Right.

As a huge fan of Glasgow curries (albeit from the early '80s) I'm going to have to give this a go.

Maybe things have changed in Glasgow since then, but it will be interesting to see how it compares to the curries I enjoyed at some of the city's finest curry establishments at that time.

For reference, the closest I've got to the 'Scottish taste' to date is via a Little India / Zaal style of base, Chewy Tikka's Madras recipe, and the use of a good spiced onion paste (bunjara / bunjarra) a la Ashoka or CBM. I've found the bunjara to be the essential component in delivering what I can only describe as a 'Glasgow kiss' in terms of intensity and depth of flavour.

Anyway, really looking forward to trying this out, and will report back as soon as I can (likely to be the end of next week, the way things are shaping up).

Splendid stuff, RubyDoo.

I found it to be a beautifully balanced recipe, and although a little on the sweet side for this old chilli head, it's has become a firm favourite in my curry circle - and particularly liked by the ladies.

Having just paid

Looks superb. If only more restaurants could do it so well.

If that was in front of me right now it would be gone in 60 seconds!

Quote from: StoneCut on January 10, 2013, 09:13 AM
It is extremely hard to get the "cheap" aluminium pans over here in Germany. Can anyone who has one look up the manufacturer of them ? That might help somewhat.

Here you go, StoneCut: http://sonexcookware.com.pk/products.php?cat_id=2

Whatever the reasons, it's getting harder and harder to find a decent BIR curry these days - old school or otherwise.

For the last 15 years or so, whenever I visited relatives in London, I used to salivate at the thought of hitting the Tandoori Garden in Lillie Road, Fulham. The chef there made absolutely an absolutely sublime, to die for Madras and vindaloo (the best I've had in the south, in fact), and the rest of the dishes on the menu were great, too. Tarka dhal nice and thick and garlicky - none of your watery soup-like rubbish. Really smokey, flavoursome saag bhaji, superb tandoori chicken, etc, etc. The man had the touch, and it was heaven.

But the last time I went it had all changed. The chef had left, the decor modernised - and the food ruined. It was bloody awful, in fact.

I wish I could find out where he moved to, as I'm now running out of places to find good quality curries.

One thing is for sure, and that is a really good BIR chef is gold dust.

Thanks for this BB8. Most interesting - particularly with regard to the time factor when cooking different spices.

While I've come across this from chefs who practice more traditional Indian cuisine, who add individual spices separately and at different stages to create a 'layering' of flavours, BIR dishes are prepared so quickly that I hadn't considered it would make any difference.

Thinking aloud here, the average BIR curry takes around 8 minutes from start to finish. This really isn't very long at all to cook any of the spices, but while I'm not sure it will really make any difference if you put all the spices in at the same time or not, as always I'll keep an open mind and give it a try. 

Looking forward to more info as and when you get it!

Quote from: DalPuri on January 07, 2013, 08:25 PM

Quote from: jb on January 07, 2013, 05:25 PM
He's a busy chap....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rM9f5JKdrs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GZhIDiO1Wg

That is Not a Shami kebab i'm afraid.  It's just a burger or a Chapli kebab.

Might be a regional thing, DalPuri, but all the shami kebabs I've had have been round and flat(ish) - or burger shaped. Type shami kebab into Google images!

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=shami+kebab&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=1X0&tbo=u&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=RDjrUM28E8yz0QXw94HoAg&ved=0CEEQsAQ&biw=1760&bih=880


 

Top work, Michael. Nothing like watching/filming your curries being made - especially by a well practiced chef.

No drama, no over-complication, no nonsense. Just good old fashioned BIR craft.

I'm assuming it all tasted as good as it looked?

Couldn't agree more. I often make double or triple portions in one go, and have found that a gradual diminishing of quantities when upscaling is the way forward.

For a double Madras, for instance, I'll use 1.5tbsp of chilli powder instead of 1tbsp, and for a triple I'll use just under 2tbsp instead of 3. (Same sort of ratio applies to other ingredients, too.)

I will admit to finding it a little baffling. After all, if you cook two or three Madras curries separately then mix them together in one bowl at the end, all is fine.

I'm not sure how the 'science' of it works, but it just works!