Topic: Elaichi North Indian Special

[curryhell]

Hi CH

When i say tweak it's basically fine chopping the  fresh garlic and i went for the 3 teaspoons of chilli powder which was about right for me the only other thing is i like to chop thefresh  chillies and fry them at the same time as the fresh garlic i find this takes the edge of the rectum the morning after.

Jamie

;D ;D ;D A man after my own heart on the chilli powder content.  The thickly sliced garlic does add  another different texture to the dish which may please some but not others like yourself.  Chop away mate .  I always used to add my chopped chillis in dishes at the initial garlic/ginger fry stage but i found it killed the heat of the chillis somewhat although adding a layer of  flavour.  My preference now is to add at a later stage thus retaining more of the heat in the dish.  For the odd little explosion i add some small whole birds eyes  ;D  Managed to pick up some nagas from Tesco yesterday   Need to cook a dish to them justice

[joshallen2k]

I finally got around to trying this. I used CT's Tikka and Spice Mix. The base was Zaal. The only change I made, was that I didn't have any chillies to hand, so I upped the chilli powder slightly.

This is a very nice curry indeed, and well worthy of a chef's special. I was afraid the tamarind might be overpowering, but it wasn't. Definitely a welcome break from my usual Madras. Great work Curryhell!

[jb]

Phew!!  six o'clock in the morning and I'm fancying a North Indian Special.Looks great.

[curryhell]

@jb
I missed this earlier today or I too would have wanted it for breakfast jb  :

@Josh
Those pictures say it all Josh.  That curry looks identical to what gets delivered here  . It looks fantastic and i hope it tasted as good as it looks.  Glad you enjoyed the change and thanks for taking the trouble to try the dish and report back with some magnificent pictures of the dish ;D.

[natterjak]

Tonight I returned to this NIS after a while cooking other dishes... What a pleasant reaquaintance! My only departure from the recipe was to use chicken precooked to the IFFU method which I rate so highly, instead of chicken tikka. What made this recipe stand out for me was the sweetness (natural onion sweetness, not sugary sweetness) achieved by frying down the 2 chef's spoon of base to a thick paste in the early stages, and the subsequent "roasting" of the sauce without stirring. The balance between this sweetness, the tamarind sauce and the tandoori masala was a really nice blend. Top marks CH!

[Micky Tikka]

 Have been saving myself for a TA all day and this thread has actually made my mouth dribble
only 1 more hour to go   

[curryhell]

Tonight I returned to this NIS after a while cooking other dishes... What a pleasant reaquaintance!

[/quote]
Glad to hear it's still hitting the spot Chris.  I too must be due  a reacquaintance.  Not cooked an NIS since we had that bad spate of spam and haven't had one from the TA for nearly 4 weeks  : Profits at the local TA's and BIR's are definitely well down since i discovered CR0  ;D
Will definitely be catching up Xmas week as i'm on hols  ;D ;D

My only departure from the recipe was to use chicken precooked to the IFFU method which I rate so highly, instead of chicken tikka.

Funny you should do this, Phil was suggesting that i should try plain chicken rather than tikka to see what difference it made.  Maybe i'll do this next time.  As for Terry's pre-cooked chicken, I can't recommend it highly enough.  I now always use this method.  I must try his bombay aloo as well since jb is getting fantastic results, including good spiced oil, from it

What made this recipe stand out for me was the sweetness (natural onion sweetness, not sugary sweetness) achieved by frying down the 2 chef's spoon of base to a thick paste in the early stages, and the subsequent "roasting" of the sauce without stirring. The balance between this sweetness, the tamarind sauce and the tandoori masala was a really nice blend. Top marks CH!

I have to agree on your description.  The whole thing works very well together 
The dish is  proving popular downunder Aussie Mick tells us and it hit Thailand today with Loveitspicy giving it a go and a thumbsup
The comments here and elsewhere on the site re. the NIS make it worthwhile taking the time and trouble to write up and post the recipe and porn.  If there were no comments and feedback from people on recipes it could certainly discourage people from making the effort that is required

Have been saving myself for a TA all day and this thread has actually made my mouth dribble
only 1 more hour to go   

I think the site has that effect on most of us  : : Enjoy your TA Michael.  I'm just going to warm up last night's TA vindaloo  ;D

[Micky Tikka]

will be making this curry this week (all out of base at the moment so abit of prep first )
One question CH I have got both Tamarind and Tamarina obviously easier to use the bottle
what was your preference

[curryhell]

I have three to choose from  Tamarina, East End Imli sauce and the tamarind concentrate.  Have not used the concentrate since i got my hands on the bottles  ;D ;D .Easier and so tasty.  The Tamarina has a higher concentrate of tamarind but either will add the necessary sourness to the dish.  Look forward to the porn Michael 

[Micky Tikka]

Thankyou CH