Ok, what do we all like to eat with our favourite curry?
I feel lost without Pataks Brinjal pickle with every curry.
I also like a good chilli or chilli and lime pickle with a mild one or Geeta's onion chutney with a hot one.
The wife likes mango chutney with everthing (little does she know I have been upgrading from mild to quite hot ones  : )
She also likes a yogurt and cucumber Riata with everthing.
Chopped coriander is mandatory of course.
What do you curryholics like and has anyone made their own pickles/chutneys?

Did anyone feel the earthquake?
Nothing down here in South Hampshire, but then I was fast asleep after a curry and a couple of G&Ts   

Inspired by a mention of sizzling balti bowls in another thread I though I would pass on this little tip.
Cook your preferred curry and keep warm in the oven.
Take your balti bowls and put them directly on gas rings on the cooker.
Heat them as hot as you dare!!!
Now, (and this bit is probably best done by two people), when you deem the bowls hot enough, put a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice/water mixture into each bowl and then spoon in each portion of curry as quickly as possible into the balti bowls.
Now the really important bit, rush it to the table as soon as possible because the sizzling effect does not last very long.

Now the boring elf and safety bit, those bowls are going to be bloody hot, take precautions, also use the proper wood blocks to go under the bowls or say goodbye to the finish on your best dining table!   ;D

Ok this is curry related but does not fit into any other thread really so I will ask you all a question.
Is it just me that insists on presenting my curries in the same fashion as the local BIR?
I have spent a fortune over the years on stainless steel stuff, balti bowls,serving plates, you name it, I have got it (and enough of it to cater for a meal for 6 in any combination)or am I suffering from some wierd disease that comes with injesting too much onion, garlic, ginger and chilli?.
  ;D

I was looking up some names for specific lentils and found this one: Indian Food Glossary

http://www.indianfoodsco.com/Classes/Glossary.htm

Might be handy for translations in Asian stores  ;D

I am going to suggest something regarding the shoutbox.
We all seem to be using the site at different times and very rarely get to talk in close to real time.
How about all agreeing on a time and having a chat using the shoutbox.
A sort of weekly live meeting if you like.
I know this will not be easy 'cos we have members from all over the world.

Opinions, suggestions please?

Jethro ;D

Any of you out there who have made any of the dishes that include lots of garlic, (Darth's base and subsequent Madras spring to mind) you will know what a pain it it to peel each individual clove with a knife.

Try this:

Top and tail each clove and then, with the flat of a knife blade, just give them a gentle thump enough to semi crush the clove of garlic.
The skin will then be very easy to remove.

Fresh Ginger

When buying the stuff, go for the biggest regular shaped pieces you can.
To peel it, cut off any irregular lumps and then use a potatoe peeler to take the skin off. (leaving the skin on can result in a bitter taste, so remove it)

You can always use pre-prepared puree for both but I would rather use nice fresh stuff.

Simple tips I know but hope they help  ;D

Well seeing as this was my idea for an off topic thread, I suppose I better kick it off.
Get talking curry nuts, about anything you want from to the sensible to the bizzare.

Jethro. ;D

Our main freezer gave up the up the ghost last week and I have lost all my curry bases and several large quantities of made up curries.
The wife lost her collection of not so easy to get hold of Mexican vegetables/chillies (thats her cooking passion).
Ohh the pain!!

As this subject has been a bit neglected I thought I would put my two pence worth in 

There are several factors that will effect the quality of your whole/ground spice collections.


1. Exposure to air. (Causes oxidation which leads to loss/changes of flavour)
2. Light.           (Causes colour loss and loss of flavour)
3. Heat.            (Accelerates the last two factors)     
4. Moisture.        (A killer, it will cause mould and bacterial growth)
5. Age.             (Causes colour/flavour loss and general deterioration)


The perfect spice container would be tube shaped (less spice surface area to contact air), air tight, water tight and opaque, unfortunately this shape is also a pain in the rear end to stack/store in a cupboard, they take a lot of room.
I use Lock 'n' lock containers, they are very secure and stack well to save space.
I keep them in a dark cool cupboard well away from the cooker.
Use small containers and try not to buy more spices than you think you will use in the next six months (whole spices will keep longer than ground)
Keep an eye on how long you have had the spices (I put the date on each container when it is refilled) and renew them regularly.

The worst case scenario is probably a nice spice rack with clear glass containers kept next to the cooker, so if your friends/family want to buy you one as a pressie to indulge your curry passion, carefully decline


Hope this has been of some help and yes, that is Bombay duck on the right, I happen to like the stuff 

Jethro

Here we go, my first attempt at BIR style curry (as experimented by myself) as opposed to authentic  traditional recipes which I usually do.

My choice was Chicken Ceylon as I have not seen it done here and it's one of my favourites.

This will serve two hungry people quite easily.

Ingredients:
1 bag (about a pint, or 1/2 a litre) of Darth's base sauce, you can use any of your choice, it's just that I have quite a bit left from my last experiment 
5 green cardomom pods just cracked open
5 bits of cassia bark
5 cloves
About a dozen whole black peppercorns.
2 Teaspoons of hot chilli powder (or even more if you want it hotter)
1 Tablespoon of Garam masala (if you want to be more authentic it should be a Ceylon masala but 99.9% of BIR's will just use the normal stuff, so I have)
1 bruised stem of fresh lemongrass
A splodge of oil..(technical term)
100 grms of Creamed coconut
1 Tablespoon of curry leaves.
1 Teaspoon of salt.
4 chicken breasts chopped into bite sized pieces.

Method:
Put the chopped chicken in a pan just cover with water and boil for about 5 mins or until just cooked though. Using a slotted spoon remove the chicken into a bowl and reserve the water.
In your main cooking vessel put the splodge of oil (ok about a tablespoonfull for you pedants) and gently fry the whole spices, cassia, cardomom, cloves and black pepper (not the curry leaves or lemongrass) for 2 minutes stirring all the time to avoid burning.
Add the base gravy and heat untill boiling, you should have a nice wet mix, time to add the bits that need more delicate treatment.
Add the chilli powder, salt, and curry leaves, lemongrass and garam masala, cook for as long as you think is right (taste it you will know when it's right)
Add the coconut cream and melt it into the mix.
At this point it will start to thicken quite fast, keep the heat down and add some reserved chicken stock as required to achieve your required consistency.
Cook for a couple of minutes untill coconut is well distributed in the sauce.
Add the pre-cooked chicken and heat through untill you are sure that everything is cooked through and melded together.
You have the choice now of leaving the whole spices in or picking them out, I like to leave them in myself, its shows a bit of individuallity to the dish and you just can't beat that explosion of flavour when you bite into a whole cardamom pod!.
Serve with a rice of your choice (coconut rice is traditional, and I will post a recipe for this separately) and/or naan and some fresh coriander for garnish.
Half a hardboiled egg can be added to each portion if wanted, Some restaurants do, some don't, or chopped hardboiled egg sprinkled over the top looks nice..entirely up to you



Enjoy!!

Jethro

This is a shameless plug for my favourite online supllier.
I have nothing to do with this firm apart from buy quite a lot of stuff from them.
If you can't find what you are looking for at this site it must be something pretty obscure you are after, and even then just give them a ring and they are superb at getting hold of bits and pieces, for instance I wanted some of the wooden supports to go under Balti bowls/ karahi, and they came up with them straight away.
Look here:

http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/

I normally stick to more traditional currys, making each dish from scratch but I though I would give the resaurant style a go for a change.
I have used Darth's Gravy base and Madras recipe with a couple of minor variations like putting 4 Knorr vetetable stock cubes in and using red onions (I prefer them to normal ones in currys).
Picture 1.
All the veg, garlic and ginger puree and spices ready to go.


Picture 2.
All in the pot.


Picture 3.
The Madras on the go.


Picture 4.
The end product, served with naan, Brinjal pickle and a G&T


Well done Darth it was loverly, all I have to do now is find a second hand freezer to put it all in 

Ok guys, I been away for the weekend and was disappointed that no one came up with a recipe for Jellied Eel Madras or summat similar on April 1st  ;D

Coconut Lamb

Ingredients:

6 lamb neck fillets chopped into bite sized lumps
3 red onions finely chopped
2 red chillies halved and seeded then finely chopped (more if you want it hot)
4 cloves peeled garlic finely chopped
3 inch lump of peeled ginger finely chopped
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbs green cardamom pods ground (I like cardamom )
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp chili powder (more if you want it hot)
2 tbs dried fenugreek leaves
100 grms creamed cocconut  disolved in 1/2 pint of boiling water
4 Fluid ozs of Greek yoghurt
6 tbs butter ghee
1 tbs Garam masala of your choice
Fresh coriander leaf for Garnish

Method

Melt ghee and fry onion untill soft then add the salt.
Add ginger, garlic and red chillies and cook for another 3 minutes, keep it stirring.
Add all ground spices except Garam masala and fry gently for 5 minutes stirring all the time, add a little water if it becomes too dry.
Add the lamb and gently fry untill it is sealed, keep stirring.
This stage is difficult to describe and is a matter of tasting and testing (thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it)
Add the cocconut solution and yoghurt and simmer untill meat is tender and the spices taste fused and not gritty, stirring as needed.
About 5 mins before serving, add Garam masala and fenugreek leaves and stir them in.
Serve with rice or naan or both if you are hungry.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves

Result is a nice succulent creamy curry with a heat that sort of comes out of the shadows at you (best way I can describe it  )

Jethro

Just popped in to to say hello,  new here on this forum but been cooking curries for over 30 years now, nearly got the hang of it .