Topic: Chewytikka's Jhal Frezi

[Ian S.]

Hi guys

This was last night's supper, along with chappatis and an experimental sag bhaji.

It was also my second go at the jhal frezi. The first time it was great, but a couple of issues came up with the ingredients and, of course, with it being my first crack at a curry other than madras or vindaloo (not counting a rather sad korma I once attempted for a chilli-intolerant friend a couple of years back - but we won't go into that :-X).

First time around, I think I overcooked the pre-cooked vegetables. They ended up a bit soggy in the final dish, and made it taste a little watery. When it came to the pastes, Tesco were doing a special offer on a big bag of green chillies, so I bought them to make up the minced chilli and coriander paste. They were very mild, as it turned out, and the paste didn't have much kick to it at all. I also don't have any mustard oil, which probably didn't help.

With the red masala, I didn't have any cochineal. I tried to guestimate an amount of powder but once again, I think I overdid it. the dish ended up phall-red in colour, and this was probably contributed to by the colour bleed of the chicken tikka I used.

Also, having been frozen and then reheated, Chewy's base has gone from golden to a toffee-brown colour, which contributed to the final dish being quite dark. I'm not sure what to do about that. I did add plenty of water during the second simmer phase when I was making it. The taste isn't affected at all.

The finger chillies I bought for the dish were very small too, although nice and hot. Two got a bit lost in the dish.

So second time around, I added two teaspoons of the minced chilli and a little chilli powder to make up for the lack of kick of the Tesco chillies. As I already had the taste and colour from the chicken tikka meat, I added only 1 teaspoon of the red masala paste to balance it. I also used five of the little finger chillies.

It's still Chewy's recipe. I just adjusted the amounts to make up for inferior ingredients, I hope. It was lovely.

The experimental sag bhaji is Julian's C2G sag aloo without the aloo, basically. I added some sliced garlic and more spinach, and used the cherry tomatoes I bought to do Chewy's jhal frezi with. Next time I need to fry the sliced garlic for a little longer. I think I'll add some mix powder too, and back off on the lemon juice a little. But it was quite close to what I'm looking for and well worth a punt.
 
Chewy's recipe including green minced chilli paste and red masala mix here:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5699.0

And my pics (I'm working on the presentation ;D)

[noble ox]

Hi 
That looks very tasty well done

[curryhell]

I'll have the same please.  Not had curry for lunch for a long while ;D.  Looks scrummy mate.  Currently trying to perfect my saag bhaji at the moment.  My local manages to produce an almost dry dish which is absolutely gorgeous.  Out of interest happened across a 2" lump of cassia bark in there last night.  How would you describe the moisture level of yours Ian?

[Ian S.]

Hi noble ox, and thanks.

Hi Curryhell

The sag bhaji I get from my local is dry and tasty, too, when it's good, but it's one of the more variable dishes on the menu. There's never any discernible curry gravy in it, which threw me off the scent when I first started trying to make it. It just leaves a coating of golden-green oil on the foil carton.

Following Julian's recipe and technique last night with six chunks of frozen spinach instead of two, I got a very similar consistency but far less oily. No discernible gravy, again. The spinach was still moist, but not pulpy. I might squeeze the excess moisture out of it next time after defrosting it.

As luck would have it, I've just finished the leftovers for lunch, so here's a pic of how it's left the bowl. No water, no gravy, and hardly any oil left.



If you're working on a sag bhaji too, I'd be very grateful for any tips or findings you could share. I started a thread in 'Recipe Requests'. It sounds like we're chasing the same thing. I know there are regional differences - I'm in Essex.

Edit: I've never found any cassia bark in my TA sag, which is not to say it's not used ...

[curryhell]

The sag bhaji I get from my local is dry and tasty, too, when it's good, but it's one of the more variable dishes on the menu. There's never any discernible curry gravy in it, which threw me off the scent when I first started trying to make it. It just leaves a coating of golden-green oil on the foil carton.

That's exactly the same as my local.  Almost dry leaving a good trace of savoury yellow/green oil in the carton.  I'm not even sure if curry gravy is used.  If it is it must be a really minimal amount or it would introduce moisture back into the spinach which seems very reluctant to dry out when you're cooking it. I really must get in there and watch the chef cook it.  That may shed some light on the topic.
Having picked it over whilst eating it all i can determine is that the spinach is finely chopped, a lot of fried onion and garlic is used and that it has a hint of cinnamon about the taste and smell. This was confirmed last night when i fished the cassia bark out which was a good find
I have tried the frozen spinach but i have found that it can be a bit "stringy".  I asked what spinach was used in my local and the manager said that the chef uses fresh which he prepares then freezes.  So i did this early in the week and will be trying it out real soon

I might squeeze the excess moisture out of it next time after defrosting it.

I'd definitely do this and give it a good going over with a sharp knife too.

I started a thread in 'Recipe Requests'. It sounds like we're chasing the same thing. I know there are regional differences - I'm in Essex.

I'll definitely add to the thread after my next experiment.
I'm in Essex too down by lakeside

[Ian S.]

Yes, I guess using frozen spinach doesn't help, as it's quite soggy anyway once defrosted. I have used fresh spinach before but It's a bit of a question of economics, for me. :

The curry gravy really helped with the taste. You only use a little with Julian's recipe. The first splash was reduced right down to just an oily paste before putting the spinach in. It's at this point that I'm thinking of introducing some mix powder. As I've left out the potatoes from his sag aloo to make a sag bhaji, perhaps the second splash should be left out too. The lemon juice helps the taste but once again you're adding more moisture at the end. Next time I'll try changing the order of the ingredients so that the lemon juice de-glazes the pan and the spinach goes in last.

Thanks for the info on your local's sag bhaji, CH, and I look forward to you posting the results of your experiment. It would be great if you could get into the kitchen to see the chef make it. I'm near enough to Lakeside to think that geographical differences in our tastes won't be an issue.  The quality of the restaurants might be another matter - a lot of them have gone down the pan in my neck of the woods recently!

[noble ox]

HI Again Ian
The best Spinach is fresh from the garden. It can be grown in the soil or a 40Litre container  on a balcony or near the back door . I have fresh for every day if I wish ,all for a price of a packet of seeds,now that's what I call economy ;D

[Ian S.]

HI Again Ian
The best Spinach is fresh from the garden. It can be grown in the soil or a 40Litre container  on a balcony or near the back door . I have fresh for every day if I wish ,all for a price of a packet of seeds,now that's what I call economy ;D

That'd be the way to do it, for sure!

Unfortunately I live in a one-bedroom ground floor flat. Not even a back door. I'd love a garden, though.

The experimental sag bhaji is Julian's C2G sag aloo without the aloo, basically. I added some sliced garlic and more spinach, and used the cherry tomatoes I bought to do Chewy's jhal frezi with. Next time I need to fry the sliced garlic for a little longer. I think I'll add some mix powder too, and back off on the lemon juice a little. But it was quite close to what I'm looking for and well worth a punt.
 

D'oh! Of course, Julian's recipe has mix powder in it already. I missed that when I was scrawling down notes from his video.  :