During the wilderness years, before making my own curries, the Chicken Naga Jalfrezi popular on the TA speciality lists here in Birmingham was a safe bet.  Love the taste of Mr. Naga.  Pile it in.  It gives a rather satisfying indigestion. Liking the look of King and Queen Naga.  Auto-purchase!   

Rob 

After the meal my wife and I have just endured at a local BIR, we're thinking the header to this forum should actually read:

This forum is all about creating your favourite curries a lot better than what you get from an Indian takeaway or restaurant.

Rob

Quote from: GuitarDemon on September 25, 2012, 09:11 PM
Hi everyone,
Please try this recipe/method for what I think is the tastiest and easiest chicken massala I've ever had.
Ingredients 500g chicken (1" cubes), 2 medium onions finely chopped, 1" piece grated fresh ginger, 6 crushed garlic cloves, half tin chopped tomatoes (or 3 large fresh diced tomatoes), 4tblsp veg oil, 3 finely chopped green chillies, 1 tblsp chopped fresh coriander (leaves and stalks), 2 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 3 tsp salt, 4 tsp garam massala (I've started using TRS brand, which I think is great).
Method: Fry onions in oil until golden brown and crispy (important!!), add ginger, garlic, tomatoes, salt and turmeric and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Add washed chicken until cooked through and tender. Add chillies, coriander and garam massala and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. All done!!

Sorry mate, but that's a bog standard curry recipe.  I've made loads like it in the past. It's certainly not BIR and as a traditional recipe its pretty basic.  Good you like it, although I think you'll find some recipes on here to tantalize the taste buds a bit more. Don't listen to me though, I'm new as well. I suggest garnish with chopped green chilli and julienned ginger.

Rob 

Quote from: Curry Barking Mad on October 11, 2012, 08:51 PM

Quote from: getonthegarabi on October 11, 2012, 07:52 PM

Quote from: DalPuri on October 11, 2012, 07:34 PM

Quote from: getonthegarabi on October 11, 2012, 07:13 PM
Mick (CBM) gave a link with his book for a outdoor solid fuel tandoor build that looks a proper job.
Rob 

I thought he gave up on that and opted for a small gas one because the big one was a right pain.

I didn't know that.  Disappointed; it looked the business.  Back to the drawing board. Seen some of the purpose- made stainless portable tandoor (charcoal) ovens advertised, bit pricey but looks like an option.

Rob

Hi Rob,
Just to clarify....
My original brick and pot tandoor worked well as in what it was designed to do, however, there were some issues.
The issues that I didn't like may not be a problem to others.
I found that on lighting it there would be a layer of soot lining the clay. I have seen some photos on here where this looks like the case,this had to be burned off for me as I don't want to eat soot on the back of a naan bread. It would only be burned off once the tandoor had reached a very high temperature (sorry didn't measure it). This would be too hot to hold your hand over the opening let alone consider inserting your arm into the tandoor to slap a naan on the side.
Once the soot had burned off I would have to wait for the temperature to drop and then you could cook on the skewers but still had to wait further before being able to cook naan breads.
Once it was at a temperature to cook the breads it was a bit of a pain adding more charcoal and trying to regulate the temperature. All this when perhaps only cooking for a couple of hours was too much hassle for me.
So I decided that gas was the way forward.
I found a steel balti house type tandoor on Ebay and drove to Bradford to get it.
It is so much easier, cleaner and a whole lot more fun. The taste is still fantastic although it is gas fired. The smoke created from juices dripping onto the hot lava stones adds plenty of flavour to the meat etc


The brickwork BBQ in front used to house the original tandoor. Curry shed and steel tandoor behind.


I have changed the burner fitting since this was taken.


Chicken Tikka and Tandoori Chicken

Many thanks Mick.  Great advice.

Rob

Quote from: Phil [Chaa006] on October 11, 2012, 12:04 PM

Quote from: getonthegarabi on October 11, 2012, 11:09 AM
Crikey!  Just read the recipe Phil.  Looks great.  I've never actually heard of the last 4 ingredients in the Potli ka Masala, and "screwpine water"?  Note the julienned ginger folks!

The last three were OK (I was familiar with them : betel nuts make your teeth go bright red and fall out, betel leaf is used to wrap "pan", vetiver root is being used as an aromatic), but the "Pan ki jadi" was a real source of ambiguity and I went so far as to seek the help of the Wellcome Institute to try to be certain, but in the end had to give up, whence the note about the uncertain identification -- I used galangal in mine).  As for screwpine water -- it's just another flavouring/aromatic.
 
** Phil.

Might give the betal nuts a miss Phil!  Had a look for the screwpine and apparently it's also good for treating gout, bonus.

Rob

Quote from: Secret Santa on October 11, 2012, 07:38 PM
Many BIR Biryanis these days are nothing more than fried pilau rice...blech! 

Just done one now, with an egg on top.

Rob 

Quote from: DalPuri on October 11, 2012, 07:34 PM

Quote from: getonthegarabi on October 11, 2012, 07:13 PM
Mick (CBM) gave a link with his book for a outdoor solid fuel tandoor build that looks a proper job.
Rob 

I thought he gave up on that and opted for a small gas one because the big one was a right pain.

I didn't know that.  Disappointed; it looked the business.  Back to the drawing board. Seen some of the purpose- made stainless portable tandoor (charcoal) ovens advertised, bit pricey but looks like an option.

Rob

Mick (CBM) gave a link with his book for a outdoor solid fuel tandoor build that looks a proper job.  Hoping to make one next year.  I'm not too confident on the practical side; generally make a total mess twice and (sometimes) get it right on the third atempt, in which case it's cheaper to get someone in to do it. But have a few mates who could sort this type of project with me and will be calling in a few favours.

Rob 

Quote from: Phil P.S. I don't normally cook biryanis at home, but the one I have cooked iscolor=purple]Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi's[/color] -- definitely not over-simplistic!

** Phil.

Crikey!  Just read the recipe Phil.  Looks great.  I've never actually heard of the last 4 ingredients in the Potli ka Masala, and "screwpine water"?  Note the julienned ginger folks!

Rob 

Quote from: Phil [Chaa006] on October 11, 2012, 09:50 AM

Quote from: vinders on October 11, 2012, 09:45 AM
Hi Phil,

perhaps this varies from region to region, country to country. Most places I've tried in the UK (Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Sussex, South Wales) tend to serve a vegetable curry sauce to accompany the rice dish. However, I think I once ate one in Manchester (Rusholme) in 1994 which wasn't accompanied by any veg curry. In France, restaurants also tend to serve the biryani without any sauce at all.

Ah yes, the vegetable side curry : very mild, and I always give mine to the wife (I like my biryani dry) so had forgotten about that.  I think I was just confused -- it seemed from the original message that (in some places) there was a sauce that was an integral part of a biryani, and that was what confused me. ** Phil.

Aye, that's the one.  I expect little more than the base gravy in many places.  You can get it in Manchester as well.  I had my first ever dry biryani from a Pakistani cafe type TA/restaurant in Sparkhill recently.  On-the-bone chicken biryani.  Very nice and at ?3.00 including 2 super heavy-weight rotis great value for money.  I'm tempted to go for a biriyani option at the Bangladeshi restaurant I'm going to tomorrow night, but the menu description isn't quite doing it for me:

"A preparation of rice with saffron, almonds, sultana, bay leaves, coconut powder, tomatoes and herbs.  It is served with a vegetable sauce to make a complete dish.  An ideal dish for the inexperienced in oriental cuisine".

Could easily be a winner though, who knows.

Rob