I thought tonight I'd join the club! I'm going to have to disagree with SS though but only slightly... I initially got a missing flavour from the fenugreek seed which I got quite excited about but then the overpowering garlic and onion powders took over and it was lost never to return... I think I'd like to try it in my own madras recipe and investigate it further. At the right level it could well become a staple ingredient in a mix powder.

I recall ground fenugreek seed in the Undercover Curry base so Dave Loynden obviously witnessed it being used in the BIR kitchen.

MM

Looks good! You going commercial Chewy? How long do those meats take to cook in a tandoor like that?

Did a lovely chicken madras tonight. Following a discussion with Stephen Lindsey I decided to try the Taz base. Twice the oil that I'm used to using but it makes an absolutely superb curry. Cheers Stephen!

Noted! Thanks for that LC. 

Nice one LC looks bang on! What are the quantities? I have a friend who's also got an egg allergy who I'll be entertaining at some point. This could well solve the naan problem!

Mike

The authentic balti is the holy grail that many would also like to crack (including me). The Adil's balti has a flavour you can't put your finger on but if you're determined to replicate it then there might be some reading here which may help...

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,12276.msg98763.html#msg98763

MM

If your going to Sparkbrook then Uncle's Home Store on Ladypool Road is your best bet for all that kind of cookware. They also sell the original balti dishes (the ones you can cook in that all the local balti houses use) which are now in very limited supply. There's some great shops for spices along there too such as Raja Brothers.

Personally speaking. I once bought a tawa and found that my naans burnt stuck to it and never really got into it. The best thing I've ever used, for a number of reasons, is a large De Buyer B Element frying pan. Far superior to a tawa in my opinion but that is just my experience.

MM

I'd not really paid much attention to the taz base but having just looked it up it looks good - nice and simple, the right amount of garlic to onion and not over spiced which I think lets a lot of recipes down. I remember making a butter chicken once and I forgot to add the G&G at the fry stage. It wasn't until I added the first ladle of base that I realised and threw it in. Even though I cooked the curry well the taste of undercooked garlic ruined the curry. But it is interesting you say that with sufficient oil in the base it will fry the ingredients anyway. Although I have found a couple of bases I'm really happy with I think part of the fun is trying new ones. I've still got 4 or 5 to try and will definitely add the taz one to the list.

Hi Stephen

I've never made a curry by adding the base first. My usual method is to heat the oil, fry garlic & Ginger, spices, onion, tomato and then add base etc. Do you find you still get the fully developed flavours?

Masala just means "spice mix". The name chicken masala could have been referring to the curry containing garam masala - as many curries do of course! In which case the recipe I've suggested might well be a good starting point. I've cooked this recipe numerous times and providing all the elements I.e. your base sauce, pre-cooked chicken etc are decent recipes in the first place and just as importantly, cooked right you'll have a really tasty BIR style curry.