Hi guys

A friend of a friend owns and runs Your Sushi - http://www.yoursushi.co.uk/. Basically its a sushi cooking school either at their premises or you can get a chef to come to your home to have sushi parties where everyone learns to make sushi. It's been hugely successful and they now have specialist chefs nationwide that run the courses.

What's this got to do with curry? I emailed him a couple of weeks ago and mentioned Az and how we has been considering running curry cooking classes and is it something he would be interested in being involved with. He emailed back and we are going to meet up for a chat about it.

The big question is would a curry version be as popular as the sushi one? Cooking curry is a smelly and messy affair when compared to sushi that can be prepared anywhere and anytime with only a few sharp knives. I can't imagine many hen parties booking a curry cooking evening can you? Stag parties might do though and I can't image there are many stag sushi parties so maybe the two businesses would complement each other?

Maybe the in-house sessions could focus on samosas, bhajis and chicken tikka with dips and sauces while the in-kitchen sessions could focus on the proper curry cooking.

It would be good to hear thoughts on this from everyone. There might even be jobs as regional chefs in it for some of you

Did you guys catch this on Saturday Kitchen this week? It looks semi-BIR but maybe a little 'posher'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01jt2t0/Saturday_Kitchen_02_06_2012/

The Ingredients

250g (9oz) Ghee
3 tablespoons Fresh Coriander (chopped)
65g (2 1/2oz) Garlic
1 tablespoon Ground Turmeric
1 tablespoon Red Chilli Powder
350g (12oz) Fresh Spinach washed with large stalks removed
1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
4 medium sized Green Chillies with stalks removed
1 tablespoon Paprika
? tablespoon Garam Masala
550g (1 1/4lb) Onions Chopped
1 x 400g (140z) Can Chopped Toms
50g (2oz) Fresh Ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon Salt
900g (2lb) Boneless leg or shoulder of Lamb (1? in) cubes
1 tablespoon Ground Coriander
120ml (4fl oz) water
A pinch of ground cumin and freshly ground black pepper to serve

How to Cook

1. Heat the ghee in a large, heavy based pan. Add the onions and cook over a medium heat, stirring now and then, for 20 minutes until they are soft and a light brown

2. Put the tomatoes, water, ginger and garlic into a liquidizer and blend until smooth. Remove the fried onions with a slotted spoon, add them to the paste and blend briefly until smooth.

3. Return the puree to the ghee left in the pan and add the lamb and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes, by which time the lamb will be half cooked and the sauce will be well reduced. Stir in the turmeric, chilli powder, cumin, paprika and ground coriander and continue to cook for 30-45 minutes for shoulder or 45-1 hour for leg, until the lamb is tender, adding a little water now and then if the sauce starts to stick.

4. Meanwhile, put 175g (6oz) of the spinach leaves into a large pan and cook until it has wilted down into the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 minute, then transfer to the rinsed out liquidizer and blend to a smooth puree. Set aside. Rinse out the liquidiser again and add the green chillies and 2-3 tablespoons of water and blend until smooth. Set aside.

5. When the lamb is cooked, there should be a layer of ghee floating on the top of the curry. You can either skim it off or leave it there, whichever you prefer. Then stir in the spinach puree and the remaining spinach leaves and cook for 2 minutes.

6. Now taste the curry and add as much green chilli puree as you wish, according to how hot you like your curries . Simmer for 2 minutes more.

7. Stir in the fresh coriander and Garam Masala. Transfer the curry to a serving dish and sprinkle with a little more ground cumin and some freshly ground black pepper just before you take it to the table.
Serve with your choice of rice, Naan breads, poppadoms and whatever else you can cram in.

I just thought I'd throw the idea out there as last year was quite good fun for those that made it. It's open to absolutely everyone including partners and kids of any age.

Is there any interest in holding another one this year?

If so, when would be the best dates? I'm away first 2 weeks of Aug so would need to be end of July or end of August.

Any ideas on how to make it better that last year?

If anyone has a proper burner we could get some demo's going. I'm sure Az will be up for coming again with a few samples. Those mini-bhaji bites were good!

Price will be free, I'm happy to rent the BBQ and supply plenty of charcoal. It will be a good opportunity to taste each other's food to compare. Maybe we could get Az to judge a best curry award

If we have it in the same place there is LOADS of room. I think there was about 20 - 25 people last time and we could have easily doubled that number and had room to spare. The kids had a great time playing in the woods and football in the park.

I amended last years spreadsheet to get an idea of possible numbers:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AoVG2JH0G1stdFJDSXo2WWJOdUZEU1pWTnRCQWFDRkE&authkey=CJm4-LIB

Hi all

I know we spoke about this before Christmas but the restaurant wasn't ready. Well it is now and I've convinced Az this is something he should be offering on Sundays. He's asked me to arrange groups and an itinerary of what to do (I'm not on commission but hopefully I'll get a free takeaway out of it one night . The restaurant is in Fleet, Hampshire. The website is still under construction but you can download the menu from the homepage - http://www.zaalfleet.com/.

In terms of what to do, I'm assuming members from here would prefer an in-depth, full life-cycle experience including making the base / pastes / prep that will actually be used in the restaurant the following day. Im thinking something like this:

10am
Meet/chat/coffee
Garam massala spice roasting

10:30am - 11am
Base sauce preparation and cooking
Massala paste prep and cooking

11:00am - 12pm
Chicken and lamb tikka marinade / cooking in tandoor
Onion Bhajis prep and first cook
Naan dough prep
Garlic/Ginger paste

12pm - 12:30pm
Grind garam masala
Make mix powder

12:30pm - 1:30pm
Main and side dish cooking
Naan cooking if brave enough

1:30pm - 2pm
Eating our creations
Q and A

It would be good to hear if I've missed anything glaringly obvious.

Date wise, I suggest we aim for Jan 29th and Feb 5th with maybe 5 or 6 people maximum per session.

Price wise, I don't know what to suggest. Does ?60 including lunch and coffee sound right?

I know lots of people were interested in this so it will be first come first served. I'm sure he will run other dates though so no one should miss out completely. Please send me a PM or post on this thread to say if you want to come and which date is preferable and I'll do my best to make it happen.

Cheers
Chris

Hi all

I was speaking to Az last night and he said he would be interested in running cooking lessons once he has taken over a restaurant (The Blue Tiger for those who know Fleet). We were talking about price and I had to say I had no idea what would be perceived as good value. As an opening bid I suggested maybe ?50 for a 4 - 5 hour lesson covering base sauce, marinades, massalas, spice mixes as well as hands on cooking of dishes and trying (or burning) your hand at naans in the tandoor. This would include a meal at the end of it to eat your creations.

Does this sound about right? I had a go doing some hands on cooking last night and I learned soooo much. Its amazing how little garlic starts off the Madras (less than half a teaspoon), and there was hardly any spice mix added. The base was much weaker and diluted than my usual batches but this means he can add more to the pan (2.5 full ladles worth) and spend longer reducing it down.

It would be good to hear you guys thoughts on it. Is ?50 too much or too little? The meal is probably worth ?15 - ?20 so ?30 - ?35 for 4 - 5 hours hands on lessons sounds like good value to me. I could probably negotiate a CR0 discount if a few members fancy coming along at the same time. Actually - that would be a fab idea. Anyone up for it?

Hi all,

Great to see so many have signed up for the BBQ on Saturday. It seems to have come around quite quickly now! There is still plenty of room for more, it's a massive park so space wont be an issue. The long term forecast is looking good too so fingers crossed!

For those who haven't signed up yet, the plan is to meet at Frimley Lodge Park on Saturday at around 11:30am. If everyone brings along their best curry based dishes we can cook / heat them up there and sample everyone's handy-work. I'm planning on taking some chicken tikka and Roshney Sauce to heat up along with beers / soft drinks and crisps e.t.c. I'll take a big container full of ice to keep the drinks cool, plus a cool box for the meats. I'm sure there will end up being way too much food but that can only be a good thing - I assume we all have healthy appetites!

If you want to come post a reply to this thread or drop me an IM. It's very much a family friendly day so bring wives and kids if you like. I'll take footballs and bats and balls e.t.c. to keep the kids busy, plus there is a big playground there and possibly a miniature train you can pay 50p to have a ride on.

I'm still hoping Nipoori Man will get a Nipoori to us in time to test and play with, plus I'm expecting Az from Chutneys to be there to sample our food and give advice as well as bringing a few samples of his own.

Does anyone have a gas ring they can bring? If not I might be able to get hold of one but we are running out of time a bit.

The postcode for Sat-Navs is GU16 6NS, there is lots of info about it here - http://www.surreyheath.gov.uk/leisure/parksandrecreationareas/frimleylodgepark.htm

See you all there, it should be a cracking day!

Chris

I just watched this and couldn't help but laugh. What an absolutely terrible demonstration!

http://youtu.be/yCg5gLODeSk

Won't let me embed it for some reason!

So it's my birthday in a week and my lovely wife suggested I combine the usual family money presents to buy a tandoor for the garden. What a fabulous idea I thought!

Having a look online I dont seem to be spoilt for choice. Spice of India and thetandoorclayoven.co.uk both have very similar looking options, presumably built in the same place but with different badges on.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? Has anyone used either, and if so, were they any good? The videos didn't inspire confidence in how much heat they can generate. Can I use a gas ring instead of charcoal with it? I love the idea of having one, but at around ?300 its a big investment if it hardly gets used!

After some fantastic success with the starters group tests it is time to move onto the main event. I suggest we start with CTM, then do Madras followed by a chefs specials where anyone can nominate their all time favourite recipes.

Rather than having the usual big debate about which base to use and spice mix and brand of cream I suggest we decide on 4 or 5 recipes as a forum and then the judges can formulate a plan as to how best test them.

I have a fabulous recipe that will be making it's debut in this group test.

Please let me know if you are able to take part in this. Russ - I'm happy to host again if you are up for it!

Please can everyone also nominate their favourite CTM recipes to be in the test.

Thanks
Chris

Over the last 6 - 12 months my curry cooking has come on leaps and bounds. I thought I'd share my top 5 revelations (in no particular order) and it would be good to hear everyone elses.

1) Cook the curries in veg ghee instead of veg oil.

2) Spices need to be charred (not totally burned) at the initial stage - be brave.

3) G/G paste needs to be cooked longer than you think - aim for medium brown in colour.

4) I always precook my chicken or lamb on the BBQ in a tikka marinade - see below - (whole or half chicken breasts that are then sliced and added to the curry). If I'm adding onions or green pepper to a curry I precook these by lightly frying them in G/G paste.

5) Pataks Tikka, Tandoori and Kashmiri Massala pastes should always be in your curry cupboard.

I hope this helps some of you save some experimentation time. It would be great to hear what other suggestions people can add to the list.

<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8ZixU3Nbf9c/TaL2Upkbz9I/AAAAAAAAAmQ/meCBc_iT8DQ/s800/IMAG0093.jpg" height="478" width="800" />

Okay, so the idea of meeting up isn't a new one, but as far as I am aware it has never really happened. I guess pat of the reason might be down to family commitments and people not being able to travel half way across the country.

So how about a Summer BBQ in the park? Open to anyone plus wives and kids. The men can drink beer and burn chicken tikka and kebabs on the BBQ, the ladies can (hopefully) enjoy the sun while gossiping about who's husband is the most annoying curry cook, and the kids can play football or in the playground.

Would this work? Would there be lots of interest? There is a nice big park in Farnborough with massive BBQ's you can turn up and use. I'm happy to organize it and be the caterer. Either everyone can bring food and drinks for everyone to share, or I can buy lots of stuff and we split the cost.

I appreciate it might be a bit far for the overseas contingent, but Manchester / Liverpool is only about 3.5 hours drive away. If the family is all coming why not find a cheap b and b and make a weekend of it. Legoland is just down the road.

Let me know what you all think.

NEW - Click on this link to register your availability:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AoVG2JH0G1stdFJDSXo2WWJOdUZEU1pWTnRCQWFDRkE&hl=en&authkey=CJm4-LIB

It is the moment you have all been waiting for, the results of the Bombay Aloo group test. It was great fun to do and there were two clear winners in Dipuraja and Solarsplace. 4 judges preferred Dips, 2 preferred Solars.

My thoughts were that they were both excellent but I found the mango chutney in Solars just made it a bit too sweet for me. Other people obviously prefer that so I suggest everyone gives them bot a go and either picks their favourite or tweek one of them to your own palate. They are both very good starting places to tailor your own recipe.

Thanks again to all the judges. I will let you all post your tasting notes below but thanks for emailing them over to me.

The link for all of the recipes is: https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5537.0

<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_8ZixU3Nbf9c/TY4rx9j4U5I/AAAAAAAAAmE/p0dL3YJGVzs/s800/Bombay%20Aloo.jpg" height="800" width="449" />

So after 2 disappointing years of chilli growing I've bought the seeds for this years plants. Its a little bit late in the year o be planting them but I usually keep them in our conservatory so they should be fine.

In 2009 I grew Super Chillies which were very prolific and looked pretty cool but the chillies weren't hot at all. I would add about 20 to a chilli con carne and still have to add lots of hot chilli powder.

I also grew Dorset Naga's which took an absolute eternity to germinate but eventually I managed to get quite a few fruits. While they were clearly stinking hot, the pungent taste was pretty revolting. It completely overpowered everything else anywhere near it.

So last year I went for Jalapenos, pinnochios nose and pusa jwala. It turns out fresh jalapens on pizza aren't as nice as pickled ones from a jar. The Pinnchios nose were good fun to grow and they really were enormous! The pusa jwala I grew as a green finger chilli but they weren't right. They were too light in colour and didn't have a lot of heat in them.

So this year I have already planted some seeds that I dried from green chillies I bought at the Indian grocery store. 2 weeks later and no shoots so I'm thinking they probably aren't going to germinate.

I have also bought 3 types from chilliseeds.co.uk. They have a new type in called curry chilli which is apparently specifically designed for the green finger chilli curry market. We shall see! I also will be growing some birds eye chillies which I use all the time. Then purely to see the WI lady judges face at the annual show, I'll be growing yellow Peter Peppers. If you don't know what they look like do a quick Google images search!

Could this be the missing ingredient? It would definitely impart a savory yet salty taste (so I am told!).

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/natural-harvest---a-collection-of-semen-based-recipes/5198959

I love Bombay Aloo and the thought of finding the perfect recipe is too good an opportunity to turn down.

Please can I have volunteers and recipe nominations on this thread. Solar - can you recipe be amended just be removing the spinach element or does it need tweaking elsewhere?

Razor, Luke, Ramirez - you are on the list. Solar, are you up for it? Anyone else let me know.

We will all be using par boiled Charlotte potatoes and the Taz base and spice mix. Other base sauces are available.

The test list currently looks like this:

Solars - https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5553.msg54196;topicseen#msg54196
Dips - https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4511.0
976Bar - See below
UC - See below
Chewytikka - See below
One from a 'proper' book - Authentic Balti Cookbook

976bar:

Here's my recipe for Bombay Aloo. Unfortunately, I don't get the time to help out with the tests, wish I had more time to help out.

Ingredients
3 tbsp oil
1 and 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 fresh green chilli
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves of garlic, peeled, crushed and diced finely
4 tbsp butter
6 potatoes, peeled, parboiled and cut into 2 inch cubes
4 tomatoes, diced
1 cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Method
Heat the oil and butter in the pan, low to medium heat otherwise spices will burn, add the spices and fry for about 30 seconds. Then add the potatoes making sure they are completely coated in the spice mixture. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, then stir in the garam masala. Cook for a couple of minutes, then stir in the tomatoes and fresh coriander. Cook for a further 5 minutes or until the potatoes are just soft inside.

For Aloo Gobi, cook some cauliflower, cut into small stems and add to the pan with the potatoes and cover with the spice mixture.

UC:

Here is the UC one - it is for Sag Aloo but the spinach is left out):

0.5 tsp g/g puree
0.5 tsp tandoori masala
0.5 tsp salt
0.5 tsp cumin
a touch of curry powder
small handful of sliced garlic
gravy
potatoes (1-2 medium, pre-cooked)
coriander

Add 1 - 2 curry spoons of oil to a pan on medium head (assume he means chef spoon?)
Add sliced garlic until it starts to brown
Add the spices and stir round the pan - if it starts to stick add 0.3 ladle of gravy
Add 6 - 8 chunks of pre-cooked potato
Add 1 - 2 ladles of gravy and boil it down, stirring with the tip of the spoon
Add a good pinch of chopped coriander and give it a final stir

Anyone who has read the book will know that accurate measurements and timings are non-existent! I've transcribed as best I can. I reduced the spices from 0.7 tsp to 0.5 tsp to make up for the lack of spinach.

Chewytikka:

BIR/TA Bombay Aloo
It is the simplest and quickest of side dishes
Especially if you pre heat the cooked potatoes in the micro!

Method
Heat a chef's spoon of oil, quickly add tsp g&g paste, tsp mixed powder, touch of chilli powder,
chef's spoon tomato dilute, a handful of small chopped onion and green pepper.
Bhun/Stir-fry on med/high heat for 10sec, add potatoes and toss to coat, 10sec
add 2 chef's spoons of warm base sauce and Bhun/Stir-fry on med/high heat for
a minute or so, until the sauce clings and coats the potatoes (dry) add fresh chopped coriander, mix and serve.
(If you want it to be wet, just add more base sauce.)

This is the basic BIR Bombay Potatoes! anything else added to this makes it something else.
e.g. cumin seeds = Jheera Aloo, which I like.
and my favourite, Aloo Manchurian, which is Indo/Chinese and amazing.

Recipes are here and there, Method, Technique and Timing is everything!

Bombay Potato (Bombay Aloo) - Balti Cookbook

A hot and slightly dry dish (meaning it's not swimming in sauce - but still moist in texture) which can be served as a side dish or a main course.  It includes chunks of potato, coated in a flavoursome mixture of spices and is best served with a paratha or chapatti.

Makes about 3 portions as a side dish.  About 2 portions as a main meal:

Ingredients

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

3 tbsp vegetable oil

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large onion, roughly chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 green chillies, finely chopped (leave the seeds in)

1 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp of spice mix, aka; Mix powder, curry masala, spice blend

60ml of base sauce

1 tomato, diced

Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Method

Boil the potatoes for about 5 minutes (so they're slightly cooked, but not liable to fall apart) then rinse in cold water, drain in a colander, and put to one side.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok, and fry the garlic until it starts to brown.

Add the onion and cook until it starts to soften.

Then add the cumin seeds, stirring constantly, followed by the chillies.

Reduce the heat, add the chilli powder and spice mix, stirring constantly (so the spices don't burn) for about 1 minute.

Then add about half a cupful of hot water, and bring to the boil.

Continue to boil for about two minutes, stirring constantly.

Then add the potato, and base sauce.

Stir gently - making sure you don't break the potato.

Add the tomato, and cook for a few more minutes.

Sprinkle generously with fresh coriander leaves, and slightly mix it into the dish by giving it a gentle stir.

Serve.

Please note, this is not my recipe and I've only added it as a suggestion for the imminent group test.

If anyone feels offended by my publishing of this recipe or feel that I have broke the copyright law, then please don't hesitate to let me know, and I will remove the post.

Okay so I'm going to try and work on replicating my current favourite dish - Roshney Chicken. It isn't on many menus but is similar to a Chicken Tikka Rezala.

Effectively, it is a slightly thicker than average garlicky curry sauce and usually come fairly mild, I ask them to make it Vindaloo Hot. The main ingredient is chicken tikka which comes in strips as opposed to the cubes they use in the other dishes. It also includes lots of lumps of green pepper and onion along with some fresh green chillies. It tastes absolutely divine!

So my questions are: If I add onion and green pepper, do these need to be pre cooked? If so should they be deep fried or boiled? The same question goes for the green chillies although I assume due to their size they go in raw, but at what stage?

For the first attempt I'm thinking of frying 3 tsp of garlic paste until it starts to brown then add in mix powder, chilli powder and some sliced garlic. Then add the base and green chillies and reduce right down (as per Curryholics Madras), then add onion and green pepper and the rest of the base.

It would be good to hear anyones thoughts on this, especially if you have tried a Roshney or CTR in the past.

Solar - you really need to try this dish from Chutneys. It's well worth the journey!

I don't suppose anyone has ever used one of these? I expect it wouldn't get hot enough to be of any real benefit to cooking but it's a nice idea.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weston-Mill-Pottery-Terracotta-Tandoori/dp/B0047P6KI0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296561471&sr=8-1

I'm afraid you will have to make do with a link until I can upload this properly as an image. I'm sure there will be plenty of comments but this test really highlights the difference a good method can produce. Once you crack this, bhaji's become very easy to make and you can tailor them to your personal preferences.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=0AoVG2JH0G1stdGV0aDcxeDVzNmZEczJGSUhPcXBkWmc&output=html

I know you guys like a bargain as much as me:

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/logik-l33scss10-slow-cooker-stainle/814392

I thought this might be of interest.

The group testing of the starters is going really well with Bhajis lined up for this month and possibly garlic naans the next.

At some stage we will have the difficult task of trying to test the actual curries. The main reason it will be tough to get accurate results is that we can't realistically try the different recipes with the bases that they are intended to be used with. i.e. CA's Madras recipe with CA's base sauce. We also have the issue of non standard spice mixes too. It just isn't practical to make 5 bases to try 5 recipes.

I'd like to hear peoples thoughts on this and the best way to move forwards. My first thought is to set a 'standard' base recipe and spice mix and then the recipe can be amended slightly to accommodate this. For example is a recipe has it's own spice mix that includes chilli powder, but the 'standard' spice mix doesn't have any in it, it should be added to the recipe.

Getting the base right is a much more difficult affair. We can't just add in carrot at the end because the base didn't have any in. I imagine we'll have to make a generic base and make do with it. At least all of the recipes will be using the same one so it should be a fairly fair test. Any suggestion would be gratefully received.