hi solarsplace

Thanks very much for your response.  I'm happy to get a good answer from anywhere, but particularly from someone who has used the recipe!!!! 

It's also good to read your endorsement of Abdul's Base and 8 Spice mix as I will be making his base tomorrow and using it with either his Madras or Bhuna recipe......so thanks as well for the tips on putting it all together.  Much appreciated.
al.

Hello Slugweezer......you've come to the right place here

Rich - a 'spot-on' comment!  Totally with you on this one.

Hi Abdul

Like everyone else, I have to express my undying thanks for sharing your recipes and techniques.  They reinforce on of my favourite messages - the simple things and ways are most often the best.

I've tried to go slowly through all the pages on this thread because a very simple question occurred to me.  I haven't seen the answer.......but there again I am old so I may have missed the information during a 'senior moment'!  And I don't want to end up making a mess of your recipe!!

Anyway, here's the question, and it relates to your Base Curry Sauce.  Is there really no need for further cooking after the initial 30 minutes (ish) to cook the vegetables and then blend the mixture?  I ask only because the Base recipes from Taz and Cory Ander, for example, seem to require a long time (1 hour plus) cooking/simmering.  Is this just because your recipe uses much less oil??

Martin

Thanks for reminding me about the garlic smell etc!  My heyday has been from mid 60s until now!! And I seem to remember having that garlic taste in the mouth for days, too!

CA - again, thanks for the comment about the garlic powder.  It was the same thought that prompted me to start the thread......it was a comment made by 'the main man' at my local T/A on how they used garlic powder to create a distinctive taste.    As I said in a post yesterday, I reckon the only way to test the significance or otherwise of the garlic powder is to set up an experiment comparing standard spice mix with standard + garlic powder and report the results.

Thanks emin-j.  This is another confirmation that backs up the idea of different restaurants & T/As using different methods as CA has mentioned on another thread!!

I'm going to experiment with Abdulmohed's '8 Spice Mix'.........the original 8 versus the 8 plus Garlic Powder.  If the 'One over the eight' turns out to be significantly different, I'll come back to the thread again.

Many thanks for all your helpful comments!
PHIL - enjoyed the really useful links, especially the quick peel method that I've never seen before!
RAZOR - yes, there was a very strong smell and taste from the garlic.  Like you, my suspicion was that it was in the spice mix.......but it was one of the 'closed door' takeaway places so I couldn't see into the kitchen!  But then
HALDI's observation on the lack of garlic powder in restaurant kitchens seems to knock that idea sideways.
JERRYM - I used to watch the Wolves(the Dougan/Richards era), but am a Newcastle man from birth! 
UNCLEFRANK - another excellent tip!
Overall, I go with JERRYM's comment on this - getting the garlic in there is what counts.  Maybe HALDI's right and it is largely used in Takeaway cooking.  I have it in my spice masala as Razor suggests - I'm using Cory Ander's version - rather than the base mix.
That taste still haunts me, and I'll keep trying.  Thanks again for the ideas!

Here's a question I hope other members can help me with.......do BIRs use garlic powder in their recipes and is it an essential in creating 'the taste' we're all looking for??

I ask for a number of reasons:
1.  Many years ago, my favourite take away just outside Wolverhampton (Bangladeshi, if I remember rightly)produced curries with a truly remarkable taste.  I asked the owner about what gave them such a flavour and he pointed to the use of garlic powder.....and when I added it to my own humble attempts there was a definite improvement in flavour.
2.  Looking through several recipes on this site for both curry base and main meals, few of them seem to use garlic powder as an ingredient.  This set me wondering.  Given that the BIRs work to cheap(ish) ingredients and are always looking to save preparation time, wouldn't it make sense if they used powder instead of fresh garlic?  I'm all for using fresh ingredients in cooking.  And here in the Philippines we still have thriving daily meat, fruit and veg markets - the sort that died out in the UK when the big supermarkets took over!  But would the BIRs take the time to peel literally hundreds of garlic cloves per day, day after day??
3.  As a relatively new member to the site I've been reviewing a lot that's written here and working up to to trying some of Cory Ander's recipes - I notice that garlic powder is one ingredient in his spices mix! - but I thought I'd try to get people's reactions on the garlic powder question before I began.

It may well be that this is a thread that has been explored before.  If so, does anyone know of a link that will avoid wasting other people's time??!!

Like everyone else on this thread, I'd certainly add a BIG 'Thank you' for doing the test.  I'm still dithering between trying CA's or CT's or Taz's base.  Best to go straight to action and try them out instead of putting it off!!

Hi Balloo
I remember the mother of a friend of mine from many years back used grated apples and raisins in her curry recipe.  She and her husband had worked for many years in the Middle East, so maybe they got the idea from there.  I never did watch the entire cooking process, but as I recall the taste was very good!  I tried to replicate it myself one time but it was a total disaster!

Hello Everyone
I'm posting from the Philippines, not exactly known for a love of curry, but I have been an adict since 1967 and I'm still learning new things every day.  Hope to enjoy your company and share tips
alarmist10