Topic: Cooking Lessons with Az

[Ian S.]

I remember someone describing cooking as nothing more than the application of controlled heat to plant and animal matter.

Dear old Keith Floyd, I think, in the introduction of his last cookery book 'A Splash and a Dash', though he might have been quoting someone else. The title says it all, as that's about as precise as the measurements get in the recipes. It was a lot of fun to cook from. 

We all have a different cooking environment.  We need to tweak things / timings a little to suit this.  Again, its all about the amount of practice one gets.

It's taken me about three years to get used to the erratic behaviour of my second-hand gas oven, and adapt recipe timings to suit. But the hob never lets me down. I cook my curries on one of the small burners on maximum heat, and can still burn GG puree or spices in seconds if I'm not paying attention. My battered old pan is just so good at heating up quickly and holding heat. I'd be lost without it. 

[gary]

Just been looking through some dipurajas videos on youtube and interestingly on the biriani video when he adds mixed powder before adding the rice he says "make sure you burn the spices"

Wish this was emphasised years ago

It's an idea that has surfaced from time to time:

...she has things altogether hotter, for longer, and stirs everthing a lot less frequently than I have ever done.  Hard to define, I know, but she goes beyond the stage where I think things might be burning and she doesnt bat an eyelid.  The end result speaks (smells?) for itself

I have tried it myself, but only with some of her simpler, but nonetheless delightful recipes, not containing curry powder or any other significant quantity of spices (bar copious amounts of chilli powder).  Rather unsurprisingly, these had very little of "the smell" but still tasted fabulous.  So, either I failed to reproduce her technique,or it is the "fusing" of the curry powder that creates "the smell".

Gary

[chewytikka]

Hi Ian
I brought my 12 year old Battered Ali pan out of retirement last night, it fits like a glove and helped me create a Chicken Nihari and a Rezala. Bloody marvelous.

Anybody not grasping  'The Art of the Singe'  look here at a good 2 minute Singe sequence.
In my Video, the pan is very hot, the oil is very hot, the tomato puree dilute heats through in seconds,
the spices are added and the singe begins.

No Chilli cough, just the familiar BIR aroma in your kitchen.


link here -
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5634.msg55685#msg55685

Cheers "Mr Singe" Chewytikka

[Wickerman]

Some nice 'Singe work' there,chewytikka. 
It's surprising how far you can go without burning,even on a high gas flame.
I had a go tonight with Abdul's madras,and like you, i start with a tarka and follow with g&g, tom paste,lemon and spices.
After about a  minute or so of singeing,i got a full whack right up my nose,so took that as my  cue to proceed to the next stage.
The spices weren't burnt,but some of the onion from the tarka was starting to go a little,so i put my first ladle of gravy in.
Finished the curry and ate.
And very nice it was too.
There was a definite improvement,but not the WOW factor i was expecting(maybe i've always been singeing the spices to a certain degree but just never noticed?)
I will try and take it a little further next time and maybe add the tom paste/spices before the tarka's fully cooked out;That way i wont risk burning it.
Oh before i go,chewytikka,could you please tell me what  your Tomato paste is diluted to ?
Thanks.

[ELW]

I brought my 12 year old Battered Ali pan out of retirement last night, it fits like a glove and helped me create a Chicken Nihari and a Rezala. Bloody marvelous.

That old pan without the square edges, looks like what i could be doing with, where can we find the equivalent these days?

ELW

[Masala Mark]

Hi Guys,

I just thought I'd check in to see if there are going to be any further uploads of videos from the sessions with Az?.

Each day I wake in anticipation looking forward to perhaps more videos from the sessions (yes it's a sad state being a curry addict!)

I wasn't sure if perhaps a decision had been made to not upload any more and if I'd missed it, hopefully that's not the case.

I'm still trying to workout how I can justify a trip to the UK from Australia to attend a session myself!

Best regards,
Mark

[curryhell]

I am sure Solarsplace will confirm what is left to come.  Unless i've missed it there should be the bhuna video and a couple of other bits of footage.  Not sure what they are .  Russ?

How would we curry lovers like to try and justify that one to the wife ;D  I may get away with a tandoor but a flight to Oz :

[solarsplace]

Hi Chaps

Sorry for the delay, just so busy atm. Just uploaded JB cooking his Bhuna in the videos section.

Thanks

[curryhell]

Hi Chaps

Sorry for the delay, just so busy atm. Just uploaded JB cooking his Bhuna in the videos section.

Thanks

Well that's the last of the videos for the dishes, unless there's one of the chicken tikka.  Thanks for that Russ.  As for what's left we'll just have to wait until Solarspace has  a bit more time on his hands.  What with curry cooking and work, it must be difficult to fit anything else in  ;D

[Masala Mark]

Thanks Solarsplace, greatly appreciated, and thoroughly enjoyed.

When you watch the videos you pick little things up, the subtle differences that you don't always get when reading a recipe.

If there's any more of the base, or masala paste making or tikka vids as CH mentioned they too would be great when you have time, I'm still a little unsure about a couple of bits which the vids may help clear up.

In any case, just wanted to say thanks again.

Cheers,
Mark