Hi,

I have made three curries from the book and thought they were good but not exceptional.
There is a definate taste to the base which is unmistakable and a little overpowering in the dishes so for me needs an adjustment to tone this taste down straight away.
I think the main problem is we had all expected this to be a revelation on the BIR front but it is a book about BALTI cooking which is a different style and taste altogether.
Some site members have actually eaten in the restaurant and say the recipes are just the same as the restaurant food so from that point of view the book is an accurate account of the dishes they serve.

I think it gives a good number of hints and tips and gives inspiration to get cooking simply because we know it is written by the people who are the experts in this field and trust the information they give is correct.
The website "help line" seems to be happy to offer some advice and answer questions as they are keen to see their customers happy with their purchase.
They do seem reluctant to give brand names of products they use or disclose some of the more technical answers to the questions we ask being instead a little vague in the answers they give.

I will still make some of the recipes from the book from time to time as I did like what I made but must say overall I was somewhat dissapointed it was not about BIR cooking and as such would probably not buy it again if the dog ate it but that's hardly likely as we don't have a dog!!

Ray

Hi all,

Just as a matter of interest this is supposed to be the biggest curry house in the world.

http://www.aakashrestaurant.com

It is not far from me in Cleckheaton near Bradford.
It really is massive, built in an old chapel it can seat hundreds. Not a place for a romantic evening.

I have never been but a few people I know say it is very good, although a bit on the pricey side ( ?15 for an all you can eat buffet ).

Ray

Quote from: pete on December 21, 2005, 10:43 PM
I have come to the conclusion that we are not all aiming for the same thing
But I think the curry powder is this Basaar stuff, we've talked about
There are loads of the "basaars"
Surely it can only be I am not using the right basaar?

Hi Pete,

I think you are quite right, we are not all aiming for the same thing. And why is that? Well................tonight I had a take-away from the closest place to me.
The food from here is a bit middle of the road but nice just the same. It is quite bland ( so it will appeal to everyone! ) and to me most dishes taste a bit the same. But there isn't a bit of re-claimed oil in sight! The oil is really clear like it has just come out of the bottle but there is still that underlying smokey taste we associate with used oil! It isn't strong but it is there just the same.
I think this taste comes from the oil in the original base they make rather than re-claimed oil used afterwards.
I think if we were all to meet up and bring say three of our favourite restaurant curries we would all be bringing pretty different dishes and this is what makes it difficult to reproduce our favourites...........we are all buying slightly different products in the first place.

The Basaar Mix is probably a part of the secret but I don't think it is the magical ingredient we are looking for, it is after all no more than a special blended curry powder.
The one I got and sent to a few on the site was very fiery to say the least ( did I send you any? Just ask and I will post you some. ). The brand was RMI foods ( Bradford ) and the pack has "Basaar Original, All-in-one, Special Pak Curry Powder" written on it and costs about ?3.00p. Like Darth says it has a sweetness to it and stinks out the house it is that powerful. But it is Dynamite!
I am not sure if it is widely used in restaurants. It is a bit of a hard thing to find in asian supermarkets. I will put the question about it's use to the Kushi Restaurant and let you know if they answer it.
From what I gather from my asian colleagues it is used more in "home cooking" than anything and only about a teaspoon or so is added to the pot.

Must go,

Work is calling..........................Yippee!

Ray

Quote from: DeeDee on December 21, 2005, 02:18 PM
Ray, that meal sounds fantastic but I suggest after twenty peeps chow down on all that you post signs in the ambulances saying "No naked flames" or there'll be another fire they can see from space!

PAAAAARP!? TOOT!

DeeDee

Hi Dee Dee,

It's gonna be Paaarp, Paaarp, Toot, Toot and a lot more, so if you are in West Yorkshire over Christmas and need an Ambulance you will have to forgive the pong when the crew turn up. Just blame me for the inconvienience!! Whoops, truumpppp! pardon me, that was the Balti Chicken speaking!!

Sorry folks!!

Ray

Hi Mark,

That first picture of the base before the oil is scooped off looks remarkably like mine!

For me that means we are at least fairly close to the right solution.

Re-claimed oil as far as I am concerned has a big part to play in the curry mistery!!

Ray

Hi C.K.

I have had this on order from Amazon for ages and haven't had a bite yet. Well done for your persistance!

If you are happy to publish some of it's secrets I reckon there will be a whole load of grateful folk on this site!

Regards

Ray

Great stuff!!

Mark, The Chicken Tikka Balti Madras is on the bike and with the courier as we speak...........enjoy!

Thanks for that Blondie, turkey in any sort of curry would be just fine on Boxing Day, what else could you do with it?

The family have actually booked for a curry at a local BIR on boxing day so this year for me it's curry, curry, curry all the way!!!

Sheer bliss!!!

Ray

Hi All,

Seeing as I work for the ambulance service and am working all over Christmas ( all say Aaaaahhhh!!! ) and don't have a chance of the traditional Turkey dinner ( Boooo!! )? I have decided to cook all my colleagues a nice Curry instead ( all say Yessssss!!! ).

So here's the dinner menu for all 20 workers who are gonna be grafting at Keighley Ambulance Station while you lot are getting full of Xmas pud and Xmas cheer.

Popadoms and Pickles ( Rajah )
Onion Bhaji's ( Mridula Balkejar )
Meat Samosa's ( Co-op ) they are? not bad actually!
Chicken Tikka Masala ( Balti Kitchen ) simple and very tasty
Chicken Madras ( Darth Phall ) can't go wrong with this one
Dabari Rice ( Darth Phall ) as George say's, the best rice ever
Paratha's ( Payal ) takes me back to my teenage years
Naan Bread ( Maddhur Jaffrey? )
Coffee ( Nescafe )
Mints ( After Eight )
Afternoon Nap ( Slumberdown )

I think we are going to be in heaven on Christmas Day, don't you!!!


So what are you all having???

Have a good one!

Ray G

Quote from: DeeDee on December 19, 2005, 02:21 PM
So it's only NOW that I'm wondering if the UK/US cups and measures conversions matter in recipes.?DeeDee

Hi DD,

I think you can take it as read virtually all the recipes on this site are in U.K. measures and you need to do a little conversion to your U.S. equivalent.

Teaspoons and Tablespoons seem to be about the same US or UK. But is that heaped, flat or what?? How much is a Ladle Full??

My understanding is a UK Cup is 8 fl ozs about 230 mls and a ladle is 125 mls. A Tablespoon is 15 mls a Dessertspoon 10 mls and a Teaspoon is 5 mls.
I do feel measurements of liquid can have a greater latitude in most recipes as too much or too little can be readily adjusted but spices are a different matter. A tablespoon of coarse Methi Leaves is a lot different to a tablespoon of fine Methi leaves if you see what I mean.

But I agree with George everyone posting on the site should try to make it simple and state things in Mls, Grams, Ozs etc and not Cups or Spoons as these are a bit innacurate to say the least.

Perhaps we should agree what measurements we need to use as a group to avoid any possible future confusion. I would be happy to accept Litres and Mls as more accurate for our purposes as this will convert down to small amounts such as spoons and teaspoons accurately.

Ray

P.S. Which "Donut" erased your camera memory?? Punishable by death I think!!

Hi ND,

Yes, I remember it from my younger days about 30 years ago!
I didn't know it was a fish for years, always thinking I would be served up a whole duck when I saw it on the menu. I believe it is called a Bummaloe or something similar.
The first experience was rather strange and I wasn't expecting what I got.

However, the taste was really nice, sort of salty kipper like and I did have it from time to time over a number of years.

I don't know how long the ban was in place but it must have been 20 years or so as I have never seen it on any menu for ages.
I read about the ban and as far as I am aware import was stopped on the basis of the hygiene issue associated with it.

Apparently it is landed from the water straight to the shore where it is left to dry unprotected from germs, stored in unhygenic conditions and shipped without much consideration to health either. I got the impression once it arrived here it was a festering? timebomb ready to kill us all!
Perhaps the ban has been lifted as things have been tightened up now. Don't know if it is going to make a comeback here though.

I might personally think twice before trying it again leaving my experiences of it pleasant as they were back in the past.

Regards

Ray