hi phil think you are right about the mace in the rice it will have been fried with any other whole spices before the rice was put in the pot then the water is added to boil the rice.
and isn't the TAJ the world record holder of the largest onion bhaji? or at least they were a few years ago! have you asked to get in their kitchen and see your food cooked?
regards
gary

hi solar sorry for not replying sooner, the debris in the base could come from a  spice/garlic/tom puree tarka, this is the method told to me by the chef at mouchak, it could also be debris from curry dish making, non-cleaned spoon. having tasted bases in 3 kitchens i know what you mean by the moorishness. if i ever have any vindaloo sauce left from a takeaway from mouchak i add it to  my finished dish and then it smells the kitchen out  just like being in the mouchak kitchen or my car on the 5 mile journey home yum!
hope this helps
regards
gary

hi guys and girls got my copy of this last week and what do you know i got my weekly e-mail from martin lewis money saving expert website   www.moneysavingexpert.com today and what do you know it has been talked about so much on there forum it has hit the front page of the website, it has clocked up 58 pages since Merlin1 posted about it back in august this year! am very impressed with the simplicity of some of the secrets which this guy has found out but can't help thinking that the guy has trawled this site at some point LOL!  have not tried anything yet but won't be long i'm sure. will post results and if anyone is interested pm me for any info. regards
gary

hi domi if they like seafood then do them the best tandoori king prawn masala and the most fragrant pilau rice you have ever cooked! or cook evreything as you would ie turkey,  pigs in blankets, roasties( not cooked in goose fat though lol), cabbage, broccoli, carrots, garden peas and paxo sage and onion stuffing and veg stock gravy and for meaters turkey gravy. you will have 1 very happy veggie don't waste your time with a nutloaf lol
hope this helps either way doing either dish will piss some 1 off
regards
:)gary

hi phil there are 2 in beaver road in ashford within 50 yards of each other, the other is in the lower high street in the town centre opposite Blockbuster in between pizza hut and the KFC, and a wetherspoons opposite next door to a chinese just down the road from McD and the gorge cafe ( fry up or roasts (take your pick )and just round the corner from an eat as much as you like chinese which is 20 yards from 2 indian restaurants ( little raj and the curry leaf) and not to mention Zarin restaurant and Nasrin the tiny takeaway which is pretty good and been around for years. the 1 in the high st is bearly 75 yards from the nearest carpark, the others are easy to park outside  but probably harder to find. the train station is actually midway between the 3 about 300yds north or south of the station. the 2 in beaver road are just round the corner from tandoori nights( been in PC's curry club as there is a sticker in the window) it is  however unlicensed so you have to take you own beer/wine but it is 50yds from the best little off licence in ashford or 100yds from the locomotive pub. gary ;D

hi the ghurka shops ( they are like little supermarkets for them ) also do ginger garlic paste by SHAN (imported by TRS from pakistan) which is also very good. strange though how often do you get GINGER garlic paste but it does not give the quantities though it does say premium quality, other ingredients are vinegar, citric acid and potasium metabisulfite.
regards
gary

hi pp  where did you get them?
gary

Quote from: Phil (Chaa006) on December 05, 2010, 11:08 AM

Quote from: parker21 on December 05, 2010, 10:52 AM
... or gurka shop ...

Gary, where is this Gurka shop ?!  We used to have a wonderful Ghurka restaurant in Swanley, in an old building with exposed timbers, but one day it was just gone and replaced by a Chinese buffet 

** Phil.

hi phil there are 3 in ashford and probably anywhere there are a small population of the ghurkas that have been recently been allowed british citizenship for service to the empire. just like an asian shop very cheap spices etc
will give you the addresses if you are planning to visit ashford for a shopping trip there

gary

hi ss you should try TRS indian bay leaves most asian stores down here in kent do them or gurka shop great value for money.
regards
gary

Quote from: Secret Santa on December 04, 2010, 08:04 PM

Quote from: parker21 on December 04, 2010, 07:41 PM
hi phil was it fresh garden mint by colemans or just fresh mint, most restaurants i have been to use colemans in their marinade

I seriously doubt that any BIR whether eat in or takeaway use fresh mint any more. They probably use Coleman's just like us!

isn't that what i just said?