Would this not impart a certain burned plastic taste to the finished dish?
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#1082
Lets Talk Curry / Re: Making Chinois's Jalfrezi
March 18, 2011, 10:37 PM
Ha - I'm not proud! Still not sure why it ended up so oily though, the pic was taken after I'd spooned off 3 tbs excess oil at the end of cooking.
Anyway I'm probably in trouble with Chinois now for giving his recipe a bad name by association with my cock up, but things can only get better in future attempts.
Anyway I'm probably in trouble with Chinois now for giving his recipe a bad name by association with my cock up, but things can only get better in future attempts.
#1083
Lets Talk Curry / Making Chinois's Jalfrezi
March 18, 2011, 08:35 PM
As some of you know from my other posts I've recently been occupied with making garlic/ginger paste, bunjara and ashoka base sauce, all in preparation for having a crack at a Jalfrezi recipe that CR0 user Chinois kindly emailed me. When I say Ashoka base it's actually Chinois's variation of it, but virtually the same so no matter.
So how did it go?
Well, uhh... not great really! Not that I can criticise Chinois and his recipes because I reckon I ballsed it up spectacularly. I'll explain......
The base sauce was ok, I boiled it up in my 8 litre stockpot this morning and didn't even get the hellish stink of boiling onions that I remember from Kris Dhillon's base sauce of years gone by. The taste was kind of mild curry, with a velvety texture, just as Chinois said it should be. (image attached)
I was a little nervous of cooking the curry itself. So many things to add, all at the right time in the right order. I did my prep well and watched Chinois's excellent Madras video several times:
Indian Restaurant Chicken Madras Curry
I even noted down on post it notes each stage and the number of seconds between each. It was all written up like a stage manager's running order.
So - what could go wrong? Cooking by numbers isn't it? Just portion off all your ingredients into little pots next to the cooker and follow your running order.
Problem 1 was I started with oil skimmed off the top of my bunjara as Chinois suggests. This was great but it seems impossible to do this without getting some bits of bunjara in the pan too. As my hob and frying pan heated up the bunjara started to fry and darken. My hob is electric and takes a while to get going and my pan has a really thick base which also slows down the warming up process. I realised that due to the bits of bunjara floating in the oil if I left it on the heat for too long I'd end up nice burnt bunjara undertones to the dish, so had to put ingredient no.1 (garlic) in while the pan was still medium hot.
Never mind, I'd just lengthen some of the timings and all would be well....
A few ingredients down and still quite a number to go and my post it note running order was proving invaluable as i was in a right old flap with only 10 or 20 seconds between some "cues". Meanwhile I was boiling rice on another hob ring. My curry frying pan still wasn't exactly setting the world on fire, distinctly lacking in temperature. One thing Chinois is clear on is the importance of getting that pan sizzling, so I was somewhat dismayed, realising it was all going a bit wrong
I've got to say my mood didn't improve much when my post it notes decided that sticking to the wall in the face of all the steam rising off the hob was outside their job description and fluttered down into my pan of base sauce. Blooming marvellous, now I was flying blind.
Meanwhile my rice was going great guns, pan bubbling over and distracting me from the curry. Needless to say I was so stressed out I could do without this but every time I turned the rice down and the curry up it just seemed to get worse and the curry had gone off the boil entirely...
Yeah you got it - I had my cooker knobs mixed up and had been turning the curry pan down and the rice up throughout.
So anyway, long story short I did cook my curry on a rather low heat and taking 50% longer than Chinois does on his video. The result wasn't cracking if I'm honest. It was swimming in oil (I spooned off about 3 TBS at the end) and the flavour was nothing to write home about. I'm assuming this is because I didn't get my pan sizzling.
Anyhow, this is what it looked like - I'll give it another try some other day.
(image attached)
So how did it go?
Well, uhh... not great really! Not that I can criticise Chinois and his recipes because I reckon I ballsed it up spectacularly. I'll explain......
The base sauce was ok, I boiled it up in my 8 litre stockpot this morning and didn't even get the hellish stink of boiling onions that I remember from Kris Dhillon's base sauce of years gone by. The taste was kind of mild curry, with a velvety texture, just as Chinois said it should be. (image attached)
I was a little nervous of cooking the curry itself. So many things to add, all at the right time in the right order. I did my prep well and watched Chinois's excellent Madras video several times:
Indian Restaurant Chicken Madras Curry
I even noted down on post it notes each stage and the number of seconds between each. It was all written up like a stage manager's running order.
So - what could go wrong? Cooking by numbers isn't it? Just portion off all your ingredients into little pots next to the cooker and follow your running order.
Problem 1 was I started with oil skimmed off the top of my bunjara as Chinois suggests. This was great but it seems impossible to do this without getting some bits of bunjara in the pan too. As my hob and frying pan heated up the bunjara started to fry and darken. My hob is electric and takes a while to get going and my pan has a really thick base which also slows down the warming up process. I realised that due to the bits of bunjara floating in the oil if I left it on the heat for too long I'd end up nice burnt bunjara undertones to the dish, so had to put ingredient no.1 (garlic) in while the pan was still medium hot.
Never mind, I'd just lengthen some of the timings and all would be well....
A few ingredients down and still quite a number to go and my post it note running order was proving invaluable as i was in a right old flap with only 10 or 20 seconds between some "cues". Meanwhile I was boiling rice on another hob ring. My curry frying pan still wasn't exactly setting the world on fire, distinctly lacking in temperature. One thing Chinois is clear on is the importance of getting that pan sizzling, so I was somewhat dismayed, realising it was all going a bit wrong
I've got to say my mood didn't improve much when my post it notes decided that sticking to the wall in the face of all the steam rising off the hob was outside their job description and fluttered down into my pan of base sauce. Blooming marvellous, now I was flying blind.
Meanwhile my rice was going great guns, pan bubbling over and distracting me from the curry. Needless to say I was so stressed out I could do without this but every time I turned the rice down and the curry up it just seemed to get worse and the curry had gone off the boil entirely...
Yeah you got it - I had my cooker knobs mixed up and had been turning the curry pan down and the rice up throughout.
So anyway, long story short I did cook my curry on a rather low heat and taking 50% longer than Chinois does on his video. The result wasn't cracking if I'm honest. It was swimming in oil (I spooned off about 3 TBS at the end) and the flavour was nothing to write home about. I'm assuming this is because I didn't get my pan sizzling.
Anyhow, this is what it looked like - I'll give it another try some other day.
(image attached)
#1084
Lets Talk Curry / Re: Why take 2 stockpots into the kitchen?
March 18, 2011, 04:47 PM
Hi Ray,
I'm sure of my weights and the onions were quartered, but the recipe I followed said top up water 2inches above the level of the onions which is where I probably went awry as the onions floated! So I probably ended up with too much water in there. Plus of course I didn't brim the pot, I must have had a litre of space at the top there.
I'm sure of my weights and the onions were quartered, but the recipe I followed said top up water 2inches above the level of the onions which is where I probably went awry as the onions floated! So I probably ended up with too much water in there. Plus of course I didn't brim the pot, I must have had a litre of space at the top there.
#1085
Just Joined? Introduce Yourself / Re: Hello
March 18, 2011, 12:37 PM
Hi RedwoodCurry, good to have you onboard. Fraid I can't help with your ingredient-sourcing problems. Surely in a country the size of the US there will be a specialist importer who offers this stuff though?
#1086
Lets Talk Curry / Re: Why take 2 stockpots into the kitchen?
March 18, 2011, 12:16 PM
Cheers guys, I'll wait till I've plugged through this current batch of base sauce (which is probably about 7 litres in my 8 litre stockpot) and will then take a view on whether I really need to make bigger batches.
I've just finished the blending stage (5 loads for my poor old jug blender) and have the blended base coming back up to the boil on the hob. I'm leaving the lid off at this stage to let it reduce a bit, it all helps with the storage.
Q which is doubtless OT for this thread, Panpots Ashoka recipe doesn't mention skimming the base sauce while it simmers, but I remember Kris Dhillon used to insist this was important. Do you skim your base or not?
I've just finished the blending stage (5 loads for my poor old jug blender) and have the blended base coming back up to the boil on the hob. I'm leaving the lid off at this stage to let it reduce a bit, it all helps with the storage.
Q which is doubtless OT for this thread, Panpots Ashoka recipe doesn't mention skimming the base sauce while it simmers, but I remember Kris Dhillon used to insist this was important. Do you skim your base or not?
#1087
Trainee Chefs / Beginners Questions / Re: Does oil go off?
March 18, 2011, 11:37 AM
I think that's my answer then. Off to the shops with me. Cheers.
#1088
Lets Talk Curry / Re: Why take 2 stockpots into the kitchen?
March 18, 2011, 11:30 AMQuote from: solarsplace on March 18, 2011, 11:22 AMQuote from: natterjak on March 18, 2011, 11:15 AMQuote from: solarsplace on March 18, 2011, 09:42 AM
Hi
These are good! fairly inexpensive too. Far too big for my dishwasher though. I just wash it in the sink.
http://www.catering-suppliers.com/cgi-bin/2008productView.cgi?prodID=103
All the best
Thanks Axe, which size from that range do you use?
Hi
I assume you meant me?
Erm, yeah - Axe is my new pet name for you. To avoid confusion I'll be calling Axe "Solarsplace" from now on...
#1089
Lets Talk Curry / Re: Why take 2 stockpots into the kitchen?
March 18, 2011, 11:18 AMQuote from: Axe on March 18, 2011, 10:08 AM
Crikey you don't mess about do you! 8 litres of base would give you at least 26 portions allowing for 300ml per portion. Is that not enough?
Ha, just following the recipe! I haven't actually gotten around to thinking about how much base results from it, just chucking in ingredients as I go...
Quote from: Axe on March 18, 2011, 10:08 AM
I'm just jealous as I don't have a freezer big enough.
Hmm, freezer - good point. I've just looked at mine and it's already stacked with stuff
I wonder how I'm going to use up all this base 
Erm, anyone for curry round my place this weekend!!? Quote from: Axe on March 18, 2011, 10:08 AM
Is this your first base?
First since my adventures with the Kris Dhillon recipes years ago. I thought I'd start with the Ashoka recipes as they have a good rep around here.
#1090
Lets Talk Curry / Re: Why take 2 stockpots into the kitchen?
March 18, 2011, 11:15 AMQuote from: solarsplace on March 18, 2011, 09:42 AM
Hi
These are good! fairly inexpensive too. Far too big for my dishwasher though. I just wash it in the sink.
http://www.catering-suppliers.com/cgi-bin/2008productView.cgi?prodID=103
All the best
Thanks Axe, which size from that range do you use?