Topic: Spiced Oil & the Curry2Go Ebook

[976bar]

I don't have that problem, they just love em at work ;D.  Another couple of batches to fry and i reckon the oil will be more than ready to use.  I'll then give it a go when starting my phall off and see if it makes a beneficial improvement.  In the meantime work will be very happy

Do you make enough spiced oil to export? 

[curryhell]

Do you make enough spiced oil to export? 

If that lot at work had their way the days would alternate between meat somosas, onion bhajis and veg samosas, FIVE DAYS A WEEK   but more on my bhajis a bit later once i've done my chicken jalfrezzi for lunch tomorrow with the rebellious C2G base.  Maybe i'll get the better of it tonight :

[George]

Do you make enough spiced oil to export? 

I wonder if or how C2G or any BIR make enough spiced oil for it to be viable as any kind of essential ingredient in their sauces.

[JerryM]

i've finished reading the book and well pleased with purchase. did not expect anything radical.

things that stood out for me being:

1) never cooked lamb and need to give it a go
2) already knew i need to try the onion sauce for balti
3) bassar mix powder is something i would never of thought of - i use bassar in 2 off dishes already
4) black cumin i use in marinade but now see further use along with nutmeg which i've never used in curry
5) been looking for what was in a fav TA pathia for ages - already use stalk in base but need to try out in dish
6) got to try mango pickle. i use mango chutney in 1 off dish. been disappointed with what i think is "chilli pickle" - bought the mr nagga but not as good as home made stuff
7) check out the rice technique - just felt i'd mastered it myself adopting washing as the way to go - heck

i'll still be skimming froth though and a few other practices - but who cares if it works for you personally then you're not going to change.

really loved the read and background which i can relate to fully. looking forward to more dish recipes in the next book as this is my main area of interest. many thanks to curry2go. book will be as legendary as KD1 and just as influential.

[chef888]

Hi prawnsalad
LOL ;D Oh No, Old Bhaji oil again, absolute nonsense.
Really bad practice, H&S issues and will add nothing of value to your base gravy.

Old Bhaji oil, A Complete Red Herring.
Convincing novices that they have to do this to get the BIR taste is untrue and criminal IMHO.

True Bengali spiced oil on the other hand, has value, as does Bengali spiced water.

Be interesting to here other members views on how much of this c2g ebook is original information
or just stuff that's been compiled and rewritten from others, especially cR0 threads and existing "undercover" publications and videos.

I was amazed to read one review, where they say out of 119 pages, 100 of them
are a biography/history of the author. - Crikey, that's some preface.

c2g is very plausible in his videos for beginners and I think he also believe's his own hype.
He may burst into song at some stage, X factor, Britains got Talent style  ;D ;D only kidding  ;D

cheers Chewy

i totay agree with chewy makes a very slight differance to your end sauce if  just use  normal every dave veg oil or sunflower iol you will still get fantastic results

[prawnsalad]

If I'd have known Julian was going to read this thread I'd have asked how many Bhajis go through a single oil portion.
His post is a testament to spiced oil, suggesting that there are no rules and that some people might like BIR without it but I don't think that applies to any of us.
Julian's videos have completed the story for me, in my first post here 18 months ago http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5074.msg48930#msg48930 I suspected oil was the missing necessity and I am now 100% convinced its why those who have got take away gravy samples have said they can taste the killer flavour already.
I so hope there's a way around this as otherwise we are all going to have to be satisfied with second best and that's bitter pill to swallow after so much time and research, at least for me.

[curryhell]

If I'd have known Julian was going to read this thread I'd have asked how many Bhajis go through a single oil portion.
His post is a testament to spiced oil, suggesting that there are no rules and that some people might like BIR without it but I don't think that applies to any of us.

Previous posts suggest otherwise .  Some swear by it, others never use it,  much restaurant video footage shows fresh oil being used and others veg ghee.  It may simply be a case of personal preference and belief as to what it adds.

Julian's videos have completed the story for me, in my first post here 18 months ago http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5074.msg48930#msg48930 I suspected oil was the missing necessity and I am now 100% convinced its why those who have got take away gravy samples have said they can taste the killer flavour already.

Us takeaway lovers are familiar with that "smell" and "taste" or that "killer" flavour as you describe it. So, have you tried it yet?  If so, what results did you get? Julian does give some guidelines in his book. I've 2ltrs of oil in which i've cooked two full recipes of bhajis.  This will be adequate for me to start using, although if i cook more, it will continue to improve but only marginally.

I so hope there's a way around this as otherwise we are all going to have to be satisfied with second best and that's bitter pill to swallow after so much time and research, at least for me.

I have never used bhaji oil.  Now i have some, i will give it a go just to see if it provides that "WOW" factor.  However, IMHO the general concensous from everything i've read and talking to others, is that it takes more than bhaji oil to provide the "killer flavour" .  It is about many things all coming together just at the right time and not one simple ingredient.  And on one or two occasions i've achieved this, there was no  bhaji oil in sight :
Let us know how you get on.  For you, this may be the missing ingredient having perfected everything else

[ELW]

I suspected oil was the missing necessity and I am now 100% convinced its why those who have got take away gravy samples have said they can taste the killer flavour already.

Hi Prawnsalad,the Zaal reports/videos, from 5 different people, finally answered & confirmed quite a few issues for me & stopped me chasing my tail somewhat
* Base gravy used is not altogether different from many on this site & in publication. Deliberately bland, with no hint of the "taste" 

* Spiced oil / old oil was not used to make the dishes that were cooked & eaten by the 5- Glad of that, a spoonfull of old oil being the secret taste behind a

[beachbum]

I'm trying to lose flab so maybe I've picked the wrong hobby  ;D
But as I'm only cooking for myself and occasionally a couple of mates (SWMBO gets a butter chicken once in a while) if I made batches of bhajis just for the oil I'd end up as big as a brick shthouse 

I was watching a travel/cooking show a few months ago and they were in a village in Northern India and they were making a massive mutton biryani.

One of the key ingredients is to fry a mass of sliced onions in what looked like a litre of oil until caramelised and almost crispy, drain them off and use that oil as the basic oil for the whole session, sprinkling the onions in as the Biryani was being "layered".

I wonder if this would provide something similar to bhaji oil, maybe use it twice with two batches of onions?

[Razor]

Hi Chaps,

Been reading and watching the c2g post's with much interest.  This one (the spiced/seasoned oil) is the one that's bothering me the most.

I'm never going to make a batch of 40 onion bhajis, so, this particular seasoned oil is possibly unobtainable, for me at least.

Now, this is the part that is really niggling me. The usual suspects/ingredients in onion bhajis: Onions :, mixed powder, g/g paste, salt, chilli powder and then you have egg, besan, fennel/aniseed, kashmiri masala paste and sometimes potato.  I should imagine that the flavour that is imparted into the oil from these ingredients, is quite subtle?  Is it really going to make that much difference?

Now, at the start of most curries, in the main, we start with hot (pure) oil, then fry off g/g paste, then add the mixed powder, in goes the tom puree then a spoonfull of base.  Just give the pan a tilt and look at the colour of the oil.  Is this now not seasoned oil?  I would say that it is and I would say that it is far more seasoned and concentrate in flavour than a batch of bhaji oil could provide!

My usuall method is to start off with way too much oil, and then spoon off what I don't want at the end.  I filter this and store in the fridge, then use it to start off my next curry.  For me, it seems to add a little depth and sweetness but, it wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't have it.  Maybe you guy's would like to adopt that method to produce a more realistic and practical way of getting your seasoned oil?

Ray