Quote from: nits on February 15, 2009, 01:35 PM
Hi Just joined.. Joined to know more about india restaurants and maybe set up one in the long run

Welcome Nits, what part are you from and when do you open?

Quote from: kashmirvirgin on January 30, 2009, 08:11 PM
Hi ya, went to uni in Bradford and susisted on Karachi and Kasmir curry for thee years. NEVER been able to replicate the simple student staple of 'Keema madras', despite trawling the net, buying umpteen books such as 'The curry secret' etc. My addiction requires monthly long distance journeys to top up the freezer! Can anyone help? Ta  :

Welcome to the club If you like Kashmir style, I have posted a Kashmiri Chicken Masala on here. Not exactly BIR style but very simple to make and extremely delicious to get you started

Quote from: Tenerife-curry-lover on February 22, 2009, 05:16 PM
Looking forward o trying out some of the great recipes!

Welcome to the club mate, there is sure a hell of a load of experience on this site, so if you need any help just ask away

Quote from: JerryM on September 10, 2009, 07:16 AM
976bar,

i too keep a check on the cholesterol.

i've put my curry cooking in the moderation bracket.

for info though i used olive oil for the 1st time the other night - i had no other in the house - i could not tell any difference from fresh veg oil. i buy the olive oil in 5 litre containers so always have plenty.

Hi Jerry,

Do you buy Olive Oil or Virgin Olive Oil? The reason I ask is that when I did my Indian cookery course earlier in the year, one of the subjects we covered was indeed oil. She told us that olive oil was good to use but not virgin olive oil. This is because it cannot tolerate high heat and tends to break down into a more saturated fat than just plain olive oil.

Just something to watch out for thats all.....

Quote from: PaulP on September 09, 2009, 11:14 AM
Hi 976bar,

If you are worried about oil consumption here is my take on things for what it is worth:

Don't use vegetable ghee - full of transfats and hydrogenated fats.
Don't use cheap margarine - same as above.

For butter ghee the jury is still out on that one.

I use rice bran oil to make my curries. Check it out on Google but they say it is as healthy as olive oil and can take high temperatures without degrading.
Sainsburys have started selling this stuff - about ?2 for 500 ml.

I have also started using virgin coconut oil for some of my final stage curries. This is very expensive at 25p a tablespoon but it tastes great. Some people say you should avoid this as it is 93% saturated but it is a unique oil and world populations that consume loads of pure coconut oil have little heart problems. Once again it is worth googling this stuff. Note that this coco oil is unprocessed. The cheap coconut oil and bars you can buy are full of the hydrogenated fats due to processing.

If you eat the right oils you then only have to worry about the high calories. I reckon if you are planning a blow-out curry you can eat a bit less during the day to compensate.

Paul.

Hi Paul,

many thanks for the info, I'll look into that oil. Currently I only ever use rapeseed oil which is very very low on the saturated front, and I never use ghee. I know it's a trade off between flavour and health, but this way I am hoping to still be eatings curries into my 90's

Quote from: Derek Dansak on September 09, 2009, 09:37 AM
Great work. This is basically the recipe I use. This is very similar to the bir chefs methods i have seen first hand. a handful of chopped onion should be fried at start for 2 or 3 mins. dont let it start to soften, as this will occur later when you add the base at high heat. the tumeric is also very good. the chef i know adds extra tumeric. even though he uses spice mix as well. i find this works well for madras, and rogan josh especially. i would use more oil, and a little more spice mix perhaps. fry the tomato puree in a little extra oil for 1 minute, it adds a little extra flavor. also try it with no methi , it can be better without. nice one  ; D

Hi Derek,

Many thanks for your input. I guess I am trying to do too many things at once here. I'm trying to create that BIR taste, but without the unhealthy side to it, i.e. not so much oil, as I suffer from a bit of a cholestrol problem. I love my indian food and I can use all the spices/garlic/ginger/tomatoes I like, but I do have to watch the oil content.

Next time I will give your input a go and let you know how I get on

Quote from: Cory Ander on September 09, 2009, 07:55 AM

Quote from: 976bar on September 09, 2009, 07:08 AM
I can't help thinking that this is more like Tandoori Chicken rather than Chicken Tikka

976bar,

"Tikka" simply means "pieces" (i.e. off the bone).  "Tandoori" is simply the style of cooking (i.e. in a tandoori oven)

To my mind, "chicken tikka" is little different to "tandoori chicken" apart from the former is pieces off the bone and the latter is on the bone.

Others may disagree, of course

PS:  you should probably create a new thread for your recipe and post it there.  It will only get lost here.

Hi Cory Ander,

I totally agree with you on the chicken pieces and the cooking method.

However, whenever I have been to an Indian restaurant, the tandoori chicken they serve tastes totally different from the chicken tikka.

All I am saying is that they must use different spices for each.

Having said that, I'm still going to try yours today and will not post a new thread as i do not plan on changing your recipe. I just want to let you know how much I enjoyed it

Quote from: JerryM on September 09, 2009, 07:25 AM
976bar,

well pleased u hit toffee - u're on the right track.

the chopped onions in the curry are quite difficult to master - but they too are on the path. i used to pre fry, then pre par boil. the par boil works best. i now manage to cook fresh ok. i put it down to having a thinner base and more heat which finish cooks the onion whilst the base is condensing. the frying alone is not good enough as they burn before cooked.

once mastered the onion should blend into the dish and u would not know it's there.

Thanks Jerry

I will experiment with the onion some more and let you know how it turns out. It was very satisfying to produce a madras with such a depth of flavour and no Pataks anywhere in sight!!

Quote from: Hansel on November 06, 2006, 10:28 PM
This is a recipe based on one I obtained from the Tandoori trade magazine at least 7 or 8 years ago. It was claimed to be a domestic recipe rather than a BIR one and I have modified it with the addition of a restaurant style base sauce and omitted some rather tedious parts (pulping onions and separating the juice from the pulp by straining through muslin). I have also cut the quantities to serve 2 or 3 persons.

It is without doubt the best restaurant style curry I have made in 10 years. It has 'the smell' although it is not as pungent as with a genuine restaurant curry.

4 small onions
1 potato
rapeseed oil (skimmed from a previous recipe if possible)
2 heaped teaspoons chopped garlic
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
4 green cardamoms
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2-3 inch Cinnamon stick
6 cloves
1 fresh chilli (red or green)
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 chopped fresh tomatoes
1 tablespoon of ghee or butter
1/2 teaspoon sugar
chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
salt (unless commercial stock is used)
restaurant style base sauce
chicken  (or lamb or prawn etc)

Very finely chop one of the onions (I usually blitz it in my Kenwood mini chopper) and fry in  oil until soft. Put the onions to one side.
In more oil fry the garlic and bay leaves and after two minutes add the cinnamon stick and cardamoms. After a further two minutes add the peppercorns, cloves and chopped chilli. After another minute add the ginger and turmeric and stir until well mixed in. Then add the potato, tomatoes and chicken followed by the ghee and sugar. Cook for 5-10 minutes then add reserved onions and desired quantity of base sauce. Add the stock and the remaining onions cut into quarters and the salt. After a couple of minutes transfer the whole thing to a casserole dish, add the garam masala and cook in the oven for about ?30 minutes.

Please note the following:

I don't usually measure ingredients or time cooking. I just do what feels right at the time. Not very scientific but I am trying to learn to cook via feel rather than rote.

There is no secret recipe for the base sauce. The one I use is similar to many posted on this site although I do add a small quantity of chilli, and gram masala so that it could almost be used as a very mild curry sauce in it's own right.

I have recently found that my curries have improved by using the cheapest supermarket cooking oil which is invariably rapeseed oil. Previosly I had always used corn oil or sunflower oil. No doubt restaurants also use the cheapest oil available.

I believe that re-using oil helps with 'the taste' and 'the smell'. This technique has already been mentioned in other posts and definitely does help.

The first time I made this I didn't notice 'the smell' till I came into the kitchen the next day and opened the dishwasher which had stood all night with the dirty dishes in it.
The second time I made this I reserved the skimmed oil and used it for the third occasion. I have some reserved oil from the third occasion in a jar in my fridge and the aroma is just delightful. There is no doubt that it is 'the smell'. It is like standing in the street behind your local BIR.

I think it is interesting to note that there is no cummin or coriander in this recipe although there is a possibility there is a tiny quantity in the base sauce. I have been using a batch from the freezer and can't quite remember what went in it. I will have to start keeping records as I usually modify my recipes each time in the search for improvement.

My garam masala is from 'Indian Cooking' by Sameen Rushdie. Spices are whole roasted and ground.

green cardamom
black cardamom
black cumin
cinnamon stick
black pepper
cloves
bay leaves
nutmeg
(mace omitted as I had none)

I would be grateful if someone could try this recipe and see if they too have a similar success with 'the smell'. I am not saying that I have cracked this. The aroma is definitely there but not as concentrated as with BIR dishes. In my own cooking it is another small step along a long road. If others think that there is something in this it will debunk the secret ingredient theory once and for all and confirm what others have said already, that it is technique and methods which count. My own goal is not to cook exactly like a restaurant but to come up with a way of domestic Indian cooking which mimics good restaurant style and ultimately surpasses it.

If no one else can reproduce these results then it means that either I am exaggerating the success of this recipe or that it is my own technique which is contributing rather than the ingredients. I would love to know which.

Please therefore give it a go and let me know the outcome.

Hi Hansel,

Can I ask why the potato is in the dish please? And do you put it in whole or chop it up?

Quote from: Cory Ander on January 21, 2007, 07:13 AM
Background:

This is a recipe for Chicken Tikka/Tandoori based on that found in Pat Chapman?s book "Tandoori and Tikka Dishes".  Whatever else you might think of Pat Chapman and his books, this recipe is excellent and I strongly urge you to try it!  I have used it for many years and, unlike many other recipes, I have never felt the need to significantly modify it.

You can use the marinade to make any other Meat or Seafood Tikka or Tandoori dish, including Tandoori Lamb Chops.

I have included some photos.  More can be seen here:  https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1195.0

Makes sufficient marinade for about 1 - 1.5kg Chicken, Meat or Seafood Tikka/Tandoori

Ingredients:

• About 1kg skinless, boneless chicken breasts (diced into about 1? inch cubes)
• 150g Greek (or plain) yoghurt
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (double concentrated)
• 1 tsp mint jelly (NOT mint sauce in vinegar)
• 2 tbsp tandoori masala (see here:  https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1514.0)
• 1 tsp mild curry powder (any decent one will do)
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp garam masala (any decent one will do)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 chopped red chillies (optional)
• Approximately 120ml milk

Method:

1.  Simply place all the marinade ingredients (minus the chicken, of course!) in a blender and blend to a fine, pourable mix

2.  Place the chicken in a non-metallic bowl and add the marinade from above

3.  Thoroughly mix the chicken in the marinade

4.  Cover the bowl and put into a fridge for 12 to 36 hours

5.  Shake off excess marinade and place chicken pieces onto skewers (unless frying) - Photo 1

6.  Cook the chicken, on a medium-hot barbecue, for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until properly cooked throughout (i.e. white throughout, with no sign of blood) - Photo 2

7.   Alternatively, place the chicken on a wire rack and place under a hot grill, or in an oven pre-heated to 200C, for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until properly cooked throughout.  Take care not overcook the chicken or it will become overly dry - Photo 3

8.  Sprinkle with fresh, chopped, coriander leaves and serve with lemon wedges and Mint Raitha (see here:  https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1224.0) - Photos 4 & 5

9.  Alternatively, use the chicken tikka to make a main dish (e.g. Chicken Tikka Masala.  In this case, slightly undercook the Chicken Tikkas and finish cooking them in the main dish.

Notes: 

1.  Unless stated otherwise, the following measures apply:

a)  "tsp" = 1 level 5ml teaspoon
b)  "tbsp" = 1 level 15ml tablespoon

2.  The recipe works equally well for lamb, beef or seafood, but cooking times will vary

3.  The recipe works equally well for meats on the bone (i.e. "tandoori style")

4.  Bottled pureed garlic and ginger pastes can be used instead of fresh, if desired, though fresh is best

5.  Bottled lemon (or lime) juice can be used instead of fresh, if desired, though fresh is best

6.  Use mint jelly rather than mint sauce in vinegar.  I find that mint sauce in vinegar is too acidic.

7.  Add chopped fresh chillies for additional heat

Hi Coryander,

I can't help thinking that this is more like Tandoori Chicken rather than Chicken Tikka. I have always used this recipe with amazing results and so far thus have never ventured from it.

Chicken Tikka
Ingredients
600g Chicken - 4 or 5 breasts
1 heaped tablespoon Pataks tikka curry paste 
1 heaped tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice (Jiff is ok)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 desert spoon spice mixture (equal parts ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala, curry powder). I use this same mix for my curries.
1/4 tsp Orange food colouring (If powder just a sprinkle)
1 level tsp methi
1 level tsp salt
2 tablespoons veg oil
3 tablespoons water

Method
1. Chop the chicken breasts into 2 or 3 pieces each
2. Mix in 2 tablespoons lemon juice to the chopped chicken, leave for 15 mins
3. Meanwhile mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl
4. Add the runny spice mixture to the chicken, cover and leave in fridge for 2 hours minimum
5. Put 3 of 4 pieces of Chicken onto skewers
6. Heat oven grill to highest temp and leave on full blast for 5mins to ensure it is HOT
7. Place skewers on a dish where both ends of the skewer are supported at both sides of the dish making sure the dish is deep avoid the chicken touching the bottom (i.e. ensure the chicken is suspended)
8. Place dish under grill (I try to get the chicken pieces about 2 inches from the grill element
9. Cook for 2-3 minutes turn once and give them another 2-3 mins

However, looking at your recipe, I notice it does not use Pataks pastes of any kind, and I want to start producing indian food that steers away from those pastes and try to create the product from fresh ingredients.

I'm off to the wholesalers today where I buy a tray of chicken breasts (between 25-30) for around ?17.00 + vat.

Sooooooooo, I am going to give this a go when I get home, and let you know how I get on.