Topic: Frequently Asked Questions

[kid curry]

Being a complete novice do you mean i have to put all these spices in one jar, mix them together then teaspoon in the base depending on how much i need? :-[

[JerryM]

if you?re talking about "spice mix" then yes

measure out using a 5ml tea spoon or 15ml table spoon all the individual spices, mix them up and put into an air tight container.

if u use any seeds ie not already ground then these need grinding using a coffee grinder (i use coriander and cumin seeds for freshness).

have a good read here which is the main area for spice mixes http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?board=28.0

[kid curry]

Thanks for that!  I've tried making a curry from little bits of information I have received: this is how I did it.  In your opinion, what did I do wrong?

For the base:

3 medium onions,
3rd cup of ghee,
1 large mug of water,
5 large tomatoes,
4 cloves of garlic, (grated)
1 inch piece of ginger (grated)
1 red chilli,
1 tbspn of ground coriander,  ??
2 tspns of turmeric, ??
1 tspn of fenugreek. ??

I heated the ghee then fried the garlic and ginger on a medium heat.  I added the spices to make a paste for about a minute then added the onions and salt, cooked to soften the onions and added a table spoon of water.  I added the fresh tomatoes, stirred in the rest of the water, covered and simmered for about an hour.  After the hour, I pureed til it was smooth.

For the chicken madras:

3 tbsns of ghee,
1 heaped tspn of garlic,
Heaped tspn of ginger,
2 tbspns of tomato paste,
1 tbspn of garamasalla,
1 tspn of fenugreek,
1/2 tspn of salt,
2 tbspns of chopped coriander,
Pre- cooked chicken,
Base gravy.

I heated the ghee, fried garlic and ginger on high heat,added tomato puree, then the spices then a little bit of base, then more base, then chicken. 

What in your opinion do you think I'm doing wrong?  This is before I found out before the 'spice mix.'

Cheers!

[Bobby Bhuna]

In your opinion, what did I do wrong?

Hey Kid Curry. Here's where I think the problems are.

Don't use Ghee, use veg oil.
Double the number of onions you use.
Don't bother with fenugreek in your base (when you say fenugreek I assume you mean leaves and not seeds).
Rather than just adding your ground corriander and cumin get an idea of a good spice mix to add from looking at some of the good bases here.

As for your Madras, bin your entire recipe. It's actually much simpler than you think. Stick a few tbsps of oil in a pan, get it to a medium heat. Add 1 tsp of garlic puree and fry for a minute. Then add 1 tsp tomato paste fry for another minute or so getting it mixed well with garlic. Then increase the heat to medium /high and add around 1 tsp of a good spice mix and a pinch of methi and stir for about 30 seconds. Then add your base bit by bit, stirring vigourously. Once you've got the texture your after, put your pre cooked meat in and heat through. Put your fresh coriander in right near the end.

[kid curry]

The fenugreek is the powder form!!

[kid curry]

Which part should i substitute for the spice mix?Is the spice mix different to garammasalla?

[joshallen2k]

Definitely replace the garam masala with spice mix, and you need less than half a tablespoon.

[JerryM]

kid curry,

Bobby's post is spot on so follow that if u wish.

my suggestion would be to do a standard base 1st off and follow the instructions exactly. the saffron is a good choice, so is the rajver and Bruce Edwards. in fact BE's is probably the best as a starter as there is very good info their.

link BE http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=2815
link saffron http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,2757.0.html
link rajver http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,2041.0.html

then for the madras try BE's version 1st then parker21's http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,1454.msg12717.html#msg12717


if u've any questions in these posts then just add a post in the relevant one and we will get u sorted and up and running

[kid curry]

What is the difference by putting Deggi Mirch or Kashmir Mirch at the final stage of making chicken madras?   

[Bobby Bhuna]

What is the difference by putting Deggi Mirch or Kashmir Mirch at the final stage of making chicken madras?   

Colour, heat and flavour. Both of these are very red chilli blends and make your finished dish look more palletable. They have a more distinct flavour than bog standard chilli powder. I particularly like Kashmiri Mirch.