Hi All,
Right then, here we go, this is my ( long, drawn out ) contribution to the Kushi debate.
This weekend I have just made three curries of which TWO were from the Kushi Book.
I made the base as instructed with one small exception and that was I used Garlic/Ginger puree from a jar instead of fresh. I used the same amount as the recipe (10-15 gms of each) so actually used about 25 gms of the Ginger/Garlic mix in total.
Apart from this I did as instructed.
As I reported before the base was quite aromatic smelling which isn't surprising as some powerful whole spices are used, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Star Anise, Fenugreek Seeds and of course the controversial Mace!.
I do not have a "cooking net" as the book suggests but used a metal "infuser" which is like two tea strainers clipped together to hold the spices so they can be easily removed ( Sainsbury's sell em cos their posh! ).
Perhaps, as this is a fairly open mesh more of the spice flavour infused the base so would explain why mine was quite aromatic.
I have some pics as well but can't seem to get them on the site!!
I then made the Tomato/Spice mix and added this to the Onion, Peppers, Carrot and Spice mix.
Once cool and blended this light brown mixture was the texture and thickness of condensed soup. It had an underlying kick to it and a pleasant taste but not quite what I had expected. Perhaps after all the build up to this book I was expecting the words BIR to jump from my lips but it didn't.
Never mind, press on!
The pre-cooking method produces moist meat ( I did Chicken ) with a subtle taste, certainly not overpowering curry tasting but pleasant marinaded Chicken would best describe it. I can't knock it, and it does add to the overall result.
However, the pre-cooked meat in the Balti Kitchen video is on a par if not better.
The book does state that things need to come together to make the final result!
Forever onward!
The star attraction seems to be the unique Kushi Spice mix which is said to be a closely guarded secret by many chefs.
I must say it is reminiscent of the Bruce Edwards spice mix but does make me think a mix like this is a pretty essential ingredient to an authentic curry.
After all it is used in every recipe in this book!
Once armed with the blended base sauce and the Kushi Spice the recipes are a doddle.
Fry some more Onion and Garlic, add the Kushi Spice Mix, a ladle of sauce, some Tomatoes, Coriander and away you go!! Some variations in some recipes but generally speaking the main work is done at the start with the base and pre-cooking. Prawns don't need pre-cooking!
The Basic Balti I found was very pleasant tasting. Not quite "in your face" BIR but non-the-less a very acceptable curry ( don't give up on it Pete! ).
It might not have "that taste" ( more in a minute ) we all use as the benchmark but both myself and family ( who are the guineapigs of authenticity ) felt it was a good contender as a recipe to try again. It does taste like it comes from a restaurant even though some might say not "their" particular one! There are loads near me and they all have their differences.
The King Prawn Patia was ( I am told ).............lovely!.
I can't stomach Prawns ( tastes like kissing Grimsby Dock! ), so it was my other half who gave it the thumbs up.
Sweet and sour and "just like from down the road" was the reply.
Blondie was saying his partner likes the food from this restaurant and the tastes are quite subtle and certainly not too spicy, more aromatic so maybe these recipes would suit someone with a less fiery pallet.
As an experiment I used some of the base sauce that was left over and re-fried it with more oil as the original base with only 60mls of oil did not yield any to skim off.
I added about 200 mls of Veg oil and simmered it for about 20 mins. The resultant oil that came off was absolutely gorgeous. Dark, Spicy and Aromatic and with the Smokey taste we all look for.
I wonder if this oil is then used in any future cooking of the Kushi recipes we might not get closer to the result we want to achieve?
I think "Mark J" has the right idea in that we should not give up too soon. I had a good result, not superb but good enough to warrant a second try.
Pete, I don't know what happened mate but "stew" doesn't describe mine!
"Blondie" has seen some good results.
"Vin Daloo" has tried it but thinks it worth using KD's base or Bruce's Edward's as an option? I agree it's worth a try.
Personally, I have had some good results this weekend, not perfect but good quality curry worthy of another go and a bit of "tweaking".
For anyone out there thinking of trying the Kushi Book I would say give it a go............at least once.
Regards
Ray G
Oh!, and if you are wondering what the third dish was it was CTM from the Balti Kitchen Video.
The base sauce from this is worth a look! Dead simple but makes a good curry.
And as for the Chicken Tikka Masala I think it's absolutely great and my son can't get enough of it. The only thing I do different from the video is add a quarter of a block of Coconut as well just before serving...............beautiful stuff!
Good cooking folks!