Quote from: JerryM on September 06, 2009, 08:05 AM

Quote from: 976bar on September 05, 2009, 11:05 AM

Trust me, adding water to the rice when the water level has gone down past the rice level will only result in soggy rice, no matter what grade of rice you use.

sorry not been clear enough. water for me too only goes in once and the lid then stays on.

what i think the packet instructions are saying is that ideally the start of the simmer is when the water is level with the rice. they (as u) use volume to get to the total amount of water to be added. i'd (i think) incorrectly thought weighing would be more accurate.

please post any details on the India Gate rice suppliers in the UK. i've not seen it locally.

i should just add that the cooked Zebra rice is 100% spot on for me. my interest is now in how to cook a poor quality rice (like the chenab) to get the best out of it. i still have not far short of 20kg of the stuff.

Hi Jerry, as I said earlier, I sometimes buy the "Value" brand of basmati rice from tesco and still cook it in the same manner and have not had any problems yet.

Quote from: Cory Ander on September 05, 2009, 03:35 PM
I get it from the Asian store 976 

.....which happens to currently be in Australia! 

But, it's supplied by "KRBL Limted", an Indian company (Dheli) who, they claim, "are the world's largest rice miller and basmati rice exporters"  (well, they would, wouldn't they  :)...but it IS good stuff! 

you can email them at customercare@krblindia.com

Ha Ha, I'll e-mail them to find out if it's distributed in England. I am sure it is......

So come on tell us......

Have you had the Koala Korma? or the odd Posum Madras?..... lol do tell all!!

Quote from: Cory Ander on September 05, 2009, 03:21 PM
I'm currently using "India Gate Classic - 1 year matured Basmati Rice" (recommended by the shop owner...but probably because he makes most profit on it  ). 

But it's very good, reasonably priced, loooong grains and soft, fragrant and aromatic.  I'm not sure you'd do much  better?

Hi CA,

Where do you get this from please? as I have not seen this one before and would like to try it

Quote from: Gemini566 on September 05, 2009, 02:55 PM
Good afternoon,

A site just for lovers of curry!! What a brilliant idea. I wish I had thought of it   

I LOVE curry, but my wife does not, so I do not make them as often as I would like and when I do, there is always a ton left over  ......so, I am after ideas on how to make a one person meal that is just as tasty as one for four. I keep failing in this enterprise, probably because most recipes are for 4 or more and quartering the ingredients does not appear to be the answer.



Nice to be a part of the community.

Thank you.

Good afternoon Gemini566 and welcome to the club.

If truth be known, we probably all make far to many portions at times. What I don't eat, I put in pour and store bags and pop them in the freezer, but usually use them up the following week.

It's a comforting thought, when you know you are going to be late home from work and are dying for a curry, just to know that you have some in the freezer from the previous weekend. Ok, so not as fresh as just cooked, you could always put them in suitable containers in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days, some say they mature in better this way.

Either way, you can get home from work and pop one in the pan to warm up slowly... Sheer bliss........

Enjoy

Quote from: Cory Ander on September 05, 2009, 11:24 AM

Quote from: 976bar on September 05, 2009, 11:00 AM
it lists 1 teaspoon of mixed powder. Any ideas what that might be?

It's "spice mix" (yet another concocted name for masala)

That'll be the secret ingredient that they don't give away then. I'll try the usual one I make from here.

Quote from: JerryM on September 05, 2009, 10:47 AM
976bar,

many thanks - u may have something here. i add i'm only interested and talking boiled rice.

u're method is very much along the lines of what i'm doing with a subtle difference.

on the Zebra rice instructions it say's to look out for when the water level reduces below the rice suggesting that the to go period is critical. the prior volume of rice must also be critical. i'd add judging when the water level reduces is easier said than done.

i've been trying to control this through weight (make the cooking fool proof). u're method relies on volume. i think u're method will better cater for the different grain size across different brands ie the x1.8 method works spot on for Zebra and Shamir but still too high for chenab. x1.5 is too little for all 3.

i'll keep u posted.

Hi Jerry,

Trust me, adding water to the rice when the water level has gone down past the rice level will only result in soggy rice, no matter what grade of rice you use.

There will be sufficient water within the pot to finish the rice on. All I would say is don't keep lifting the lid of the pot as any condensation/steam will quickly evaporate and you might end up the other way and have rice which isn't cooked.

I've been cooking rice like this for over 10 years and once that lid is on it doesn't come off again until the rice is cooked.

Happy cooking

Quote from: JerryM on September 05, 2009, 10:29 AM
Josh,

this i think is the video u refer to Indian Restaurant Chicken Tikka Masala

the recipe looks real good and certainly likely to be BIR or thereabouts. for me i'm not keen on the use of pataks.

what i was getting at is that given u are still looking for something to get the dish right then we need to pinpoint what this is. the same but different "something" probably applies to quite a few members give the dishes popularity.

what i was seeking was for members to post what they feel is important or key in getting the best CTM result.

for example these being my own:
1) decide if u prefer coconut block or coconut flour (i make both versions and they are very different)
2) what do BIR's use to get the creaminess. do they use milk for example as even single cream is expensive. i use evaporated milk as i always have it to hand and works well although i've never tried cream. it's more expensive than cream but u don't need as much.
3) a little of the tikka marinade lifts the dish
4) what do BIR's do to get the masala part of it. i follow CK's method of frying the spices and tomato puree as i do for all curries. should we be converting this into a liquid masala first like the utube video. the CK method is quick and easy though. would it really make a difference
5) the u tube video adds the coconut flour and sugar before the base. i add after. does it really make a difference. i can't really see it.
6) the type of tandoori masala powder is crucial. it needs to be the pink variety not the dark red

if a good few of us put these sort of thought's down it might just give us a clearer picture of where improvement might lie.

it's quite ironic for me on this particular dish. it's the only dish that my family no longer request from the TA. i guess they moved up the Curry evolution ladder now having  preference for chef specialities. it (CK's) remains high on the regularly request list when i'm cooking at home though.

Hi Jerry,

Just watched that video. He puts up the list of ingredients for the masala paste and it lists 1 teaspoon of mixed powder. Any ideas what that might be? Or is that the 1/2 tsp garam masala and the 1/2 tsp salt?.............

Quote from: JerryM on September 03, 2009, 06:46 PM
have been trying a range of rice:water ratio's and have settled on using 10% less water ie weigh the rice then add x1.9 the rice weight in water. it seems to make a difference in that there appears to be less chance of getting overcooked rice.

i'm still cooking as before: bring to boil, then on low 15 mins followed by 5 min resting off the heat. 

might be worth a try.

REv2 - apologies but the above stated 5 min resting time should have been be 10 mins

Hi Jerry,

I've never had a problem with rice and it really doesn't matter what grade basmati you buy. I even sometimes buy the value basmati from Tesco.

If you're using say 1 mug of rice, then wash it in a colander first until the water runs clear. Try not to agitate it with your hands too much or the rice will break in half. Then let the rice stand in the colander for a while.

I boil my rice first. So put it into a saucepan and cover it with boiling water. Add some salt and this is personal preference. Add just enough water so that its about 3/4" above the level of the rice. Too much water and the rice is soggy, not enough and it doesn't cook properly, so this is the bit that will be try and error for you, but about 3/4" is a good starting point.

Boil the rice for about 2-3 minutes hard, with the lid on so the lid is rattling!!!! Then reduce the heat to the lowest setting possible on you're cooker and just gently steam the rice for another 8-9 minutes or until the rice particles are just soft. This will give you the perfect boiled rice. Then take the lid off and just let it simmer for about another minute just so that any excess moisture in the rice evaporates.

If I am going to fry the rice, I would add a small knob of butter in a pan and add the cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, cumin seeds, whatever whole masala you would want to use. However, after having washed the rice, then it needs to be totally dry. So I usually empty the rice onto a few sheets of kitchen towel and cover with a few more sheets. When the rice is dry I add it to the Whole cardamom mixture which would have been frying gently for about 20-30 seconds or until you get that aroma coming from the pan. Coat the rice well in the butter/whole masala mixture and fry for about a minute or so, then add the water as in the boiled section above and cook using that method.

If after the rice is done you are going to put it in the oven and make proper pilau rice, then you need to empty the rice into dishes and let it dry thoroughly before you finally add the colouring (if using) and finishing off in the oven at 50 deg C for about 20 minutes.

Once you have removed the rice from the oven, just fluff it up a bit with a fork.

Quote from: Curry King on March 29, 2005, 11:16 AM
The Gravy:
8 Onions
500 ml oil
1 Large carrot
1 Green pepper
2 Tbsp Tomato Puree
1 Tin plum tomato
2 Desert spoons garlic & ginger puree
1 Heaped desert spoon cumin
1 Heaped desert spoon coriander
1 Heaped desert spoon turmeric
Half Desert spoon garam masalla (optional)
Salt (not sure exactly how much but a lot)
Water just below the onions

Boil up everything except the spices, once boiling add the spices and stir in.
Keep stirring and boil until the carrot has gone soft.
Blend the mixture with some added water.
Return to the pot and cook again, adding boiling water to get the right consistency.? It should be runny.
Keep cooking until the oil separates.

The Vindaloo:
3 tbsp Veg oil (approx, if you like it oily add more)
1 tsp Garlic & Ginger puree
Half a tbsp Tomato puree
3 or 4 tsp Chili powder?
Tsp Curry Powder (mix)
6 Ladles of gravy
Small handful of chopped coriander (include the stalk)
Salt to taste
Pre-cooked chicken or meat?

Heat the oil and fry the garlic and ginger puree. Add the tomato puree and fry for a minute. Add the chili powder and curry powder, cook for a further minute. Add a ladle of curry gravy and cook through, add the rest of the gravy. Add chicken and allow to simmer.
Just before serving sprinkle in the chopped coriander and stir in.

There a few pics of the above here https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=177.0

Do I take a desertspoon as 10ml?

Quote from: George on September 04, 2009, 02:58 PM

Quote from: Robbo1979 on July 19, 2009, 02:45 PM
Well, I've given this it's maiden trial in the Robbo household and it's not bad.  I wouldn't say at this stage that it's as good as my local BIR, but it's a nice dish and easy to make.  I've made it but there's little things I feel I could do to improve my technique when making it. I used the SnS-June2008 base...

I still look forward to trying the original Dhansak recipe which opened this thread. It specifically stated that the base recipe used was poppadom_pete's. I don't think his base includes any tomato whatsover. How can the use of the SnS base be meaningful in terms of a review of this Dhansak recipe? The SnS base includes loads of tomato, so won't it lead to an entirely different Dhansak?

Hi George,

I don't know what part of the region you are from, but as I have stated previously, I have worked up and down the country over many years, (Giving my age away now!! lol), and I have found that curry houses in the north differ a lot from curry houses in the south. The best Dhansak I ever had was many years ago in Brighton, it was quite a hot dish, it had tomato in it, and I did have it with lamb. So I guess this will turn into another "who has the best Dhansak, just like the Madras and base sauce scenario"

I think we all need to understand the differences up and down the country here. Where someones curry might taste fantastic down here in the south, might taste awful to someone in the North, who has for many years experienced Indian food of a different kind, whether it be BIR or not.

If we take a look at Authentic Indian cookery there are so many different varieties depending upon which area of India you travel to. I'm pretty much convinced it is the same here.........

So while we all banter on about who's base/madras/CTM/dhansak is the best of the best, will we all ever agree? based upon our locations...........and differences in taste?