Pacmans Naan recipe looks really good. I'm not sure how I managed to miss it when I was trialling recipes about a year ago. Here is the link if anyone wants it:

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1870.0

Any chance of getting a refund? For an extra 25 quid you could get a PANASONIC SD-256.

Phil, a quick note on the pastes. Lots of people (myself included) wanted to be able to cook BIR curries without 'cheating' but the simple fact is, most of the takeaways in Fleet use those 3 for various things.

The Kashmiri Massala expecially is very useful. I add some into my onion bhajis, chicken tikka marinade, massala sauce and shiek kebabs. If you try Dips tikka marinade which is heavily reliant on pastes you will see what I mean. Keeping an open mind is what this is all about.

Axe, I totally agree on the pan size. My 20cm aluminium skillet pan works well for me but anything from 20 - 24cm should be fine. I also bought a 20cm cast iron pan just for flambeeing the garlic.

Over the last 6 - 12 months my curry cooking has come on leaps and bounds. I thought I'd share my top 5 revelations (in no particular order) and it would be good to hear everyone elses.

1) Cook the curries in veg ghee instead of veg oil.

2) Spices need to be charred (not totally burned) at the initial stage - be brave.

3) G/G paste needs to be cooked longer than you think - aim for medium brown in colour.

4) I always precook my chicken or lamb on the BBQ in a tikka marinade - see below - (whole or half chicken breasts that are then sliced and added to the curry). If I'm adding onions or green pepper to a curry I precook these by lightly frying them in G/G paste.

5) Pataks Tikka, Tandoori and Kashmiri Massala pastes should always be in your curry cupboard.

I hope this helps some of you save some experimentation time. It would be great to hear what other suggestions people can add to the list.

<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8ZixU3Nbf9c/TaL2Upkbz9I/AAAAAAAAAmQ/meCBc_iT8DQ/s800/IMAG0093.jpg" height="478" width="800" />

For ease to make this is still my favourite tikka recipe. Instead of cutting it into little cubes I cut each breast in half and marinaded them overnight. In the pic below, that is a full size dinner plate so you can see the pieces were pretty big.

For lunch today they got cooked on a very hot BBQ, then cut into slices when cool. Delicious!

<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8ZixU3Nbf9c/TaL2Upkbz9I/AAAAAAAAAmQ/meCBc_iT8DQ/s800/IMAG0093.jpg" height="478" width="800" />

Quote from: Stephen Lindsay on April 10, 2011, 03:05 PM
This sounds like the kind of event that could be great PR for the site - perhaps the local press would do an article?

I guarantee I could get Chutneys to come alone and do some demos. Shame about the limited facilities though. If we could take a gas one, or a decent hob burner we'd be well away.

Thats a pain that they have started charging for the BBQ, it always used to be free, you could just turn up and use one. I'll find out how much they cost, hopefully not too much. At least if we have one booked we are guaranteed the pitch. You used to have to get there early on a weekend to bag one.

Great to see so much interest already. Saturday the 23rd or 30th July are looking like good options at the moment and the weather 'should' be good.

I agree on the subject of photos, especially if we are taking partners and kids. Anyone that wants to be in a group 'men round the BBQ' shot for the website is welcome, but otherwise, lets just have a great day without anyone worrying about lots of photos.

Cover 'Blown' George? How intriguing. Just what is your surname? Lucas? Clooney? W Bush?

I've updated the OP to include a link to a document so everyone can register their available dates.

Just add your name and use the drop down boxes to indicate the days you are available.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AoVG2JH0G1stdFJDSXo2WWJOdUZEU1pWTnRCQWFDRkE&hl=en&authkey=CJm4-LIB

Okay, so the idea of meeting up isn't a new one, but as far as I am aware it has never really happened. I guess pat of the reason might be down to family commitments and people not being able to travel half way across the country.

So how about a Summer BBQ in the park? Open to anyone plus wives and kids. The men can drink beer and burn chicken tikka and kebabs on the BBQ, the ladies can (hopefully) enjoy the sun while gossiping about who's husband is the most annoying curry cook, and the kids can play football or in the playground.

Would this work? Would there be lots of interest? There is a nice big park in Farnborough with massive BBQ's you can turn up and use. I'm happy to organize it and be the caterer. Either everyone can bring food and drinks for everyone to share, or I can buy lots of stuff and we split the cost.

I appreciate it might be a bit far for the overseas contingent, but Manchester / Liverpool is only about 3.5 hours drive away. If the family is all coming why not find a cheap b and b and make a weekend of it. Legoland is just down the road.

Let me know what you all think.

NEW - Click on this link to register your availability:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AoVG2JH0G1stdFJDSXo2WWJOdUZEU1pWTnRCQWFDRkE&hl=en&authkey=CJm4-LIB