Hi Chewy,
I've been using similar stuff by different manufacturers for some time,
I'm assuming it's similar in that there are no added ingredients?
It is so easy taking one block of each, thawing and mixing, instant garlic/ginger paste.
Cheers,
Mick

Hi Chris,
I think 50 quid for 4-5 hours would be a fantastic price and the meal included.
You can't knock that.
Mick

Quote from: jimmy2x on September 10, 2011, 06:59 PM

so do you consider this base gravy from your magazine to be what we realy are looking for on here and not just another bland base without the curry house taste we are all looking for.

could the chef come on here to explain his base? im sure many on here would pay the 9.99 for 6 issues if we thought we were getting the truth and not just another false hope.

best regards

Hi Jimmy,
Firstly, I said I had an involvement in the magazine. I have written for them twice so far. It is not my magazine.

I have not tried the base but may do in time.

You can of course email the editor and put your questions directly. I think he would appreciate your input.

Thanks,
Mick

Quote from: coolflow on September 10, 2011, 04:04 PM
So what about "bum warmers and coal/wood burners" in the house, we have one and i am still here typing this...

Hi Coolflow,
I'm not sure what you mean by 'bum warmer' but 'coal/wood burners' have one rather important difference compared to a Nipoori or the like burning away indoors.......they have a chimney, A novel idea of removing poisonous fumes that come off the fire and venting them to the outside while allowing a percentage of the heat into the room.
Mick

Hi all,
I have an involvement with this magazine and I have been in touch with the editor of Chaat to clarify a couple of points for those that may be interested.

He said " the main duo behind the magazine have been in the trade for over 20 years and run various successful restaurants to this day.

I'm 32 and have been cooking curry for a matter of years. I still have a huge amount to learn, just like the broad mainstream readership we are aiming for. I may be a curry amateur but I'm a professional magazine editor with access to experienced resources. I'm also pleased to say the response has been very good.

It's a mainstream magazine to promote the restaurants as much as it is for keen cooks and I hope there are levels of recipes for everyone... not just the seasoned, knowledgeable curry pro.

All I wish is to ask their involvement... if they don't like what they read then try and influence it and get involved!

Finally, Chaat is fun! and food magazines are generally quite an inoffensive read. Both me and the British Curry Club aim for Chaat to have character with memorable, lighthearted and unique content that will give value and entertainment for money beyond the kitchen."

Cheers,
Mick

Hi Rich,
I was a marine firefighter whilst in the Merchant Navy before coming ashore many years ago.
We were trained by shoreside brigades to a similar level but much more condensed training. As you know you can't just call 999 in the middle of the Atlantic or in the North Sea.
Regards,
Mick

Hi Fishy,
Great pressie and I hope you enjoy your 'tandoor'.
I have to say though, I can't for the life of me think why someone wants to use something indoors that produces so much carbon monoxide. As we all know it's poisonous.
You would need to have windows and doors open otherwise you could end up with pockets of lethal gas in your home.
Using it 'after firing' may not fill your home with smoke but will make no difference to the carbon monoxide produced.
I'm sorry if I sound a bit of an Elf Of Safety but that's firefighter training for you.
This may help explain the dangers HERE
Be Careful.
Regards,
Mick

Rich,
The pot was just a plain pot (clay) just a very large one. I cut out the bottom of the pot and turned it upside down. As it had the rounded shoulder shape it was ideal.

Re the steel tandoor, I light it with a lit match dropped onto the burner when the gas is turned on. I then lower the baffle plate on its legs over the burner (stands about 3 inches clear of the burner). I have a kind of gripper tool that allows me to do this. I then use the same tool to lower the briquettes in a steel bowl onto the plate. To be honest if you didn't have the briquettes you could just stand the skewers on the baffle plate (you may notice the drilled dips in the plate for this purpose) and any juices that drip onto the plate will smoke and burn giving you the smokiness associated with tandoor cooking.

Whatever you make, you are correct, you will need to let air in. The steel one has holes in the bottom sheet steel. This is ok as there is no debris/ash to worry about. The charcoal clay one only had the one airway which was big enough take out the leftover ash when cooled. This hole allowed plenty of air in to feed the fire, at times I had to restrict the airflow using bricks as the air would get sucked in at such a rate the charcoal would burn very quickly.

I can tell you, that conventional clay tandoors (charcoal) never go out in a working kitchen. As home user we use ours just like a bbq. The only problem you have is when you first fire it up you get a layer of soot that sticks to the sides of the tandoor. You have to wait until the tandoor gets hot enough to burn this off. You don't want to try and slap a naan on that. When it is hot enough to burn off the soot you cannot hold your hand over the opening let alone put your arm in to stick a naan on. So you have to wait for the temperature to drop somewhat which means the fire is starting to die back. This is where a lot of babysitting is needed trying to maintain a good cooking temperature.
I prefer my gas one totally and will not go back to trying to cook using the charcoal.
Just my thoughts on the matter.

cheers,
Mick

Hi Rich,
If you go to my blog and scroll right down to the bottom of the page you will see how I made my garden tandoor (if you haven't seen them already)

http://cbm-mick.blogspot.com/

The steel tandoor I bought is great but I don't know how easy that would be to make as a home build.
I had to change the rusty burner pipes that were original. I used a 8.8 kw burner with the air inlet going through the original clean out door stuffed with lagging. The pictures show the burner with my home made baffle plate with ceramic briquettes.

Hi Rich,
Are you looking at making a fixed garden tandoor or a mobile one?
Mick