Welcome!

Quote from: h4ppy-chris on June 28, 2013, 05:08 PM
No coconut mate but, you can taste a hint of coconut in the base and there is none in it.

that is quite odd, how can something taste like coconut, when coconut isn't there?



Perhaps the secret ingredient, is one of these essence bottles?  ;D

Quote from: chewytikka on June 28, 2013, 03:04 PM
Watch Sanjay he cracks me up.
(...)

or:

Quote from: Netik on June 28, 2013, 08:32 AM
Chonk, I assume you are indian? May I ask you...A lot of recipes of indian curries from my book use grated coconut to make a paste. When I do that in my mixer, the paste is definitely not homogeneous...there are many coconut rasps inside. Should it be like that, or should the coconut kind of dissolve? Would it be better to use coconutcream instead?

for even pieces, why don't you use dessicated coconut? perhaps soak it for a 15 mins in warm water

Quote from: Salvador Dhali on June 28, 2013, 02:00 PM
Interesting vid, Chris. Many thanks for posting.

My best guess on the 'mystery ingredient' is that it's a bhagar comprising tomato, garlic/ginger paste, and the usual spice suspects (a la Zaal, Little India, etc. See: https://curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#3e6b0bf1da120db7d8e5bd18a0265c48.jpg).

Or something very much like it?

As I made a base yesterday a new base (private recipe until further notice) which included a stage 2 with similar ingredients plus coconut which resulted in a similar consistency, I am suspecting this may be it as well.

another one:

While in UK, I've only used just eat for kebabs from a turkish ta, the only reason being that (1) I was starving (2) I had no cash on me and just-eats accepts card (fees apply, etc.)

With my move to Ireland, I use Just Eats quite regularly but I can't say I've ever had a truly remarkably b ad experience. Perhaps I was lucky and picked the right restaurants? I surely remember going through reviews, but Cambridge in general is filled with pretty decent, all around BIRs. Getting your order wrong is a common theme that happens in a lot of these TAs. I always call them back as soon as I notice something missing and ask them to deliver it ASAP and ignore their plead to have it as credit for the next time. One thing worth highlighting is that if you want food done in a specific way, don't rely on the field where you can add additional notes to the restaurant. My experience is that the staff ignores this. When I want something, I always call the TA as soon as the order appears as "accepted" on the screen, to highlight it, because then if it comes wrong, I will give them a call back to ask for a new order seeing as they've ignored my request.

Quote from: sp on June 27, 2013, 09:10 PM
Thanks for sharing - very interesting, the mysterious ingredient looks like a kind of oily paste... I was going to suggest a Pataks curry paste of some type (but that doesn't fit as you said the TA made it) or perhaps all the reclaimed oil off (or maybe a dollop from) the hundreds of curries that were cooked at the TA that weekend, but then that would be a chicken and egg scenario - you can't make the curries without the base, and you need the finished curries to get the reclaimed oil to add to the base - how do you start from scratch then? 

Any other guesses?

Yeah, it looks like an oily paste. if I were to guess, it appears to be the residue/oil that's left off at the bottom of a pan after precooking chicken and/or lamb, i.e stock+spiced oil+whole spices

Quote from: h4ppy-chris on June 27, 2013, 08:15 PM

Quote from: haldi on June 27, 2013, 07:39 PM
I can't wait
I'm fairly sure I know the "mystery" ingredient
But I want to know for sure
I saw this done at a takeaway
I tried their gravy,and it had the taste I was after
Then I cooked it at home, and it didn't
How long for the book now Chris?

I would love to know what you think the "mystery" ingredient is? PM me if you don't want to put it on here.
Here is what is taking the time to get the book finished. Every monday i go to the TA to video the curries being made (i know poor me) 1st monday videoed every curry that was made. 2nd monday, now i have to wait for someone to order a curry that i have not filmed. Last week not one video was shot, this week 3. All the time i have to stand there and watch curries being made and eat a staff curry  Then someone will call me in to the back to show me how to make naan dough or rice, or something. Then if that's not enough i have to go home, watch the vids, write the recipes down and make them ffs lol.
Then edit the vids and fill the book in.

Your life is really hard. I suggest you change your username to unh4ppy-chris. 

Good video, I like the simplicity of the base. As haldi says, I can't wait to find out the secret ingredient too!

thanks for the lengthy information StoneCut!