Definitely not purposely promoting this group (which Facebook algorithms suggested to me and I joined out of curiosity two weeks ago) yet it seems this is the closest curry group in BIR terms period and some of the posters are versed enough to be senior members here, hence the question... Does anyone belong to:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/398188214048477/

Question is so I can decide if its worth spending time on.

Thanks.

Saw this in the news


https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/wagamama-katsu-curry-recipe-how-to-make-cooking-chef-tutorial-video-a9489466.html

I havn't been to one of these restaurants but it looks similiar to curry I had in Japan a few years ago (which I posted on here) notably by the use of flour.

Hope someone finds it interesting.

Mirror article from National Curry Week with a short video by Bradfords Sweet Centre.

Nothing obviously new but I know some here like to disect whats on display in the background of a real TA kitchen.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/youve-been-cooking-curry-wrong-20871907

Firstly opening a thread in which people shout insults at each other is not my aim here. I understand all media is to some degree prejudice but as someone who found the decision to vote remain a very easy one I wanted to post this link for anyone who was not aware of the coming problem.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-curry-industry-brexit-staff-shortages-bangladesh-catering-association-a8677911.html

Just to reiterate the damage is pretty much done so we should probably all make the effort to ask those questions we were getting around to at our local TA's as there will be without a doubt far less of them in the near future.

I remember reading about this process on here some time ago but the penny didnt drop until very recently and I figured it would be helpful to those new to BIR cooking to understand that just about every TA does this with their prawns.

For years I put the shapes in my king prawn curry down to commercially sourced prawns being of a somewhat different variety, typically frying my supermarket raw pre-shelled king prawns straight out of the bag.

However I now defrost then slice them down the back to remove the thin vein that forms the intestine of the shellfish.

This does two things:

1. Improves the flavour of the prawn (perhaps in other dishes but I really can't tell with curry)

2.Changes the texture of the prawn making it softer and more evenly cooked (a massive improvement in my opinion)

Such a small effort yet it adds a lot of authenticity to your BIR prawn dishes.

My curry making only happens very occasionally now, usually when it's been so long that I've forgotten just how unlike a TA it actually tastes and that always brings me back to the point 3 years ago when I sat looking freeze frame at H4ppychris's base video where he promises we will all get to 100% satisfaction thanks to the contents of a small plate hes sliding in at around 25m 10s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A91qv2O5eQw

Although I continue to read new posts here there hasn't been anything as exciting since and so at the risk of getting people worked up over what happened back then I think enough time has passed to re-examine that saucer of "magic" as he describes it and wonder if it really was the method that hides so well in plain sight.

Personally from what I saw and read I think it was the real deal mainly due to his friendship with Sam which fits with a theory I posted a while ago in that the only way to achieve identical results is to have a Chef literally hold your spoon arm all the way through. Secondly his passion for BIR was obvious in terms of the large amount of personal time spent making videos in the TA.

This of course doesnt make me feel any better that the ebook never materialised and that this site could maybe now be alive with people shouting about how their own currys are surpassing the local TA on a regular basis.

Not that I am making accusations but I never properly understood why he left here anyway, be it arrogance, academic lazyiness with the book or just too much beer? all of which I think were suggested by others around then.

Remembering the aftermath, at least one person claimed to have been present in his kitchen when he was making that stuff and were bound to secrecy, but now the episode is pretty much ancient history I wonder if thats still the case? Does anyone have any partial information on it? Did anyone else know Sam or speak with him about it?

I can't help feeling it was an important missed opportunity and deserves revisiting in an intellectual fashion as opposed to Chris bashing, if only to debunk probably the boldest claim ever made here once and for all.

Having been back two weeks following a fortnights holiday in Tokyo I realised it was time to make a curry.
The purpose of cooking this one was to be sure I was right about the food I?d had at Curry House CoCo an eatery which has a similar conveyor belt operational style to many traditional Japanese caf?/bar restaurants, something I had not been looking for or had expected to find in Japan.

One thing I realised while there is I?m not big on Sushi or Sashimi probably due to my indifference when it comes to rice (which makes up 90% of each mouthful of raw fish,) so I took the opportunity to try two eat-in dishes (Cuttlefish and a Mixed Seafood Curry) from this company which according to its English version website:

https://www.ichibanya.co.jp/english/info/profile.html

has been around since 1978 and has curry houses in 10 other countries.
This is the direct link to its menu:

https://www.ichibanya.co.jp/english/info/pdf/multilingual_1603.pdf

For me both meals tasted almost the same as what I have been making for years now (ie. Fresh tasting curry completely lacking a real BIR flavour.)

Not that I was expecting BIR at all as the Japanese aren?t familiar with it but what I did find interesting that all dishes use the same final curry (pre-made offsite according to their website) regardless of what meat/fish is added although unlike their few competitors CoCo allow you to choose the heat level (1-10) of any dish, only serving you a 5-10 after you?ve managed an entire level 5 previously. I found level 3 to be similar to a typical Madras back here.

So if you find yourself in Japan its worth a look if only for the seafood angle.

Here is a link to a few photos for those interested as in my view anything curry is interesting (The file host is Russian but quick so click the button on the left then the link that appears ignoring/closing any adverts, its just a zip file with JPG images.

http://sendfile.su/1232210

OK. So I have now officially given up waiting for Happy Chris?s eBook!

For the record I believe that Chris is making genuine BIR curry due to what appears to be a genuine friendship with Sam who appears to be a genuine TA owner.

I?m not saying he will never release this eBook but when? A year, 3 years? 8 years? There has to be some kind of realistic date that short of a world catastrophe it couldn?t take any longer to finish. The reality I think is that Chris isn?t a bad bloke but figures a lifetime of detail is what a decent BIR publication needs and although that may not be wrong it doesn?t help if we?re all dead when it comes out, so although I?ve no interest in the personal stand offs that have occurred prior to his leaving my opinion is that he will probably release it precisely when he feels in the mood, even if he finishes it tomorrow but announcing it only takes his fancy on New Years Eve 2030.

Also worth noting is that money surely is no motivation based on the time and resources the videos alone must be taking and for all we know he may of fallen out with Sam or Sam may be objecting to how the eBook is being written etc etc.

A while back I paid the owner of my new local TA to come to my kitchen and show me how to make a Madras/Vindaloo (which I wrote about on here at the time.) From this I did learn about the importance of Tandoori Masala, but that was all and the more I think back to it the more I see how I was easy money because restaurant/TA staff either don?t like the food they make for the masses personally or don?t like us enough to actually WANT US to reproduce it faithfully (this is where I think Chris is a rare example of someone succeeding.)

However I?m going to go one further and say:

The only way I think we will make the same food as our favourite TAs is to actually work in one regularly for a good while. I am well aware that this isn?t practical but just out of frustration I felt I needed to say it as every time I login here so little has changed and seeing as there are so many members wanting the same thing it?s sad we can?t throw our combined resources at convincing some gifted BIR chef to make it his No.1 priority in teaching precise methods, in the same mould a driving instructor truly wants his students to pass as his rating/reputation is at stake.


Or we could just wait for Chris?

Just a suggestion as the forthcoming ebook by H4ppyChris promises to be one of, if not the most significant tools in creating Base Gravy since most people can remember (judging by the comments and Chris's description of his "Magic" currently secret method.)

Would it be possible to put up a progress bar on the main page?

This way Chris or whoever could update it maybe twice weekly so everyone could see just how close hes getting to the finish line giving a realistic forecast as to the actual completion date.

This would hopefully do away with the feelings of desperation, disbelief and open-endedness without biting into Chris's time schedule.

If Chris is willing of course.

I realise there are some members who absolutely despise supermarket curry and for good reason as most of it is terrible let alone BIR.

However having had a few of these now I thought I would make a quick post to say it's actually the only ready meal curry I rate, its made with whole spices as I've managed to pick some out of it and the prawns are decent any plentiful.

It says unavailable on the website but I always find it in my local store.

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=259391755

Ignoring the rice it's still worth ?3.50.

Had a Vindaloo yesterday from an old TA in town and was quite impressed by the size of the King Prawns served up.

I've been told most places generally use U5 (under 5 to a pound) but these are notably bigger and the largest I've ever had in a curry.

I took a picture..  http://www.imagebam.com/image/70ed29252382634

Any new ETA on the ebook?

The only other type of food I would love to be able to make properly at home is Pizza.
The main reason of course is having the right type of oven, my local TA has recently added burgers, deep fried chicken and pizza to its menu and they tell me the pizza oven wasn't much off ?10k.

Today I saw this: http://chadwickoven.com/ which also states "The Chadwick Oven cooks pizzas up to 12" in size but that's not all - it will cook flatbreads, such as naans and pittas, to perfection."

Its not exactly cheap at ?360 but I've not come across any domestic appliance that claims to deliver the same result as a commercial operation so I'd say its cheap for what it does.

Some people on here have invested in their own Tandoors so maybe they will find this of interest, heres an article relating to it. 

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/worth-the-dough-the-chadwick-oven-makes-pizzas-as-delicious-as-one-from-a-woodfired-oven-8535274.html

I logged in really briefly last week and watched someone who I think was H4ppy-Chris taking about an ebook he was about to release about bringing out flavor in ways we still don't understand yet.
He credited a good friend who was a TA chef and claimed it was what we were all looking for.
I had to drop everything and go just at that point so I'm not 100% it was HC as I only glanced the text but it now seems to have gone or I'm not searching for it properly.
Anyone remember it?

Thanks..

Just a brief question for anyone who might have an opinion.

All videos I've watched made in TA kitchens involve classic pans. At the G&G paste stage I notice the oil will often catch but then the paste will sit there happily frying without burning for a good minute while the commentator talks about whats going in next.

When I try this with my cheapy nonstick pan I get to flame level but then my paste always browns in about 10 seconds and I have to cool and try again.

Don't want to be spending on Aluminum if its not necessary.

Just saw this and thought it may be of interest as it includes two methods for making TA breads at home.


http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/rise-and-rise-of-flat-bread-how-to-bake-the-indian-way-7939605.html


If you read the who article it has this exciting bit of trivia.

"The head chef, Karan Kashyap, shows me the most important tool in the room: the tandoori oven. It is a roaring furnace and is rounded to symbolise a clay oven. In India, he says, the walls are made from cow dung and the fire is one made of charcoal"

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.

Just bought these from a Halal meat shop which is the only place selling commercial spice products in my whole city (Really it is.)



Just under ?15 the lot but I'm expecting that to be expensive.

I'm Interested in regional differences and wondered if anyone would mind drawing a comparison to how much they might buy it for in their locality.

Also really interested in hearing opinions on how I should store it once open / when I should bin it etc.

Thanks as always ..................

Having watched several of the Public YouTube videos including the base gravy tutorial I think they're all excellent however I felt a bit down when he mentioned how important spiced oil in the base is seeing as he makes his as a by-product of Onion Bhajis.

I once tried a method from here which was basically the same as making base with more oil and reducing it right down with a few other spices then draining the oil, sadly it took ages and made little difference.

So could anyone who has bought the book briefly say if he mentions an easier method? Obviously I it needs to have the same effect as Bhaji oil.

If there's a working alternative I will buy it straight away otherwise probably not.

Thanks..

I was mortified last year when my local pub became a BIR restaurant, becoming further depressed to see its OTT prices and then to learn of its mediocre reputation. However I have just (as in less than an hour ago) retrieved the menu pictured below from my front door.
This place located right at the end of my road is even closer, literally 30 seconds walk and has been a very popular Chinese for about seven years so I am surprised at it going.
As you will see from my previous posts I believe the only way to truly achieve actual BIR at home is by learning directly from TA staff so I fully intend to try and strike up some kind of rapport with the new owners and was wondering if those here who have gained kitchen access would comment on what worked for them conversation wise in terms of gaining trust as well as any easy traps to fall into.
The TA name loosely means fate or destiny but I read that it is also used to describe ?Allah's Will? so perhaps they are Muslim. I consider their prices cheap which tends to be the case Vs Indian owned businesses.
All opinions welcome.

|| Couldnt upload my 80k image, keeps saying upload folder is full? ||

I've been battling this particular flavour since my first attempts at BIR and if anything it's intensified over time, although not unpleasant in its self it overpowers everything else so whatever I make always tastes the same.

I'm not using anything unusual, just the core ingredients listed in most base sauces found on here. It develops during the main cooking stage of the base after I've added water, leaving it to simmer for about an hour getting stronger right up to the end dish and isn't easy to describe other than to say it has something in common with that out of place taste you get with cheap potato salad which I always assume is down to preservatives as it clearly does not belong there.

Reading a recent thread on slow cooking for 6+ hours I was hoping it was because the base needed to mature but having just made some for a Prawn Madras it's as strong as ever.

I used:

Sunflower oil, brown cooking onions, green pepper, vine tomato, celery, spring onion, potato, carrot, garlic, red chilli, radish and coriander from a plant.

I fry onion, garlic and ginger first, add water, boil, then simmer it for half an hour before blending and pouring over the above loosely chopped veg followed by water.
After 45 minutes I add plum tomatoes, turmeric, coriander, paprika and cumin following SNS?s Saffron method by which time it's by far the dominant odour, noticeable as much in smell as in taste.

I know it's a stab in the dark but if anyone can advise I'd appreciate it.