Hi hezzie!

I just take some dried red chilis (if you got more than one variety, feel free to mix them - I throw in some additional hot cayenne peppers), deseed them a bit (I feel the commercial products contain very often too much seeds, as filler - but if you want that, just don't deseed them at all) and process them in the electric coffee grinder I use for my other spices and mixes. (for less time, just a few seconds really) You can use a rolling pin, too! I also like to use these flakes instead of ground chili powder in a few dishes (:

For more spice, or flavour, but not necessarily heat per se, and not regarding curries in general, but salads, kebabs or starters/appetizers, I really like Chaat Masala, and just recently, Sumac (getting into persian and afghan cuisine lately ;P)

Read somewhere that you won't see shakers very often in real indian restaurants, no salt and pepper, because the cook assumes he spices everything perfectly, and it's seen as some sort of insult if you add salt or pepper afterwards. Don't know if this is true.

Hi hezzie!

I try to add the right amount of chili powder (and/or fresh chilis) to begin with, but if I have to add some heat afterwards (usually doesn't happen), I will just add some more chili powder (without frying) or, depending on the dish, more fresh red or green chilis - either whole or as a paste. I would put a cup or glass with selfmade chili flakes on the table, so everyone could add some heat if he/she feels the need to (:

Haha, hope you didn't tie the poor pal to a chair or something ;P

Quote from: bigboaby1 on May 15, 2013, 12:29 PM
I work along side two other indian chefs and have never once seen them eating rice..It's either a nan or a chappti to soak up the curry..never in millon years would they use utencils..People say they could never eat a curry without rice, many Indians rarely do...Well from my experience anyway..I have staff currys frequently, and never with rice, just a chappati..i'ts a tottaly a new experience, i love it...cheers Boaby

India is a big country, and it's true, there are many people that prefer bread with their curries or dals, but there are also regions, where they eat almost exclusively rice. Northern and north-western regions will prefer the bread, which has also something to do with the fact, that no one else produces that amount of wheat. There are some dishes, that are so soupy and runny, even indian people use spoons these days (:

Regarding the oil, I never heard or read to add some to prevent ingredients from sticking in general, but I feel that you have quite often to add some extra, while frying eggplant slices. They soak up quite much, and if they are spiced with powders, these can burn easily otherwise. Normally, I would add water, too. Some recipes for Kali Dal use mustard oil as flavouring added after the boiling (or at the beginning, which also helps the beans to soften up and prevents them from splattering). Anirudh Arora, Head chef of the Moti Mahal (London), adds a few teaspoons of vegetable oil to the (Dal)Makhani tomato sauce, but I'm not sure for what reasons exactly.

Hi Chris!

Quote from: h4ppy-chris on May 15, 2013, 10:26 AM

If you have never eaten a curry with your fingers you're missing out, i have not got a clue why the curry seems to taste better but it does

It's because you avoid the metal in your mouth ,)

Looks good (: Never heard of "staff curry" before, but it makes absolute sense!

Greetings!

Quote from: Secret Santa on March 05, 2013, 05:52 PM

Quote from: Aussie Mick on March 05, 2013, 04:24 PM
He took a piece of hot charcaol from the tandoor, placed in it a ss dish, poured on some ghee and sat it floating on top of the mixture then put the lid on for about 20 minutes. I think it made a small difference. Sometimes they will add cardamoms or cloves or cinnamon to the charcoal and it does impart a nice subtle flavour.

It's called a dhungar - the traditional way to smoke food.

Read somewhere that you can take an scooped out onion aswell, place the charcoal in that and proceed as mentioned above. Will try that someday.

Many people like to add a few cloves and cardamoms to their Makhani gravies, too.

Yes. I like restaurants that serve Mukhwas after the meal. Just happened once to me so far, but it's a very nice add-on (:

Sounds a little bit kashmiri (they use ground ginger and fennel extensively) (: As for the sweetness, my bet is on the fennel seeds. Very versatile spice. I'm addicted to mint lassi, that gets extra sweetness from dry-roasted, ground fennel seeds. Kashmiri dals, like rajma, often use the exact combination of spices mentioned above (kashmiri chili, ground ginger and fennel), plus kashmiri spice cakes or additional GM - tastes very nice, too!

The last time I used red onions, I was a little bit disappointed. Somehow, pretty tasteless. I like them for salads and such, because of the mild flavour, and maybe I didn't use enough for my main dish, but I thought there was something missing.

Thanks for the post DalPuri! (:

Hi diverdil! (:

Quote from: diverdil on May 08, 2013, 09:52 AM
thanks for your ideas chonk

what I actually was kind of trying to say was we don't really understand the tastes and what they bring to a dish. ok if its mild we know that if we add chilli it will become less mild. but what does each flavour bring?

Well, Hing for example, will be added to substitute onions, garlic or ginger, and to make your dishes easier to digest. The same is true for kasoori methi, but it adds its own unique flavour, too. It's widely used in the punjabi cuisine (the name comes from the same called city in modern Pakistan), where most of the popular indian dishes, that western restaurants serve, are derived from. Sometimes a spice is used because of the region that dish comes from, like the people of Amritsar for example, that like to add some ajwain seeds (that work very well with fish, but are also great with potatoes or pulses).

If you want to enhance the earthy flavour of a dish, try black cardamom, garlic, kashmiri chili or paprika, for example. If you want more sour notes, try amchoor, chaat, tamarind or lemon juice. Sugar or honey if it's the opposite case.

It's about what spices to use for which ingredients, to enhance the flavour of every single one of them. Anybody who cooks indian (no matter if it's home-style or BIR), should read a little about spices from time to time. Mostly, it's pretty fascinating stuff, and entertaining history lessons, too (:

Greetings!

Hi diverdil!

It's true, it doesn't come down to some fancy blend of 50 different spices, but to the knowledge of what, when and, most importantly, why. Actually, I like to use less spices, but the right ones.

Turmeric adds colour, that's right, but it gets used for its health and preservative properties, too. It also balances the flavour. Coriander will thicken the sauce, and adds some unique fruity flavour (besides anti-inflammatory properties). Fenugreek seeds are actually a sort of legumes, but get often used as a spice because of their strong flavour (and health properties, too). They prefer kashmiri chili powder in some dishes (tandoori, e.g.), because it also adds a nice, earthy flavour. Chilis provide you also with vitamin C (but are no traditional indian spice). Garam masala is based, you could say, like indian spicing in general, on the ayurvedic system. (the six different tastes, and so on) Cloves and cinnamon oil is said to kill all bacteria.

Indian desserts are full of sugar, because this will prevent them going off too fast. (especially in that climate) But I prefer jaggery, brown sugar, palm sugar or honey, because they all add flavour and body, while ordinary white, refined sugar will just add sweetness. (unrefined sugars are healthier, too) That wasn't part of your original question, although it somehow shows what I mean (:

Greetings!