Topic: me cooking madras video

[JerryM]

splitting is not something that i've heard of or come across - totally new to me.

what i do know is that when in the distant past i reclaimed oil at the end of cooking base i always had to add water to get the oil to surface.

i cooked 4 off test curries last night and ran out of base on curry no4 so used water to cook the spice and tom puree - guess what - it "split" (or i think it did) the previous 3 off being fine.

Chewytikka's comment puts the cat among the pigeons a little for me. i fully agree that no split produces top notch result and is my preference. my fav restaurant i feel produces this "split" result and the taste is what i relate to as 70's curry. in fact i think most BIR produce this "split" result.

i can only think we must be talking different things - fascinating.

[PaulP]

Jerry, the picture you posted looks like a nice full bodied curry sauce, compare it to the one I posted earlier. No comparison.

I think what caused my "split" curry sauce as in the photo was a result of me botching up Ifindforu's base sauce. Initially I made it too thick (not enough water added) and I think the curry sauce in my photo was the result of using a base that was too watery as I tried to compensate for making the batch of base too thick.

A combination of a bit too much oil and not enough base material (too much water, not enough blended vegetables) caused my sauce to split into an oily layer, a watery layer and a bit of base material separating out.

Does that make any sense?

Cheers,

Paul

[976bar]

Hi Paul,

I would say a combination of things that could cause this.

Too much oil, not enough water content in the base, reducing the curry sauce too much when cooking the final dish also solidifies to an extent the curry itself which causes it to clump together and split and form "clumps" as it were....

If it starts to turn, reduce the heat and add some water and stir like crazy to re-hydrate the curry.

Hope this helps

[PaulP]

Thanks Bob, this isn't a current problem for me but Phil raised the question regarding Chewy's and my comments about "split" curry sauces and I remembered I had the photos from a few months ago.

Cheers,

Paul

[JerryM]

PaulP/976bar,

it's clear the agony on this sort of goes on. the agony being the why so that it can be avoided.

thinking about it more i'm not fully convinced it's down to - too thin a base - i often over thin the base by mistake (a thin base makes best curry) but my stove easily compensates and no split.

i do try out a few "test" curries now and then ie not to eat only to taste. i find if i get "surface" oil it tends to be down to either over cooking the spice/puree or too much initial oil (>6 tbsp).

by the sounds of it i don't think i've actually experienced splitting. i think Chewytikka advice being to make sure there is plenty of onion in the base (quote 90% - i presume in the cooked curry, my target in finished thinned base being 55% and an evaporation ratio of 3:2 ie 300ml down to 200ml or 76% in the finished curry) . i call it "bulk veg" and would fully agree a high amount is crucial but we probably all already know that.

i suppose it just emphasises how much more we still have to learn.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Thanks Bob, this isn't a current problem for me but Phil raised the question regarding Chewy's and my comments about "split" curry sauces ...

Yes, I did, and I was particular keen to get H@ppy Chris's feedback on exactly what he had meant by "splitting", since it seemed to me that he was using it in a very positive (essential) sense whereas you and CR were using it in a pejorative/negative sense.  It therefore seemed to me that perhaps Chris was really speaking of "separating out", whereas you and CT were using it in a sense which (as far as I know) had not been previously raised on this forum.

** Phil.

[h4ppy-chris]

In the video, Chris uses the term "splitting", apparently to refer to the process whereby the oil separates out from the dish, normally used as an indication that the curry is nearly ready to be served.  And Chris appears to use "splitting" in a positive sense.  But in the two most recent posts in this thread, by Chewy Tikka and Paul P, "splitting" appears to be something that one should avoid.  So I would like to ask Chris "When you used the term 'splitting', were you referring to what I think of as 'separating out', and if so, do you see this as an important and necessary step in the preparation of a curry".  And, based on Chris's answer, I would then be interested to see further comments from CT and PP.

** Phil.

i will do my best to answer you Phil.
i think of it like this, if you stir fry beef and the pan and oil is too cold or you put too much in the pan at one time
it stews and not fries. if everything is right the water does not get chance to leave the beef because it's sealed in.
IMHO the same goes on with BIR curry (timing) if your too slow you get a burnt taste, too fast at adding things and you get an oily curry.
not oil floating on top, but oil in it and when it goes in your mouth it leaves an oily coating in your mouth.
think of it like this if the oil is split it is frying/roasting your curry not boiling it.