Stocked up on dispo BBQs at reduced price (£0.73). Bought 25.




Tandoor Master naan cushion (10"). Just got the cover and stuffed it myself. Needs a bit more stuffing.



Rob

Quote from: Robbo141 on September 19, 2025, 12:09 AM
Went back 15 years to my old Kris Dhillon base recipe and realized why I've not made it more. The simple process of boiling onions, garlic and ginger creates quite a strong smell. I remember stinking out my tiny flat back in the UK. Made a batch today, doing the first stage in the Instant Pot, out in the back yard.  I let it cool out there before bringing to the kitchen to blend and just opening up the lid....phewww!  Needed the exhaust fan on max.

Going to try her basic chicken curry tonight. Very straightforward but I have to say I can't agree with her assertion that the regular curry uses a pinch of chilli powder and if you want a madras, increase to 1 tsp and for a vindaloo 2 tsp.  My beloved vindaloo is not a madras made hotter.

The base recipe calls for an 8oz tin of tomatoes. Are they still around?
It's 14.5oz standard here in the US.

Let's see how it turns out.

Robbo

She did a less stinky recipe version in The New Curry Secret. Halved the amount of oil and changed to olive oil. Increased water to 1.5 L. Neither for me anymore I am afraid, or anything similar, which is most of them. The effectively blank canvass approach to BIR gravy is flawed, imo. The Curry Secret was first published in 1989. This is perhaps significant. 400 g tinned tomatoes standard here Robbo, I think.

Rob

Watched again and the lamb chops look a bit iffy to me. Could just be the camera angle, but something isn't right. The chicken "chops" also appear caked in marinade. The guinea fowl curry looks OK. The naans look good. Not keen on the tableware, or flatware.

Kashmiri lamb chops (3) starter made yesterday. 24 h marinade tester. £2.95. Including service charge and tip.





Rob

Mick's base.



Incoming. The Al Frash signature dish. The Butterfly. King prawns, chicken tikka and mushrooms. Just need to find some quality prawns.

Rob

A few more general thoughts/conclusions on tilting the pan when making BIR curry.

In a nutshell, it allows the gravy/curry to be reduced for longer periods and at significantly higher temperatures than the (contemporary) approach we are familiar with. This is explained by differences in the surface area of the pan in contact with the curry. Other factors that facilitate the higher temperatures are a) more oil is used and b) stirring is kept to an absolute minimum (throughout cooking). Counterintuitively this means preparation of the curry will take longer. In fact, the cooking time is often doubled.

This is a technique that is still used in some TAs/restaurants. It is combined with rich/aromatic base gravies and pre-cooks. Seasoned oils (including bhaji oil) are also used by some establishments. Collectively these techniques underlie the old school BIR curry approach. This for many will solve the missing 5% (and some).

Most TAs/restaurants nowadays do not do this. Too slow.

Rob

Quote from: livo on September 09, 2025, 09:59 PM
Another "Real" Birmingham Balti.  Stephen Heap makes a Beef Balti. It looks OK except we don't know the gravy used.  I guess you could find out or just use your own favourite.

https://youtu.be/OwVkEEyeYZA?si=svSJyIQAf2C9eKAd

It's this one livo. Quite a way down in the video description text.

https://youtu.be/lJ58WK03jXk?si=87oW3NYaYGDq0p8k

Rob

I met the Opheem chef briefly many years ago. Nice chap. He was at the Lasan then. Remember when he was on the telly?

"I saw flashes of genius in Aktar's cooking...You taste it and it blows your mind away, phenomenal".

Gordon Ramsay. The F Word, Channel 4.

Rob

Got 20 Humza frozen samosas for £3 from Tesco with a clubcard offer. So 15 p each. Cooked from frozen in a deep fat fryer. Each stuck with a clove when partly cooked. This makes sure some of the "bhaji" oil has access to the filling. Makes all the difference.


Chicken samosa with salad




Bhaji oil




Rob

Behind the scenes at Opheem. Some fabulous tips given away in this one:

https://youtu.be/13PyQRq8SmU?si=aPmXcszrYgU9DQkZ

Rob

Basic Prawn curry. Planned to add mushrooms, but forgot to buy any. So went with spuds.










Rob