresh mushrooms
1 precooked small potato
1 desert spoon  garlic ginger puree (looked like a yellowy thin horse radish)
1 desert spoon tomato puree (thick paste)
1 desert spoon restaurant spice mix
1 teaspoon coriander/cumin mix
1 ladle precooked mixed veg
1 desert spoon canned chick peas

Heat ? a ladle of oily curry gravy in a pan
Cook for a minute
Add the mushrooms and garlic ginger puree and fry for a couple of minutes
Add the tomato puree and restaurant spice mix
Stir until it dries almost out
Add the potato
Then add a ladle of the curry gravy
Stir another minute and add the mixed veg and chick peas
Stir a couple of minutes and reduce down
Then add the last of the curry gravy along with the coriander/cumin mix
Stir and add a large spoon of Curry Gravy oil

I have seen this done a couple of times now:-
The chef covers the pan with an upturned frying pan and lets it fiercely boil for a couple of minutes
When he took the frying pan, off the top, the aroma was fantastic
As always this was a superb curry

I asked for some of the spice mix and, they are such nice people, they gave me some
It?s a ?darker than turmeric? colour
It was explained that it?s made of five spices
Turmeric, cumin, coriander, paprika and curry powder
I have compared it to the Bruce Edwards spice mix.
It?s very similar but has slightly more paprika
It tastes and smells almost the same

The spices don?t add any real flavour to the curry, when cooked for such a short time
They really just add aroma
I have asked on several occasions for extra sauce with my curry
They serve this in a side order carton
This extra sauce is made up from just the curry gravy, curry gravy oil, garlic ginger puree and spice mix
The only thing that has to be right, to make this succeed, is the curry gravy
However we are making the curry gravy, it has to be good enough to eat on it?s own
I was given a large sample of that too
And I did eat it on it?s own
It?s very,very nice
It has that ?eat the lot of it? flavour with a taste of  oily, boiled, fried onions with a slight spiceyness
The curry gravy is the only area where there is still some element of doubt
The closest , on this site, is probably Mark J?s full sized base
I was told, to make up the large pot on the stove, you need a lot of onions
The chef gestured to a large washing up basin
He said he fills  that with the peeled onions
It probably would hold about 30 onions (same as Mark J too)
He said never use Spanish onions
They are far too watery
There isn?t much spice in the gravy either
For this base only about 6 desert spoons of spice mix

[Curry King]

Nice one Pete, is there any chance he would allow you to watch them make the gravy?

[pete]

Hi Ck
        that's one thing I would really like to see
I think it's the most important part of the curry
The trouble is that it takes so long to make
It's a small kitchen too, so you get in the way very easily
Maybe I will get to see parts of it being cooked, but I doubt I will ever see the whole thing
Someone said they might be getting a demo (for a price), didn't they?
Was it Gary (woodpecker)?

[Mark J]

Pete you forgot the chilli powder  ;D

Your account of the base sounds very similar to the guy I talked to, again there was very little spicing in the base for 30+ onions.

Pete can you define what you think a spanish onion is?

[Curry King]

Heres an article I found on onions:

 Yellow Storage Onions?

The most common cooking onions, yellow storage onions are sold in red net bags.? They are hot and usually will make you cry.? They are a dry onion, with a heavy brown wrapper and little crispness.? Their heat disappears with cooking.? This onion is the workhorse of cookery?good in any heated dish or any other dish in which subtlety is not an issue.

 White Storage Onions

These onions are hot, but with a slightly sharper, cleaner flavor than yellows.? They also tend to have a slightly shorter shelf life because they lack the pigment that affords them protection against mold and because they have proportionally more water than the yellows.? They are most commonly used in Mexican cuisine.

Spanish Onions

Spanish onions are a large yellow storage onion, as round as a globe.? They usually have a slightly higher water content and so generally are less hot, sweeter, somewhat crisper and more perishable then the storage onion.? They have some heat?just enough to let you know that they mean business.? Spanish onions can substitute for specialty sweet onions out of season.

 Red Onions

Red onions are similar to Spanish onions in their characteristics:? Their flavor is sharp, sweet and pungent; their texture is a bit coarser with a very thick wrapper.? Uncooked, red onions make a handsome addition to salads of all types.? However, when cooked, these onions lose some of their color.

 Boiling Onions

Boiling onions are very small yellow or white storage onions, usually about two inches in diameter.? They will be hot to the taste before cooking and are best when left whole and boiled or simmered in a stew.

 

Pearl Onions

Pearl onions are between 1 inch and 1-1/4 inches in diameter with a thin, white wrapper.? They are crisp, with a surprising sweetness and only after chewing does a little sharpness kick in.? Pearls are very good when marinated or pickled.

 

Specialty Sweet Onions

Specialty sweet onions are very high in water content, low in heat and high in sweetness.? They are extremely crisp and fairly perishable.? These are the onions that most often are sold under a regional name (Maui, Vidalia, Walla Walla and have a limited season.? Usually yellow, most are shaped like globes or slightly flattened globes.? These onions are excellent raw, delicate when cooked and they caramelize nicely.? Try them for your next onion rings.

 Leeks

Leeks have a tough green top that is discarded.? In flavor, the garden-variety leek is like an offbeat onion, very hot, coarse and chewy.? Leeks are best cooked.? When cooked, leeks develop a warm, oniony flavor.? When chopped and sauteed, they become almost buttery in texture.

 Scallions

Scallions have a white bulb that is mild in flavor and enjoyable both cooked and raw.? Scallions are a common ingredient in Chinese cuisine; the bulb is cooked to add flavor, the raw greens tops are chopped and sprinkled on at the end as a garnish.

 Shallots

Shallots, which are like tender, delicate onions in taste and aroma, come in a variety of sizes.? They make a superb base for sauces and a splendid addition to omelets.? Cooked whole, they hold their shape and caramelize beautifully, making them an excellent addition to anything braised or roasted.? Like the leek, the shallot is not for eating raw.

[naga dave]

Hi Pete,
          Did the pre cooked mixed veg's look as though they had been cooked with spices, were they coloured / crusted / coated , or did they look as though they had just been boiled ?The same goes for the meat when you have seen it done with that, spiced or just boiled?
          I'm asking because it is my belief that the main ingredient is responsible for a lot of the flavour,the curry gravy providing the background.
                 Dave.

[DARTHPHALL]

You can get Sweet Onions in Sainsbury`s (part of their "taste the difference range") anyone tried them in their Curry making ?
DARTHPHALL..... .....

[Mark J]

Yellow Storage Onions?

The most common cooking onions, yellow storage onions are sold in red net bags.? They are hot and usually will make you cry.? They are a dry onion, with a heavy brown wrapper and little crispness.? Their heat disappears with cooking.? This onion is the workhorse of cookery?good in any heated dish or any other dish in which subtlety is not an issue.

I guess its these that are commonly used in BIRs then

[blade1212]

I use these "red net bag" onions now. They make a difference.

[raygraham]

Hi all,

The standard onions in the local asian shops round here are the red net bag variety and are plentiful and cheap as chips. The locals buy them by the sackful, more for the price than their properties.
They do also sell spanish onions which are a lot bigger, you can only pick up one at a time. :
It is obvious by whats on display the red net bag type are the popular ones.
It is interesting that the Natco Base recipe uses red onions which seems a little odd.

I have never used any other alternative to the standard onion and assume this is what you get in a shop if no other variety is offered as an option.

Ray