Hi

I am fortunate enough to have a tandoori and have been taught tandoori cooking in 2 restaurant kitchens.
I am afraid both restaurants used pataks paste mixed with yogurt in approximately 3:2 pataks to yogurt.
They add no extra colorants as the paste itself is very vivid.
i am certain very few modern restaurants make their own marinades.

1 restaurant used pataks tikka paste for its tikka and the other pataks tandoori marinade.
that is why the tikka is either yellow/brown or a vivid red.
It is marinaded for about 5-6 hours

Each breast of chicken is cut lengthways into 2/3 strips depending on the size and is threaded down the skewer vertically.
The chicken is removed from the skewer when it is cooled and then is cut into the small slices.

the chicken is usually cooked much earlier in the day and cut when required in the dish.
The chicken is not usually cooked during the evening rush as the tandoor requires a lower heat for the naans.
sometimes sheek kebab is cooked along with the naans.

The tikka used for a starter is cut into slices brush coated in a small amount of oil and microwaved for about 40 seconds.
This is then served piping hot.
The colour tends to spread with the oil in the microwave.

I have spent numerous hours in the past making my own marinades, none of them tasted as good as the pataks paste mixed with yogurt

paul

I've tried them and they were ok for sauces but they are nothing like the real thing probably all
the preservatives they have to add.

incidentally a friend of mine ate in the restaurant and said it was one of the best curries he'd ever had and then bought the jalfrezi sauce and said the two were totally different.

one to miss if you are trying to achieve a fresh restaurant taste

Thanks for your concern.

i cut dont the salt as i used tikka chicken cooked and heavily marinaded with pataks tikka paste and yoghurt.
this is already heavily salted so i cut it down to 1 teaspoon and it was fine.
and an excellent curry infact - just like the restaurant.

you are right salt is a definite requirement along with lots of oil.

i tend to use khyber vegetable ghee which apart from being odourless is 100% cholestrol free and is what they use in the
restaurants by me.

paul

Pete

just made your Rogon Josh and it was superb.
i made the base with the addition of 6 radishes and 2 pieces of celery as that is how I was told to do it before.
The base turns out to be a concentrate of yellow puree.

I took two ladels of this and watered this down by about 3/4 to one and let it cook. As it cooks it gains a redness on the top.

I followed the rogan recipe but with tikka chicken and not prawns and it was excellent. totally restaurant like and not homemade.
I cut down on the salt though as I dont like salty food and i thought 2 teaspoons in total looked rather a lot.

Of note I used tomato paste from the indian grocer. you can get a 50ml tin for 20 p and is ideal.
It gives a much better flavour..
I felt this paste was far better than puree and is not as concentrated. It seems to cook in the oil without curdling which I have found with the tubed stuff.

I think the restaurant have shown you the correct method and techniques and the evaporating of the gravy is essential to the flavour.

thanks

paul
   

I have a document with a few pictures showing how to make garklic and ginger puree as they do in the restaurant.
Please email me if you would like a copy.