Quote from: smokenspices on March 25, 2008, 12:33 PM

Hi Apprentice

I think if you read carefully through this thread you will find the questions have been answered.

In summary:-

1) The spice powder requires heat to release flavour, aroma and remove the "rawness". Ideally the oil temperature should be at 160-180C and the spices fried for a few seconds. If it is hotter than this then you risk burning the spices. Below this temperature and you will require a slightly longer period of frying. If the oil is too cool, the spices wont fry at all. The ideal temperature is found by experience, not by measuring. The frying time (in seconds) will vary depending on oil temperature, quantity and type of spices (plus other less influencing factors).

2) If you add water (as in spice paste) into hot oil there will be a cooling effect caused by a) the water being at a lower temperature than the oil and b) the evaporation of water into steam (this being the greatest cooling effect of the two). The cooling effect (b) remains until all the water has evaporated. If you add oil/spice paste to hot oil the cooling effect will be much less as there is no evaporation. If you add only spices (no water, no oil) to hot oil the cooling effect will be almost negligible.

SnS  ;D

Thank you SnS ,
that is much more helpful ,
however , how will I know when the spices have reached the required temperatures ? And how will I know if I have cooked it for long enough OR over cooked it ?

Domi ,

I don't think it's unreasonable to ask what is  roughly considered a low temperature . And I am genuinely interested - especially as a beginner ( and this is the beginners section here isn't it? ) .

edited by SnS

Yes as a beginner , I'd like to know the answers to those questions too!

Some clear guidance to me  as a beginner would be much appreciated .

Thanks for asking those questions Rai !

I don't know whether I should add the spices to hot oil before I add anything else or as a paste

I don't want to burn them , but I do want to get the most flavour from them .

The answers I hope will help me , from your collective wisdom .

edited by SnS

Quote from: Curry King on March 14, 2008, 09:42 AM
Your best bet is not to cut it out during the cooking stages but to remove it just prior to serving.  I have tried using less oil but unfortunately it does have an effect on taste, better to just eat less curry. 

As for precooking meat there are a number of methods on the forum, here are mine:

Lamb - https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,1915.0.html

Chicken - https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,158.0.html

Happy currying
cK

OK Thanks CK ,  eat less curry hehehehe yeah right! Ok I'll remove the excess after .

Quote from: unclebuck on March 13, 2008, 03:29 PM
Hi apprentice, if your just starting out in BIR cooking i really recommend this website

http://www.curryhouse.co.uk/rsc/index.htm

I started out with curryhouse recipes, clear instructions/methods theres better stuff here at cr0.co.uk but its a good benchmark to get your self into restaurant cooking.  ;D

if you want a really quick one pot curry try this one

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,2237.0.html

Hey Unclebuck ,

thanks for that , I have saved that website and will check it out .

And another curry for me to try , I will be keeping busy 

Quote from: Bobby Bhuna on March 13, 2008, 02:25 PM
Welcome to the gang!

Thanks for the welcome Bobby  ;D

Quote from: Curry King on March 13, 2008, 02:08 PM
Hi Welcome to cr0,

If your after something quick and simple have a stab at this one which I was shown:

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,179.0.html

I still use this now from time to time and the results are very good for not much effort.

Cheers
cK

Hi CK ,

thanks for your help , yes that recipe looks simple enough , I'll give it a go  !!

Just a couple of things , can I cut back on the oil quantities ? if I do , will it effect the finished product greatly? I like to eat healthy and always cook low fat .

The other thing , when it says precooked meat , what's the best method of cooking for the meat?

Quote from: Chris303 on March 13, 2008, 12:04 PM

Heck no... Most BIRs need to be able to get things out quickly. Traditional dishes can simmer for upto an hour to get the spices right and the meat tender.

Check out "50 Great Curries of India" - This is regional and most of the dishes take time because you are cooking off your onion, garlic, ginger, meat etc from scratch. It is a great book though. This is where I get a lot of my ideas from - and then convert recipes into BIR style

Thanks Chris , do you have any particular recipes you would recommend , as I am not familiar with BIR style cooking ...
something that's idiot proof would be good , I am a blonde lol .

Quote from: smokenspices on March 13, 2008, 11:20 AM

Hi Apprentice

Welcome to the forum.

Making a traditional curry from scratch (as in most recipe books), is usually more complicated and overall far more time consuming than using the gravy method.

If you use the gravy method this will provide you a large amount of gravy stock which you can freeze. This simplifies stage 2 (making the curry) which more closely resembles the method uses in most BIR's (their's isn't from the freezer of course).

If you want to make a curry gravy recipe without adjusting the recipe quantities, you will need a large cooking pot. For example: the Saffron recipe produces about 4.5 litres of the stuff - enough for about 22 individual curries! Other base gravy recipes are similar quantities.

Depending on the recipe used (quantity), you will also need plenty of space in the freezer (I put 400 ml in each carton .. so 11 plastic takeaway cartons).

As an intro to the gravy method, it may be useful to purchase Khris Dhillon's book "The Curry Secret" (about 4.00 quid).

Regards

SnS  ;D

Thanks SnS ,
I see I have much to learn , not sure if I want 11 containers of curry base in my freezer though  , parhaps I can downsize and reduce the quantities?

I shall have to go through this site with a fine tooth comb I think .

Thanks for your suggestions and your warm welcome 

Thanks Santa ,

I have a bamix which should do the job nicely , are tradional curries easier to start with than a BIR style curry?