I noticed that few recipes on these boards seem to include green cardamon pods in the mains. My local TA will often leave a couple of the chaps in Bhunas and Dupiazas. ( I'm used to fishing them out).

Is this a regional (South london) thing? In what context do members suggest their use (rice excluded)?

My local BIR is in knightsbridge and I guess tries to cater for upmarket Clientele. Like may so "modern" places, they try to be different. I have met the chef Aziz many times and he has been proud to talk about what makes him different.

He said he uses "Grains of Paradise" in with his spice mix. I don't know if any body knows its origins? or indeed what effect this will have on the dish. He mentioned Africa??

I am due to visit this week and he has offered to look at my standard list of ingredients, to give me some guidance. I'll report back once I have more, but he did warn me that I would be surprised how many standard supermarket available products are utilised. I know that Delmonte tinned mixed fruit is a favourite in some CTM recipes!

I've read many articles here on members getting the fable toffee hit, at various and sometimes unexpected times. There is no doubt that the smell that eminates from a BIR kitchen often bears no resemblence to home.

there is a technique to this that can be replicated at home, by (as you would expect) doing the same as in a BIR kitchen. The 2 magic secrets are heat and movement of the pan.

if you can't get extreme heat at home on your stove, you will find this hard.

If you were to watch the local chef, he will add gravy on top of spices to prevent burning. So as all the spices are cooked, he will have a very high heat and rapidly moved the frying pan back and forth (in a sliding action), on the high gas. Now this has to be done quickly and when the pan is not too full, to prevent slopping on the stove. The action of this will cause flames to engulf the pan. This is fine and is needed. It is at this point that the aroma is released.

Try a dry run with onions, garlic/ginger paste, then a spice mix of your choice (but not dry), add either gravy of 4 tablespoons of water. Remember, movement induces flames, equals toffee aroma. Let me know how you get on.

I had the chance to visit a customer at the Ladywell Tandoori. Not a BIR, but a completely standard curry house with no variation on what you'd expect from generic dishes. I made notes on the "gravy" and have a had many attempts to obtain the best results. In fact, I have used a method posted elsewhere on how to avoid to dreaded bitter onion syndrome. Although, the chef only boiled, not fried the onions. in fact the gravy pot is constantly simmering all night in his kitchen.

Incidently, the aroma from the cooking(main dishes) arises from a particular technique. it involves the onion, galic/ginger paste, then 1 big spoonful of base sauce being cooked on a super high heat. by rapidly moving the frying pan back and forth, the contents catch fire for a second. it is this process that that marks the difference between restaraunt speed cooking and home simmering.

anyway gravy time.


3 large onions
1/2 green pepper
1/2 a cup of corriander stems
8 garlic gloves
1" square ginger
level teaspoon salt
heaped teaspoon cumin
  "       "     corriander
  "       "     paprika
  "       "     tumeric
  "       "     madras curry powder (yes they do use curry powder!)
1 1/2 pints of water
1 cup of oil
approx 300ml of tinned chopped toms

method:

chop onions and fry in oil until translucent(about 10 mins). keep moving to avoid colour.
add chopped green pepper
blend garlic/ginger with water to make paste.
add paste plus corriander stems, to onions and fry for further 2 mins.
add salt.
add tinned toms, fry 1 min
add water and bring to boil.
add spices.
boil on medium for 1 hour.
cool then puree
now simmer for 40 mins, adding water if it starts to stick


good luck! my kitchen has a BIR smell about it. Not such a good thing at breakfast time!!