Topic: Home lesson

[prawnsalad]

Initially I wasn't going to post this as I was asked ?Not to show anyone else? (which I won't) but as I'm not giving anything away which isn't already here and I don't intend to record any videos based on it I figured it would be OK to share.

On my second trip to my new local TA I asked if anyone would be interested in giving me a one off lesson. I had previously got a Vindaloo + Na-an there and other than being a bit mild it had all the hallmarks of a decent BIR. To my surprise someone from the kitchen came through (who I don't want to name) and said he would do it as I was close and as long as it was early in the day. One week later he was round at mine.

Turns out he's the owner and it's his first business having previously worked for 10+ TA?s since 1990 is of Pakistani origin and speaks English very well. We got on fine and he offered to show me how to make their mix powder if I dropped round in the day.
He initially agreed to bring his own ingredients but after arriving just started picking up mine which I didn't object to as I was pleased he had kept his word by turning up. I had almost everything he wanted anyway and he did bring his own mix powder / Tomato Pur?e & G/G paste.

The objective was to make what I had eaten previously, volume based on 1-2 people.

There was nothing new with the Gravy:

7 or 8 ?Tesco Market Onions? (Lost count as he was so quick) (Whole outer layer off)   
About an eighth of a green pepper
Small piece of carrot
4 Green birds eye chillies (Non de-seeded)
Entire clove of garlic
An whole plum tomato (from canned)
Single medium Potato (Supermarket basics) (Said more was OK)
Small amount of coriander plant (with leaves)
About 200ml Sunflower oil (Said he used veg /didn't matter)
Got some fresh ginger out, he wasn't interested at all and said powder was fine if I wanted it (Didn't use either)
Water to cover and rapid boiled it for an hour (He measured this by the onions)

At this point he added about a level soup spoonful of Turmeric / Paprika / Cumin & Salt and gave it a further 10 minutes.

He'd brought his own hand blended to liquidise it and when done declared it the same as what they make in his TA.

This whole process was very quick and very rough, he didn't give the impression that pinpoint accuracy was in any way required.
Next he added enough oil to fry some of my king prawns, the reason theirs are totally different is that they all use U5 prawns which is why Indian KP dishes are ?2-3 more than Chinese KP dishes.

This oil was drained as waste and he started again with fresh which is when I asked about reclaimed oil, they DO use it and it DOES make a difference but in his opinion it is NOT a big difference.

This oil was heated all the way up (I was told this IS important) producing a very brief flame when the G/G paste went in followed by tomato pur?e he said this was pre-bought and that there were different types but it seemed exactly like watered down Italian stuff to me. Teaspoon of Methi leaf/Paprika/Turmeric/cumin/coriander/ Tandoori Masala/His own mix powder & slightly more chilli powder (He just spooned these out into the middle of the pan on top of each other as if he had all day then stirred them a couple of times mentioning not to add oil to the spices directly as this causes them to burn) before adding the base gravy.
Not much interesting after that, the prawns went in, we didn't bother with boiled potato although he does use it in his Vindaloos and he added a light sprinkle of whole cumin seeds to the finished dish along with lemon juice(lime is preferred.)
In fact the only thing I wasn't using before (and I don't know how I missed it) is Tandoori Masala powder.

In all fairness this was a worthwhile lesson for anyone working from scratch, he said the average person can do it as well as him after 4 attempts.

My point in writing this is that although the curry he made was better than mine it still tasted home-made and had could of passed for one of mine. Of course I mentioned this and he said it was down to my spices which although are still in date aren't fresh. He also said the cumin seeds should be hard (mine were soft.)
I accepted this as a real possibility, we shook hands and he left to get back to his TA.

Trying to keep his visit fresh in my mind I went to the only place where I live that does commercial spices and replaced everything for ?15 with bags of East End (He buys KTC/Jarrows)
Guess what?.Absolutely NO difference other than the spices smelled fresher when opened.

So although I won't be making better curry I can stop beating myself up that I'm doing something wrong. There is something that goes on in a TA that just isn't possible to do at home and I just proved it by watching a very experienced chef himself fail.

Perhaps it is the combination of several small things that only occur in a full time kitchen environment but unless I get a job in a TA for several years I now accept I am probably never going to know.

Nothing useful really but I felt I should at least try and give something back on here.

BTW Cost / Names /Places I would rather keep private. Thanks.

[h4ppy-chris]

you have the "BIR" right there in your home. you just have to see it..............

[solarsplace]

Hi prawnsalad

Thanks for posting that report - a very enjoyable read!

Regards

[Peripatetic Phil]

My point in writing this is that although the curry he made was better than mine it still tasted home-made and had could of passed for one of mine.

Is it possible that you were suffering from sensory overload, just as if you had cooked the curry yourself ?  If you are interested in repeating the experiment, might it be worth asking your wife/partner/w-h-y to stay well clear of the kitchen until the dish is complete, then ask her to try it and to assess it in terms of the home-cooked : BIR spectrum ?

** Phil.

[George]

Entire clove of garlic

Thanks for the report but do you mean an entire HEAD of garlic (i.e. many cloves) or just one clove of garlic. i.e not much at all, for that volume of onions?

[prawnsalad]

My point in writing this is that although the curry he made was better than mine it still tasted home-made and had could of passed for one of mine.

Is it possible that you were suffering from sensory overload, just as if you had cooked the curry yourself ?  If you are interested in repeating the experiment, might it be worth asking your wife/partner/w-h-y to stay well clear of the kitchen until the dish is complete, then ask her to try it and to assess it in terms of the home-cooked : BIR spectrum ?

** Phil.

I considered this too but it was clutching at straws. I left most of the plate unfinished on the table and went to the pub to drown my sorrows only to run my finger round the edge of it on return. It was just the same.

[prawnsalad]

For some reason when I click on quote George the link doesn't bring up his comment?

Anyhow, yes I meant to say bulb not clove, sorry was late/Zzds overdue lol.

[ELW]

Thaks for that report prawnsalad, it's very interesting. I read a similar report on a forum last year(may have been this one, can't remember for sure  ), where the bir chef made a home visit, with similar results. Not being able to get the pan hot enough was the reason suggested  by the chef. Low heat bir curries are still eluding me & I can't find a single post from someone who has had success with this method. The only success I've had  is the full heat on(domestic full on  ) pure panic method, which created perfect bir tasting dishes. The difference is night & day, even when the senses are overloaded

Regards
ELW

[haldi]

So although I won't be making better curry I can stop beating myself up that I'm doing something wrong. There is something that goes on in a TA that just isn't possible to do at home and I just proved it by watching a very experienced chef himself fail.

Perhaps it is the combination of several small things that only occur in a full time kitchen environment but unless I get a job in a TA for several years I now accept I am probably never going to know.

Thank you so much for this post
You echo exactly where I am now
There will aways be a special something that you can't make at home
Over the past six years I have made friends with five takeaway/restaurant chefs
I've probably seen about a thousand curries cooked
I have watched very carefully and discussed in depth every stage of cooking curries
I've even cooked my own curry at the takeaways
They taste brilliant, but try it at home and it always falls short of the original
And of course there is this wonderfull site
The videos chat and recipes are fantastic
I contributed and learnt a lot

In fact I had a chef round my house too
It was about the same time that Curry King had his home demo too
My chef made me a vindaloo
Very nice but still missing something
Here's the gravy recipe demo
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=309.msg2618#msg2618
I can't believe after all this time (that was 2005), I've not cracked it
I now accept that my curries are "different" and simply enjoy the fun of cooking them

[pauly58]

Is the difference down to the heat they can get from a commercial stove ?
We have to use bottled gas which produces very little heat, my wife can't get enough heat to stir fry Chinese meals in a wok, I don't think I could burn anything if I tried.

After getting Julian's ebook I bought an aluminium pan, it does seem to produce a sauce that visually looks better but I think the flavour is about the same.