Hi all
What a great forum! I've been making my own currys etc for about a year now. Had to start. Loads of good takeaways and restaurants here in Birmingham apparently (I'm from Manchester originally), but none seem to be near me and quality is an issue. You know it's getting bad when your takeaway arrives and the poppadoms and dips are routinely deposited in the bin, soon followed by the starters. Where is the mint in my mint sauce? It's green but there's no mint in it. Where are my red onions? Why is my shami kebab a flattened shish? Why is there a tablespoon of MSG in my vegetable side dish? Why am I regretting eating this tasteless curry? Maybe it's old age and my taste buds have dissappeared?
Anyway, initially followed a couple of youtubes for making a base gravy (tons of garlic) and a curry. Pretty good. Then got Kris Dillon's books (still use many of the recipes) and later Mick Crawford's (brilliant!). I have also booked myself a place on one of Julian's curry classes in October. Looking forward to it. I've also lost 2 stones in weight since starting making my own! A bonus here in Brum though is the wonderfull shops on the Stratford Road. I love walking around them and searching out ingredients, particularly the smaller ones, where the owners are happy to have a chat and give advice.
Very pleased to meet you all on here and many thanks for all your advice to the novices like myself. I'll chip in when I can. Cheers, Rob.