I agree with Phil.
I have a 70yr old curry book with a vindaloo recipe in it-It claims Vindaloo(also called Bindaloo)was made by Portuguese settlers in Goa.
It calls for steeping the meat(usually pork, but beef and duck can be used)in vinegar solution overnight-apparently it wont go off and can be kept in the solution for up to 3 days.
I suppose this was a good way of keeping meat edible given the heat and lack of refrigeration.
ill post the recipe if anyone is interested.
Phil (The other Phil)

Hi Spadge.
Firstly theres lots of recipes in the recipe section-I counted at least 20 for chicken madras alone.
Not sure which recipe you are using- but i haven't seen any that would use so much cumin?In fact I had a look at a few and didn't see any with cumin added in isolation, although it would probably be a constituent ingredient in the spice/curry powder that is used in most dishes-It would not be used in that proportion.
It's worth investing in an electric grinder purely for spice use- you can pick up one on e bay
for not much more than ?10-I use a Krups electric grinder that i got off Amazon for ?17 and it works great.
Yes you can buy powdered fenugreek seeds- the seeds and leaves ARE NOT interchangeable as far as I'm aware and have different flavours- the same applies to coriander too.
I think you need to have a really good mooch round the website- all the answers to your questions are there.
Happy cooking!
Phil

Having stained many shirts with turmeric myself- I've found that lemon juice on the stain works wonders- then let it dry in natural light.
Vinegar seems to work too.

I use Peanut oil for most cooking(It usually says groundnut oil on the bottle) it doesn't burn easily, and doesn't seem to impart much taste-for BIR recipes  i mix it with a little mustada-this is a blend of rapeseed oil and mustard oil which i found in my local Asian shop.
I'm experimenting with the ratios at present, but the results are favorable

As Per my previous post- I used a slow cooker for 6hrs on low for my last base, and was delighted with results.

How about using fried dehydrated onions as per Pat Chapmans Balti Curry Cookbook- that may have the desired effect?

Hi
I'm new here- this is my first post.
I've cooked both professionally and as an enthusiastic amateur for 30 yrs.

I've revisited BIR cooking after a few years of absence.

Tonight I made  Admins 'New base sauce'- its bubbling away as I type,
I've got to say, It smells and tastes fantastic!-almost like a curry
And this is my point-( I stand to be shot down here).

I must say, I had my doubts as I was adding the spices, my point being a base sauce should be just that- Basic!!!!
Onions/Garlic/ ginger/tomatoes(one tin, optional)-end of-nothing else!
It shouldn't smell or taste anything vaguely like a curry(Again  my opinion)
My personal opinion is that a base sauce is a vehicle for customisation- not a taste in itself- it serves two purposes- firstly to add bulk to the curry(as required).
secondly to act as a canvas to add spices to without having a particular taste of its own.

One thing I learnt early on in my cooking life was K.I.S.S- keep it simple.
I see base recipes with 6 or more spices in- add to that that the spices that go in at the finishing stage and you have a proverbial dogs dinner of different flavours competing with each other.
I think the end product is more down to certain factors- such as the cooking technique itself, I think the oil is important too.

I do believe that how the sauce is cooked is important- personally I think slow frying the basic ingredients before liquidising is the way forward- slow frying brings out the flavour in onions/ginger/ garlic in a big way.

Once I've tried the sauce that's on the stove, I'll get back to you re my basic sauce which I'm formulating.
I'm probably talking out my bottom- but would appreciate feedback from the professionals on here.

Thanks for listening to my rantings.
Phil

Im about to try Admins base sause - but use my slow cooker for purpose- I will post results!

Hi
My name is Phil,I recently joined and have already picked up some useful stuff.
Not new to BIR cooking- bought the Curry secret many years ago when it first came out.
I decided to re-visit home cooked indian food and have restocked my spice cupboard.
Look foward to contributing to forum!

Hi Razor
I think it fairly readily available,but its sometimes called sumach/sumaq- so you may have missed it.
Either way you can get it here-http://www.theasiancookshop.co.uk/sumac-sumach-sumaq-1920-p.asp.
Hope that helps
Phil