Great idea... thanks Darth - super tip ... wish that I could take credit for it  ( probably will )
;D - plagiarism is alive and well in the colonies . 

Nothing wrong with being a garlic leper....as long as you don't loose face .  ;D

Hi heat required .

Welcome to our humble curry kingdom . If you do an on site search for chicken stock , you will see that this topic has been discussed at length - makes for good reading .

CC

Interesting to see divergent methods ....the restaurants here micro -wave  all of their prepped poppadums  .  I must say that I find them extremely crisp and far less greasy . Perhaps this is a trend only but the Indian patrons that frequent the restaurants state that they prefer them .

I did a straw-poll of nine Indian restaurants in my neighbourhood...all use a base and none flame  any of the ingredients . All chefs insisted that they prep their base ingredients at a controlled high heat ... all spicing was then added at critical intervals -  the pre - cooked meat was added at the end  .  I surmise that that this is yet another indication that restaurant or BIR recipes plus their  method , whether from the UK or elsewhere can be totally individual . There is no one unique base , there is no one unique spicing technique . If that were the case ,  every restaurant recipe would taste the same . I think that the only given here is that traditional Indian recipes render a tried and true flavour whereas the BIR recipes are constantly evolving in order to pacify the flavour of the day  and incorporate new culinary ideas .

Thanks for the info CP .

I reiterate what Mark J has already stated -  CP's expertise comments are a welcome addition to this forum . We can all benefit from his useful tips and techniques and incorporate , then expand on them  ( the sharing knowledge is a good thing !  )

I use a gas - fired Jenn-air wok - the high heat is well controlled and critical for the key stages of prep . I am not a big fan of the so-called flamb? technique  in BIR ( this is more style than substance ) . I do however feel that controlled high heat over short periods does produce superior flavours that are reproducible . As the name suggests, flambeing is a process of "flaming" off alcohol by igniting it. As opposed to boiling off alcohol, flambeing caramelizes the sugar in the liquor slightly, producing a subtle, sweet, roasted aroma. It also makes a very dramatic presentation of dishes . Since BIR chefs do not use liquor , setting light to oil does absolutely nothing to improve the flavour of a dish other than making it taste like a burnt carcinogenic offering . For those that wish to incorporate carbon -    I would be interested to hear what C P has to say based on his experience . Most of the Indian chefs that I know do not " flame their dishes as a matter of fact ... if it happens by accident , the flames are retarded by reducing the heat in order to preserve the original desired flavour - after all not too many patrons enjoy everything tasting like burnt toast . Guy Fawkes day should be observed on November 5th , not in the curry kitchen .

Remember Andy the choice of an appropriate beer is key as well ( hops are one of the food groups ) ! 

You should be creating a magazine for publication mate - the pix are great !!

CC