Topic: Singe and Quench - Anyone got it perfected

[ELW]

Once this lot of base is finished, i'm sticking to the Ashoka kit until I can do it one after another.

ELW I would be very interested in hearing how you get on with the Ashoka approach, I have high regards for panpots posts and am keen to develop my knowledge and ability in the Ashoka method.

Steve
[/quote]
Hi Steve, some of my best results have been the Ashoka bhuna & karahi bhuna. I had used the Banjarra onion paste before in  some of my poorer efforts which didn't work at all, much as I'd found with the red masala pastes. On the occasions where I've hit the sweet spot with my curries, the banjarra really came to life, as did the red masala. It's really strange how it can transform the flavour of dish into something I can't quite put my finger on. The recipe's are a little unusual, ie getting salt content & some spice flavour from the paste rather than MP. I also leave the margarine out of the base, simply because I don't like it & can't see any other base recipe using it.

Regards
ELW

[Stephen Lindsay]

ELW

I get exactly where you are coming from, I really reduced the salt content in the Ashoka base as it was overpowering and as for the bunjarra it really sets the Ashoka approach apart from the rest of the bunch and when it works it excels, especially when you are looking to create that "Scottish" curry!

Steve

[George]

ELW...in the same boat here my friend
sometimes my curries are stunning...but other times they are just OK
inconsistency is eating away at my confidence cooking curries
was thinking about giving up for a month or two then maybe coming back to it

That's more or less my position, too. It's very frustrating. The only previous observation, from years' ago, is the difference between fresh and even slightly aged spices. It costs a small fortune, though, to buy fresh packs of everything, every few days or weeks, rather than every few months or years.

[Masala Mark]

Hi Guys,

Maybe a different approach could be used for the next lot of group cooking classes with Az.

Why not see how much it would cost to get Az to come to one of your houses instead of the restaurant and get him to make the base and some curries there. That way you could definitely say one way or another whether the result can be done at home or not?

Get a good video camera and video the whole lot for future reference too.

I've recently recorded some videos in the restaurant, we don't use hot oil to fry spices in the making of dishes, well with the exception of popping some mustard seeds or the like, and the taste is great.

Cheers,
Mark

[ELW]

Hi Guys,

Maybe a different approach could be used for the next lot of group cooking classes with Az.

Why not see how much it would cost to get Az to come to one of your houses instead of the restaurant and get him to make the base and some curries there. That way you could definitely say one way or another whether the result can be done at home or not?

Get a good video camera and video the whole lot for future reference too.

Cheers,
Mark

It could clear up everything for me MM

@stephenlindsay - as we're on the subject, we were recently in Soho, (Raj Tandoori berwick St), where we had 2 x balti's(1 of "Madras heat" 1 as it came) heat issues aside(not Madras heat as I know it), it was unlike any curry I've had in Scotland. Very nice, but much much sweeter,as in added sugar of some kind, than we have in Glasgow. which at the moment I'm putting down to base gravy differences in Pakistani/Bengali cuisine ??