Hi Guys,

Ok, last night, being in a lazy mood after a very long day at work, I decided to order the family a takeaway

I ordered from this place http://www.indianoceanonline.co.uk/  This place has a number of awards and I believe was held in high esteem with the Curry Council.  Now, the last time I used this place was way before I became a member of this site and my memories of their food, was that it was excellent!

However,  what I had last night (Lamb tikka Jal Frezi) was less than impressive.  It was watery thin, very bland and to be honest, a disappointment.  My wife and children had CTM, again, they were very unimpressed, leaving most of it for the dog, (who by the way, seemed to enjoy it ;D)

I turned to my wife and said, "this place has gone downhill"  she said that my Curry's (CA's really :) were far better.

Now, my wife is no 'curry connoisseur' but she does know what she likes, and she didn't like this!

It then occurred to me that we may be being at bit too harsh on ourselves.  Our biggest critics will undoubtedly be ourselves but what do our family and friends think about our food.  Has anyone ever tried out a 'blind taste test' on our friends, comparing our food with a restaurant dish?

After a couple of years as a member here (most of it, purely as an observer )  I believe that I have picked up a wealth of knowledge that would make what I cook, comparable with a lot of the TA's and BIR's.

Now I'm not suggesting for one minute that I am a 'complete curry chef'  but I am saying that my food, could pass as a BIR dish, to someone that didn't know otherwise and I'm sure that would be the case with most of us here.

We are always in search of 'the taste' but who's to say that we haven't found it?  We spend many years, tweaking and perfecting our style, ingredients and methods, making tiny steps along the way to perfection but the 'eureka' moment either passes us by or we never seem to have one!  But, if you can remember your first attempt, and then fast forward to where you are now, and bang, that would be your 'eureka' moment.

This post is not a 'knee jerk reaction' to having a substandard curry, it's something that I have felt for a while.  We went out with friends a month or so ago and we went to a fantastic restaurant.  I actually give it rave reviews on the forum but, when I sit back and really think about it, the food was good but it wasn't the best I'd had either!  The evening was excellent, the restaurant was brilliant, the service was fantastic the food was good but, if I was served the very same food back in the 80's when a curry house was somewhere to get a bite to eat and not a night out, I wouldn't have been so enthused.

I'm not suggesting that we are there, and I'm not suggesting that we should stop looking to improve but, what I am saying is, I think sometimes we are a little harsh on ourselves and we are definitely our worst critics.  Let you family and friends critique your food, I think that way, you will get a more accurate understanding of where you are in your quest!

Ray

Josh/Cory

Pasco products are readily available around here (Manchester) and can easily be found in all our Asian supermarkets. They do all the usual stuff similar to Pataks. As for Kebab paste, it only seems to be available in 2.5kg pots.

Cory, it is this paste that I referred to in a previous post whereby the BIR's seem to be replacing it with Kashmiri masala instead? Interesting that the Dipuraja seems to use both, which tells me, they have a very different taste?

As for Pasco, it is a Wigan based company in Greater Manchester, England http://www.pascospices.co.uk/  Rumour has it, is that it is a breakaway company from Pataks, which incidentally, is also based in Wigan.

Hope this answers your query Cory/Josh

Ray

Hi Axe,

You're doing a cracking job with this mate, keep up the good work!

Ray

Hi Josh,

I think Axe has scaled it down in his own post on his Onion bahji recipe.  Not the first recipe, the one he post's a little further on.  Heres the link anyway https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4396.0

Ray

Quote from: Cory Ander on March 26, 2010, 12:09 AM

Quote from: Axe on March 25, 2010, 09:08 PM
When I asked what they were, the answer was 'aniseed'. It may be possible there is another seed that they refer to as aniseed as opposed to Fennel, but for me at least, Fennel fits the bill.

Could they actually be aniseed, which is similar to, but different than, fennel?  They have a more subtle taste (probably a good thing, if used in an onion bhaji).

Good shout CA, they do look very similar and they are slighlty smaller than fennel seeds, what dya think Axe?

Ray

Hi Axe,

lol, no probs mate.  My peepers are bad but I was sure that I couldn't see fennel in there ha.

Ray

Hold on,

Ok, I see now.  In photo one is the onion and the fennel seeds right?

The reason it wasn't as obvious at first Axe, is because at a distance, sliced fennel can look very much like onion, especially when mixed with onion.

You might want to edit the ingredients to read 'fennel seeds' 

Ray

Axe,

Just noticed something;  in photo 1, there appears to be cumin seeds?  Can you confirm this, and if so, at what quantity?

Ray

Axe,

Absolutely excellent report.  What an accommodating restaurant this is, not only giving you a demo but letting you take photo's too.

What was the chef called, Popeye? ;D  He must have some forearm strength!

How did you rate them Axe?  did they have the taste?  They certainly look the part.

Ray

Hi Axe, peterandjen

Have a look at this base that I have used previously  https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4283.0

Not exactly the same as the one you report on Axe, but note the whole spices that go into it.  I'm guessing that this base would produce very similar results to the one in the link.

Let us know what you think,

Ray