Quote from: ghanna on April 10, 2005, 09:21 PM
How come vegetarians did not notice the chicken flavor in their curries ?

You make a good point. ?I should think that long-time vegetarians would be able to detect the taste of chicken.? It would be more noticeable to them than to someone who eats meat all the time.
-Mary ?

ghanna, yes, I've seen it, but I haven't had time to compare the two recipes.? My husband is going on a business trip next week, and I think I'll go on an all-Indian diet while he's gone.? With all the cream and oil in these recipes, I'm afraid it will be a weight-GAIN diet.
-Mary

Quote from: Blondie on April 07, 2005, 11:35 AM
Who is Mary and what is Sourdough and what does it have to do with British Indian Restaurant cooking,

Oops!? Sorry about that.:-[? I started this thread on CTM, and others recognized me from my profile on the "Hi" thread and kindly brought up my interest in breadmaking.? I didn't know how to email them, so I just continued OT.? I'll try to be more careful...

-Mary

Quote from: curryqueen on April 06, 2005, 09:51 PM
Just a thought!? I remembered in one of Pat Chapman's books a stock recipe called "Akhni Stock".?

What did Pat Chapman use it for?? Did he put it in a base sauce??

If chicken "jelly" is the answer, it certainly would compromise vegetarian curries.? That could explain why chefs won't confess doing it.?

Quote from: ghanna on April 06, 2005, 08:07 PM
i know a very good recipe for challah bread if you are interested.i know that you are a very good baker specially bread

ghanna, of course I?d like your challah recipe.? How could I refuse such a thoughtful offer?? Thank you.

Quote from: curryqueen on April 06, 2005, 10:16 PM
Baker eh!? Have you got a recipe for sourdough bread?

curryqueen, funny you should mention that.? ?Sourdough perfection is like curry perfection -- something to strive for but probably never reach. ? Recently I?ve been using this recipe from Jack Lang.? I?ll give you the link because it goes into great detail with very helpful photos.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=27634

The amount of sourness changes according to the propotion of water, type of flour, temperature during rising, refrigeration before baking, etc.? But this is a good basic bread and takes well to additions of olives, walnuts, blue cheese, etc.

If you don?t have a starter (barm), you might want to try these instructions. They were the only ones that worked for me:

http://www.kyleskitchen.net/barm_comment.htm

Let me know if I can help.?

-Mary

Last night I went to a cooking class by the chef of Palace of Asia, a fancy IR in New Jersey.? It has a good reputation, but I've never eaten there.? Unfortunately the class was at a grocery store, so I couldn?t snoop around the restaurant kitchen.

The chef made 4 items:

Tandoori Chicken - Chef showed us how to make the marinade, but then cooked marinated chicken that had been brought from the restaurant.? Since there was no tandoor in the grocery, he baked the chicken at 350 degrees F. and it came out pale and pretty much tasteless.? I asked if perhaps they should use 350 degrees Celsius rather than Fahrenheit, but another student said, ?No, that would be about a million degrees Fahrenheit!??

Paratha - 1 cup melted butter to 4 cups flour, plus water, salt, baking powder.? More butter (lots) drizzled on both sides as they cooked.? I?m scheduling my angioplasty next week!

Vegetable Pulav - the usual Basmati, spices, veg, nothing to write home about.

Chicken Tikka Masala -? This was pretty good, but it?s not something I have much experience eating.? The recipe may sound exact, but the chef often just poured in what he wanted.

At one point he reached back to the counter and grabbed a small container of sauce and poured it in.? It was an ingredient that wasn?t listed on the recipe.? Aha!? I asked him what it was, and he said it was just the same ingredients that were already in the frying pan (onion, ginger, garlic) that he had cooked earlier and pureed.? I could see from the color and texure that it was Curry Sauce Base.? After class I cornered him and asked again what was in it.? Again he said onions, ginger, garlic.? Any green pepper?? He said no.? Any carrot?? He said no.? Do you use it in other curries.? He said yes.? When he started talking to someone else, I grabbed a spoon and had a taste of what was left in the container.? Yes, definitely Curry Sauce Base, similiar to Dhillon?s, but with more chilli and without that long-cooked flavor.? Also, there was no oil floating on top! ? No surprise that it didn?t have ?the taste.?? The final CTM didn?t have ?the taste,? either.? Nevertheless, I?m giving the recipe in case there?s?a clue that can?help someone else.

Chicken Tikka Masala - Palace of India

1 lb. chicken breast

1 Tbl. vegetable oil (more)
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. minced ginger
1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 tsp. ground cumin (more)
1/4 tsp. ground coriander (more)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. red chilli powder
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 cup onion cubes, about 3/4?
1/2 cup green pepper cubes, about 3/4?
(About 1/2 cup Curry Base Sauce)

2 Tbl. tomato puree
1 cup heavy cream
Tomato wedges
Chopped fresh coriander
Few drops red food color, if desired

Marinate chicken in tandoori marinade for a minimum of 3 hours.? Roast until almost done.

Heat oil in pan.? Add chopped onion and saute until golden brown.? Add ginger and garlic and saute until brown.? (He said this is the most important part!)? Add spices, then cubed onion & green pepper, and Curry Base Sauce.? Cook about 5 minutes, but do not overcook vegetables.? Add tomato puree and heavy cream and chicken (& red color, if using), and cook until sauce becomes thick.? Stir in tomato wedges and garnish with chopped coriander.

Name:? Mary
Age:? The wrong side of 60
Location:? New Jersey, USA
Cooking experience:? Cooking all my life, but curries took priority after discovering Kris Dhillon's book last year
Baking experience:? Have always loved baking, especially breads

Ooh, what's that crawling into the open containers of food on the floor? ? Could it be a secret ingredient?? Yum!

Quote from: DARTHPHALL on March 31, 2005, 03:23 PM
I get great satisfaction when i take a curry to work for dinner a mate tries some & says" thats the best f****** curry Ive ever tasted

Pride goeth before a phall.?

Quote from: Yellow Fingers on March 31, 2005, 10:06 AM
That looks like ordinary butter in the tub at the bottom of the pic. I wonder what that is being used for?

Butter's expensive.? Maybe margarine?? Could the milk solids burn a little and give a certain flavor.