He's very busy making these videos, enjoyed the latest one, a special mint curry. So simple but looks very nice. I wonder if he has any more 'Chef specials' he will show us. They always look exotic with 'special secret ingredients' when they appear on your local restaurant menu but usually they're nothing more than basic curries tweaked with a couple of pre made sauces or tweaks. I think he's great, I hope he gets the support he deserves..I wonder if he's still involved in a restaurant now?

One thing that I have noticed is that he really browns the ginger/garlic paste.. I mean really browns it. Almost everyone says not do this, it goes bitter etc. However this is exactly how my takeaway chef does it, almost to the point of burning. Syed does say that he soaks the garlic to prevent it burning. Again this is what I've seen first hand and how I do it, the outer skins are easier to peel off. He's certainly churning out some videos... Keep em coming Syed!!!!

Hi guys, I sat and watched all of the videos yesterday. I think they're fantastic... All credit to the guy for sharing these. Almost everything he did was really not that different to what I've witnessed my own chef doing in the takeaway kitchen. The mix powder method is certainly different, not seen powders roasted before and its probobly the only mix powder I've seen that doesn't actually contain curry powder. Strange too that he adds methi at the end of cooking as opposed to the beginning. Although he uses a non stick pan he does say in one of the videos that in a restaurant he uses a curry pan so the sauce caramelises. Can't wait to give his recipes a go....

Thank you, its all in the prep, that's the longest bit. It took me three whole mornings and then on the fourth I did the breads and rice.

Ps if anyone thinks naan breads can't be done without a tandoor or at home they're wrong... Maybe the best thing happy4chris left us before he disappeared was his naan bread recipe/method, follow that and you should get excellent, if not better breads than some of the soggy breads I sometimes get from my local places... Cheers JB

I used my original takeaway base(the one with the garlic tarka at the end), standard mix powder, a  high heat and not too much stirring when cooking.They were as good as any takeaway I know, better than some I have to say.

I did a bit of selection of everything, some mild and some hot. Chicken tikka massala, chicken garam massala, garlic chilli chicken, Special passanda, chicken tikka rezalla, sweet and sour chicken, sizzling tikka, balti pathia, chicken madras, bombay aloo, sag aloo,Chana massala, chilli keema rice, pilau rice, garlic naan, peshwari naan and keema naan.

many thanks!!

I had a bit of trouble re-sizing them, it's been so long since I've posted, not sure if anyone can help now they've been posted... Many thanks... Jb

Hi everyone,I haven't posted(or cooked anything!!) for some time.I always cook a xmas curry feast for the guys at work.here's a few pics for you to enjoy.
It was a bit of a mammoth task but it all went down very well.

I did about 10 mains,a dozen assorted naan breads, sides and a heap of rice.....

Quote from: chewytikka on February 08, 2019, 12:34 AM
My question is what are these precooked potatoes used for?
They remind me of TA chips in size, but those are just half cooked blanched in oil. Averywhere.

Giving these a veg Bagar as discribed, would be a good short cut if they were heading for Bombay Potato type dish
but would have to be a good seller to warrant this precook and Bengali 5 spice is not to all customers tastes, so a bit risky.

Quote from: jb on January 18, 2016, 07:42 PM

The size is like Take Away Chips, around here. Just curious, JB if your still about.

I'm still about, still obsessed with everything BIR.I often log onto the forum to see what's happening. I'm quite lucky that my local takeaway(the one where I'm allowed in the kitchen) still has the same chef so I'm still able to go in and watch.

I still think this is the best method of pre-cooking potatoes. I've found it can be a bit tricky cooking a big pan on the hob, one minute they're rock hard and the next they've gone mushy, or sometimes they're perfect on the outside but the middle is not cooked properly.

I'm not saying every BIR chef does it this way, mine certainly does and I've seen him do it like this loads of times.

The potatoes are used in many things, obviously Bombay aloo, sag aloo,chana masala, and a couple will go in any vindaloo dish.

As far as the size and shape Chewy, it's just the Chef's way of doing them. One other takeaway round here does really small potatoes and I've seen other places do theirs differently as well. Once cooked, they are actually quite bland, I've tasted some straight out of the cooking pot in the takeaway kitchen and they were the same. However,if they're left overnight in the fridge then the flavours will develop .