Good stuff ...

Rhys Ifans vs. The Voodoo Mama

I've been asked by a friend for a Rezalla recipe (BIR method).

Does anyone have one or point me to one already on the forum please.

Thanks.

I'm trying to find some Chilhuacle Negro seeds.

Does anyone know where I can get some from please.

SnS 

Okay Guys I have now got my copy of KD's new book 'The New Curry Secret'.

At first glance the book is 1000% better than both it's predecessors. Well laid out and plenty of colour photos (about half the recipes have photos of the finished article).

There is some useful information in the first part of the book relating to history of curry(standard stuff), KD's history, seasonal produce and commonly used ingredients with English translations, a section on spices and another on weights and measures. Section 7 (page 32) is dedicated to the New Curry Sauce (2 pages). Section 8 (2 pages) is for entrees and light lunches.

Then the recipes (pages 36 to 186), most of which I 've never heard of. If you're interested in traditional BIR cooking this book may disappoint.

Using the list of favourite BIR curry dishes from this forum there are only a few covered in this book. Ones marked in Red appear as recipes in the new book ... the remaining curries are not mentioned.

Vindaloo (Beef)
Madras
Bhuna
Dopiaza
Pathia
Rogan Josh (Lamb)
Phall
Korma
Dhansak
Jalfrezi
Ceylon
Biryani (5 recipes)
Balti (4 recipes)

That's not to say that the recipes in the book aren't worth trying - but perhaps the book should be titled 'Modern Restaurant Curry Secrets'.

Recipes include:-

Chicken Methiwalla
Massaman Curry (Thai)
Beef Badami
Salmon Kalia
Prawn Malabar (Keralean)
Shabnam Curry
Karahi Keema
Mangalorean Style Pork Bafath
Pork and sprouts (yes - Brussels!)
Perhaps I'm just visiting the wrong restaurants 
Anyway book is worth the price tag of 7.99 (5.99 at Amazon), but it is definitely not traditional BIR cooking that most of us are interested in. 

Regards
SnS

Some interesting recipes here

http://www.newkerala.com/recipes

I have no idea if her new book is any different to previous versions - but it is now available for pre-order at 5.99 from Amazon here.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Curry-Secret-Kris-Dhillon/dp/0716022044/ref=sr_1_37?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231336154&sr=1-37

Kashmir Restaurant, 27 Morley Road, Bradford (01274 726513) (near centre of Bradford)

Had lunch today with business colleague (someone he knows recommended it).

Unlicenced, scruffy, bad service - and about as far removed from a BIR restaurant as I've ever experienced ...

... in fact it is the worst curry I've had in 35 years.

Makes a typical Brummy Balti House look like a 5 star michelin restuarant.

Avoid at all costs.

I had a Jalfrezi takaway from Saffron last Saturday which is always excellent. The head chef (Anam) explained that he always uses fresh garlic and red onions in his Jalfrezi.

Last night I cooked a Jalfrezi using my June 2008 base. Instead of the usual garlic puree out of a tube, I used 2 x fresh garlic cloves, crushed through a garlic press. The difference in taste was really noticeable. I will not be using commercial garlic puree again!

Has anyone else noticed this difference?
Who uses fresh home made garlic puree - who uses commercial?

SnS

On commercial packaging Ajwain is very often labelled incorrectly as Lovage.

Lovage seed is not generally used in Indian cookery.

See Ajwain Seeds (Carom) in glossary index.

The dark brown bean-shaped pod of the evergreen tamarind tree has been cultivated in India for centuries, hence its other name of 'Indian date'.

Tamarind has a slightly sweet aroma and a pleasant sour, nutty flavour.

Tamarind is generally sold in sticky brown-and-white blocks of partially dried broken pods and pulp, or as a concentrate. Whole pods can sometimes be bought in Indian grocery shops.

It is used as a souring agent in India and Southeast Asia, much like lemon or lime juice is used here in the West.

Tamarind slices or blocks require soaking in warm water for a few minutes, squeezed to extract flavour and strained using a nylon sieve (as the acidic juice will react with metal ones).

In India tamarind is used in curries; sambhars (spiced lentil and vegetable stews); rasams (highly seasoned lentil soups) and chutneys. It is particularly good with fish and poultry dishes. It is also an essential ingredient in Asian hot and sour soups.

Pectin, extracted from the fruit is used for jam and jelly making.

In the west, tamarind is imported for condiments such as Worcester sauce.

Tamarind is a mild laxative, and is used in India as a traditional treatment for dysentery and bowel disorders. It is an antiseptic and used in eye baths and for the treatment of ulcers. Rich in vitamins, tamarind is reputed to be good for the liver and kidneys.

Over-ripe fruits can be used for cleaning copper and brass (tartaric acid).

The leaves of the tree yield red and yellow dyes.

Thought to originate from East Africa it now grows wild in India and is cultivated widely throughout the tropics.

Dried fennel seeds (saunf or soonf) are oval, about 5 to 10 mm long and 2 mm wide, either straight or slightly curved, often with little tails attached (stem).

When fresh they are yellow-brown to green with lighter coloured stripes (similar to miniature water melons). They turn a dull grey as the seed ages.

Dried fennel seed is highly aromatic and emits a warm anise aroma (anethole), similar to star-anise. The taste is similar to liquorice. In Asia it is common to chew fennel seed as a mouth-freshener.

Fennel seed is available in powder form called Valiary Powder. The powder should not be roasted or fried as it has a delicate flavour easily ruined at high temperatures.

The seed is an essential ingredient in the Bengali Five Spice mixture panch phoron and used in Chinese five-spice powder. It is also used in many curry powders.

In many parts of India roasted fennel seeds are consumed as an after-meal digestive. It is also believed to help cure stomach complaints and toothache. Asian herbalists use the seeds in medicines for shortness of breath and wheezing. Some claim fennel has aphrodisiac qualities. Fennel oil is used in cough medicine, liquorice sweets, perfumes and soaps.

Originally an indigenous plant of the Mediterranean region, fennel is now cultivated for export in Germany, France, Russia, Middle East and India.

Turmeric (Haldi) is a member of the Ginger family and is used throughout southern Asia for its musky flavour and attractive golden colour.

Turmeric is produced from the root part of the plant. The 'rhizome' is boiled or steamed, then dried and ground to a powder.

The powdered form is frequently sold in Asian markets as 'Indian Saffron' a vastly inferior substitute for the flavour of real saffron. The colour indicates its quality: the deeper the pigmentation, the better the spice quality.

Lightly aromatic, turmeric smells peppery and fresh with a hint of oranges and ginger. It tastes warm, pungent and musky with a slightly bitter aftertaste.

Essential to curries (especially fish curry) and curry powder, turmeric is also an important flavouring for many south Indian dishes. Indian vegetarian cooking relies heavily on it, especially in bean and lentil dishes.

India is the main producer of turmeric. It is also cultivated in China, Bangladesh, South America and the Caribbean.

Used for centuries in the East as a medicine and a dye, turmeric is also thought to have magical properties. On some islands in the Pacific, it is worn round the neck to ward off evil spirits. Taken in tonic form it is used as a remedy for liver problems and stomach ulcers; in ointment form it is applied to treat skin diseases.

Panch Phoron or Bengali Five Spice, a combination of five spices, is used to flavour pulses and vegetable dishes. It may be put into hot oil to flavour the oil before other ingredients are added, or it is used to flavour ghee that is then stirred into cooked dhal or poured over vegetable dishes just before being served.

To make Panch Phoron

1 tbsp white cumin seeds
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp nigella seeds
1 tbsp fenugreek seeds

Nigella is a member of the buttercup family (love-in-the-mist) and its tiny seeds are found in a head similar to a poppy head.

Seeds are small, matt black grains with a rough surface and an oily white interior, roughly triangular in shape and 1 to 3 mm long.

There is much confusion about their name. In North India, where nigella grows wild they are called kala jeera or black cumin. However, real black cumin is also known as kala jeera as well as shahi jeera, or royal cumin.

In much of India, nigella seeds are known as kalonji (black onion seed). It is also known as black caraway and wild onion seed.

The seeds have very little aroma until they are crushed when they then give off a mild peppery smell. Similar in taste to oregano, nigella seeds have a nutty, peppery taste and an underlying bitterness, like mustard-seed.

Dry roasted nigella seeds are a popular ingredient in Indian cookery and are included in a range of dishes including chutneys, pickles, vegetable dishes, dhal and mild braised dishes like Korma.

The seeds are traditionally sprinkled on naan breads before baking.

Nigella is one of the five main spices in the Indian spice mixture, panch phoron.

Nigella is native to Western Asia where it grows both wild and cultivated. The flower is also cultivated in India, Egypt and the Middle East.

It is used by Indian herbalists and doctors as a stimulant and for the treatment of flatulence, indigestion and bowel disorders. It is also used as an insect repellent.

Ajwain (ajowan) or Carom seeds look like a smaller version of cumin seeds.

On commercial packaging, Ajwain Seeds are commonly branded (incorrectly) as 'Lovage Seeds' which can be misleading. Because of this, some Indian recipes also refer to Ajwain as Lovage.

Ajwain seeds taste totally different to Lovage. In cookery they are not a substitute to each other.

Ajwain seeds are highly fragrant and smell and taste like thyme (thymol) or caraway but more bitter and pungent. Even a small amount of raw ajwain will completely dominate the flavour of a dish. Note that real lovage has a celery taste and is often sold as 'celery seed'.

Ajwain is mostly sold in seed form and is rarely used in powder form for Indian cookery. It is used in small quantities and almost always used either dry-roasted or after frying in oil.

When cooked, their flavour is mellowed similar to that of thyme or oregano, yet stronger with a zesty touch.

In India, ajwain is popular for its use in breads (paratha), savoury pastries (pakora), fried snacks (including Bombay mix), and an enhancement to spice mixes (it is often used to enhance the Panch Poran - the Indian five-spice mixture).

Ajwain is also used in vegetable dishes (for its distinctive taste) and pickles (for its preservative qualities).

India is the main supplier of Ajwain, but it is also grown in Afganistan, Pakistan, Iran and Egypt.

It is used to control flatulence and indigestion and prescribed for colic, diarrhoea and other bowel disorders and in the treatment of asthma. The essential oil is an important antiseptic and used, among other things, in mouthwashes and toothpastes.

The process of pollination is simple:

Anthers in a chile flower create a fine yellow dust called pollen. Stigmas in the same flower wait to receive this pollen (from the same plant or airborne from another plant). When this hits the stigma, the pollen works its way down the inside of the stigma to fertilize an ovule, producing a baby chile pepper.

Normally this process is done naturally by creepy crawlers, flying insects and the wind. However, pollination that normally occurs outdoors doesn't usually occur indoors - although this is easy to overcome.

1) Every morning, shake the plant. Hold it by the base and give it a gentle shake.

2) A cotton bud or small soft-bristle brush. Just gently swirl it around inside each flower for a couple of seconds then move on to the next one.

These processes will result in a significant increase in the amount of chile yield.

SnS 

I was talking with Latif at my takeaway yesterday. I asked him what he thought were the major changes in BIR cooking techniques since the 70's. He identified two main points.

1) The chicken and lamb used in BIR's in the 70's were generally low grade meat. The meat was tenderised first by prolonged boiling (with other ingredients?). Floating, congealed, saturated fat was removed from the stock. The remainder was then used instead of water in the base gravy - albeit very unhealthy, this added a particular flavour.

2) The base was made with copious amounts of veg oil which was then recovered as 'spiced oil' which was then used neat (or diluted with some fresh) to cook the curries. Apparently, some but not many, BIR's still use this oil recovery method. He does not.

These methods gave the majority of curries a 'common' base flavour.

Could this be the answer to the missing 5% 

SnS

Hi Guys

I have recently had a number of meetings with Parvez (owner) and Latif (head chef) of my local takeaway here in Lincoln (1 mile from the city centre).

Latif, used to run cookery courses (NE Lincs) for traditional Indian cooking. Both Latif and Parfez speak perfect English.

He has now confirmed that he is prepared to offer an 'advanced BIR cookery course' in the take away kitchens.

The course will be for 6 hours on a Tuesday (date to be confirmed next week) for BIR style cooking only, and will take place BEFORE Christmas.

Price will be no more than 100.00 (tbc) and will be for 8 people maximum.

He will require a non-refundable deposit at time of booking (how much I don't know yet).

I have provisionally reserved 2 places for Admin and Curry King .. so there are now only 5 places left.

I now putting this out to invitation on first come - first served basis to fill the remaining 5 places.

I can help to arrange B & B if required.

I will confirm details next week but let me know if you're genuinely interested.

SnS  ;D

I have a number of new (boxed) stainless steel Brinkmann Smokers for sale ;D ;D.

These would normally retail at 199.99

see here http://www.thebbq.co.uk/item/smoke___q__n__q___grill_stainless_steel/

If anyone would like to buy one of these at a special members price of 85.00 + 15.00 delivery (UK mainland only), please mail me.

For each smoker purchased through the forum, I will donate 5.00 to Admin's forum fund.

If you haven't tried this new healthy method of cooking, I can highly recommend it (smoked chicken is bootiful).

I also have a number of large 1/4 inch steel Brinkmann smokers for sale. As they are very heavy this would be on collection basis only.

SnS  ;D

Anybody tried this CD Rom?

If so, is it any good? Worth getting for 4.99?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000U53URU/ref=pd_luc_sbs_03_01