Quote from: stephenperry on June 19, 2012, 11:09 PM... will get there in the end without resorting to ye olde turmeric...

You're bang on there. Taste comes before presentation for me - but I must admit that some of the photos on here make my mouth water!

Hi Phil,

Quote from: Phil (Chaa006) on June 19, 2012, 09:37 PM...I'm not familiar with Cory Ander's method...

He recommends refrigerating the rice for at least 1 hour.

Quote from: Phil (Chaa006) on June 19, 2012, 09:37 PM..., but the method(s) that I follow all suggest that after adding a few (very few) drops of your preferred colours at widely separated points, you then put the rice in a low oven (80C) for about 20 minutes to "set" the colours.  If you omitted this step, it might explain why the colours have mixed and spread out to the extent that they have.

I think CA's method works in setting the colours. Methinks I'm just a bit cack-handed and put in too much colour!

It's said that practice makes perfect, so I immediately made a second batch and I STILL put in too much colour! Things can only get better...at least it tasted OK and went well with my Chicken Tikka Jaipuri.

Keith

Quote from: 976bar on June 17, 2012, 10:55 AM...It would be nice to see some pictures Naga, I'm sure it looked lovely

Well, I'm not sure if pictures of my attempts at CA's Pilau Rice are going to get the juices going, but here goes...

I didn't have any curry leaves, but the rest of the spices are set out on the plate. The rice (flanked by 2 pots of Abdul Mohed's enhanced base gravy) only took about 6 minutes before it was ready to come off the boil. I set the drained rice into my largest ovenproof dish and added the food colouring before refrigerating and then mixing.

I've had another look at CA's own photos and now realise that there is more to the alchemy of colouration than I first suspected! Still, Rome wasn't built in a day and it tastes OK so at least it's a result, if not perfection.

Yet another heroic effort! A veritable currython!

Quote from: 976bar on June 17, 2012, 10:53 AM...the fresh chillies in the garlic chili chicken...did make a few eyes water and numb lips...

Aye, it had that effect on me when I made it too! Brill!

Is there a consistent definition of what constitutes Chicken Chaat?

Looking around the web, many recipes seem to suggest that chunks of chicken are used in the dish, sometimes in a sauce and sometimes without.

My local takeaway's Chicken Chaat consists largely of red-coloured, skinless chicken thighs served on a bed of sliced, raw onions with a quarter of lemon on the side. The meat is charcoal-blackened around the edges and it is certainly freshly cooked as any exposed bone usually burns holes through the polystyrene carton!

It is without a doubt a nice, succulent piece of chicken, but it has no discernible flavour other than...well, chicken!

Quote from: 976bar on June 17, 2012, 10:55 AMIt would be nice to see some pictures Naga, I'm sure it looked lovely

I regret that I was so busy preparing and serving up the meal that I had no time to take a photo. We demolished half of the rice at dinner and my daughter has scooped up the remainder and taken it home with her along with what was left of the curry dishes! But I'll be making more soon and will post some photos.

Quote from: Phil (Chaa006) on June 17, 2012, 11:09 AM...Incidentally, I "upgraded" to Tilda for my last batch, and the results were good...

I've been using Kohinoor Gold Basmati Rice for a year or so now and I find it very good. It's currently

I have used the absorption method for donkey's years when making basmati rice, but I've never made pilau rice before last night. This is an excellent recipe and it is so easy to make with the minimum of effort. The beauty of the method for me is the ability to make a large batch of perfect pilau rice and store/freeze it without any loss of taste or consistency. Another cracker, CA!

I made this recipe last night as part of a curry night dinner party for the family and it was excellent! Everyone commented on how good it was and we all enjoyed it immensely. I followed the recipe exactly, using CA's base sauce and spice mix and it was first class! Thanks, CA!

I've only taken up BIR-style cooking in the last year or so, but I definitely didn't fancy the stuff they put into powdered food colouring.

I made CA's pilau rice yesterday and I thought that I had to add food colouring to make it more visually attractive. Instead of powder, I bought Asda's liquid red, yellow and green natural food colourings from the baking section and, I must say, they worked a treat.

I also made tandoori chicken and, although the outer flesh certainly turned out red, I can't say for certain that the red food colouring worked well for the chicken as the marinade was red anyway.

But the rice turned out brilliantly, and I would certainly recommend the Asda food colourings for pilau.