Garry, I also found this bit of info recently and it may help and it may already be on this great site somewhere.

For good quality, cheap chicken stock, use chicken wings.  Rost them before boiling, without any other ingredients.  This might be useful to someone.

Sorry Garry, didnt realise about the ?   It is 1/2 teaspoon of cumin and red food colouring at the stage where the ? are.

This recipe was given to me a while back and it has been reproduced many times, without cream and it is superb.  I didnt come up with it myself and it probably exists elsewhere in some form or other but I was led to believe it was a authentic BIR curry. (it without a doubt tastes like one to me)

Follow it to the letter and you wont go far wrong.  You can add cream if you want, I never have and its fine, you dont have to add the methi leaves either if you dont want, I do because I like their flavour.

Hope this helps.

I have had this recipe for a while now and take my word for it, it is absolutely brilliant.  A 100% clone of a high quality BIR chicken tikka, it is the authentic real deal.  Make it and see for yourself! 



Authentic BIR Chicken Tikka Masala

Mix 4 heaped tablespoons of natural yoghurt, 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 heaped tablespoon of Pataks Tandoori paste.   If you want the BIR colour then add a pinch or so of red and yellow powdered food colouring.

Cut 4 chicken breasts into desired sized chunks and cover with marinade and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Next; after marinating, pre heat oven to highest heat and  skewer the chicken onto skewers and place on a baking tray at the top of the a pre-heated oven.  Cook for about 10 minutes or more, making sure the chicken is cooked thoroughly (break the biggest bit in half to see if it is white all the way through.)


The base sauce

2 heaped tablespoons of ghee or oil of your choice (I use vegetable oil).

1 KG of onions of your choice

75g of fresh garlic

75g of fresh ginger

1 tin of tomatoes (pureed)

2 level teaspoons of turmeric

2 level teaspoons of paprika

1 level teaspoon of coriander

1 level teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of tomato puree

1 level teaspoon of salt

2 pints of water (1.4 litres)

Method

Roughly chop the onions and add to a large pan.  Liquidise the ginger and garlic in a blender with a little water and add to the onions with the remainder of the water. Bring to the boil with lid off (important, to prevent the stewed onion taste) and simmer for 45 minutes (lid off) or until the onions are extremely soft.

Leave to cool ten liquidise very thoroughly.


Next; mix the 4 spices with a little water to make a paste.

Put ghee or oil in a pan on a medium heat, add the spice paste and cook for 30 seconds, no longer or they will easily burn!

Now add the tin of liquidised tomatoes, tomato puree and the salt to the spices in the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add this to the onion garlic and ginger mixture, bring back to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remember keep the pan lid off and stir to stop sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Because the water content will be reduced, you can add water after the 20 minute simmering period.  This can now e frozen in 1 pint batches for future use

Tadah , one perfect base sauce!


Tikka Masala sauce

2 tablespoons of butter ghee or oil of your choice

1 pint of base sauce

Half of a 200g block of creamed coconut

2 tablespoons of ground almonds

1 tablespoon of clear honey

1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup

175ml of Heinz cream of tomato soup

1 level teaspoon of salt

1 level teaspoon of paprika

1 level teaspoon of chilli powder

1 level teaspoon garam masala

? teaspoon of cumin

? teaspoon of red powdered food colouring (optional but would recommend)

1 table spoon of dried fenugreek leaves

Method;


Heat the ghee or oil in a pan until very hot.  Slowly add the base sauce, it will spatter at first so be careful. 

Bring to boil and add the salt, paprika, chlli and food colouring, cooking for around 10 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.

Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the pre-cooked chicken tikka pieces, simmer for a further 2 minutes and your done.

Sprinkle with fresh coriander to serve.


Enjoy.

Thanks Cory ander, ive tried Darths base and ifindforu's.  I found ifindforu's to be the better of the two but I couldnt get the oil to rise so it was spoilt.  (i also burnt the spices a bit).

Can anyone please suggest how I get the large quantities of oil in the base sauces to rise to the top, as it stays in the base for me, spoiling the results?

I think if ASDA or anyone else could make a BIR on an industrial scale they would have because it would have been a certain winner.  But they havent so this tells you something in its self about the BIR making process!

I am going to make this base again as the first time I burnt the spices!   Eventhough, it still tasted like a BIR curry I once had back in 1985, so I belive this is the most authentc recipe I have tried upto now.

Have now made Darths Madras, tastes nice but has a chinise curry flavour about it.

Have made your curry now Darth, it looks and smells good.  Can't wait to convert it to a Madras.

I'll let you know how it goes!












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Making your curry base today Darth, I ll let you know how I get on.