One place I've always wanted to visit for my curry fix is Brick Lane. Heard both good and bad things about it so I thought the only way to find out for sure is to pay a visit in person. Had a day out in London on Friday with my son so we made it our last port of call...boy was it a mistake.

There seems to be no end of restaurants to choose from, most of them have 'Best curry chef' or 'Best curry house in London' stickers proudly stuck on the front of their window, I'm sure they get these printed off from some dodgy website.

In the end we chose Aladins, had plenty of good reviews, some famous punters in the past including Gordon Ramsey and even King Charles....can't go wrong I thought.

So, the papadams came up first...stone cold...not a good start But I thought I'd give them the benefit of doubt.

Next up was a Chicken tikka korai...onions and peppers raw, dodgy chicken tikka and hardly any sauce, what was there was bland.

I ordered a Chicken tikka pathia balti...awful....tasteless chicken tikka, runny gravy with no onions/peppers and sauce that tasted nothing like a pathia, no sweetness, heat, really poor.

The onion bhajis we had were even worse, more like stodgy pakoras, nothing like the light crispy ones my local place give me.

Don't know who writes the reviews for this place but I can honestly say one of the worst curries I've had in a very long time!!!!!

Hi people,

I haven't posted anything for some time, although I do usually have a nose around from time to time to see what's happening. I'm still obsessed with everything BIR and am always on the hunt for any new info, thought I'd share a couple of things I've found that may be of interest. The first one caught my attention, the guy looks to be an old master at making curry, I would imagine the whole spices in the recipe would produce a very tasty gravy. Never seen cashew nut go into a gravy, I would guess if that's how he did it in his restaurant then the nut content would be a problem for any allergy sufferers though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpqMBueLBtI&t=4s

This guy is also very good, here he actually cooks a full size base gravy. Notice the garlic tarka he adds at the end, similar to how I was shown in one of my restaurant  lessons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCiAX8xfTBM

Hi everyone,I haven't posted(or cooked anything!!) for some time.I always cook a xmas curry feast for the guys at work.here's a few pics for you to enjoy.
It was a bit of a mammoth task but it all went down very well.

I did about 10 mains,a dozen assorted naan breads, sides and a heap of rice.....

Made some curries for my work colleagues last night,on the menu some old favourites along with a couple of new ones I thought I try.....

Murgh Makhani,Nigril chicken,Punjabi masala,chickken chasni,garlic chilli chicken,chana chat,chicken Khaleda,chicken garam massala,pilau rice.

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Had my curry pans out a while back,I did a bit of a feast for my colleagues at work.

I did a bit of a varied menu,some mild dishes and some hot,a few old favourites and a couple of new things....

A few pics,chicken korma,nilgril chicken,garam masala ,balti rezalla,garlic chilli chicken,murgh makhani,bombay aloo,chiken madras,tikka masala and some pilau rice.













Apologies for some fuzzy pictures but as you can imagine things got a bit hectic.It all went down well(not much was left!!),
a lot of nice comments which made it all worthwhile.

I managed to see my tandoor chef make up his peshwari naan mix last week.Altlough I've seen (and tried) a few versions of peshwari mixture from different scources none have ever given me a truly authentic peshwari naan taste.This is how he does it in the takeaway and I have to say it's spot on,Quite easy to scale down as well as I have done on my recent curry feasts.In a large foil container he had almonds,sultanas,cashews,and sesame seeds.These were blitzed with a tin of fruit cocktail and then he added some chopped banana,desicated coconut,uht cream and sugar to make a thick paste.He actually brushes the finished naan with some honey.

Had another curry feast last night,a few pics...






Everything went down a treat as usual.I still can't believe just how good my naan breads are using Chris's recipe,they come out superb.I did peshwari and chilli keema naans.I was a bit worried that the keema mix wouldn't cook properly but I have to say they came out perfect.

Had a couple of friends round for dinner last night.On the menu chicken shaslik,chiken tikka massala,balti chili garlic rezalla,chicken tikka pathia,garam massala,bombay aloo,sag aloo,chana massla,pilau rice,keema rice,peshawari naan and chilli keema naan.











Managed to save a bit for Sunday dinner..

Here's how I cooked the chicken tikka rezalla when I did my latest curry feast here...

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,14544.0.html

Rezalla is not something I find on a lot of menus here in Essex.The places that do actually have it on their menu all seem to do it or describe it different ways.
One place cooks it with keema meat,one has it with mango sauce and one puts coconut in it.A google search on rezalla recipes is even more confusing.

However,there is one place that cooks an amazing rezalla near me,It's the same place where Curryhell's North Indian Special originated.Every time I visit this place a rezalla is a must.They list it as a hot spicy curry with chillies and a 'special red hot sauce'.It's a curry to die for.Unfortunately,unlike my takeaway kitchen(the place I visit at the weekend) the staff and chefs here keep their recipes very much to themselves.There is a distinctive taste to it which I cannot quite pinpoint.

Anyway,amongst my many recipes,notebooks and scribbles from various places I actually came across a rezalla recipe that I found a couple of years ago and forgot about.I have no idea where it originated so apologies if anyone recognizes it.The thing is,I cooked it the other week when I did my curry feast and I was amazed at how close it was to the rezalla from the restaurant.The thing is my recipe also contains a 'special red hot sauce'.Not really special when you know what goes in it but I'm guessing that the restaurant version is very similar.Here is my version...

First off make the red sauce...In a bowl mix together 2 tablespoons of smooth mango chutney,2 tablespoons of tamarind sauce,2 tablespoons of ketchup,2 tablespoons of Mr naga pickle,half teaspoon of red colour and a little water to thin out.The actual sauce is quite delicious in itself,I've tasted some wonderful  popadam dips before and they've tasted quite like the red sauce.

Then make the curry in the usual way....In a hot pan add a chef spoon of mixed veg oil/ghee.Add half a teaspoon of chopped garlic and brown.Add some service onions, a pinch of methi,some salt,tablespoon of blended plum tomatoes,tablespoon mix powder,some lemon juice,teaspoon of chilli and a little gravy so nothing burns.After a short while add some pre cooked chicken tikka,2 tablespoons of red sauce,some chopped green chilli and a ladle of gravy.Cook this on a high heat for at least five minutes,adding a little more gravy but not stiring too much,just scrape the sides back into the pan.When the sauce is quite thick add some corrainder and serve.

Invited some friends for lunch on Sunday,asked them if they wanted a roast dinner or a curry feast...you can imagine the answer!!

Anyway on the menu...chicken tikka main,balti chicken pathia,chicken garam massala,tandoori garlic naga,bhuna massala,chicken tikka rezalla,aloo massala,sag aloo,chana massala,aloo chat,pilau rice,garlic chiili keema rice...

pre cooked stuff..


pathia..


garam massala..


bhuna massala..


tikka rezalla..


garlic naga..

Had yet another thoroughly enjoyable evening in the takeaway last night.The place seems to be getting busier everytime I visit.Weekends are manic,but even midweek the phone doesn't stop ringing with orders.

As usual I arrived just before the place opened,that way I can see the guys do a lot of the prep work before any customers arrive.I still find it strange how they let me in their kitchen,watching and taking notes whilst they cook.I suppose they know I have a passion for BIR cooking and at the end of the day I still order food from the guys so everyone's happy.

I always take my trusty note book with me,and now I'm beggining to see some of the prep work repeated so I can actually re-check all of my notes to make sure I've missed nothing.This week I helped the Chef make a big batch of massala sauce,my next challenge is to make a smaller scaled down version for home use.The Chef also made a big pot of pilau rice,everything was done by eye but I have to say the rice he made was spot on.

As usual I ordered some food before I left,by now the place had quietened down a bit so the chef invited me to cook my own food while he did some other jobs.It all turned out very nice,indeed the chef tasted and gave his nod of approval.The only thing was the portion sizes I cooked,I literally had trouble pushing the lids on top!! I cooked aloo chat,chicken garam massala,sag aloo and a vegetable rice.....



garam massala...




aloo chat...



sag aloo....



veg rice....

Here's another recipe from my local take-away kitchen.It's one of the 'special' dishes on the menu,although when you know how it's actually done you realise it's not really that special or complicated at all.Indeed,some of the kitchen condiments used(one in particular) may seem a bit strange in a BIR kitchen but it's one of the most popular dishes on the menu.I've seen it cooked dozens of times now and it literally flies out of the kitchen.It reminds me of the Scottish chasni dish but hotter.I have to chuckle when I see a lot of these 'special' or 'exclusive' dishes on BIR menus,usually they're 'simmered in exotic spices' or 'smothered in Chef's exclusive spice blend'.In reality they're usually nothing more than a standard curry wth a few tweaks here and there from the Chef's own imagination.

First in your curry pan put in a chef's spoon of veg oil mixed with some butter ghee.Get the pan hot then quickly add the following...finely chopped garlic,service onions,blended plum tomatoes,table spoon of mix powder,teaspoon of chill,pinch of dried methi and a pinch of salt.Add your first ladle of base gravy and pre cooked chicken tikka.As per usual don't be tempted to stir too much,let the pan bubble away and stir the caramalized sides back in.(The more I see the chef cook like this the more I'm convinced it's one of the things to get right to get a good curry.)After adding the second ladle of gravy add the following....half a teaspoon of Coleman's mint sauce,one of white sugar,half a chef's spoon of pre made tikka marinade and a quarter chef spoon of Coleman's prawn cocktail sauce.Keep on a high heat for about five minutes and it's done.The curry should be madras hot with a nice subtle tangy sauce.

The prawn cocktail sauce is obviously a very unusual ingredient,purists may question its use in a BIR kitchen but this is how this chef does it,and it's one of the most popular things on the menu.It's not the first time I've seen it's use,my local cash and carry stocks large cartons of the stuff,I doubt if it's just being used to make prawn cocktails.Another curry house I know makes a dish called Rajhastani chicken,basically a shaslik smothered in a red creamy sauce.It had a flavour I just could not pinpoint until the chef told me it was just massla sauce,mayonaise,lemon juice and prawn cocktail sauce,Her's how the garam massala should look...

Here's how my local take-away Chef prepares his korma paste.It's quite simple to do,and although I know korma is not everyone's favourite curry I think it's still good to know how a genuine BIR chef cooks one.The paste itself is really a time saving measure,much like the massala paste I've posted before it saves a lot of time when the kitchen is busy and the chef has a lot of dishes to cook at once.

First in a pan he puts in 8 chef spoons of butter ghee and then adds 1 chef spoon of ginger/garlic paste.Then he takes one of his large empty yoghurt pots and fills it with equal amounts of mango chutney,tinned fruit cocktail,plain yoghurt an a little water.This is blended and then added to the big pot.After cooking this for a while he fills a large empty tomato puree tin with sugar and then adds that together with a carton of UHT cream.He then adds a big tray of mixed coconut flour and almond powder,he said more coconut rather than almond.The last thing he adds is a tablespoon of kewra water and then blends the pot so its's really smooth.Here's how it looks in the take-away....

It was a particularly busy night in the takeaway on Sunday night.Usually they have a steady trickle of orders but it was very hectic indeed.As usual the chef did a very good job churning out a multitude of dishes,all of which I was able to see him cook at first hand.They're certainly doing something right here,the place has only been open a short while but they have a a lot of returning customers.In fact they have hired a third chef now.He seemed quite intrigued with my appearance in the kitchen.The guys explained I was 'trainee chef'(as they like to call me),the new chef asked if I could cook gharabi and seemed really suprised when I said I could.I guess the fact that they have an open kitchen helps,although I do get some funny looks from people who are probobly not used to seeing a white English guy peering over the chef's shoulder.

They were so busy they were runnng out of most of the precooked stuff,I stayed until they closed so I made sure I could watch everything.

I noticed last time that the Chef had changed the way he prepares his service onions.Before they were just simply finely chopped white onions with small slithers of green and red pepper.Now however he pre cooks them,he had a big tub on the side which was nearly empty so I managed to see how he did them.No real suprises or 'magic' ingredients,just a bog standard mix of slow cooked onions and the usual mix of spices.The chef called the cooked mixture 'bhuna onions',and explained they he now precooks his service onions just to save time when they have loads of orders on the go.If I recall the Curry Crunch book also called their precooked onions 'bhuna onions',indeed the recipe they give is pretty much the same as the takeaway one.Actually,the more I revisit the recipes in this book the more I realise that a lot of the stuff in it is pretty much how it's done in my takeaway.

The tandoor chef began to run out of naan bread dough so I was able to see him make up a new batch.No real suprises,pretty much like any other naan recipe on the site.Everything was done by eye,he used whole milk,self raising flour,yoghurt,eggs,salt,sugar,water and kalonji seeds.He seemed quite amused that I could identify kalonji seeds.The only suprise for me is that he added yeast as opposed to baking powder.I'm really not into baking in any way but I always thought BIR's used baking powder as yeast in naan breads would make the dough rise too much if they were left in a hot kitchen.

Also managed to get a masterclass in onion bhaji making.Again,pretty standard ingredients although he did add a few slithers of potato,green pepper a sprinkle of orange daal.If I remember the inclusion of potato and pepper has been a bit controversial on the site before,but this chef definately uses them.Have to the say the bhajis here are excellent;small,round,crispy and full of flavour.Nothing like the greasy tasteless ones that some places seem to offer.

Managed to see how my chef makes his massala sauce last night.I actually went into the kitchen on Saturday and observed the usual hectic service,if I arrive early before the place opens on Sunday I get to see more of his preperation work.

I was actually quite satisfied with the massala sauce I was shown at the other takeaway here..

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,13137.0.html

However,this was always a scaled down version of what the chef said he used in the takeaway,whereas this is a full sized recipe(which I guess is easy to scale down anyway) and once he made the sauce he began using it in customers' orders,so I know it's an authentic massala sauce he showed me with no other supposedly 'magic' or mysterious ingredients.

First,in an empty yoghurt pot he put in two ladles each of blended plum tomatoes and yoghurt together with one ladle of mango chutney.The ladle looked quite a big bigger than the normal one he uses for putting gravy into the curries.He then blended this with a hand blender.Then in a big pot he put in about five chef  spoons of butter ghee and added one of blended ginger and garlic.After this was cooked for a while he then added the contents of the first yoghurt pot.Then he added one and half chef spoons of white sugar,one kashmiri paste,one tikka,one and a half tandoori and 1 heaped spoon of red colour.This was boiled for a bit and then he put in one whole carton of uht cream.He had already pre soaked a whole tamarind block in hot water and the liquid from this was also added to the pot.He then measured out some coconut flour and almond powder.He used one full tin of coconut and two of almond.He actually measured both out in an old tomato puree tin shown here..



This was put into the pot along with a teaspoon of mint,and the sauce simmered for a bit.Whereas other massla pastes have onions in them they need blending,this doesn't contain onions so no blending is needed.To make a tikka massala is simple,into a pan he put two chefs spoons of the paste,some gravy,uht cream,pre cooked tikka and cooked on a high heat,without stirring for about five minutes.

Here's how my Chef does his garlic chilli chicken.Alongside chicken tikka pathia it's one of my favourites that he cooks.It's actually cooked in a similar way to the pathia,the initial stages(as with all of his savoury curries)are identical.As with the pathia the cooking technique is paramount,keep the pan hot and don't be tempted to over stir the curry.

In a pan put a chef's spoon of mixed ghee/veg oil.Heat then add about a teaspoon of chopped garlic,brown and then add a chef's spoon of service onions.Stir then add about a tablespoon of mix powder,a tablespoon of blended plum tomatoes,teaspoon of chilli powder,tiny bit of salt and methi leaves.Cook the spices out then add a ladle of gravy.Add the chicken,a couple of green chillis,small piece of tomato and red pepper and a heaped teaspoon of garlic pickle.Let the pan bubble away and then add a second ladle of gravy.

Here it is cooking in the takeaway...





And on the plate...





This was the garlic pickle the chef used...

Managed to watch my chef prepare his spinach last night.I always thought that plain spinach from a can(I've seen these in my cash and carry) was used to to make sag aloo or sag bhaji,however my chef actually takes the time to pre cook it.He actually uses frozen spinach which he defosts and then puts through a mincer before using.

First,in one of his big pans went in some mixed veg oil and ghee.When this was hot he added some mustard seeds,about 7 chopped garlic cloves and about three chopped onions.He cooked this for some time,the garlic got quite brown,not burnt but it was cooking for a lot longer than I expected.I'm guessing this browning is the key to getting that 'smoky' taste to a really good sag dish.



Then he added a chef spoon of mix powder,half a spoon of salt,pinch of chilli and some salt.



Then he added some chunks of onions and pepper and the spinach.



This was then cooked a fairly high heat,stirred now and again until all the moisture had come out,the resulting spinach was quite dry.

Was chatting to the chef about his mix powder last night.As I thought no great suprises,no magic potions etc,just a general mix of powders that he chooses,no doubt similar to other chefs up and down the country.I didn't get a specific breakdown in quantities(he had it in a big tub and he scopped some out),however he was pretty relaxed about it,I mean it wasn't a big secret that he didn't want to talk about.I had my trusty notebook with me and showed him the mix powder I recorded from the Zall lesson.In this was curry powder,corriander,cumin,turmeric,chilli and garam massala.He said it was about right.The only thing he would add would be garlic powder and mustard powder.

Here's how my chef cooks his chicken tikka pathia in my local takeaway.I've watched him cook it countless times over the past few weeks on my visits,and I've been able to cook it in the takeaway kitchen while the chef watches as well.It's my favourite curry to cook at home,and I think it's the easiest BIR curry to replicate at home.

Obviously there are regional differences on how a pathia is made.I've seen some recipes that call for a specific pathia sauce to be added.Some of these have pineapple juice,some tamarind and some even coconut,but my chef(and I'm guessing most places round here are the same) keeps it quite simple.It's nothing more than your standard curry with some chilli,lemon and white sugar.

If you have a decent gravy and mix powder you should be able to produce a good BIR pathia.However,after watching the chef in action recently I've been able to study his cooking up close,technique is very important.Rarely does he stir the pan(sometimes he has about four pans on the go at once and just leaves them).He leaves the pan bubbling away on a high heat for about four or five minutes ocasionally scraping the sides,then putting his spoon in the middle of the pan and then shaking the pan backwards and forwards.

In the kitchen and at home a chef spoon is used.To save any confusion I've listed the ingredients in tablespoons instead.

Ingredients
-------------

1 portion pre cooked chicken tikka
3 tablespoons mixed veg oil/melted ghee
1 tablespoon mix powder
1 heaped teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 tablespoon blended plum tomatoes
1 and half tablespoon white sugar
pinch salt
pinch methi leaves
3 tablespoons service onions
lemon dressing
2 ladles of gravy
1 piece tomato and 1 piece of green pepper.

First,in a pan put in the oil/ghee and heat.Add the garlic and brown(do not burn) and then lift the pan and add the service onions.Stir the pan for about 10 seconds,lift the pan off again and add the blended tomatoes,chilli powder,mix powder,sugar,salt and methi leaves.Stir around for about 20 seconds then add the first ladle of gravy.The pan should sizzle like crazy if it's hot enough.Put the chicken in and add the lemon dressing and cook on a high heat for about a minute.Scrape the sides back into the pan and add add another ladle of gravy.Add the tomato and pepper and contnue cooking for another 4 minutes or so.

The amount of methi and salt the chef uses is minimal,just the smallest dip of his chef's spoon.He tastes most dishes that he cooks and sometimes adds a tad more from time to time.The service onions are nothing more than finely chopped white onions with a tiny amount of red and green pepper.

Here's my latest one I cooked....