Chicken madras two-part youtube recently uploaded.  Looks good! 

The narrator is called Ala and not Ali as I posted earlier.

Rob 

So far the only thing I have used it for is Kashmiri Chaat; a recipe in Kris Dhillons second book.  Very tasty.  Brilliant with samosas  The brand I have is Mangal. Jiggy Majhus new book has a recipe for Chaat Masala containing fennel and carom seeds.  Might give it whirl and have a go at an Aloo Chaat.

Rob

Does anyone know anything about these?  Got them from an asian supermarket recently.  I have tried many weird and wonderful ready-made products from India, many of which are not to my taste; generally too salty or rather bland.  But these are lovely.  I wonder if they are meant to be a savory or sweet?  I steamed one the other day and had it as a starter with a lamb samosa.  Very nice indeed.  They are sort of sweet but this is offset by the spices.  It didn?t feel like I was eating my dinner and pudding at the same time if you know what I mean. They are as cheap as chips but perhaps someone has a recipe.




Cheers.

Rob 

Thanks for the comments all. I should be back at the Kushi on Sunday for another TA.  Reckon this time it will be Lamb Shashlik starter and Murgh Raja main.  Possibly a Kushi Shabjee side dish.  Mushroom pilau and garlic naan.  I have ordered Ali's book from Amazon.  Looking forward to having a go at some of the recipes. 

Rob 

Used to get everything from supermarkets at one time but no more.  Crazy prices.  Prime chicken breast fillet form my local butcher who has a long-term deal at 2 lb for 3.99.  Mutton leg and lean mince from a Halal butcher also nearby at 5.00 per kilo or less.  Recommend avoiding cheap lamb mince from supermarkets.  I bought some once and the white (saturated) fat content was staggering compared to leaner produce.

Rob     

Finally got over to the Kushi for a takeaway on Sunday and arrived just as they were opening.  The Kushi is an open plan seating traditional style decor Balti House, complete with a fine red carpet.  All looked really good and with a few diners present the setting would undoubtedly make for a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere.  I was greeted by Head Chef, Mohamed Ali Haydor (Ali) and provided with a menu.  I ordered a Kushi Kebab starter, Balti Chicken, pilau rice and a garlic naan.  There is a little seated area to wait for your takeaway to arrive, fairly close to the kitchen entrance.  I could hear quite well and found myself listening for the tell-tale pinging of microwave ovens, above the clatter of pots and pans. There was none.  A couple of minutes later, Ali returned with a freshly made popaddom and mint dip, on-the-house.  Very nice!  I asked about the availability of his book, which unfortunately was out of stock until after Christmas.  But we soon started chatting about my attempts to make curry at home, Ali was interested and obviously very knowledgeable.  It wasn?t long before the food was ready, and I was on my way home.  The food was in a proper brown paper carrier bag, instead of the plastic bags many places seem to use these days, which for some reason can cause foil trays to leak their contents.

So, was the food any good?  I didn?t rush into it.  Been disappointed so many times in the past, even based upon friends? recommendations.  Since starting making my own I will not entertain sub-standard, bland, or overly greasy food from anywhere.  If it is not right it goes in the bin; end of.  At first glance on opening the first foil tray I was disappointed to see two irregular shaped (burger type variant) kebabs, reminiscent of the chapli type kebabs popular in these parts.  I casually sniffed the tray and immediately recoiled in surprise. The aroma was quite wonderful.  Difficult to describe, just, wonderful!  I quickly grabbed a knife and cut into one of the kebabs, teasing it apart.  I observed fine, ground, minced lamb, flecked with chopped coriander and possibly green chilli. This was not a chapli kebab.  Using the back of a fork, I pressed on the kebab. Moist but no sign of greasiness whatsoever.  I popped the kebabs on a plate together with the green salad provided and tucked in.  The taste was absolutely out of this world.  Everything was right.  The perfect balance of spice, seasoning, heat, and texture. Stunning.  I must have started mumbling and talking gibberish to myself, as the wife came into the kitchen to ask if there was anything wrong.  ?Nothing?, I blurted out and whilst pointing at my plate, ?this kebab is awesome!?  I savored every mouthful.  No mint dip; not needed. The Kushi Kebab was absolutely superb.

Next I opened the rice tray.  Lovely white, orange and yellow pilau, with a wonderful fragrant smell and notes of different whole spices.  I had a quick fork around and found some seeds.  Thought they would be cumin, but no.  Fennel (toasted).  Noted to self that must try adding some to my own rice, but reckon care will be needed as these are pungent little fellows.  Added to perfection here.  Now to the big tray.  Balti Chicken!  I lifted the lid and my nostrils were immediately awash with the unmistakable aroma of pure, unadulterated, BIR, in big letters.  I would run out of superlatives for this dish, but fresh tasting, beautifully spiced, light, delicate, complex, and mind-blowingly good, come to mind.  Succulent chicken; the works.  This was the best tasting curry I have had in 10 years.  A big reality check on my own meager skills.  This meal was in a completely different league.  What struck me was that there was no way a lot of oil had been used to create this masterpiece.  There was oil and separation, but the taste was so light, and with all the flavours there.  Remarkable.  I?ve looked on the Kushi website since and they do offer lighter, healthier dishes.  I suppose this is what I had.  Glorious food anyway.  Finally, the garlic naan.  By now I had a feeling that this was going to be a proper GN, made with fresh sliced garlic, and there was, plenty of it uniformly distributed across the bread.   Both fluffy and crispy.  Not a lot of ghee either, which would fit with the notion of the light option menu.  I will certainly be going back to the Kushi and soon.  I want more, lots more.  Also plan to take the good lady for a sit-down meal. I am really happy.  At last I?ve found a brilliant curry house.  Not only that but a real bench-mark for comparison with my own endeavors.

The cost of my meal was ten pounds and twenty-five pence.

Overall rating:

10/10.

Rob 

A Bengali style omelette made with organic free-range eggs, draped with sliced runner beans and served with a wild rocket and chive side salad.





I couldn?t remember if Ali said to use curry powder or mix powder.  I used c2go bassar mix powder.  Mighty tasty omelette anyway!  Also forgot to put some salt in.  Needs a bit of salt.

Rob 

Ali is on a mission with these vids.  Some new ones uploaded, including a tour of the sparkly kitchen, and a rather fine looking tandoori prawn dish involving 2 tbsp of Maggi Tamarina sauce.  Got to give this a go!

Rob 

Had a takeaway from the Kushi last night.  Kushi Kebab, Balti Chicken, Pilau Rice and Garlic Naan.  Will do a review when I get a chance; it will all get 10/10.

Rob 

Had a go at a Lamb Karahi.  loveitspiceys recipe.  Very pleased and my best lamb curry to date by a long way.  Followed the recipe/method pretty much to spec; I added a bay leaf early on and later an additional tomato, quartered (just for a contrast in colour).  c2go Bangladeshi base. The meat (mutton) was pre-cooked on-the-bone using CBMs method and c2go bassar mix powder.  I then de-boned the meat and selected the best chunks for the dish. Stock prepared by sieving the pre-cooked meat liquid and reduction by about a third.  A medium hot, aromatic curry sauce, which I felt balanced the flavours of the meat really well. The inclusion of soured milk is a nice touch.


 


Sprinkled with fresh chopped green chilli and julienned ginger to serve

Many thanks for the recipe.

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=8603.0

Rob