Quote from: Mark J on April 23, 2006, 05:52 PM
Ive found this in my local, vastly different results when the head chef has his night off

I never thought of that
It's funny to think that you can have all the right ingredients, and still get it wrong

There was one dish he was cooking, that had ridiculous flames
The whole pan on fire with flames about fifteen inches high
It burned for about ten seconds
I thought it was out of control
The aroma from the "burn" is a definite restaurant smell
I am not convinced that flambeing is the missing element, but doing that to your meal, has got to affect it some way.
You can't get that same flame at home
Having said that, I have seen curries cooked without the burn, but with the "taste"

This is Dylan's recipe
He was off work and got stuck into some curry experminents
I tried it and got some very good results
Very sweet and savoury
The first time I saw potato in a gravy recipe, was here
I doubted it, but later saw it used at my Bengal Cuisine demo
He was right about reclaiming oil too
So, well done Dylan
I've been going to different takeaways and one thing is for sure
They don't all taste the same
The base is NOT identical
In fact I have had a few curries recently which have no trace of the "taste"
If I had made them, I would have thought "not good enough"
The results Dylan got might match his local takeaway, and maybe matches some of mine.
The only way I can ever be sure, is to have a bought curry to compare with my made one
Having said that, I had a brilliant Bombay Potato side dish
The best ever
I went back four days later and bought another, and it wasn't a patch on the first one
If the professionals can't get it right, what chance have we?

That sounds very tasty
There really isn't anything in it, that wouldn't improve most curries
Nearly all the ingredients are part of most recipes

I was watching an indian chef cooking, the other night
Every meal, he prepared, had the pan on fire, at some point
I have experimented with flambeing, and even though I didn't feel it was the source of the "taste", it still adds something to the curry
A smokey aroma
On these big restaurant cookers , it seems inevetible to set the pan on fire
At home it's far harder to do

Quote from: curryqueen on April 16, 2006, 10:02 PM
Hi Pete,

This base that you have had good results from, how much oil did you add at the start?? I am a little confused about the chicken seasoning, which one are you using?? Is it liquid or a dry seasoning?? I will try this base on your reply and let you know what results I get.? Sounds interesting!? I assume that you are using enough oil so that you can use it to start dishes off from the top of the gravy.

Hi CQ
? ? ? ? the chicken seasoning is a dry mix of spices
I think Rajah , Natco and East End all make it
I used Rajah
Check
http://www.simplyspice.co.uk/chicken-seasoning-p-313.html
I used about 200ml of oil in the base so I got enough spiced oil (like you said)
email me

Quote from: woodpecker21 on April 16, 2006, 01:08 PM
hi pete

how did you get on with the rajver sauce? i have said that you can cut down on the no. of chillies you put in the base.what did you make using this base? how was it compared to the others you have used with the exception of the heat. did you use the masala and did you add any extra water to get the right consistency. the heat does mellow with time and i have kept the sauce in the fridge for a week with no adverse side effects but i stil think if you use the oil saved from you deep fryer that has had onion bhajis and peppers etc the smell when cooking the final dish is fab. made a vindaloo last night took of the heat when done covered but before left it i sprinkled garlic powder liberally over the top then left for 10 minutes before eating certainly added bit extra something and a little garlic heat yummy

regards

gary

Hi Gary
? ? ? ? ? I thought the base was good but when I compared it to a sample takeaway base I have, it seemed too spicy.
I did water it down, I don't know what the curry was, I made with it
It was just a general oil, garlic ginger puree, tomato paste, spice, gravy thing
Still very nice though
Which Masala are you referring to?
If it's the spice mix, you mean, it was the Bruce Edwards proportions

? ? ? ? ?

Quote from: curryqueen on April 18, 2006, 09:45 PM
Hi Pete,? You are an absolute gem!? Where do you keep finding these demos from?? A question if I may?? Tandoori spice mix - tandoori paste, tikka paste, kashmiri masala, sugar, ground almonds and coconut powder.? Do you know what quantities were used to make up this mix? I will definately try both of these as the ingredients look very, very promising!? I look forward to your post so that I can try them both.? Thanks

Hi CQ
? ? ? ? I believe that it's equal quantities
The brand of pastes they use is made by Papad
I can't find it on the internet
Perhaps that's not as you spell it
But this mix of pastes had no extra colouring
All the same it was a really vivid red
So I shall be looking in my local Asian shops for a brand tandoori paste of similar colour
The texture of the mixed paste is dryish, so nothing liquid is added
Note that there is no garlic ginger in this CTM
Like vindaloo, the end result will rely on a good curry base
I don't really know why they let me into their kitchens
Maybe it's because they see someone very enthusiastic and unthreatening (I'm not a large person)
I really like the staff I have met too
I consider them friends
Sad though it may be, I can think of few things better, than cooking or chatting about restaurant curry

The garlic ginger mix at this place looked a bit different
It was a mayonaise colour (because it was blended with some oil) but there seemed to be ginger skin in it
Does anyone else not peel their ginger?
What about carrots, anyone not peel them either?
Another thing I get really fed up with, is taking the white paper skin off garlic.
It's just so fiddley

I got another couple of demos
This place was proud of it's fresh ingredients and presentation of the meals
I was told how their curries reflected new trends for healthier food
Everything was very clean
All the pans were spotless before the start of each meal
Very friendly people and first class curries
The curry gravy oil was in a pot on the stove (check out your local, it's there!)

Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Korma Demo


Ingredients
4 desertspoons of curry gravy oil
1 portion of precooked chicken tikka
100 ml single cream (approx)
3 ladles of curry gravy
1 desertspoon tomato puree (tower brand slightly diluted)
1 desertspoon restaurant spice mix
1 desertspoon of tandoori spice mix
(this is a bright red blend of tandoori paste, tikka paste, kashmiri masala, sugar, ground almonds & coconut powder)

This is a very easy curry to make but rather high on the calories

Heat the oil for a minute and get it really hot (lovely aroma)
Add a little curry gravy, tomato puree and spice mix and stir for two minutes
It becomes a hot dryish paste
Add the special tandoori spice mix
This is a vivid red
Really bright
No extra colouring is used, it all comes from the pastes
Stir another minute then add more curry gravy
Stir in, then add precooked chicken and half the cream
Heat through for about three minutes
Add the rest of the curry gravy and cook on for a couple of minutes
Stir in the rest of the cream then serve

Chicken Korma


Ingredients
4 desertspoons of curry gravy oil
1 portion of precooked chicken
1 tablespoon pre fried onions
(cooked in oil, turmeric, spice mix & tomato puree)
100 ml single cream (approx)
3 ladles of curry gravy
1 desertspoon tomato puree (tower brand slightly diluted)
1 desertspoon restaurant spice mix
1 tablespoon ground almonds
1 tablespoon coconut powder
1 tablespoon of coloured almonds
1 teaspoon finely chopped coriander

This is very similar to cook as chicken tikka masala

Heat the oil for a minute and get it really hot
Add a pre fried onions, tomato puree and spice mix and stir for two minutes
It becomes a hot dryish paste
Add a ladle of curry gravy
Shake the pan vigourously
Stir another minute then add more curry gravy
Stir in, then add precooked chicken, ground almonds, coconut powder and half the cream
Heat through for about three minutes
Add the rest of the curry gravy and cook on for a couple of minutes
Stir in the rest of the cream then serve
Garnish with the coloured almonds and coriander

Hi CC
        I'm really pleased it worked out
I have seen some recipes using yoghurt
Bruce Edwards puts in into his pre cooked ingredients
I'll try that next time I do it
At the minute I am making a batch of curry gravy, but have had delays for cooking the meals
So this is the the third day it's been on the stove
As it gets older it looks it looks and smells very similar to the gravies I have seen in takeaways.
The oil looks a deep red and there is very strong savoury smell from the smallest amount of oil.

Do you remember ifindforu ?
He posted quite a bit on this site
I have taken one of his "tips"
He might be right about this information
He said that restaurants use chicken seasoning in their base
I am doing a "4 onion, 1 carrot, 1 green pepper, garlic/ginger" curry base recipe, and I added 3 desert spoons of chicken seasoning to it.
I compared the taste to a vindaloo curry, I bought last night, and it's ever so similar
I'll definitely use chicken seasoning again