Quote from: paast10 on October 07, 2005, 02:42 PM
nobody wants to give the details of the masalas!  They just say they use masalas with the onion, ginger and garlic.

Payal

What exactly do you mean by masalas here, please? Is it a specific mix of powders?


Yellow Fingers
>I still think it's in the base because that's the
>only common factor throughout all the curries

Good point. You may be right. This is so frustrating, not being able to crack this mystery, once and for all, with so many of us working on it.

Regards
George

Bryan

I agree it seems likely that the smell and much of the taste comes from towards the end of the cooking process, rather than from the base sauce. Garam masala is added towards the end of cooking, in authentic Indian cuisine, so the aroma is fresh and hasn't 'boiled off', presumably. If it is that, we just need to figure out exactly what to add; not just packet mix garam masala.

Regards
George

Payal and others

Here' an extract from a review I found. I feel like visiting Leicester now! But have these people never heard about base sauce? I can't believe many places don't use it.

"This is what Indian food is all about! The variety of food is outstanding and the naan breads are to die for! I had the finest Chicken Tikka Masala dish ever, all the food is cooked to order and you can tell. The chefs special's are just that!"

http://www.reviewcentre.com/review169341.html
Tamarind Indian Restaurant - Leicester

http://www.myleicester.net/leicester/restaurants-reviews-harmans-punjabi-dhaba.htm
Harman's Punjabi Dhaba
But the reviw says: " Punjabi Dhabi serves real indian food at rock bottom prices. It is to my knowledge the only place in Leicester serving totally authentic indian home cooked food compared to the commercial anglo/bangladeshi fake version sold almost everywhere else."

http://www.myleicester.net/leicester/restaurants-reviews-the-taj-mahal.htm
"Leicester's oldest Indian restaurant"
"unlike in some other Indian restaurants, each dish was distinctive with a subtle approach to flavouring."

http://www.myleicester.net/leicester/restaurants-reviews-dylans.htm
"the chicken just melts in your mouth"
"This restaurant is quite different fron the old flock wallpapered anglo/bangladeshi type of yesterday. It is a modern restaurant with tasteful and stylish decor. The food is truly indian cuisine with indian not bangladeshi chefs. "
"There are few if any (other) restaurants of this calibre in Leicester, but Shimla Pinks runs close. Curry fever, an award winning restaurant makes a very poor comparison in decor, service and even the food. Portions are large and prices for a place of this quality very low....Pilao rice was almost white with a hint of real saffron and not the normal yellow fake saffron style..."- reviw by Chris the curry eater, 35+ years experience

Maybe BIRs are starting to die out!

Regards
George

Quote from: paast10 on October 07, 2005, 09:56 AM
I went to one restaurant in Derby (Anoki) that i actually enjoyed but I dont know if what I had classified as a "good curry" or not....Can someone suggest some places for me to start at..i know there was some place that some people said to stay away from in Leicester - I dont want to end up there!

Payal

Chances are, I'd say 90% likely, that the restaurant you visited was a fair example of a BIR, simply because most curry houses are. There are only a handful of 'authentic' Indian restaurants in the UK, like the Red Fort and Bombay Brasserie in London. And then there are a few (small minority of) BIRs where the food quality is so poor, that they would be bad places to eat out for any purpose.

We all talk about 'the taste' as if we're all in agreement, but are we? Most of us have never met and our ideas may be quite different.

Leicester must have plenty of curry houses, I guess. Try searching at www.tandoori.co.uk or anywhere which has restaurant reviews, like this site should really have.

Regards
George

Quote from: paast10 on October 07, 2005, 09:21 AM
I have yet to eat the BIR curry and want to go to a good place.

Payal

I fear you may need to visit half a dozen or more restaurants and have at least twice as many meals, to get a good feel for how similar (recipe?) they are on the one hand, and how the quality (execution?) can be a bit different on the other hand. You may get lucky or unlucky with just one or two visits and meals. You almost need someone with you who can confirm that the food on the table is representative of what we call BIR. Birmingham Balti houses may be a bit different, in my experience.

>its been open for like 3 months and served very authentic indian food. 

Yes, as I'm sure you know, there's a difference between authentic and what we call BIR.

>I want to try this fabulous BIR curry

This BIR term was sort of coined here. Don't ask for it, whatever you do! The restaurants are unlikely to have a clue!

>Knowing and using all the indian spices very thoroughly,
>I may be able to help out in the mystery!!  Thats my hope!

Go for it! We're counting on you, and look forward to reading your feedback.

Regards
George

Quote from: Yellow Fingers on October 06, 2005, 08:12 AM
I love these first hand reports, but they always seem to open up a bigger can of worms.

I agree, but we can't deny that's what was used for chillihead's curry, so it must be worth pursuing.

Another possible element might be onion powder. Perhaps the powder is a blend of various white powders, like the ones you've suggested. It doesn't sound like this chef added any pre-fried onions, on this occasion.

Regards
George

Quote from: chillihead on October 05, 2005, 10:44 PMI ordered a Chicken tikka madras as usual and this is what i witnesed. Im sorry this is vague but I can improve on this the more times I go to get a curry.

chillihead

This is great stuff. Keep up the good work. Many thanks. The more observations we get, the more confidence we'll have as to what goes on.

I'm disappointed that a few places around here which used to have open kitchens, appear to have done away with them. I must search for others.

Regards
George

PS I'm no detective, but perhaps the best policy is to watch without questions for a few more times, ideally with a hidden camcorder if you really dare chance it. If you ask questions too early, they may get suspicious and somehow cover up. The white powder at the start and buttery stuff at the end sound particularly interesting.

Quote from: sultry on October 05, 2005, 05:33 PM
I never understood why McDonald's was so popular. Can somebody please please tell  me what is so special about a burger from McD's

I must admit I do like the taste of a Big Mac, due in large part to the sauce and pickle, etc. My favourite was Wendys before they left London and I also like Burger King, but none of them too often.

Regards
George

Quote from: paast10 on October 05, 2005, 09:59 AM
The little plants dont have a "fenugreek" smell at all!!  they dont have much of a smell if i remember correctly - even when crushed.

Then perhaps my fenugreek plants did come up, but I didn't realise it! But how can an inert fresh leaf turn into something with so strong a smell when dried? Or are there different varieties of plant - some which smell and some which don't?

Regards
George

Quote from: raygraham on October 05, 2005, 07:48 AM
...the book "100 Best Balti Curries" talks about fresh "Methi" and also how easy it is to grow...

I must try growing it again inside (soon) or outside (in the Spring). Fenugreek is quite well known as a 'green manure' i.e, grow it, then dig in the plant for a nitrogen fix before growing other crops. So I expected I'd have an area with a strong smell and a useful resource for making curries, as well as some nitrogen, after scattering loads of seeds about 6 months ago. Something went wrong! I'm not sure how to identify a fenugreek plant but nothing came up which smelled of fenugreek, when I rubbed various leaves between my fingers. I assume they weren't fenugreek plants. If I try again, indoors, in a heated seed tray, it will be a more tightly controlled experiment.

Regards
George