I guess I have been a little ignorant and concentrating on BIR too much and forgetting the fact that the majority of Indians are in fact vegetarian and there are some wonderful vegetarian dishes to be had.... maybe with a BIR twist...   :

What did we use to do on a Saturday evening before curry came along?

I've completely forgotten now  : ;D

I very much doubt it Phil, and they are secured in the boot of my car not in the passenger compartment

Quote from: Phil [Chaa006] on November 10, 2012, 11:55 AM

Quote from: 976bar on November 10, 2012, 11:31 AM
They buy these pots of garlic puree which when opened is a brown colour

The stuff I am using (photographs and brand name to follow) is, and remains, a nice creamy colour.  Of course it contains preservatives, but I can't detect them by flavour in the final dish.  The  frozen and peeled ginger and garlic, photographs of which another member posted recently, look a good idea, and I shall get some when I am next in the store concerned, but not having to faff around making my own g/g puree is (in view of my present workload) a great relief !

** Phil.

It does all come down to time and convenience at the end of the day

I have to admit that all looks really lovely, but I fear way too hot for my palate.

But!! it has got me in the mood for cooking Indian tonight at home. I've got some pre cooked lamb out, 2 chicken breasts, 2 portions of base sauce.

I'm thinking Lamb Bhuna, but hot, I know my kids will want Kashmiri Chicken Masala, Mushroom Bhaji, Aloo Gobi, and I've bought these lovely looking "Euro Bakery" Garlic Tafoon Naan breads from Aldi. Roll on 6pm!!

I have to admit I am a sucker for a bit of Steel as well. Although not paying those kind of prices, the collection is coming along nicely

Quote from: Axe on November 10, 2012, 11:19 AM
Stirling work Bob, the selection pots look great. Like yourself I find most vegetarian dishes not to my liking. Indian food though, has allowed me to enjoy vegetarian dishes. Those selection pots look great and I would have happily devoured one despite it being devoid of meat.

Hi Malc,

Thanks for the kind words, I haven't done much in the way of veggie Indian stuff before, so thought it about time to start experimenting and the selection pots went down really well.

I've run out of fennel seeds and panch phoran, and need to go get some this weekend as I want to explore more with vegetables

Quote from: Phil [Chaa006] on November 10, 2012, 11:13 AM
Do you make your own g/g puree in the Holloway kitchens, Bob, or use bottled ?  I ask because I have recently switched to bottled (two jars, with preservative, one of each for ratio adjustment) and really cannot detect any deterioration in the quality of the final dish.  I know there ought to be, I just can't detect it !

** Phil.

Hi Phil,

Yes I do make my own. They buy these pots of garlic puree which when opened is a brown colour obviously this stuff is mass produced and is sitting around for quite some time. If you make fresh garlic puree it should be a creamy white colour, but if you leave it lying around in the open for a few hours you will see it start to go brown YUK!!

I get the head chef to buy packs of pre-peeled garlic cloves and ginger, which come as they should, garlic a creamy white colour (vacuum packed) and the ginger looks as if it has just been pealed. I whiz it up in the blender with a little oil to make my own G & G.

We still also buy fresh garlic bulbs and ginger when we want to make fresh dishes with say, "Julienne" sticks of ginger or when making a fresh pasta sauce and chopping up the fresh garlic.

Quote from: Axe on November 10, 2012, 10:37 AM

Quote from: 976bar on November 06, 2012, 05:15 PM
Sorry, I should have mentioned in the recipe, these are vine ripened small cherry tomatoes, so don't cut back on the ratio, it works well...

It works well with Kebabs and Pitta Bread, and you can always play with it by adding some finely chopped chili if you want it hotter with a bit of crunch

Thanks Bob, i'll try it as is as you suggest.

The idea of adding chilli sounds good. I have a local Turkish supermarket near me that stocks huge mild green chilli. It's very similar in size to a sweet pointed red pepper but is lime green. They taste fantastic when roasted or grilled. I reckon these would make a tasty addition to the recipe.

Hi Malc,

they sound really good, looking forward to the pictures when you've made it

These are the ingredients I used for the Samosa's although I did not measure the amounts, but tasted and altered as I went along.

Onion - finely diced
Potato - cut into 1cm cubes and boiled, then drain under cold water and when cool put into the fridge
Sweetcorn
Peas
Garlic & Ginger puree
Cumin Powder
Coriander Powder
Chili Powder
Madras curry powder
Turmeric Powder
Salt
Pepper
Spring roll pastry sheets (I use 2 together for better strength)

Heat oil in pan, add onion and fry gently until soft. Add a little G&G and stir in.
Add all the spices and stir in and let cook with the onion mixture for a few minutes, then add the peas and sweetcorn and stir in. Again let cook for about 5 minutes until the peas and sweetcorn are soft. If using frozen cook for longer.

Taste and season accordingly, then set aside and leave to cool. Once cool,gently stir in the potato cubes and spoon the mixture onto the pastry sheets, fold into a samosa, then deep fry at around 180 C until a light golden colour