Quote from: Razor on February 26, 2011, 11:45 AM
Hi Phil,

QuoteNot quite sure what you meant by this bit, Ray (did you not use garlic & ginger paste before you could stop it turning green ?)

No, I always use garlic and ginger paste but more often than not, it was shop bought in jars or, I would simply crush roughly what I needed in a pestle and mortar.

With regards to blending a batch of garlic and ginger, I had previously only ever blended it with water, and within 1 day, it does turn a very vivid green.  I know that it is not harmful but it looks terrible, so much so, that I couldn't bring myself to use it.

Since then, I blend my garlic and ginger in very large batches with oil, and a little sugar, creating more of mayonnaise than a paste although once in the pan, the garlic and ginger do separate to a more familiar appearance.

I store them in sterilised 'pasta sauce' jars in the fridge and they stay perfectly white and will last for months (although they never get to see the month out).

Hope that explains things a bit better,

Ray

Hi Guys
Health and Safety! The fresher the better - Fresh equals Taste!

Ray,
G&G turning green is bacteria...
Salt is the most important part of the G&G mix, because it's a natural antibacterial.
In other words it inhibits the growth of bacteria and has been used as a natural food preservative forever.

For anybody new to this:
Take equal quantities of fresh ginger and peeled garlic, add vegetable oil and salt,
blend into a fine paste. Store in a air tight container in the fridge or it freezes well
e.g. 100 grams garlic 100 grams ginger 25 ml oil 1 tsp salt


ChewyTikka IMHO.

Hi Rhod
Found this in my Indian spice archive.

" Tamarind, is the flesh of the ripe fruit of tamarind tree. Needless to say, almost all parts of tamarind tree are used. The bark is used for medicinal purposes, the dry branches as fire wood, the fresh and tender leaves for dal (Chintachiguru pappu/ tender tamarind leaf dal) and the flowers as stimulants. The fruit when raw is used to make a popular pickle called chintakaaya pacchadi while the flesh of the ripe fruit is used to give sourness or tartness to various vegetable curries and almost all lentil dishes/dal/pappu. It is commonly used in fish and crab curries. However, it is not generally used in meat or chicken dishes. The seeds and leaves of tamarind tree are used to treat scorpion bites. Too much of tamarind (fresh) will cause flatulence and may also cause loose bowel movements. Old tamarind (that is, last year?s crop as opposed to this year?s) tastes very different from new and also gives a much stronger colour to the dish. Try to store new tamarind, which you can distinguish on the basis of its lighter colour-almost the colour of light brown honey, in the refrigerator as it will retain its colour and taste longer. "

Never seen any fresh, in my local asian stores!
But good luck with your experiments

ChewyTikka

Hi Ray
Tamarina has the distinctive taste of tamarind, would be good in Madras, it is quite thick a bit like getting Ketchup out the bottle, so you could mix water with it.
I would still use a touch of lemon juice aswell

I also use the concentrate, got some TRS in the fridge which is very strong and tart.
Careful: Too much effects the stomach.

Cheers
ChewyTikka

Hi Rhod
Are you talking Tamarind concentrate or making water from the actual fruit?
Any upmarket BIR trying to emulate a South Indian Dish will use Tamarind, as it's one of the main ingredients of South Indian cuisine, along with coconut, curry leaves, mustard etc...

I"ts been part of the English taste buds for years, in the form of HP and Worcestershire Sauce.
If you make a madras, add some tamarind to give it that something extra.
try my recipe (https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5376.0)

I've a few recipes in my head, which I need to author.
King Prawn Puli is one, Scallops in Tamarind Sauce is another.
I'll post them as soon as I make them again.

I cook alot of Tikkis (potato cakes) and bottled Tamarind sauce
and thick greek yoghurt go fantastic.
Maggie have a good one called Tamarina (worth a try)
http://osem.co.uk/products/maggi-tamarina-sauce

ChewyTikka

Quote from: curryhell on February 20, 2011, 06:58 PM

Quote from: Razor on February 20, 2011, 05:38 PM
Hi Phil,

If it helps, I usually fry two at a time by sliding them into the oil in a wide frying pan, holding them under with a metal fish slice on the middle of the top pop.  They usually curl around the fish slice then instantly flattern out.



Ray

Exactly how i do it Ray but i use two fish/egg slices so i can easily control the little blighters once they start to curl.  Currently i have the ordinary Rajah madras popps measuring 6" in diameter (thickness varies from one to another).  I have only ever come across 8" ones that contain chili seeds or are flavoured with garlic etc.  Normally, wouldn't these would be served as a masalla poppadum and cooked in the tandoor (which i really detest as they seem to stick to the teeth)?  I have never tried deep frying them.  Can you imagine how big they would become
All i can say is that i have been using this method ever since i started attempting to cook BIR and there's no difference between what i put on the table and what is served by any of the restaurants or takeaways i use.  I wish i could master cooking the dishes as easily as i have mastered the poppadum cooking Thanks for the heads up on the TRS tasting  better.  Only 3 packs of Rajah to get through, then TRS it is. ;D

Hi Onion B and Phill
Curryhell and Razor are spot on with their "two at once" explanation.

I've been using this method over 35 years, the only problem for me, is that
once I get the production line going, I end up with far too many!

I was in one of my local BIR's last night, as Chef Kohninoor was cooking up a batch.



He was occasionally doing four at a time, What a star!

If you still have problem's, why not try mini papads,  I prefer these at home
especially the black pepper variety, just a handful in the deep fat fryer for a
few seconds and yum!
http://www.spicesofindia.co.uk/acatalog/Indian-Food-Gits-Mini-Plain-Papads.html

chewy

Quote from: Phil (Chaa006) on February 17, 2011, 01:32 PM

Quote from: chewytikka on February 17, 2011, 01:24 PM
They simply use a handful of par fried chips, which they have in abundance
as part of the prep for service.

Maybe I'm being naive (but not intentionally so) : why would an Indian restaurant or takeway have par-fried chips ?  What place do chips have in BIR cuisine ?

QuoteJust like Chicken Tikka, you would be very lucky to get it straight from the Tandoor as they usually batch cook it and zap it in the microwave for your dish

I suspect that that is one of the hallmarks of the better restaurant : food fresh from the tandoor, not fresh from the microwave !

** Phil.

[/quote]Maybe I'm being naive (but not intentionally so) : why would an Indian restaurant or takeway have par-fried chips ?  What place do chips have in BIR cuisine ? [/quote]

Yes, I agree with naive and maybe a tad delusional by your comments.

1. To give their British customers what they want. 2. Usually on a tray underneath the deep fat fryer.

My point being, regarding this thread, potatoes are par fried, not par boiled in BIR kitchens.


Chewy

Hi chriswg

"Just a point for the sake of authenticity"
I've never known any BIR and especially TA Kitchens,
preparing potatoes separately for Bombay Aloo or any other Aloo dish.

They simply use a handful of par fried chips, which they have in abundance
as part of the prep for service.

Hardly anything in a BIR kitchen is made totally from scratch, it's more of an assembly of par cooked foods! There just isn't time!

Just like Chicken Tikka, you would be very lucky to get it straight from the Tandoor
as they usually batch cook it and zap it in the microwave for your dish,

Cheers ChewyTikka

Oh, an Omelette is made from scratch ;D

[/quote]

Great little video there Chewy,
BTW won't using a lid just keep recycling the water that you are trying to boil off?
Cheers,
Mick
[/quote]

Catch 22 Mick, but I don't think it's that critical.
Chewy

Quote from: solarsplace on February 09, 2011, 09:11 AM

What I dearly want to know, is how the pan on the right is not splattering molten bubbles of sauce and oil over a massive radius like it always does in my kitchen

Hi Solarsplace

Don't let the vid fool you, the range gets covered with debris when the
service gets manic and non stop!
Cleaning down is part of the process and is quite obsessive in this kitchen,

At home, I use a lid, to try and reduce the mess.

Chewytikka

Hi Solarsplace
Sorry your not feeling well
Regards

[/quote]

Is this right that the onion and pepper only has 20 seconds of fry time and 1 min in the sauce? Won't that be a bit raw or is the pepper and onion pre-cooked?
[/quote]

Hi chriswg

Ha!!, fast and furious! I'll never make a recipe writer...
Simply adjust the timing to suit your own judgement.

But I do dice the onions small, about 5mm and I salt them
which breaks them down and helps cook them quickly.

Here's a random vid using prawn, with the same bhun method of cooking.

http://www.southtyneside.com/bhun.html

Chewy