Topic: The Mumtaz Restaurant Chicken Karahi

[raygraham]

Hi All,

Mumtaz Karahi Chicken

A few years ago I watched a B.B.C. Food and Drink program that went to the famous Mumtaz Restaurant in Bradford.

The chef was filmed showing how to make a simple Chicken Karahi, which I have made on a number of occasions with a great deal of success.
I now realise he was not necessarily giving the restaurant secret away as base sauce was never mentioned.
It was not a B.I.R. style curry as such yet in taste it was very similar to what we would expect from a restaurant type curry.
It doesn?t have that smokey taste yet receives favourable ?which take-away was this from? comments from those that try it.
I would assume this isn't seen on the Mumtaz menu as it takes a bit long to cook from scratch for a busy restaurant unless perhaps they pre-cook it ahead of time.

Just as a bit of interest the Mumtaz sells? it's currys by weight! You order either 1/2 lb or a 1 lb portion. Bet you can't guess what weight I go for!?

The odd thing about this Karahi dish is it?s made in a large wok and all the ingredients are put in uncooked at the start. This very uninteresting ?soup? is simply boiled until the liquid reduces to a thick sauce???voila!
It doesn?t look as if it will produce a restaurant style curry but strangely it does. In about 45 minutes you are ready to serve. That?s all there is to it.

The only powdered spices used were Curry Powder which I assume now is ?restaurant spice? such as Bruce Edwards and some Garam Masala.

Nowadays, for convienience I tend to cheat a little and use a third of a jar of Patak?s Madras Curry Paste instead of powdered spices. It really does make a great tasting curry and also works well with Lamb.

This is how the chef did it.

Serves 3-4

1 lb Chicken Breast, diced into large chunks
1 large Tin Chopped Tomatoes
1 Large Onion (or two small ), finely sliced
1? Cube Fresh Ginger, Grated
2 Cloves Garlic, Crushed
200 mls Water
4 Fresh Tomatoes, quartered
Either 2 tsp Curry Powder and 1 tsp garam Masala
or 1/3 rd Jar Patak?s Madras Paste
4 Tbsps Chopped Coriander
50 mls Veg Oil ( you could use re-claimed )

Method.Put all the ingredients in a wok except fresh tomatoes and coriander. There is NO pre-cooking of anything.
Bring to the boil. Reduce heat but let it bubble and leave it uncovered, it has to evaporate
It looks like an unappetising mess and you will wonder what you have let yourself in for. But have faith.
After about 30-40 minutes it will have reduced and the onions, chicken etc will be cooked. Make sure the sauce is thickish, if not reduce a bit further.
At this point add the fresh Tomatoes and Coriander. Cook for a further 5 minutes and serve.

Regards

Ray

[asafoetida]

I must say I'd be fairly offended if my guests asked me 'which takeaway is this from'!

[George]

I must say I'd be fairly offended if my guests asked me 'which takeaway is this from'!

I'd be delighted if it was a BIR style dish I was trying to emulate. If such a comment is honest, it must surely be the ultimate accolade or seal of approval.

That said, I still reckon authentic Indian food (made at home or eaten out) is miles better and finer than any BIR. But that's not the point, in my opinion. I still like BIR food for what it is and I thought BIR food is what this forum is mostly about.

Regards
George

[George]

I now realise he was not necessarily giving the restaurant secret away as base sauce was never mentioned.

Good point. The chef might not want to mention base sauce, and the TV producers might not be too keen either, if the aim is home cooking. But I suggest it would be quite easy for a chef (and us) to 'reverse engineer' a BIR curry and turn it into a more traditionally cooked dish and maintain a similar flavour, e.g. simmered in an oven for 40 mins and started with finely chopped onion, rather than base sauce.

And the other way, too. e.g. re-jig an authentic recipe so it can be speeded up with the use of base sauce.

All the ingredients would remain the same. It's just the method which would be adapted.

Regards
George

[raygraham]

I must say I'd be fairly offended if my guests asked me 'which takeaway is this from'!

Hi Asafoetida,

The reason I mentioned this is for the same reasons George mentioned above.

The point I was making here is that when I served it up to my work colleagues they were under the impression I had bought it at a take-away and that it wasn't home made.
For me that was a compliment to feel? proud of as that is exactly the illusion I was wanting to achieve and the reason I feel this site exists.

To me there is a distinct difference between the "home made" curry that most brits make using curry powder, onions, sultana's, bike frames, spare tyres, used nappies and anything else they find at hand to chuck in.? What is the phylosophy behind all that!?
In fact some of my friends think the more you chuck in the more of a curry it is!!??

I have had some pretty dire curries at friends houses, spiced watery slurry accompanied by stodgy rice that comes up on your fork in one lump!

But when I make them one from recipes on this site they can't believe how much like the local take-out it is so for me that is a great comment and makes it worth all the effort and all the hours I spend trawling the postings on this site.
 
I think Blondie once said he had clocked up "weeks" on this site in search of the ultimate goal and I bet there are others  that can beat that........Hi Pete and Mark!?

Now that's dedication for you!


Ray

[Derek Dansak]

i agree about that reverse enginering idea. it is feasable in theory. although i cant see it catching on

[tidsfm]

looks good i think i will give it a go