An Indian lady on Youtube claims that asafoetida dissolved in water results in a better flavour and aroma in food.

You can dissolve a lot of it, store it in a bottle and then use it when required.

She also claims it's a very important ingredient in Kashmiri cooking.

The tip is 2 minutes and 5 seconds into the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBvcJ-jrk8I

The recipe is for Chatpata Chana Chaat.

Vah chef, an Indian chef on Youtube, uses a "handi biryani" pan to cook biryani recipes.

It looks like a casserole pan with a bulging base: youtube.com/watch?v=iJUdcbCoIcA

Does it make a difference if you use this pan or a standard casserole pan?

Great Chef - He's the co-author of The Cinnamon Club Cook Book.

Here are some examples of him at work:

Roast Peppers Grilled with Spiced Paneer:

Fat Chillis Grilled with Spiced Paneer by Chef Vivek Singh of Cinnamon Kitchen

Pan Fried Fish Curry:

Chef Vivek Singh on Saturday Kitchen Live

Cinnamon Kitchen Scallops:

Cinnamon Kitchen Scallops

It would be interesting to find out whether the stuff they cook in the restaurant can be replicated in a home kitchen environment.

Has anyone asked a chef this question?

Thanks.

Claims to give trade secrets:

Indian Butter Chicken ( Murgh Makhani )

What do you chaps think of ChefShaans' recipes on Youtube?

Here:

Chicken Tikka Masala by Gordon Ramsay

Here:

Gordon Ramsay: Vegetable Curry

The potty mouthed chef's take on the Shami Kebab.

gordon ramsay How to make the shami kebab spiced mince

Has anyone read this book?

Is it any good?

80 pages for ?6.50.

Good feedback on Amazon.

Four recipes uploaded so far:

1. How to make naan dough.

2. How to make pre-cooked chicken.

3. How to make mix powder.

4. How to make chicken korma.

The Chicken Korma BIR style clip is great.

There are key similarities to Taz/Mick's recipe - but with interesting variations in ingredients and technique.

It's useful to compare and contrast the two recipes to gain insights into why they cook it like this.

http://www.youtube.com/user/dipuraja1#p/u

Well that's the ambitious title of this Gruniad article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2006/aug/20/foodanddrink.features

Chicken Tikka Masala
Green Curry of Prawns with Aubergine and Basil
Jungle Curry of Chicken with Vegetables and Peppercorns
Potato Curry
Hot and Sour Prawn Curry
Fiery Lamb Curry
Vegetables with Lentils
Stir Fry of Paneer Cheese with Peppers
Coconut and Turmeric Curry of Red Snapper
Green Prawn Curry with Fresh Dill
Shallow Fried Masala Sardines

The recipes are taken from Curry by Roopa Gulati, David Thompson, Mahmood Akbar, Sri Owen, Vivek Singh, Das Sreedharan and Corinne Trang.

Has anyone tried this book?

I've browsed through it in WHSmiths.

It looked like something Thomas Keller would produce.

Fine dining Indian style.

What interested me most were the different bases and spice mixes.

Some of them looked, to my untrained eye, mouthwatering and original; not your average takeaway food but still good.

There's also a seafood version by one of the authors.

Has anyone used this book?

Is it any good?

I'm tempted to buy it but it's only 66 pages and costs ?10!

Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks!