I ordered this from an open plan BIR tonight. This is based on what I could see going in - couldn't get talking to the chef. Apologies for the ingredients that I'm not 100% sure of - these were my best guess

1. 1 tbl oil (that's all). He used the unwashed pan from the previous dish. High Heat all the way through.
2. 1/2 chef spoon of yellow stuff ( this was really hard to tell, but looked like fried onions cooked in oil and turmeric - maybe curry powder)
3. 1/3 chef spoon of tomato puree (definitely the texture of puree - not ketchup)
4. 1/3 chef spoon of what look like Chilli pickle
5. Fried all this for 30 secs.
6 Added 1 tbl deep fried onion and 1 tbl deep fried Green and Red peppers and 1/4 fresh tomato
7. pinch of methi and a pinch of green chillis and fry for 30 secs (about 1/2 tsp each).
8. Added pre cooked Chicken Tikka
9. 2 big ladels of base and cooked from 4 mins
10. Pinch of fresh coriander
11. 1 chefs spoon of white solid/liquid emulsion stuff (possibly MSG/Salt/Sugar/Water combo ?? - not all dissolved )
12. This is another vague one, he sneaks under the counter in front of him and added 1/2 chef soon of some red liquid - looked like passata, but I can't be sure it wasn't some red liquid spice mixture.
13. Cooked for another min, then put in in the dish.

Sorry if this takes us back rather than forward because some of it is pretty vague.

Most interesting thing I noticed  was there was no dry spices in here at all !!

PS. The texture of the final dish was very similar if you were to make a curry from say the MarkJ base, but add very little oil to the final dish. I've now cut this down to 1 tbl in my final dishes and prefer the result.

John, I just witnesed one of my local BIR (open plan) making a madras for me and they added what looks very much like this pickle stuff. Best way to describe it is rasperry jam looking (with lumps).

Gonna have to hunt this stuff down.

Interestingly, they used NO dry spices whatsoever - I'll post the recipe as I saw it.

I'm think most BIRs must use a liquid Chilli sauce to get the madras or vindallo. Very rarely do I get the powdery taste from  BIR that I do get if I add more than a tsp of chilli powder. This pickle sounds really interesting John. Must try that.

Has anyone ever tried Dave's Ultimate Insanity Sauce in a curry ? This stuff is bonkers and I suspect even the *hardest* curry eater would wimper with a tsp of this in a curry.



http://www.chilefoundry.co.uk

Guys, I made a really nice version of Tarka Dal - recipe posted here

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=320.0

It would be interesting to see the Chapman version for comparison.

Admin, I reckon it must have been oil. I've seen BIRs do this an agree it does look like water as they ladel it out the container..

I mentioned in another thread that one takeway I use pumps out watery, but delicious curries rather than the oily versions you more often get  - I reckon the main factor here is they use minimal oil in the base.

Now that I've (we) have just about got this BIR stuff cracked, it is time for me to go back and experiment with differenct bases. I'd love to get a nice tasting, more healthy version.

Will the quest ever end !!!

I've now made 4 of these and 3 have had the taste !!. The one I screwed up was by taking longer than the 30secs between frying steps and  using a tiny bit more Garamasala.

so excluding having a fantastic base.......... for me then the top tips I think make a difference to the final dish are :

1. Use shop bought curry powder in the final dish (1 tsp only)
2. Use tomato ketchup - just go with me on this one
3. Don't go overboard on the salt
4. Use a pinch of garamasala only
5. Do use lemon juice
6. Keep to the 30 second timings - this was the biggest difference between my worst and best.

The one I made tonight had no fresh tomato and no fresh corriander and was the best one yet !! (weird, I know)

I'm convinced any good base and a final recipe and method like this will make a BIR quality curry - and this may explain the differences in the various oily & watery versions that taste equally good in their own way.

I used a mixture of the big green chillies along with red and green birds eye chllies for this recipe.

Go for it Darth. Good luck.

fyi, I used Rajah curry powder in the final dish - not restaurant masala mix.

Oh, And I've used your Rice recipe (turmeric + whole spice version). This is great and it freezes well.

In the freezer I now have 6 trays of base, 4 bags of rice, 8  chapattis,  ice cube trays full of of ginger, garlic, mixed chopped chillies and caramilised onions.........and some chapattis.

Any my wife has forgiven me already.

It doesn't get much better than this

This is the best I've made and it had the taste.

Here are the steps - most a mixture of tips/tricks I've picked up from this site. Thank you all.

The most important step is to foillow the fast (full heat) cooking of the final dish to the letter.
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Base - The MarkJ 10 onion version

vegetable oil to cover large pan upto a height of 1/2 inch
3 tbl Garlic & Ginger paste
1 tbl curry powder
1 tbl Turmeric
1 lvl tsp Chilli powder
10 tennis ball sized onions, chopped
2 celery stick chopped
1 green pepper chopped
2 large carrots chopped
1 tsp Salt
1.5 lvl tsp Garamasala
3 tbl pasatta
1/2 tbl tomato puree
handful of fresh coriander ripped or chopped
3 tbl Knorr 'Touch of Taste' liquid chicken stock concentrate.
boiling water

1) Heat oil until hot add the garlic and ginger and fry until light brown, keep stirring
2) Add curry powder, turmeric and chilli powder and stir fry. Add some cold water (few tablespoons) when it starts to stick to the bottom of the  pan. This frees it up instantly
3) Add the onions, carrots, green peppers and celery and fresh coriander
4) add salt and garamasala and mix around
5) add tomatoes then add boiling water to cover the vegetables by an inch
6) once up to the boil, add liquid chicken stock and simmer on lowish flame for 1 hour
7) Liquidise - easiest way is to use a hand blender straight into the pot
Boil hard for 10 mins - the top of the sauce rolls just like the base you may have seen in BIRs
9) cook on low for another 5 mins, then leave overnight.

all measures are rounded spoons unless it says lvl
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Final Dish - Chicken Bhuna Madras

   Cook on full power
   2 tbl veg oil
   Add 2 tbl pre cooked onions and 1 tbl chopped fresh chillis
   Cook for 30 seconds
   Add 1 tbl kethup, cook for 30 seconds
   Add 1.5 TSP curry powder, 2 TSP chilli powder, 1 TSP fenugreek leaves, 1/4 TSP salt, Cook for 30 seconds
   Add 1/2 ladel base sauce & evaporate the sauce
   Add 1/2 ladel base sauce and cook for 30 seconds
   Add precooked chicken, 1 tbl lemon juice, 1/4 whole tomato
   Add 1 tbl chopped fresh coriander
   Add 2 ladels of base sauce and rapid boil until oil floats
   add pinch of Garamasala and rest for 5 mins, then serve
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Precooked Onions -

1. Peel and halve four onions and cut into thin slices.
2. Heat a large pan over a high flame add 2 TBL veg oil.
3. Add the onions and 1 TSP salt.
4.  Stir, coating the onions with the oil. Continue to saut? for about five minutes over the high heat.
5. Turn the flame down to medium-low, leaving the onions to saut? slowly. Stir them often, for about 20  more minutes, until they reach
a golden brown color.

You can freeze the precooked onions in ice cube trays.
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I used the 'Curry House' method for pre-cooking the chicken. it turns out fantastic !!!

I found this recipe & method for caramalised onions, so I've made a batch and will use in tonight's final dish  creation.....

onwards and upwards.........
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A staple in my kitchen are saut?ed caramelized onions. Like a dependable rich chicken stock in your freezer, they can be called on to be the backbone of, or a savory complement to, a variety of dishes. I cook up a large batch, which will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for four or five days. Or you can freeze the precooked onions in small quantities in plastic bags for use as you wish.

Here?s how to prepare them. Peel and halve four to six yellow onions and cut into thin slices. (I also add two cloves of minced garlic, but this is optional.) This may look like a lot, but the onions will cook down. Heat a large skillet over a high flame and pour in one to two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions and a bit of salt. Stir, coating the onions with the oil. Continue to saut? for about five minutes over the high heat. Then turn the flame down to medium-low, leaving the onions to saut? slowly. Stir them often, for about ten more minutes, until they reach a golden brown color. If you desire, add a bit of white or red wine at this point. Continue cooking, turning down the heat to simmer if you need to, so as not to scorch the onions. Continue for another five to fifteen minutes, or until the onions begin to caramelize and develop a rich, deep golden brown. There should be some caramelized brown goodies adhering to the bottom of the pan, so deglaze them with a bit of chicken stock or white wine and stir them into the onions. Add salt and freshly ground pepper, and remove from heat. At this point, the onions, along with any of their accumulated juices, are ready to store in the refrigerator or freezer. And you are prepared to create any number of tasty goodies.
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