I make a fantastic Chicken Dhansak using various types of the most common base sauces found on this site. The problem I am having is the colour is completely different from that of the local BIR and also alot of the curry photos on this site. I am missing the bright orange colour that comes with the local BIR

What ingredients would make the colour alot more orange, as I am only achieving a brownish colour, I have tried using some turmeric in various places in the process but with no luck.

Its just not the colour but something missing in the taste, can anybody enlighten me as to what ingredients as used in the sweet and sour taste.....I use some dried methi, pineapple juice, lemon juice, red split lentils and a small amount of mango chutney???

This restaurant is located in the Albert Road in Southsea close to the Kings Theatre. This restaurant is an absolute treat, unbelievable food and even unbelieably good prices. Myself and the wife use this BIR regular and cannot get past the Chicken Dhansak, although tried many dishes and never had a bad one.

The most recent visit saw 2 large bottles of cobra 2 vodka oranges 2 chicken dhansaks and four side dishes and was short of ?31, bloody good prices for bloody good food.

 
I have perfected this Chicken Dhansak over about a two year period using this website and hints and tips from local BIR to Portsmouth. I found the best base sause to be

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,1061.0.html

and the following recipe for the finished curry. This will make a large pot of curry enough for two greedy people or probably enough for four if serving a side aswell. When using a reference to a ladle this is as per the curry base details ( about 4 tablespoons ). This has had nothing but rave reviews from everybody that I cooked for. Have even distritued the sauce without the chicken in jars for family

Ingredients

5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 to 3 Chciken Breasts depending on preference, chopped to preferred size
1 medium onion
4 ladles of curry base as per above link to recipe
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
juice of 1 large lemon
1 green chilli
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 heaped tablespoon mango chutney, chopped into smaller pieces
1 cup split red lentils, drained and washed
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 bunch fresh corriander

Method

1. 3/4 fill a medium size pot with water and bring to boil, add the lentils and crushed garlic. Boil lentils until soft, skim any scum from top of boiling water during cooking. When lentils are soft use a hand blender to blitz into prefered consistency ( I do not like complete mush nor whole lentils so somewhere in between ). Strain the excess water away through a seive and reserve the cooked lentils

2. While the lentils are cooking chop the onion finely. squeeze the lemon juince into a small mixing bowl and add the curry powder and chilli powder and mix.

3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok or similar and fry the onion until golden brown ( was advised by the local BIR that the onions need to look like this for ultimate flavour ), not burnt though add the lemon,curry powder and chilli powder mixture to the wok and fry for about 30 seconds.

4. Add the chicken and fry until chicken is sealed on all edges. Add all the base sauce and leave to simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Add the strained lentils, the mango chutney and the pineapple juice, cook for a further 10 minutes making sure to never let the lentils stick to the base of the wok.Add most of the chopped corriander

6. 1 miute before serving stir in the garam masala. Serve with fresh corriander as garnish.

This works everytime for me, look forward to your views on this one, you simply have to try it