Topic: Spiced Oil & the Curry2Go Ebook

[George]

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?

But if you used seasoned oil in your main dish, it would add additional flavours to the "seasoned and concentrated" oil which you can prepare each time, so I don't think it can be ruled out for the reason you give.

Your method of skimming off oil for re-use sounds like worth trying but it's presumably not what many BIRs do, and if your final dish has a lot less oil than theirs, it might not be like a BIR either.

[DalPuri]

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

The best bir aroma ive had to date,( and taste i might add after turning into a Bombay aloo) is from pre-cooking potatoes. Without doubt, its a Homer Simpson drooling smell and flavour you just have to swear out loud to yourself, "thats f*****g beautiful!"

The recipe is from one of Mick's (CBM) quotes

For 2 lb of potatoes,
150 ml of veg oil
1 tennis ball sized finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon of garlic/ginger paste
Cassia bark 2" x 1" piece
1 bay leaf (Asian)
1 tablespoon of panch phoran
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of tomato puree watered down 50/50
2 teaspoons of turmeric powder
1 tablespoon of mix powder
Water to cover

I now use this, with the addition of a BIG pinch of methi leaves and 1 litre or more of veg oil to make my spiced oil.
I just make sure i stop the cooking before the potatoes break down, then strain off the oil.

A similar method to you Ray, as in overcompensate and strain off.

Frank 

P.s.  I tasted my bhaji oil after a good few batches and it was barely flavoured at all, bordering on just old veg oil. In fact, Old chip fat tasted better  ;D

[Razor]

Hi George,

Totally agree, BIR's wouldn't do this however, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of them spooning out oil and adding it back to the base?

But if you used seasoned oil in your main dish, it would add additional flavours to the "seasoned and concentrated" oil which you can prepare each time, so I don't think it can be ruled out for the reason you give.

Ok, let me try to explain it another way then; If I was to add say, 5ml of concentrate cordial, to 50 ml of water (Bhaji oil) then I would have a 10:1 mix ratio of liquid but if I added 10ml of concentrate cordial to 50ml of water (my spooned off oil) then I would have a 5:1 mix ratio, much stronger flavour.  So if I combined both the 10:1 mix and the 5:1 mix, I would end up with a mix of 7.5:1 which would result in less flavour than my 5:1 oil.  If my calculations are correct, I can't see how the addition of the bhaji oil would add anything more to the dish than my method of spooned off oil would.

Wow, maths on my day off, I need a rest now  ;D

Ray

[Whandsy]

I changed the oil yesterday in my deep fat fryer thats cooked about 30 bhajis and nothing else in it over the last month or so. Having strained it then tasted it, it does taste like onion bhajis.

Gonna give it a go next week when i next get currying!

W

[George]

Ok, let me try to explain it another way then; If I was to add say, 5ml of concentrate cordial, to 50 ml of water (Bhaji oil) then I would have a 10:1 mix ratio of liquid but if I added 10ml of concentrate cordial to 50ml of water (my spooned off oil) then I would have a 5:1 mix ratio, much stronger flavour.  So if I combined both the 10:1 mix and the 5:1 mix, I would end up with a mix of 7.5:1 which would result in less flavour than my 5:1 oil.  If my calculations are correct, I can't see how the addition of the bhaji oil would add anything more to the dish than my method of spooned off oil would.

I'm sorry but my brain hurts even thinking about trying to work my way through your calculation!!

At the end of the day all that matters is whether your, and anyone else's resultant curries taste very good. But we may never know, other than what seems like an inadequate tasting in the middle of a park (Chris' barbecue) because so few people are prepared to get together in each others homes. It's such a shame but, at least it means all the speculation can continue on the forum.

[Masala Mark]

Hi,

The flavor of what is fried in the oil will impart a flavor into the base.

In the kitchen at the restaurant I remember one day tasting the base gravy I was preparing and noted that it had a strange/different background taste to it.

The base this day was start off with oil from the big thick metal wok thing that sits on the burner and is used to fry samosas, bhajis and all sorts of things, no chips though! It was only then that I realized we had fried tandoori chicken wings in the oil before hand as the chef was making a tandoori wing biryani for the buffet and that was what was coming through in the base, at that stage anyway.

The bases aren't always started with used oil, not sure why the chef said to use that oil that day, perhaps they were low on oil. I asked him about it once and he said sometimes yes and it does add a little flavor, but it is not necessary nor done all the time.

Sometimes, it's just handy, and other times it's perhaps because they are running low, but certainly not critical ingredient. Each week the oil is dumped at least once and sometimes twice, it's not kept too make gravies with.

Cheers,
Mark

[Razor]

Hi George,

I'm sorry but my brain hurts even thinking about trying to work my way through your calculation!!

He he, fair enough George, nobody should be doing Maths (or MATH if you're an American) over the weekend anyway.!

At the end of the day all that matters is whether your, and anyone else's resultant curries taste very good.

Spot on George. I'm visiting Julian at the beginning of June so I will be picking his brains over this seasoned oil.  I may even ask Julian to cook me 2 Madras's, one using seasoned oil and the other using pure oil and see what it brings.  Only problem being that both dishes will have been cooked using seasoned oiled base but you never know.

Hi Mark,

The base this day was start off with oil from the big thick metal wok thing that sits on the burner and is used to fry samosas, bhajis and all sorts of things, no chips though! It was only then that I realized we had fried tandoori chicken wings in the oil before hand as the chef was making a tandoori wing biryani for the buffet and that was what was coming through in the base, at that stage anyway.

Yes, totally agree, when using a wok, the flavour from the previous dish could come through, although it will be subtle.  The reason for this is, a carbon steel or iron wok should never be washed using a detergent or scourer.  It should just be rinsed in hot water, dried off over the flame, then re-coated with new oil.  This practise helps build up the seasoning on the wok know as "the Patina or Wok Hay"  This is basically harmless carbon deposits created when the wok is used at high heat, and so it usually traps some flavour of the previous dish.  A new wok can often produce a 'metallic' taste in the food until the Patina is in place.

Incidentally, Tandoori Chicken wings sound awesome.  I'm assuming that the chef would remove the skin and tips from the wings beforehand?

Ray

[George]

In the kitchen at the restaurant I remember one day tasting the base gravy I was preparing and noted that it had a strange/different background taste to it.

Mark - I find your comments so interesting, coming direct from a real-life kitchen and probably with less to hide or disguise than most. If restaurants sometimes use different oils it could be one reason why curries from the same place vary between tasting fabulous to me one day, and rather lacklustre at other times. I often thought it might be that the main chef had a day off, but perhaps there are several other variables, like the sort of "production inconsistencies" you mention.

[ramsdedm02]

Honestly the spiced oil makes no difference at all. I cooked 30 bhajis for a dinner party and thought I'd use the left over oil to see if it made any difference which it didn't. I cooked a dish without the spiced oil and it was better. Don't be fooled people.

[Masala Mark]

Hi Ray,

The chicken wings were marinated in yogurt, ginger, garlic and vinegar for a day, and then in the tandoori marinade for another 8 hours.

They were then thrown into the deep fryer with skin on. He got a big bag of them from the supplier, probably isn't a big demand for chicken wings around the place.

I was a bit skeptical at first as to how they would taste but they were incredible. Kind of KFC meets India, was lucky that there was any left to go into the biryani to be honest they were that good.

The biriyani was served with 3 wings per serve.

Cheers,
Mark