I would like to think that boiling whole spices in oil could match the flavour of Bhaji oil but I've tried that and It didn't have the depth of flavour or aroma of the Bhaji oil 

Copied and Paste my post from another thread you might find interesting 


Following this and JerryM's thread https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=8347.0 highlighting MarkJ's thread it got my mind buzzing  I got the mini fryer out of the cupboard and had a good sniff.. Wow ! BIR ! I called the Wife to have a sniff and she confirmed this was exactly the smell that fills the house following us having a takeaway.
So I took a couple of ladles out and put into a dish and had another sniff  yep that's it !
Just made 3 curry's using this oil,put some in the base (approx 75ml) some on the pre cooked chicken,and some in the final curry's.
I have resisted the temptation to scoff the lot  and will reheat tomorrow evening as I want all my senses to be clear from spices as when I would be when buying a takeaway.
I did taste the curry's when adding salt and the taste was promising.
In my previous attempt at using Bhaji oil and if I'm honest the oil was a bit past it and smelt more acrid than BIR !
Will post results tomorrow   

Quote from: Aussie Mick on May 07, 2012, 05:15 PM
I must say that yesterday I cooked onion bhajis for the first time since I discovered this site. So, i thought I would cook some curries using the bhaji oil to see what all the fuss was about.

So far, i have only used fresh canola or sunflower oil to cook curries and I have been very happy with the results.

We had a few mates over last night, so i cooked up 6 curries with the bhaji oil. Now, maybe I had been "spiced out" with cooking, but I can honestly say that for me personally, I will stick to using fresh oil for each curry. I didn't notice any difference at all. Like I say, my tastebuds were probably shot because of cooking up 6 ruby's, but I didn't enjoy the food as much as normal.

My mates all seemed to enjoy them, in fact I know they enjoyed them, so..............who knows.

Next time I will cook up just one curry and try it with the bhaji oil, just to satisfy my curiosity, but, unless it really does say something, I am gonna stick to fresh oil each time.

Just the thought of using old oil turns me off the food straight away. I know my parents used to cook chips in lard that had been used dozens and dozens of times, and they tasted better the older the lard got, but....seriously, they didn't know about trans fats and other nasty stuff back then.

Surely, old oil that has been heated and cooled, and cooked other stuff several times is not healthy?

Just my thoughts.

Hi Mick, it takes the frying of many many Bhaji's to reach the level of flavour required 

Quote from: laynebritton on May 07, 2012, 06:19 PM


Having read most or perhaps all of the posts here regarding "Spiced or Bhaji Oil"
it's obvious everyone has totally different opinions on the subject

and hey wouldn't it be a strange old world if everyone agreed on something eh

Anyway just thought I'd post a pic of my "Bhaji or Spiced Oil" = Pure Liquid Gold 
(in the plastic is a Curry sauce using the Oil) it's bloody lovely

Using "Fresh Oil" my Curries have a completely different taste smell and appearence !!!
just my opinion guys
cheers
Layne

God ! thats a Heart attack in a tub 

Guys, We have come a long way in our quest to find the ' Holy Grail ' and many of us can produce curry's that equal or even better our local T/A's,even our favourite T/A have their off nights and produce disappointing curry's the same as us  : but as George has said there is still that certain something that even my best efforts just cant produce I have tried bhaji oil,seasoned oil,veg ghee,butter ghee,home made garam masala,countless spice mixes,different base recipes,high heat,low heat,the list go's on  but certain things stick in my mind such as -

My curry's taste much better and very very close to that 'BIR taste' when I reheat them 1-2 days later.

Two T/A that I use the most and have been in their kitchens do not use 'reclaimed oil' but do use veg ghee.

George, maybe we had better buy some of those brown paper carriers !    

Update !

Following this and JerryM's thread https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=8347.0 highlighting MarkJ's thread it got my mind buzzing  : I got the mini fryer out of the cupboard and had a good sniff.. Wow ! BIR ! ;D I called the Wife to have a sniff and she confirmed this was exactly the smell that fills the house following us having a takeaway.
So I took a couple of ladles out and put into a dish and had another sniff  ;D yep that's it !
Just made 3 curry's using this oil,put some in the base (approx 75ml) some on the pre cooked chicken,and some in the final curry's.
I have resisted the temptation to scoff the lot  ;D and will reheat tomorrow evening as I want all my senses to be clear from spices as when I would be when buying a takeaway.
I did taste the curry's when adding salt and the taste was promising.
In my previous attempt at using Bhaji oil and if I'm honest the oil was a bit past it and smelt more acrid than BIR !
Will post results tomorrow   

Very nicely done NJ 

Quote from: JerryM on May 06, 2012, 10:25 AM
Gary.R,

it's well worth keeping an eye on the brand's taste. i used to favour rahaj then east end but gradually have settled in main for TRS. the cinnamon stick taste was the last straw - the TRS being far superior.

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3128.msg73147#msg73147

If it's any help Jerry our favourite T/A use TRS spices.

JerryM, I know you have been a fan of the 'high heat' frying for some time and if it works for you great 
but since my 2nd visit to my favourite t/a kitchen and watching my (and the Wife's) Madras being cooked slooowboat style plus I commented to the chef that he was only using low heat and he said '' cook slow for best flavour '' and now watching Mick's (CBM) video's which show quite low heat being used at the frying stage (and you can tell it's not that high by watching the amount of 'sizzle' when the first ladle of base goes in,there ain't none !)and the curry's are left to simmer for some time unattended.I have tried the ' high quick fry ' method (spices following the frying of the g/g) and the spices burn very quickly ending up with a very dark putrid smelling mixture  my best results have been over the last few weeks using the zaal base/spice mix plus frying the g/g puree until the sizzling stops then off the heat to add tomato puree,spice mix and chili then back on the heat to fry the mixture (again as Mick's video)
the curry's have been excellent in flavour,colour and consistency. I can understand in a busy BIR why they would cook on high obviously to get the dishes out quicker but IMO I don't think it necessary to achieve the BIR taste 

Quote from: PaulP on May 02, 2012, 09:26 PM

Quote from: joshallen2k on May 02, 2012, 08:48 PM

QuoteMy problems arose with the garlic and ginger. I've never ever cooked this mixture until browned without it tasting burnt!

PaulP - have you tried creating a blended puree of garlic/ginger and oil yet?

I found it really helped me solve the same problem.

Hi Josh, next on my list is to do the g/g puree. Usually I hand chop the g/g into small pieces but I want to try another method. I notice Julian from curry2go adds some water as well as oil to his g/g paste to help prevent burning.

When you cook your g/g paste do you cook until it browns?

Cheers,

Paul

Paulp, I use a mini blender for my garlic and ginger adding some oil and water then blitz 
When frying I listen to the sizzle and when it stops you will find the g/g is just starting to brown, I then take the pan off the heat and add my tomato puree, spice mix and chili powder,I find I get excellent results this way and noticed it's the same method as the chef in Mick's (CBM) video's.

haldi,I believe we are that close now that small additions such as a little coconut block and evaporated milk and we could hit the jackpot  ;D since trying the Zaal base which is very similar to Mick's my curries have been consistently as good or better than local BIR's  flavour,colour, and consistency are near spot on,just want to try the coconut and evaporated milk.