Quote from: SnS on January 21, 2009, 04:24 PM
Everything you need to know about MSG here (for all you marmite munchers) ;D

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2005/jul/10/foodanddrink.features3

That's a good article, long but interesting!

Glutamates enhance their flavour when combined with other glutames is what heston blumenthal says in the perfection book i've got. Curries have onion, tomato and meat in which all contain glutamate.
I wouldnt say it's the secret ingredient but it adds savouriness (the reason it's called ummami is bcos that's the japanese translation and they 'discovered' the taste).
As we're after savoriness i have been experimenting with it. It does improve the dish but it doesnt make it more currylike or more BIR i dont think. I still need to do a side by side comparison.
The health claims seem to be unfounded, i've read some articles on it. Seems to be 'better' for you than salt, sugar, paracetamol etc
Other ingredients that are stong in savoriness are steak (or any dark grilled meat) & mushrooms. I only serve my steak chargrilled and with well fried mushrooms and tomatoes. The taste combination is outstanding, an amazing combination. That is glutamate combo in action so it shouldnt be ignored!
As BB says, that is a good reason parmesan is used with meats, tomatoes etc.

This isnt actually an immitation dish, i kind of freestyled and added all sorts. I called it jaipuri because it turned out quite like the only one i've ever had. So yes this could be misleading and jaipuri doesnt have to be like this! I cant say it's regional bcos i've onyl had one.

Quote from: Madchester on January 18, 2009, 04:31 PM
Cooking on a terracotta tile has 2 benefits.  The first is that the tile holds a lot of heat so when you put your pizza on it the temperature of the tile remains very high resulting in quick cooking time.  The second is that a terracotta tile gives your pizza a stone baked taste, which is a big plus.  Using the tile method allows you to cook the pizza quickly giving you a crispy base which is still soft and not dried out.  This is a way of mimicking the conditions of a stone bake oven

Agreed. Although a piece of iron seems to get the stonebaked flavour as well. Completely agree how the heating from the bottom is usually the downfall when cooking these at home.

Using ammended Ashoka base.

Quote from: Madchester on January 16, 2009, 06:30 PM
If you are using a domestic oven, cooking your pizza on a terracotta tile with the oven on its hottest setting produces great results.

That's the ticket. It definately improves the taste the quicker the pizza cooks!
I use heston blumenthal's technique of heating an iron pan (like le creuset) to max heat, flipping it upside down, putting the pizza on the base of it and putting under a grill in a fully heated oven. Close the door.
Not the safest method but it gets temperatures far hotter than your oven can normally put out. My pizzas cooked in 90 seconds, from fresh, homemade dough.
Aparantly a proper pizza oven in italy should cook them in 90 secs, which is at 500c. They have guidelines for this now.
My pizzas were smaller so cooked quicker but the superheating from the red hot iron pan worked beautifuly. Nice mottled effect on the dough too. As tasty as a good restaurant.

This is the first time i've come across this recipe but it looks and sounds very encouraging. The evaporated milk and ketchup lead me to believe you know what you're doing. I mean this honestly, i use evaporated milk in my bases and know ketchup is used commonly. I've tasted it when they've used too much and in india 3 of the 3 chefs i asked said they used it (not specifically for CTM).
It works really well at bringing curries together and getting that deep savouriness. Fried onion paste works well for that too (thanks panpot) but this looks like the real deal for restaurant CTM.
The user who said the ingredients didnt look like the sweetness he was after is probably thinking about ketchup without knowing it. Ketchup doesnt have bad connotations for everyone, and people who wouldnt cook with it often happily eat it elsewhere.
Will have a go when i get my next base done!

http://xs128.xs.to/xs128/08255/images_1_329.jpg

This one isnt my favourite dish as both times i've had it they've used too much shatkora (i dont order methi chicken for the same reasons). I would imagine using the standard BIR technique (frying garlic, then onions, tom puree & spices and then meat, base sauce and coriander) and just adding shatkora is how they cook it.

The shatkora looks like a grapefruit but is greeny yellow. You might find them in indian food shops. I found them in brick lane, london along with a couple of other 'new' and ugly citrus fruits. The taste is like a cross between a grapefruit and a lemon but is maybe not quite as nice as either (in me and my housemates opinion). We made citrus variety gin & tonics.
It's got a little bit of bitterness in it too though which isnt so good so i suppose you dont want to use too much.

I found some worthwile tips just now. The below blog from a bangladeshi says you shouldnt be cooking the insides (flesh) of it, which is not how i've had it served to me. There's a recipe there but it's homestyle rather than restaurant. Still, it looks like a good one.

http://dancesylhet.multiply.com/journal/item/2

Crazy stuff! never heard of it myself

Quote from: Panpot on January 14, 2009, 07:15 PM
You make it look so easy and your entire technique particularly the constant wrist action with the pan

erm, no comment!