Are you grinding your own spices, or using spices typically available from an asian shop? If the latter, it shouldn't be gritty. If the former maybe you need to grind more! Or try spices from a shop.

One tip for frying spices - have a few small pieces of onion. When you think the oil is hot, add a piece of onion. If the temperature is about right, the onion will begin to sizzle nicely. If it doesn't, heat the oil a little more and try again. Add spices when onion sizzles, and fry for around 30 seconds. Usually about right.

Or some recipes fry chopped onions first for a few minutes. When onions are done, just take off the heat for a few seconds then add spices and start to fry, return to heat and cook for 30 seconds. Seems to work for me, anyway.

Not used garlic oil, but have used hot curry oil - I think it certainly adds to the flavour of a curry. I mix about a teaspoon with veg oil and a spoonful of ghee, then use that as my starter oil for frying. From Asda -

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/asda-compare-prices/oils_and_vinegar/chalice_indian_style_hot_curry_oil_250ml.html

I use naga on other stuff as well as curries. I use it to pep up soups - really adds great flavour. Also like to add a thin layer on some pizzas. Put some on Staffordshire oatcakes with cheese and beans, nice.

Luv it!

I never heat my base up before adding to the curries I cook, but many do. I'd say I am very happy with my curries, so am just carrying on doing it this way.

If you have treid both methods - does it really make any difference to the taste?

Quote from: david.phillips.dizzy on March 05, 2013, 07:48 PM
I have been cooking seriously for the past 8 years and as hard as i try i can never seem to produce the same delicious curries that are produced at any good Indian Restaurant.

All that is about to change,....honestly. Just follow the recipes on here for base, garlic/ginger paste, spice mixes, and before long you'll be producing curries better than you have ever made before!

Welcome, by the way.   

I prepare all the veggies, then put the veg for each dish separately. Then measure out the g/g paste, tomato dilute for each dish and put each in its own small pot. Then measure out spices for each dish, and put each in its own small pot. Then line each group of items for each particular dish, in order of cooking, eg, onions/peppers, spices, tomato dilute, meat, any other items. So, for example, cooking 3 separate curries ends up with 3 "production lines" of all items, in order of cooking. Then cook like a madman, and makes lots of mess! 

Still get stressed though.      But the wine helps!   

Local chippy after frying cod??

;D

I haven't got the book, but looking at the web site, there are a few recipes on there. I have noticed that these recipes don't seem to use garlic/ginger paste - generally they just contain garlic. For those that have tried these and other Kushi recipes, does this change the taste of these dishes much?  For better or worse? I've never really cooked any BIR curries without garlic/ginger paste.

Razor - where did you leave a comment, I can't see it under the base gravy page?