Look good to me too!  How long have you been making your own bir curries?  I must say that when I go to Florida each year, I have yet to find a bir that the dishes taste the same as here in England.

Just try it and you will never turn back.  If you don't like too much oil, then all you have to do is use the necessary stated in the recipe you are using and then just sppon if off at the end.

Hi Ray,

With reference to the tarka, I was referring to John's comments re oil, spices etc.  This is what a lot of people use when they are cooking authentic dishes.  Not the same as spiced oil.  When I make curry base I normally put about a pint of oil into it when I start to make it.  This then takes on all the flavours that are in the pot and then I just spoon it all off, or as much as I can, before blending the gravy.  The tarka you are talking about from Bruce Edwards probably would not have very much significance with regard to flavour as it is only oil and tomato.  Where as the way I do it has lots more flavour/aroma and smells divine when it hits the pan on initial cooking.  If you havn't already tried this method then I seriously think you should do so.  This is, I am quite certain what a lot of restaurants are lacking in the final aroma of a curry.

Hi,

Carrots and green pepper I favour in the base sauce.  Once you have made your gravy, with plenty of oil in it to extract at the end, puree and you will really smell the presence of the pepper in the sauce.

It is a tarka.  The whole point of spiced oil is that it is taking on the other flavours from the spice mix,  onions, garlic/ginger, tomato puree/paste etc as well and so you are getting an oil that is flavoured with a curry flavour/red in colour before you start making your curry.  As soon as the oil hits the pan there you have the aroma that comes with a curry.

Tailor made Indian Cookery lessons by REN.  This was a lady I emailed and she charged ?150 for a days course, I think it was 4 or 5 dishes and it was authentic not bir.  This lady put a post in the ebooks section I think if I remember rightly.  Quite a lot of money for one day don't you think in comparison to a course sent in a folder with quite a few more recipes, online support and the expertise of being a teacher!  Maybe she does one to one courses too. I am also convinced that spiced oil is the way to go as I have been using it for sometime having excellent results to the standards of bir's. 

Hi Extrahotchillie,  Could you point me in the right direction for the ghanna's korma recipe that you say was good and what base did you use with it?

You're right Pete it is a very important ingredient when making a bir curry.  My kitchen right now is smelling like a bir restaurant kitchen.  I have just made a prawn dupiaza and prawn pathia and they are looking and smelling the business.  This week I have used more reclaimed oil too, I'm sure it makes the difference.  Cross contamination is inevitable even in the most health & safety kitchens when so many dishes are being turned out.

Hi,

My advice to you, if you have not done it already is to read the articles on Bruce Edwards which are posted in the ebooks section. This is a really good read and some sound advice on curry making.  Good luck to you and lets hear from you again soon.

Hi Ray,

What a great read!  It can vary from restaurant to restaurant the use of re-used oil as the Kushi restaurant have confirmed.  Some use reclaimed oil, some use plain oil and some use ghee and that is why we are getting so many different recipes and ingredients used in say just a vindaloo.  I sometimes look at the recipes on this site that some post and think "this is not right", but, to the area in which they are living it is the almost replication from their local bir. Where I live the restaurant I buy from uses quite a lot of oil in a curry and I know from the smell of it that they are re-using the oil. It has that burnt/smokey smell to it.  Anyhow, thankyou for a great post, I throughly enjoyed it and the fact that Kushi has confirmed that oil is reused.