Welcome back A Board.

Like Landy813, Welcome A Board Justin. 

I also lurked for a while that eventually seemed too long to remain in the shadows profiting from the knowledge and experience of the thousands of contributions on these forums.  To my mind, I have not as yet contributed anything of significant value, I wish you more success.

BAJ

Quote from: bhamcurry on May 02, 2019, 01:56 PM

wouldn't someone like Trading Standards be interested in being served something other than lamb when you order lamb....?

Sadly, it happens all the time and has been going on for decades as far as I am aware by Restaruants of all types, trying to cut costs.  Recently, we had some issues with some T/A's using 'condemned' meat,  One such T/A a few years ago that I had never used before, ordered the Chicken Biryani and the overriding taste was Paraffin, which is used to try to prevent the meat returning to the food chain.  (Takeaway meal returned, refunded and reported, now closed).

We seem to have a growing number of 'meat processing' units on little industrial estates that can never be inspected because they are unregistered.  Some use dubious practices to try to circumvent the law, such as relabelling meat and chicken with expiry dates based on the date it was delivered to the butcher/meat packaging firm and not the date it was slaughtered on, like the recently shut down firm that had a meat processing factory in Exeter.

There have been many documentaries made about Trading Standards ordering meals described as Lamb but ending up being any but, a little like the Horse Meat scandal a few years ago and unfortunately, since there is no equivalent of the Advertising Standards Agency, other things too, such as 'Hawaiian' Pizza - Ham and Pineapple but the Ham is not pork but Turkey Ham although the word Turkey is excluded.

For three decades, I have moved around and tried almost every 'local' takeaway and sometimes the restaurants in the area I lived in.

They have been more often on the doorstep (close by) as you can't wait too long after a heavy night out, sleep is approaching faster than the ensuing hangover... and sometimes work.

For a first time order, so I can 'measure' if they can cook or not, I have always ordered what I consider to be quite a difficult dish: Chicken Biryani.
Any repeat orders/attendances/recommendations are based on this.

Do you order something the first time, to determine the quality of a takeaway or restaurant (price excluded)?

BAJ

Hi,.

It seems there is no right or wrong answer.  Some prefer them in, some try to get them out, some keep them separate in a bag and others sieve.  I guess it comes down to what they are and personal preference.

Thank you All.
BAJ

This feels like the right section to ask this question.

I have alway removed Cinnamon bark quite early and made sure to remove all Bay Leaves and Black Cardamom at the end of cooking.

My son asked me to make a Chicken Keema as he had eaten it at a friend's house.  I found a recipe belonging to a blogger (I can supply if anybody is interested) and gave it a whirl.  The result was note quite what he wanted ("Too much going on" was how he described it) and whilst I agreed, I am coming around to it but I never removed the Cloves or Green Cardamom and occasionally I am biting into something that is not altogether palatable.

So, do you remove these whole spice and if so, at what stage of cooking?

BAJ

I had also been missing something in my curries and despite cooking for several years, I just couldn't get it right.

It was a casual remark that I made at one of our local asian supermarkets that prompted me to try some fresh fenugreek and instantly I got the aroma that I was missing, that I usually get as I walk through certain neighbourhoods.

Whilst we 'eat with our eyes' we also 'taste with our nose' and for me, that is a generous supplement of fenugreek... I have even started adding a small amount to onion bharji's.

BAJ.

Phil,

Is this the same one that you have tried?

Morrisons Flaming Phaal

I saw it last year and since I rate both of the Journalists as 3/10 (or less) for normal reporting, I didn't even try this curry, based on their experience!

BAJ

I agree in principle, boiled onions is the base but I think we all agree that it can be expanded a little to make the 'main dish' easier to cook.

I have found some Base gravy recipes are better for lamb (more oil), others better for chicken (drier) and some are excellent for fish/vegetable curries (less spiced).  I recently made a Balti Base from these forums and the curry was excellent, but it is a base that can only be used for Balti as the aroma and flavour are distinctive.  So go too neutral and I guess the 'cooking' becomes longer and whilst that might work for a home and restaurant, takeaways generally rely on high turnover.

A butcher at my local Asian supermarket was trying to verbally give me his family's method of cooking on the last day before Eid last year, but it was long, complicated and did not involve any base gravy (that is a convenience for takeaways I presume) and I got lost in all the ingredients and method.  He and I are increasingly familiar and I am hoping I can get an invite at some point in the future.

BIR v Home cooked is a massive thing for me as the best dish I ever had was a home made meal as a reward for working, back in 1994 and it was chalk v cheese compared to takeaways at the time and I still think so today, Boneless Quail in a light gravy with sliced fresh orange and a little bread (roti or a naan not a whole one).  If only I could ask them now but the business closed down a couple of decades ago and I have no idea where they are now, or if they are even still alive sad to say.

So I think cooking is not just about replication but also about continuation, learning and passing it on, that is maybe why I am aggravated when somebody says they make 'this' or 'that' and then for commercial reasons mentions a 'Brand' version.

BAJ

It is certainly something we like 'up North' and I was inspired to make a Vindaloo recently by CT's Vindy and Chips but I have yet to make it so that it tastes as good as it looks and how I am expecting it to taste but I am still trying.

BAJ