Many moons ago in Manchester it was possible to order a bir Chicken Tandoori Masala.  It was a red, mild/medium sauce, made with off the bone tandoori chicken.  Not sure if they still do it there, but they don't in the Midlands.  Remember asking a local TA here and even after describing it they said no, but we can do you a CTM.  The Chicken Punjabi Masala looks the business.  Will be making it tomorrow.  Cheers Stephen.         

Quote from: stevejet66 on November 04, 2012, 10:43 AM
This week i will be attempting what im looking for regards bir gravy, i have a new approach im hoping will work, it maybe a case someone as already done it, but!with regards to curry hells post of flavoured oils i think is a superb idea, i know once we had ran out of oil to fry some eggs so we pinched some from the chip frier, you could tell they did taste different done in chip oil, PROVES A BIG POINT! my ingrediants for the base will change a fair bit to the standard ton of onoins/garlic/ginger used,  my first approach will be to fry onoin/g pepper for a while then add fresh cut tomatoes at the end, (this pre cooked mix is used anyway to add to dish like bhunas etc), the oil then i will strain and save for my next step of making the base. another step will be to boil a big bunch of chopped corriandor and use the water for the base,

All i can do is go for it and if i find its good i'll post the recipe on here for you to have a bash at.
stay tuned.

Good luck with the experiments Steve.  Echo you will find a lot of information/speculation on here re flavoured/spiced/seasoned oil in bases, and added to the main dish.  There are quite a few good general videos of actual bir kitchens as well.  This one of Chicken Jafflong prep is rather nice:

Chicken Jafflong from the Manzil

Discussed here:

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=8676.0

Rob 

TV series starts today. 9.00 pm GMT (Sky 247, Virgin 260, also available in HD).

http://uktv.co.uk/food/item/aid/654513/displayVideo/hi/displayVideo/Hi

Rob 

Quote from: natterjak on November 03, 2012, 05:58 PM
Hi chaps, please bear in mind this section of the forum is specifically for posting recipes for curry base sauce, not for discussion threads about base sauce. There is a forum section for discussions about base sauce recipes, it is here: https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?board=82.0

Keeping threads separated like this helps us all find stuff more easily in the future. Thanks very much.

Good point.  The c2go base recipe is not on here. Is it possible for a mod/admin to move this thread into the correct section?

Rob 

A few pics from making my last batch of c2go base.  The first pic is completion of the first pressure cooking stage, prior to addition of the powdered spices, etc. 



Below shows some of the oily residue taken from the bottom of the pan.  There were significant amounts of this.  Roughly, half an inch in depth covering two thirds of the bottom of the pan.  This residue (described in Julians book) I would suggest is a type of intensely caramelized onion sauce/oil/bunjarra, intrinsic to the base, and this adds sweetness and depth to the taste in the finished curry. 



Finished base; I did add some more water as the consistency was a little too thick this time.



Rob 

 

Quote from: stevejet66 on November 03, 2012, 12:42 PM
A bir curry as you know has a distinctive taste, this is what im trying to capture, but for julians base im affraid it wasnt worth the time or effort as was a complete waste of time and money, as bases go i know that the base sauce tastes as your curry would as ive tried a bit from a takeaway but ask any questions about how its made they dont want to know, the only thing im getting a bit closer to the taste is by simmering a big bunch of corriander for and hour, let it cool and add the flavoured water to the base instead of tap water.
steve.

The c2go base includes fresh coriander (including stalks).   How long did you cook the onions for? Also, from what I have learned on here, the distinctive taste you are looking for may not be attributable to the base alone.

Rob 

Quote from: stevejet66 on November 02, 2012, 09:18 PM
Late reply maybe but i cooked this and nowhere near bir, dont mean to be a critic, but no!

What do think it needs to be closer to bir Steve?  I find the c2go base nearer to bir than most of my local bir(s).  But I am no expert.

Rob   

Quote from: fried on October 29, 2012, 06:44 PM
I have an up and coming curry night to organise. Only the 4 of us, so I'll be doing 3 dishes. Probably CTM as I'm not sure if they like their food too spicy, plus a not too hot North India special.

Which leaves the last dish, I'd planned to do something with chicken but the missus has told me I have to use up some mince that she's already mixed with garlic and onion.

Any suggestions? I don't really want another yogurt based dish. I don't usually cook curry with vegetables but I could be persuaded. I don't really want to have to cook a traditional Indian dish with all the other stuff I have to do.

Thanks.

If it was me I would use the mince to make a starter.  Probably Shami.  If you have loads of mince then some of the starter could be frozen?  So now you have a meat starter and two main courses.  Already quite a lot, so the third dish would be a vegetable side.  I would go with a simple (large) plate of chilled Kashmiri Chaat to share, with plently of fresh chopped green chilli; or something similar.  This would be served with the starters and a cucumber raita and left on the table for the mains.

Rob 

Good read this.  Plan to get to over to the Kushi Balti House sometime this week for a takeaway and a copy of the book.  Dry curry could be the future me thinks.

Rob 

Rob  :-X