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Author Topic: Zaal Phaal  (read 10,019 times)

AI Summary
The discussion centers around the improvement of a chicken phaal after being frozen for two months, with the original poster expressing surprise at its enhanced flavor upon reheating. Community members agree that freezing can positively affect the taste of curries, suggesting that cooking and consuming them on the same day may not yield the best results. Overall, there is a consensus that many home cooks are achieving results comparable to restaurant-quality dishes, and the forum has fostered significant improvement in members' cooking skills.

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Offline haldi

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Zaal Phaal
« on: April 07, 2012, 07:33 PM »
Sorry, but I couldn't find the original post to add to

A while ago, I cooked a chicken phaal, as per the Fleet demo
I used the Fleet base too

At the time I thought it was ok, but nothing special, and froze it

Here we are, about two months later, and I heated the frozen curry up
OH MY GOSH!!

Absolutely amazing!!
Had it matured, was it better than I thought?
Goodness knows!

But I ate a bought curry alongside the phaal
The bought curry was from "The Red Chilli", which is a really really good Nottingham takeaway
I reckon the Fleet Phaal was as good
Thanks for the recipe, folks
I'll be doing base and curry again!!
Maybe I just need to cook a few months ahead of when I eat
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Offline Aussie Mick

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Re: Zaal Phaal
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2012, 07:49 PM »
A looooong marination in the freezer works wonders everytime.

Glad you enjoyed your own dish as much as the T/A  :)
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Offline curryhell

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Re: Zaal Phaal
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2012, 08:07 PM »
Nice one Haldi.  I'm not convinced that food improves far more after being frozen.  But your comments really make me think we're all a lot closer than we give ourselves credit for.  That was YOUR Zaal phall that YOU cooked and it was as good the counterpart.  Doesn't that tell you something - and sitting in the freezer for two months isn't going to turn it into a BIR curry.  I've been cooking this dish ever since that fateful Sunday.  I've only cooked two NIS's in this time.  The rest has been the Zaal phall, mainly to improve my own technique and to recreate that flavour. I got there once and have come very close regularly.  The house smells like a BIR whenever i cook now.  Maybe we never will be 100% happy with our efforts because we're in the kitchen cooking them.  Eating it a few hours later improves things, days later it tastes even better.  Maybe the only true way to judge our efforts is to cook, freeze and eat weeks later when there is no cooking or smells around the place.  Maybe this will make us realise how close we all are to achieving our aim.  All that remains is some tweaking at the edges.  I'm begining to think cooking and eating on the same day indoors, when it comes to BIR is a no no.  Maybe i should try Razor's idea and stick some nose plugs on ;D
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Offline curryhell

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Re: Zaal Phaal
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2012, 08:51 PM »
Quote from: haldi on April 07, 2012, 07:33 PM
Maybe I just need to cook a few months ahead of when I eat
you could try the alternative.  Train the wife in the art, sod off to the pub and then come home to a home BIR cooked meal, with the satisfaction of knowing it was all your own work (well almost).  In the words of a famous TV trailer "I made that"  ;D
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Offline Stephen Lindsay

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Re: Zaal Phaal
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2012, 10:01 PM »
Quote from: curryhell on April 07, 2012, 08:07 PM
...your comments really make me think we're all a lot closer than we give ourselves credit for.  That was YOUR Zaal phall that YOU cooked and it was as good the counterpart.  Doesn't that tell you something

It tells me that haldi got it spot on?

CH your comments echo my sentiments exactly. I've seen pics on here that look 100% as good, if not better, than "professionally" produced dishes.

I wonder if sometimes we delude ourselves that we are missing something?
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Offline curryhell

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Re: Zaal Phaal
« Reply #5 on: April 07, 2012, 10:18 PM »
Quote from: Stephen Lindsay on April 07, 2012, 10:01 PM

It tells me that haldi got it spot on?

CH your comments echo my sentiments exactly. I've seen pics on here that look 100% as good, if not better, than "professionally" produced dishes.

I wonder if sometimes we delude ourselves that we are missing something?
I don't think you are far from the truth there Steve.  I think the "curry secret" is now obvious to all as being a combination of things, all of which we are capable of at home.  However the all essential thing is that we're not capable of doing is totally divorcing ourselves from the smells and influence while we're cooking it, and we never will be.  Not something we have a problem with though when we order a delivery, is it?  ;D  Upside is we'll carry on and our curry will just improve even more 8)
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Offline Stephen Lindsay

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Re: Zaal Phaal
« Reply #6 on: April 07, 2012, 11:38 PM »
CH I've cooked more curry in the last two years than in the previous ten. I'm averaging and output of two curries  3/4 times per week. The main reason for that is getting more involved with the forum and seeing the benefits capitalise. I don't think I'm lying to say that if I was asked to cook any of the dishes common to the BIR standard fare I could now do so without reference to a recipe.

Sometimes my curries are OK and sometimes they just rrrrrraaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwkkkkkkkkk. I think I can truly say and without being arrogant is that they are never poor, such is the impact that the forum, the recipes, and of course the practice has had on my cooking.

I suppose the doubters might say well self praise is no honour and tbh I couldn't give a damn but I am not just speaking for myself here. I think there are lots of contributors to the forum who are dishing out kick ass curries and my own perspective is that I've seen more evidence of this in the past year. There does seem to be more of a culture that folk are getting it right than "where is the missing 5%".
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Offline curryhell

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Re: Zaal Phaal
« Reply #7 on: April 08, 2012, 12:28 AM »
Quote from: Stephen Lindsay on April 07, 2012, 11:38 PM
CH I've cooked more curry in the last two years than in the previous ten. I'm averaging and output of two curries  3/4 times per week. The main reason for that is getting more involved with the forum and seeing the benefits capitalise. I don't think I'm lying to say that if I was asked to cook any of the dishes common to the BIR standard fare I could now do so without reference to a recipe.
For a home chef that's a bloody good output SL.  And i thought my clothes were shrinking  ;D ;) I too have spent much more time in the kitchen as a result of the recent momentum of the forum and the contribution from the more active cooking members.
Quote
Sometimes my curries are OK and sometimes they just rrrrrraaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwkkkkkkkkk. I think I can truly say and without being arrogant is that they are never poor, such is the impact that the forum, the recipes, and of course the practice has had on my cooking.
Nothing arrogant about that SL.  The forum is a group of individuals passionate about one thing. It naturally follows that the recipes should be somewhere in the area they need to be.  But practice, as you confirm is key and essential to deliver the intent of the recipes.
Quote
I suppose the doubters might say well self praise is no honour and tbh I couldn't give a damn but I am not just speaking for myself here. I think there are lots of contributors to the forum who are dishing out kick ass curries and my own perspective is that I've seen more evidence of this in the past year. There does seem to be more of a culture that folk are getting it right than "where is the missing 5%".
Ain't that the truth.  You don't have to look far to see the results and they certainly look as good as many a dish served up in BIR's.  I've seen so many positive reports here over the last 6 months or more than those i read before.  And they are all posted with conviction and what gives them credibility is that they are then backed up by other members.
I think we have all come a long way just recently, but we all struggle to admit that.  There's always something not right, there's a missing taste, etc. etc.  I think we should all take stock and look at exactly how far we have actually come.
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Offline alarmist10

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Re: Zaal Phaal
« Reply #8 on: April 09, 2012, 07:13 AM »
Like you, SL, I have been cooking curry 3 - 4 times a week for the past 6 months or so.......and my technique has improved substantially as a result of info on the forum.  Mind you, so has my waistline!  Yesterday I tried on my suit trousers (not worn for the past 3 years) and they were a good 2 - 3 inches from meeting at the top.

Yes, I'm convinced we're all getting better, but we pay for it in the ever expanding waist.  Trouble is the damn curries are just so delicious............

al.
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Offline Salvador Dhali

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Re: Zaal Phaal
« Reply #9 on: April 09, 2012, 08:54 AM »
Quote from: alarmist10 on April 09, 2012, 07:13 AM
Like you, SL, I have been cooking curry 3 - 4 times a week for the past 6 months or so.......and my technique has improved substantially as a result of info on the forum.  Mind you, so has my waistline!  Yesterday I tried on my suit trousers (not worn for the past 3 years) and they were a good 2 - 3 inches from meeting at the top.

Yes, I'm convinced we're all getting better, but we pay for it in the ever expanding waist.  Trouble is the damn curries are just so delicious............

al.

And there was me thinking I'd put all my clothes in the washer on the wrong program... 

As has been said many times before, you learn something new here every day... ;)
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