Like i said, im not quite sure what the guy meant.. Id be very surprised if there wasnt any sugar in spices even trace elements (some spices are very sweet). But somehow id guess it was his way to describe a process that helps release the natural oils found in the spices.

The techniques used in indian cooking are designed to release the flavours trapped inside the spices, the roasting of spices is to help bring out the oil. I once wrote that if you are going to roast your spices then do them individually.. On the basis that each spice takes different levels of time to get to the point of releasing it oils then it makes sense that if you put all your spices in one pan and heat them then you will get some spices releasing their oils before others have even started.

The bhoona process (frying of spices) is to remove the raw spice taste and thats the hardest part imo. If you add raw spices to base sauce which has oil added then they will cook without the risk of burning (if the heat isnt too high), seems when the spices stick to the bottom of the pan they can make the curry bitter, the same when raw spices come into contact with hot pan or a hot grinding blade on an electric grinder then they can also burn.

Im sure the extra heat of a pan full of curry on fire helps release some oil in the spices...(although how much extra heat you would get is hard to say, the hottest part of the flame is at the top, not the best way to add heat to a liquid substance) but i would think a lower simmer over a longer period of time helps extract all full flavours (as what you might expect from an oven cooked curry in an caserole dish), some of my best curries have been left to simmer on a low back burner.

What might happen when the pan is on fire, is that the sugar in the onions is caramelising producing a sweeter flavour not the spices. Im sure your average chef doesnt understand the exact physics behind the technique but he sure knows what tastes best.

Ive heard a chef say that getting the pan on fire help to caramelise the spices, what that actually means exactly im not 100% sure, i do know that if you get a small balti pan really hot and serve up a portion of curry in it, it certainly improves the flavour... maybe sudden bursts of heat do special things?

Those who enjoy the program will be pleased to hear the Indian restaurant curry song book at the end of the show. Listen Again..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/comedy/clue.shtml

Great post Les, Id agree with all or most of that, i wonder if part of the special taste is some bottled or packet spice mix.. This might also explain why no India restaurant worker has manage to part with the secret for cash.They might not even know the secret themselves.

I remember trying a  Korai dish which had a really really great flavour, nothing like ive tasted before... i realised what they had done (in part)! They had cooked the dish on a very high heat and mixed in lime chuckney, that wasnt all, but thats as far as id managed to work out.. and the spicing was subtle, where as i can usually taste dominate spices, i couldnt recognise these spices combinations. Spice mixes have a simular effect, the combination of spices produces a unique taste which is hard to duplicate because your not quite sure what your aiming at

I know that some restaurants like to throw in the tandoori leftovers, im sure they use a packet mix, yogurt but what makes the tandoori dish special is the tandoor... possibly some of the burnt flavour comes from there? Or a by product of a certain spice mix cooked in a tandoor. The tandoor wouldnt just have chicken but possibly other meats which might add to "the taste".

Some ppl have suggested that in some restaurants "the taste" isnt there and some days it is. This could explain how chefs differ in their techniques  ie maybe some chefs dont add left overs to their base sauce while some do, or maybe some use a slower or better technique , but id be surprised if 2 chefs use different spices, as the owner would want a consistent product and buy in the spices he needs for the week. Could also be that as a fresh batch of base sauce doesnt taste as good as one thats been left over night.

Consider this, given enough monkeys and enough spices and unlimited amount of time we should be able to recreate all the world best restaurant curry dishes in the end

Been thinking 

I have been thinking of experimenting with using less spicing in my curries! The idea came about after reading some recipes, and it seems to me that indian restaurants would try and get away with using as little spices as possible. I have an idea that they would create a basic base sauce, something along the lines of Kris Dillion but would include a few whole spices (to fill out the taste) . Then when making the individual portions, they would reduce the sauce with oil, add salt, chillies and then spices and herbs. But alot of the flavour would come from the base sauce and the whole spices included. Unfortunately i havent be able to test this theory out yet as ive been going through the freezer using up all my base sauce and old saved sauces.

Anyone tried using less spices? It seems we might be missing out on some flavour because we assume that the flavour must come the ingrediences added after the base sauce has been reduced. There is a thought that "more is better"... what about "less is better"?

Been using the mint sauce too.. Ill have to get some of that colmans fresh mint when im back in the uk.. cool

If hes willing to give away such a great present maybe he would part with a few secrets?

You could always ask a leading question like " which is the best size for secret ingredient, 5 kg or 10 kg containers

Great Pics btw.. infact all the pix recently uploaded have got me inspired to start experienting again,gg

Don't suppose you could post a pic of a nan bread cause i wanna scoop up some of that tasty vindaloo.

Great Pics, if it tasted half as good as it looks you must have had a great evening.
good going dood!

Wish more ppl could post pics, its the food of inspiration and experimentation

 
Pesto

    * 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
    * 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    * 1/2 cup Olive oil
    * 3 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts
    * 3 garlic cloves, finely minced

Ive tasted a great variation which uses sundried tomatoes too. Im sure if you drop the parmasan and use spiced oil instead of olive oil. coriander instead of basil, it would inhance the flavour. Sounds like a nice marinade.
Im sure restaurants try alot of strange combinations to try and get an edge over the competition

What about garlic? Its very strong and leaves a taste that repeats (btw, if you get indigestion from fresh garlic remove the center stalk) anyway, anyone tried putting ALOT of garlic and garlic powder in their curries? That would definately leave a strong flavour that hangs in the air. Maybe there is a special brand of garlic powder used in some indian restaurants?? i know not all garlic powder tastes the same.
The good news is; just when you believe you cant get much further in making curries, youll find that youll break a barrier and take a giant step forward.. LOL. hope so anyway  ;D GL to you all, btw dont get discouraged sometimes a break can be good