Unfortunately there are no short cuts to achieving goodquality BIR.  Heed the sound advice given above and you'll reap the rewards    Keep us posted on the guaranteed improvements.

Well cooked my group test madras tonight.  I couldn

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So what is the common denominator which makes this 'group test' anything more than making different curries and comparing them?

I believe your question was answered by comments made earlier in the thread  :  But, in essence, (re-)engagement, discussion, activity and fun I think sums it up, for those who actually want to participate.  We'll never have the laboratory conditions and absolute control measures to make a  group test anything like a clinical trial. Don't feel the need to participate if you don't want to but the more the merrier.

So I'm getting ready for this group test.  It's been a long while since I spent the day in the kitchen but Saturday was mostly given over to prepping base ,chicken and mix powder.


Pre-cooked chicken from the Viceroy, Abbots Langley, IMO it doesn't get much tastier and so simple



A bucket of Jb's base, much respected and used by many


Tonight I read this which has got me chomping at the bit as I'm starving

Quote from: littlechilie on January 15, 2018, 01:11 PM
I have be on the Madrss vindaloo trail for many years, cooking all the recipes available here. The curry I cooked yesterday tops everything I have produced...
I

Well, after a weekend in the kitchen doing some prep, I thought i'd better knock some of this up too.  I know it's naked  but I will dress it eventually in something deserving  like MA's

   I seem to have got on to facebook as well lol

Thanks for clarifying LC

Quote from: Peripatetic Phil on January 10, 2018, 06:32 PM
I would like to propose 976bar's Bhuna Chicken recipe as a candidate for the February test.

Would this be the one where 976 "cracked it" by any chance?

Quote from: fried on January 11, 2018, 04:24 PM
Also I can't help noticing in the video his measures look a little on the heavy handed side.

Ain't that the truth  ;D
Looking at all those up for this, we've all been trying to replicate BIR for a while and will have adapted our techniques over time.  My first question is are we going to throw it all in the pan and see what comes out just as Dip does or are we to use our normal methods but stick to the "quantities" in his recipe?
Another thing, it may be an idea to agree the measurements of the ingredients before we all start cooking, as per Fried's comment.  At least that way there will be some continuity in doing this whilst turning a very blind eye to the base used 
And is lamb a must, or are we up for chicken, as lamb will influence the taste of the finished dish more so than chicken  in my opinion?

Happy to go with his mix powder, although that will mean the expense of purchasing a bag of paprika which I avoid using as is possibly one spice that seems to degrade quicker than most other    I will use JB's base.   At least i'll be able to make a comparison between other madras curries I make and his, although strictly speaking of course it won't be Dips exact recipe because of the base swap    And then we've got the variable of what garam masala do we use, as it does account for 8% of the mix powder overall, which ranks higher than many other recipes.

I like the idea guys in principle.  Having read through many of the posts several times on the past group tests, it's obvious that it really is about having a bit of fun, trying something different and certainly not attempting to draw any irrefutable conclusions at the end of it. It certainly won't be an empirical exercise.  Ideally we'd all have the identical ingredients but that in itself is a challenge.  At least then the only variables will be our own level of cooking experience along with our own personal tastes and expectations.  As for making comparisons, even more fraught with danger, in my opinion. It may be easier to begin with selecting a recipe that involves no curry gravy    I'm sure we all have our preferences which will probably involve a little bit of chef's license.  I for one really don't want a bucket full of gravy that i would not choose to use normally whereas a little bit of spice mix I can live with.  Do you get where I am coming from?