Well, what can I say jb? An excellent post and I look forward to more info coming out of Vindaloo in the Broadway, old Grays. But I will go one step further. IMHO this is a pretty defining post and should really draw a line in the sand for all those who have not been convinced to date.
Quote from: jb on January 03, 2016, 12:54 PM
So there you go,yet another gravy recipe,however I've seen this one cooked and unless the chef is a magician or expert conjurer there was nothing else added apart from the ingredients I've listed.
This isn't the first or even the tenth time this has been said before. I wonder just how many people actually have believed it though, and not had a slight nagging doubt?
For those that have been around here long enough, they will know how 110% committed jb is to the cause and getting to the bottom of BIR cooking. He's obviously been on this journey long enough to know what is and what isn't a decent curry. He is equally skilled at banging out great looking food, as his posts have shown. Yes, I know you can't taste it and maybe one day we'll be able to have taste/smelli vision on our computers. But if the man says, it has the BIR taste and smell, I for one believe him. There is much TA / BIR competition within a four mile radius of where he and I live. For the TA to be banged out both Saturday and Sunday, it obviously has a following and is doing something right. There's even another TA two doors down to compete with
He has written many reports from behind the scenes, sharing all he could remember and write down for benefit of us, the forum members.
So, in order to underline and corroborate the info on this TA, I decided to pay it a visit tonight. First time i've been in there. Compared to what I am used to, this place was going to have to go some to get anywhere close.
I walked in and the guy front of house was very friendly and chatty, even got a wave from the chefs in the kitchen. I ordered my usual for direct comparison purposes: chicken vindaloo with chopped green chillis, keema rice and saag aloo. And just to add additional pressure, my favourite veg dish, brinjal bhaji. Not for one moment do I expect to get the identical replica to my usual vindaloo. This isn't going to happen with a different base, mix powder, different balance of ingredients and a different chef, but this was not the point of the exercise. I too can appreciate when a curry has been cooked correctly and I know whether it's a good, average or poor effort. All i was looking for was a vindaloo with good flavour, balance of taste and a reasonable amount of heat. And of course it had to have what we all bang on about frequently on here but just can't seem to achieve - " the BIR smell" and "the taste".
I watched the chef like a hawk, as one does to see how he was putting my dishes together. He did it exactly how I have seen it done before, had read about and how I would expect it to be created. He even checked with me through the glass on the chilli powder and fresh chilli content as well as the texture during its creation, as I scrutinised his every move.
Conclusion, the smell in the car as i drove home passed the first test. We definitely had the BIR smell. I opened up all the dishes and nosed each and there it was again - the smell. The curry was good, nicely balanced in flavour and had the amount of depth I like, clean tasting, adequately hot, perfect BIR texture with just a bit of oil breaking through. Rated against my norm - half a point behind simply because its not what I usually get, so maybe i'm being harsh. The saag aloo, as good as if not half a point better as it was not over oily, with the right balance of flavoursome spinach and potato. The brinjal bhaji - probably rates as one of the best I have ever eaten. As for the rice, I really do like my regular for this, and my own is virtually an identical replica, so i'd have to score this down a point and a half. Nicely cooked and loads of it, but the keema was not as strong tasting as i'm used to.
So, all in all, a worthwhile visit. I got to see how good the TA actally was and I got to validate all the positive comments made by jb. Plus I got to eat a great meal with more than enough to feast on later in the week. And yes, it did all have the BIR taste.
So in a nutshell, there's nowhere to hide now people. Use a properly cooked recognised base, add some mixpowder and the basic standard ingredients and you have all you need. All that lies between you and BIR heaven at home is developping the correct technique. You may not achieve identical dishes to your local, but if done correctly, they will have the smell and the taste and be equally as enjoyable. I certainly learnt a thing or two just watching. Best
I do rate the rice though. The flavour of the keema permeates the rice during the fry and gives it a great flavour. That's providing you've got yourself a good recipe for the keema in the first place of course :
I'm now beginning to question everything, what I use, the order I use it and how I cook it. What a satisfying hobby this is :
Who needs modern vindaloo :
