Hi All,

Kurzi Chicken?

Now that sounds like something I have heard of before but don't know where from.

I am definately going to find out what it was we had and how they did it as it was superb to say the least. The veg curry they used for a stuffing was not only an original idea to me but kept the turkey moist and it was really tasty in itself.

Curryqueen, is the Lamb dish you mentioned called a "Raan of Lamb" ?
I have a recipe or two for this and it is an Indian speciality and looks absolutely gorgeous. I saw it cooked on the telly once I think on the Dhelli Belly series on Sky???
It seems to have all the ingredients I love and certainly looks like it transforms my favourite meat into a real delicacy.
The only thing is a whole leg of lamb costs a fair bit nowadays and if you get it wrong..................!!!

Nevertheless it is a recipe I am going to try some time as it looks great.

And yes CQ, we will certainly be going next year, in fact we go for a Curry most years at Christmas time.
I can think of nothing more boring nowadays than a Turkey Roast on Christmas Day ( been there, done it and still wear the T-Shirt ) but an Indian meal at this time of year is so different and a breath of fresh air to the norm. I think we should all think of changing our menu at Xmas.


JB, Where is it you go to on Xmas Eve for your meal? Do you think you might quiz the chef next time you see him as to what he does to create that superb dish?

Regards

Ray

Quote from: George on January 06, 2006, 01:25 AM
Could someone please post a photo or scan of the Basaar Mix packet, so we know what to look out for?
Regards
George

Sure George, here it is. A bit fuzzy I am afraid but my camera is one of the first digitals ever made.

If you want to try some or anyone else for that matter and have trouble getting it let me know and I can post a sample.

Ray

Hi Mark,

I quite agree.
The smell to me is better than any air freshner you can buy. Just give me a packet of this in the car, throw out the "Magic Tree"? and I am in heaven!!!
I also think that it could? be? substituted for chilli powder in any recipe and will give that extra boost to the flavour of the dish.

Having said that I still need to find out more about this interesting and elusive spice mix!


Ray

Quote from: pete on January 04, 2006, 08:36 PM

Quote from: DARTHPHALL on January 04, 2006, 09:13 AM
it doesn't transform a home made Curry into a BIR Curry.

I wouldn't make the assumption that all curryhouses use it, but certainly one does

It is interesting that Pete has seen this used in at leat one BIR and confirms it has a place in the restaurant setting even though the Kushi Restaurant chef chooses not to use it himself. I agree with Darth it does not transform a home made curry but do think it can play a vital part if used in the right context ( but I have not found that context yet! ).

The fact this stuff exists at all must indicate it has a use in some application of Curry Cooking.

I find it in every asian grocers I walk in to near me ( minimum quantity 1 kilo ), but also must add it is not in such abundance as many of the other spices. I do think it is an ethnic thing and more linked to home cooking than the Curry House cooking we all enjoy but I could be wrong.

What I bought was very potent but was extremely aromatic and gave the impression it was a quality product ( it smells absolutely gorgeous ), and that is why I thought it was worth sending out a few samples to others on the site to try.

Personally, I find it hard to directly link it to the answers we are all looking for but treat it more as a good quality curry powder to be added when the recipe asks for a "Curry Powder" to be added..

I think if used in the right way and with a bit of forethought it could lift the taste of a lot of dishes as I believe Darth, Blondie and Pete can testify.

But as for the secret...........I shall reserve judgement on this one.

Regards

Ray

Hi All,

Especially Pete who I believe aked a question about the use of Basaar Mix. I wrote to the Kushi Restaurant and asked if the chef used it and if so what for and have just recieved this answer:-

"Dear Mr. Graham,

Happy new year!? I've had chance to ask Mr. Haydor about your query.? Here are some of his thoughts:

As you probably know (because you have the mix yourself) - it's a very powerful ingredient - more often than not made from chillies, peppercorns and various other spices depending on the manufacturer.? It can also be fine or coarse.

It's not something he uses in his restaurant, as the potency and flavour completely overpowers any other flavour you've included - essentially "cancelling out" the more aromatic spices like curry powder or cumin etc.? The main function is to give heat - but there is a word of warning:? Mr. Haydor described to me the heat it produces as "unpleasant" - and if not used correctly can lead to severe indigestion!? I get the impression that it's one of those things you either love or hate, but there's no harm trying it in your favourite dish to see what result you get.?

Its use is not widespread in restaurants - and, as you say is more used in the home.? But it can be used in certain types of kebab (like Sheekh kebab etc) - although he chooses not to.

It's also occasionally used in deep-fried spicy dishes - one example he knows of is in foods like southern fried chicken, to give it that extra "boost".

Anyway, I hope that helps - and that you have fun experimenting with it.

Kind regards, and thanks for getting in touch,
Andy"

My own opinion is to agree with what he says in that this powdered spice is very powerful and should be treated with caution rather like one would handle Garam Masala.
I think it smells fantastic but just a very small amount is very feiry and can obliterate other flavours through it's intensity. It is just too hot for me but perhaps the brand I have bought is meant to be and others may be milder. I think I could relate to Mr Haydors warning of severe indigestion as it seems to have the potency of gunpowder, paint-stripper or drain cleaner.
Speaking to a couple of asian women who use it at home they tell me only about a teaspoon or two is used in a family pot of curry along with the Onions, Garlic and Ginger. Nothing else seems to be added spice-wise so gives a graphic example how potent it is.

I don't think it has much use in the BIR setting generally although it is a quality curry powder mix and I am sure will add a certain something to many dishes if used with caution. I know a few on the site have had some success with it and the fact it exists means it is certainly used in some applications of asian cooking but I don't think the BIR setting is the place it is used most.

Ray

Hi All,

Inspired by the new years resolution to get fit not fat I decided to make some healthy Tandoori Chicken today but made it whole for a change and took the inspiration from the Xmas Curry I recently had which I have described elsewhere.
It has turned out so good and so close to the BIR taste I felt I had to share the results.

This is what I did.

Washed and dried a 3 1/2 lb Chicken

200 mls Plain Yogurt ( about two small pots thick greek )
3 level Tbsps Tandoori Powder ( East End ), more if you like it spicy.
3 Tbsps Lemon Juice
1 level Tbsp Ginger/Garlic Puree
1 level tsp salt

With the exception of the salt none of the above amounts are that critical for success.

Method

Mix the Yogurt, Tandoori Powder and Ginger/Garlic Puree together and set aside.

Poke your fingers under the skin at the rear of the chicken and gently break the skin free from the breast and legs so the skin makes a loose covering and the marinade can be smothered underneath the skin directly onto the meat.
With a thin small knife make three slashes on each exposed breast and one on the outer part of each leg. It is a bit fiddly as the skin gets in the way so be careful you don't leave any fingers behind!

Lift the skin and sprinkle the salt evenly over the exposed breast and legs. Massage the Lemon Juice? over the meat as far as you can.
Massage about 1/3rd the Yogurt/Tandoori mix in the same way covering every part of the exposed meat then rub the rest fairly thickly over the outer skin covering the whole of the outside. Cover in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least a few hours or overnight. Your hands will stink and turn orange but it's all going to be worth it. Wear some Marigolds if you don't want smelly fingers.

Pre-heat the oven to high ( 220 C)

Place Chicken UNCOVERED in a roasting dish, breast side down and cook for 30 mins. Turn it over and cook for a further 30 mins basting with the resulting juices.
At this point it should be fairly dark and crispy with a few scorch marks on the skin.
Turn the oven down a little, cover loosely with foil ( or it may burn ) and cook for a further 45 mins or until a knife pierces it and the juices run clear.

It should be perfect by this time with succulent moist meat and a dry slightly crisp skin, just like the BIR version

Ray

Hello folks,

And a happy new year to you all and hope you all had a lovely Christmas.

As I was working over Christmas and didn't have the usual Turkey dinner we booked into a local BIR for a family Xmas Curry on boxing day.

The restaurant called Lazeez, near Keighley is not the best around, just a small restaurant that seat?s about 30 but the food is usually very acceptable and the service second to none.

When we made the booking they asked us if they could make all 12 of us an Indian meal with a "Christmas" theme rather than choose from the standard menu.
We didn't know what we were going to get, instead trusting to luck and they charged us ?18 per head, which was not bad for what they gave us.

We started with the usual variety of plain and spiced Poppadums and Pickles then a variety of mixed starters,Turkey Pakora's, Onion Bhaji's, Sheek Kebabs, Chicken and Prawn Samosa's, Prawn Butterflie's, Raita?s etc etc. Nothing too unusual about that but there was just tons and tons of it.
In fact by the time we had finished this never ending procession of starters we were pretty much stuffed and wondered whether to cancel the rest and scarper!!

They had got us a crate of complimentary Stella even though they don?t sell alcohol so that was a nice touch.

The main course was???. surprise, surprise...........Turkey!

Not just one but TWO massive birds (or were they Ostriches?? ) that had been marinated then slow cooked to what I can only say was perfection. They both came garnished with a variety of things that made the presentation a joy to behold.
They were carved at the table and presented with two curries, Chicken Makhani, a rather rich creamy and buttery dish which complimented the Turkey very well. The other curry was to all intents just a slightly spiced base sauce but reminded me so much of the K.D. base it was a bit uncanny!

There was a third suprise curry which oddly materialised from the rear end of the birds and was spooned onto our plates. This I was told was a special vegetable curry par cooked before hand and finished off inside the bird rather like a wet stuffing. It was beautifully spiced with flavours of Cardamom and Cloves and was warming and aromatic and the vegetables still a bit crunchy??..lovely!!.

The spicing on the outside of the Turkey was similar to Tandoori but rather a brown colour instead of red and the taste was different too. The skin had been removed prior to cooking. It was more aromatic than Tandoori and gave me a feeling this was a more ?home made? recipe than a BIR creation.
The meat was so moist I have never had Turkey like it.

It came with two variety?s of Naan Bread, Chappatti?s, Roti?s and a heap of special rice.
By this time my trousers were creaking fit to burst and I wished I had been born with two stomachs.

It is a shame the beer kicked in so soon as I would have liked half an hour to chat with the chef but we get regular take-aways delivered and I will try to find out what the special spicing was on the Turkey as it was commendable.

We finished with Kulfi or Gulabjamon which I haven?t had for years. They were sweet, warm and sticky and just about finished me off!
There was a choice of Lassi and the usual Coffee and mints just to make sure the indigestion would be garunteed.

The whole experience was fabulous and I would thoroughly recommend it as a change to the usual Turkey Roast at Xmas time.
What we had for the money was just superb and the service they gave commendable.

I must say if we had gone out for an English meal at a local pub it would have been three times the price and not half as enjoyable.

Having to work my Christmas has certainly paid off this year with a feast a Maharaja would be proud of!!
And if that wasn't enough I took home a doggy bag as big as Santa's sack for a re-run the next day at work............sheer luxury!!

Ray

Hi ALL,

AND A REALLY HAPPY NEAR YEAR TO EVERYONE ON THE SITE !!!

I HAVE A REAL FUNNY FEELING WE ARE ALL GOING TO FIND THE REAL ANSWER TO OUR SEARCH? THIS YEAR, PROVIDING WE ALL KEEP ON ASKING QUESTIONS AND SEARCHING FOR THE CLUES WE NEED.

AND IF WE DON'T THEN LETS ALLL KEEP ON KEEPING ON AND SEARCH FOR THE ANSWERS WE ALL WANT TO ACHIEVE !

DON'T LETS GIVE UP THE QUEST.................................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

REGARDS AND ALL THE BEST,

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!

THIS YEAR HAS BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE AND LETS HOPE NEXT YEAR IS EVEN BETTER.!!!


RAY.

Hi Darth,

Just to pitch in my five-pennorth, now I have seen your photo's of the stages of base making I can confirm this is exactly what I got too.
My only mistake was not to add enough water and so I had a more condensed and over spicy base but now you have made things clearer anyone can duplicate your recipe faithfully. It's also nice to see other folk are giving it a go with good results.

Ray

P.S. A lot of CTM's have single cream added to the dish as well as Coconut. Have you considered adding this in your experimental CTM?

Quote from: DARTHPHALL on December 31, 2005, 09:11 AM
Did you use my Madras recipe ??
Which recipe did you use for the Bombay Potato as i would like to try it,can you post a link please.

Hi Darth,

I didn't actually use a specific recipe for the Bombay Potato but rather cheated using a Pataks Madras paste for the spicing. This is what I did.

Don't forget this is for about 20 side dish portions.

I pre-cooked a load of diced potato ( about 3 lb ) in water with a teaspoon of Turmeric and a little salt added.
I then fried in some veg oil two finely chopped Onions until golden.
At this point I added a tablespoon of Ginger/Garlic puree and fried a further minute.
Then I added 1/3rd of a jar of the pataks paste and cooked for a further minute.
I then added about 3 ladles of base sauce which was that made from the Balti Kitchen recipe.
To this was added about 6 quartered Tomatoes and cooked for about 6-7 minutes.
The potato went in last and was cooked for just a few minutes more to ensure it was heated through than cook it.

And that was it. It is a fairly dry dish but was very tasty.

In answer to your other question I used the Balti Kitchen base sauce and Madras recipe as with catering for so many I needed to make it as simple as possible and refered to the DVD as I cooked it, pausing it along the way.
As I mentioned there are better bases than this of which yours is one but I did all the preparation at home and had to use quick and simple techniques to avoid a potential divorce for making the kitchen into a war zone!


And thanks for your input to the forum, I am sure like me there are many who have benefited from your recipes and advice!

A happy curry filled new year to you to.

Ray