Quote from: loveitspicy on December 17, 2012, 11:47 PM
Rob

the Lamb madras look great mate - the last pic looks like Chicken

best, Rich

Cheers Rich. The lamb madras tasted pretty good.  Not quite as good as I had hoped though.  Had a bit of a disaster whilst making it.  Planned to make a couple more after, but knocked over a container (a good litre of base) over the hop.  Right mess.  So cooking was interrupted.  Again learned something, in that perhaps to get the best results the curry needs to be cooked fairly quickly; TA style.  The last pic is chicken.  I posted a pic of it in another thread earlier, but it looked a bit pants.  Thought this was a better representation.  Actually it?s probably not; think I took this after it had been in the fridge overnight.  No more madras for a while as out of base.  Next batch will be for baltis. Start the kushi cooking course in a few weeks and want to try a few recipes from the book before going.   I suppose I could have a go at a balti madras though.

Rob 

Lamb madras






Chicken madras



Better pic of last effort.  Coriander less wilted.

Rob 

I remember a long while back TA samosas (meat and veg) always used to come with a clove stuck in them.  I buy the frozen ready-mades now, and always pop one or two in after frying.  Like!

Rob   

Great looking spread there RubyDoo!

Rob 

Quote from: chewytikka on December 17, 2012, 01:06 PM
Hi Rob
Excellent work again, looks Great.

Suggestions = When you transfer from the Ali pan, add the Chicken straight away and crank it up.
You could even stick a bit of tape over the vent, to trap the steam and increase the heat into the sauce or just sit your Ali pan on top.

All good fun mate and not a novice anymore
cheers Chewy

Ta Chewy.  Just watching your Achari Murgh vid.

Rob 

Quote from: Cory Ander on December 17, 2012, 01:32 PM
You can get "splatter guards"....they are like flat sieves?

I will try that, but want to experiment further with the lid.  The increased pressure/temp may be a factor in the aroma and taste I have been getting.  I wonder if this is how baby food is made?

Rob 

Quote from: Cory Ander on December 17, 2012, 12:58 PM
Hmmm,  not sure I've ever seen a BIR use a lid whilst cooking their curries?

Surely this is detrimental to the intent of reducing the liquid content to derive the desired consistency?  What's the reason for the lid, please?

Initially I used the lid to stop excessive splatter.  I dont mind the mess, but the only hob ring I can use practically is difficult to control.  On high the entire contents of the pan will splatter out of the pan on to the hob, window ledges, floor, etc. I have tried using various high ones.  No success.  I also expected the lid to impede reduction.  It doesnt.  At high temps the water content is forced out of the pan lid (it has a little vent), whether it likes it or not.  Reduction is fast. 

Rob 

Quote from: Cory Ander on December 17, 2012, 12:04 PM
I agree, that last photo looks excellent (ignoring the wilted coriander, of course)! 

Thanks Cory.  I cant believe I used that coriander.  Habit.  If my local TA had sent one out looking like that I would have been on the phone moaning about their, we only use the freshest ingredients, etc. policy. I even took one of my currys out the fridge the other week, and sprinkled some (fresh) on, before warming it up!  I may be losing it.

Rob 

Quote from: h4ppy-chris on December 17, 2012, 12:05 PM
Really good post and pix Rob, lovely looking curry. Try a wooden spoon under the lid across the pan to let that steam out.

Cheers Chris. Not sure about the wooden spoon. If anything I am hoping my new pan has a tighter fitting lid.  If not I might seal it somehow.  All will whiz through the vent then.  As it stands its not too bad, as the steam stops venting from the lid rim after about 5 mins.  This is perhaps, in part, how I am getting the textures and taste.  Not sure of course as I am complete novice.  But in the past I havent even been able to get the oil to separate properly. Top sauce recipe from CT though.  Proper curry. 

Rob 

A few pics from Saturday night.



This is chewys madras sauce.  Recipe followed pretty much to spec.  With c2go bangla base and CBM mix powder 1.  Added a tsp of rajah chilli powder in addition to the 1 tbsp of kashmiri. The sauce was made in a standard ally chefs pan. Changed the method for reducing the sauce, as struggle with high heat and halogen (too much splatter). Thus, after the base (I used 300 ml) had been added and brought to the boil, it was transferred to the pan shown. The pic was taken after about 3 mins cooking.  The dual ring hob is on 10 (maximum warp).




After another 3-4 mins its getting there.  The steam escaping from the lid rim has stopped more or less by now, but still venting through the little hole like a good un.  I will try to photo this properly some time.  Next, I lowered the heat to half and stirred in some CBM pre-cooked chicken; after a few mins the pan was taken off the hob, and curry moved to a TA tray.




Here it is.  Took this pic after about 15 min (busy sniffing and tasting). The chopped coriander (wasnt that fresh but was all I had) has wilted, and spoiled the appearance of the dish somewhat, but the texture is shown reasonably well.  A bit too dry/thick I felt; prefer a bit more sauce in my madras.  Also, the chicken was OK, but needed to go in much earlier in the cooking process (as done normally), to soak up the flavours.  However, both the aroma and taste of the sauce was very special.  If I can find a TA that does a good madras I would like to compare them side-by-side. 

Need to keep practicing this one and try a few things out; timings, etc.  The reduction with the lid on is pretty fierce, as I found out the previous night, when 2 (chicken and lamb) dishes ended up in the bin.  Having the base too thick to start with didnt help. I bought a shallower pan yesterday, which might help seeing whats going on better. It is great fun messing about though. So far, so good.  Any advice much appreciated.

Rob