Topic: Unwanted flavour

[prawnsalad]

I've been battling this particular flavour since my first attempts at BIR and if anything it's intensified over time, although not unpleasant in its self it overpowers everything else so whatever I make always tastes the same.

I'm not using anything unusual, just the core ingredients listed in most base sauces found on here. It develops during the main cooking stage of the base after I've added water, leaving it to simmer for about an hour getting stronger right up to the end dish and isn't easy to describe other than to say it has something in common with that out of place taste you get with cheap potato salad which I always assume is down to preservatives as it clearly does not belong there.

Reading a recent thread on slow cooking for 6+ hours I was hoping it was because the base needed to mature but having just made some for a Prawn Madras it's as strong as ever.

I used:

Sunflower oil, brown cooking onions, green pepper, vine tomato, celery, spring onion, potato, carrot, garlic, red chilli, radish and coriander from a plant.

I fry onion, garlic and ginger first, add water, boil, then simmer it for half an hour before blending and pouring over the above loosely chopped veg followed by water.
After 45 minutes I add plum tomatoes, turmeric, coriander, paprika and cumin following SNS?s Saffron method by which time it's by far the dominant odour, noticeable as much in smell as in taste.

I know it's a stab in the dark but if anyone can advise I'd appreciate it.

[DalPuri]

Hi,
Celery is the one that stands out for me.
that can easily dominate most flavours and a hard one to balance.
anymore than 1/2 to 1 stick in any sauce i make(2-3ltr) whether it be curry or any other cuisine can overpower the other flavours.

 Frank.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Celery is the one that stands out for me.  that can easily dominate most flavours and a hard one to balance.
anymore than 1/2 to 1 stick in any sauce i make whether it be curry or any other cuisine can overpower the other flavours.

I would go along with that, and I would jettison the radish to boot.
** Phil.

[Stephen Lindsay]

Hey prawnsalad

Gee this is spooky but before I read your ingredients I was thinking - mm there must be a stand-out ingredient that's causing this - and there it was - celery! I'd agree that radish is not needed either. I'd also have to question the use of spring onions when you have standard onions there anyway. It seems to me that with celery, radish and spring onions you need look no further for your overpowering flavour.

Have a look at CA's recent "simple base" and I'll bet you'll find it has gone.

[Razor]

Hi Prawnsalad,

I would agree with both Phil and DP, celery seems to be the stand out culprit.  I say this because when I make a ragu, I usually use half a stick of finely chopped celery along with onion and carrot but, when I've used the whole stick, I have found a 'bitter' note to the sauce.  It took many many attempts for me to come up with this conclusion and so now, I stick to a half or less, and the bitterness is no longer present.

You may want to try to really knock it back to basics, using just onion, carrot, garlic and green pepper as you base veggies, and proceed with your spices and tinned tomatoes as normal.  Then, on each subsequent batch, introduce one of your other veggies, and see if the taste comes back?  That way, you may be able to pinpoint what it is that is giving you this unwanted flavour?

Hope that helps,

Ray

[prawnsalad]

Hi Prawnsalad,

I would agree with both Phil and DP, celery seems to be the stand out culprit.  I say this because when I make a ragu, I usually use half a stick of finely chopped celery along with onion and carrot but, when I've used the whole stick, I have found a 'bitter' note to the sauce.  It took many many attempts for me to come up with this conclusion and so now, I stick to a half or less, and the bitterness is no longer present.

You may want to try to really knock it back to basics, using just onion, carrot, garlic and green pepper as you base veggies, and proceed with your spices and tinned tomatoes as normal.  Then, on each subsequent batch, introduce one of your other veggies, and see if the taste comes back?  That way, you may be able to pinpoint what it is that is giving you this unwanted flavour?

Hope that helps,

Ray

Yeah I figure that's the only way, so time consuming though...

Out of the veg I was thinking Carrot, green pepper or Celery. Now I will ditch the Celery first.

Thanks.

[Razor]

Hi prawnsalad,

Out of the veg I was thinking Carrot, green pepper or Celery. Now I will ditch the Celery first.

I would defo ditch the celery first.  Carrot should offer a sweet note, whereas the pepper should offer a savoury note.  To be fair, so should celery but too much will kill it IMO.  To be honest though, you really don't need either!  I have developed a very useful base without using any veg other than onions.  I'm not for one minute suggesting that you ditch this base altogether, especially if you have spent time developing it but have a read of this> http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4596.0 and you will see where I'm coming from.

Ray

[Peripatetic Phil]

[H]ave a read of this> http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4596.0 and you will see where I'm coming from.

Nah, read it five times, and /nowhere/ does it say you come from Manchester.

[Razor]

[H]ave a read of this> http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4596.0 and you will see where I'm coming from.

Nah, read it five times, and /nowhere/ does it say you come from Manchester.

Ha harrr, but it does Mr Taylor, it says so in my signature

Ray (From Manchester)

[Peripatetic Phil]

Ha harrr, but it does Mr Taylor, it says so in my signature   Ray (From Manchester)

Ah, but displaying signatures is a forum option which I have turned off !
** Phil (from a tiny hamlet somewhere in Deepest Kent).