Hi Jim, this is a great site with a huge amount of accumulated knowledge from experienced members. I have learned a lot from being here. Good luck with your journey.   

There is something that has changed in curries of today. I started eating them in the '80s and they are not the same anymore and I really have no idea how to produce the curries of old, but I'm guessing that it seems to be everyone's quest on this site.

Quote from: Secret Santa on April 05, 2015, 11:41 AM
That all looks scrummy. Is your mushroom rice a copy of your local BIR or just your own version?

Thanks SS. The rice is something that I have tried to get as close as I could to the local TA but it's all just guesswork really. I shouldn't think soy sauce is particularly BIR but I always use a touch when cooking mushrooms. Sometimes I don't use any mix powder and other times I use a bit more.

Quote from: Onions on April 04, 2015, 11:15 PM
Great pics mate. Just ordered a sizzler. Thanks for inspiration. Any chance of recipe for mushroom rice? Always a favourite chez Onions. Well done!

Thanks, This is the way I do my mushroom fried rice.

Mushroom fried rice

Ingredients

1 TBS veg oil
0.25 tsp onion seeds
0.25 tsp brown mustard seeds
0.25 tsp fennel seeds
1 small onion finely chopped
Half red and green peppers finely chopped
6-8 white mushrooms sliced
Salt and Pepper
Dash soy sauce
0.5 tsp mix powder
2 portions pre-cooked pillau rice, chilled
Chopped coriander

Method

Heat the oil in a wok on a medium high flame. Add onion, mustard and fennel seeds and fry them until they are just starting to pop. Add the onions and cook until translucent then add the peppers, mushrooms and salt and pepper with a dash of soy sauce. Fry until the mushrooms soften then add the mix powder. Mix well and cook the spices out then add the rice. Mix well and fry the rice until it is piping hot, keep stirring. Add coriander and serve.   

Thanks. Yes, I think he may well be my new guinea pig. Next stop, VINDALOO!! ;D

My nephew came to visit today so I decided to treat him to a curry. He hasn't ever had anything particularly hot so I cooked him a Pathia, about madras heat, I made a Korma(ish) for the Mrs and a slightly hotter Pathia for myself, all served with mushroom fried rice. Tonight I also tried out my sizzler with a nice chicken tikka sizzler. He ate the lot but did comment that it was the hottest curry he'd tried.

I used passata so that I use less water to thin it out. I'm not sure if anyone else does it. As for the tandoori masala, it is difficult to say if it makes any difference, that is a c2go idea and I have just stuck with it. 

They look just the job. I'll grab some of those next time I'm near Lakeland. Cheers!

The baking paper sounds like a good idea, pretty cheap solution too.

I hadn't thought of that Phil, but it is a good point. It would be worth seeing if there are any replacement papers available. I'm not even sure whether it would be possible to make some. They would help to keep any moisture out as well I guess, as I have found that certain spices just absorb  it when you open them, Chinese 5 spice seems to be the worst. I did buy them in bulk and then used the card inserts to divide them in the drawer, but I threw the paper out :

Bob, the drawers do lift out but they have a good extension on them so you can pull them out all the way. I guess you could just make a drawer that fits your plastic containers.