On 18 April 2023, 19:12:41 I reported on a rather poor attempt at chicken bhuna which had been made with pre-velvetted chicken, as opposed to normal BIR-style pre-cooked chicken.  I later discovered that it had not only been velvetted but also marinated in soya sauce. whence the rather poor chicken bhuna.  So, with quite a lot of the velvetted chicken left over, I made a chicken with chilli and black bean sauce earlier this week, which lasted me two or three days, after which I made a further (and final) portion today, using up the last of the velvetted chicken.  Now, this chicken was already two days past its hotel "use-by" date when I received it, and that was about a fortnight ago, yet the chicken with chilli and black bean sauce that I made this evening lacked any trace of taint, and tasted just as good as if I had used fresh chicken.  Now I do keep my refrigerator at a steady 3℃ rather than the more normal 5℃, but even so, for chicken to last this long without any decay whatsoever seems quite remarkable to me.  To what extent it was the marination, to what extent the velvetting, or to the lower-than-average storage temperature we shall never know, but it certainly confirms my belief that, as I wrote in an earlier post, "use-by dates are for the guidance of the wise and the blind obedience of fools".
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** Phil.

Quote from: livo on April 28, 2023, 03:49 AM
It's Turmeric and Mixed Powder Phil.  I asked him a few years back.

As you've presumably made this dish, Livo, a few questions if I may ?

• Was it a success ? (If not, go no further !).
• What did you use in place of the "Desi-Style mix powder" ?
• Was the end product of a dry, medium or runny consistency ?
• Did it taste noticeably different (from the spicing perspective) to any meat curries that you made at the same time ?

Sag aloo is very much one of my favourite dishes, so I would love to be able to turn out a good one as easily as I can turn out (say) a good chicken with chilli and black bean sauce ...
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** Phil.

A bit difficult to follow his recipes with any accuracy, Pap, unless one is willing to invest in his not-inexpensive "currybyair" spices.  To give an example, here is his ingredient list for saag aloo — whilst I am certain that any decent turmeric powder can be substituted for his "ha ha haldi", what should one substitute for his "ha ha haldi mix powder" (which, when one follows the link, appears to also be just turmeric, but in an tin) and his "Desi-Style mix powder" ?

Ingredients:

PREPARED POTATOES:
8 Potatoes
2-3 Table Spoons Oil
1 Table Spoon Garlic And Ginger Paste   
1 tsp Ha Ha Haldi 
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Salt
Water

PRE-COOKED SAAG:
Spinach
3-4 tsps Oil
1 tsp Garlic and Ginger Paste -   
1 bowlful Chopped Onions
1 tsp Ha Ha Haldi (Tumeric) Mix Powder

SAAG ALOO:
2 tsps Oil
1 clove Garlic
Chopped Onions and Peppers
1 sprinkle Salt
4-5 tbsps pre-cooked Potatoes
Pre-cooked Saag
2 tsps Desi-Style mix powder
2 tsps Butter Ghee
2-3 slices Chopped Tomato

You are most welcome, Anita — I just hope that the thread has not suffered majorly from bit-rot, unlike much of the forum ...

Try 976bar's "London Olympics 2012" thread, Anita.
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** Phil.

Quote from: George on April 21, 2023, 10:59 AM
Phil  - the Biriani is left 'separated' for the first half of the cooking time. You then stir it together for the remaining time. Worth searching for because I think it 's so good.

OK, my task for tomorrow !

I shall look out for it, George (the biryani, that is).  From the Aldi illustration, it would appear that one has to assemble it before serving, as the rice and the chicken+sauce appear to be contiguous but separate, if you know what I mean.  As to "use-by" dates (or "best before" dates, or whatever), I treat them in the same way that I treat rules  — for the guidance of the wise but the blind obedience of fools".  I routinely remove mould from cheese, pâté, compôtes, etc., and then eat what remains.
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** Phil.

I should perhaps clarify that when I say "Kashmiri for colour, degghi for heat" I am not talking about vindaloo/tindaloo/phal heat, merely Madras.  Unless you went really crazy, I don't think you'd achieve phal heat with degghi mirch alone ...

Quote from: George on October 28, 2020, 06:19 PM

Quote from: Onions on October 28, 2020, 06:01 PM
Gonna give it a whirl tonight. Dead right though: spices, then meat is the order of the day...

Be sure to use lamb if you seek my result of approx 75% as good as a BIR buffet bhuna. Mix spices with some water to form a paste and fry carefully on low heat. Then add a small amount of the sauce at a time, remaining on low heat. The overall cooking time should be dragged out for as long as possible to maximise the flavour of the end result.

Sadly I failed to heed your warning, George, and attempted to cook a chicken bhuna using the Aldi stuff.  While it wasn't a total disaster, it was nothing like the good bhuna chicken dishes I have had in the past.  I used pre-velveted chicken (my wife had given me a large batch that was superfluous to hotel needs) for the first time, and I am now unconvinced that pre-velveted chicken works in BIR cuisine [but see below], but it was not the texture of the chicken that I disliked as much as the flavour of the overall dish.  Ah well, I will have to finish it up, and will then probably turn the remainder of the pre-velveted chicken into (Chinese) chicken with chilli and black bean sauce !

Of course, it is possible that Aldi have changed the recipe — have you tried it recently ?

[Update 19-Apr-2023]  I have just learned that the chicken was not just pre-velvetted — it had been marinaded in soya sauce. thus explaning the unpleasant flavour.  Why herself thought that it would work in a curry I will never know ...
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** Phil.

Quote from: livo on April 18, 2023, 08:44 AM
So, I'm asking anybody who's used this product before, how does MDH Deggi Mirch fit into your heat scale?  Assume that plain Hungarian Paprika is a 0, KCP / Indian Paprika is a 3, Red Chilli Powder is a 6 and Hot Chilli Powder is a 10, where would MDH Deggi Mirch fit?  When they say slightly hotter than paprika, are they referring to Hungarian or Indian?

I use both MDH Kashmiri mirch (for colour) and MDH degghi mirch (for heat). Somewhere in the range 4–6 on your scale, since generic "red chilli powder" could really have any value.
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** Phil.