Quote from: Yellow Fingers on October 04, 2005, 09:46 AM
We're never likely to get anyone to see the full making of the base as done in a restaurant just because it takes so long.

I'm beginning to doubt the time taken, now, other than continual simmering after the sauce is made and being used. I see a figure of 45 minutes being mentioned quite a lot and I reckon that sounds about right for any kitchen where time is money. Moving from a 45 mins base sauce to a 6 hour base sauce simply won't produce the strong smell I've referred to. It's more likely to REDUCE the aroma coming off the finished dish, IMHO.

I suggest again, that the smell coming out of the take-away containers is not coming off the tandoor or any other source at the restaurant. It's coming only from the bag when I smell it. The inside of your car is another aroma trap as you carry a take-away home. Perhaps this smell could be onion tarka, or fenugreek or something else which is very pungent, and goes into most curries. I'm amazed we haven't cracked the smell yet, if not the taste. Or perhaps some of you have - perhaps some of your curries do smell like that.

Pete and others mentioned, I think, in previous threads, that the taste was not present in various restaurant demos they'd had. I reckon that's simply because they left out one or more steps.

Can't any supporters of this site (ideally Indian-looking, to stand more chance of being accepted) get a temp job as a kitchen hand in some BIR, for a few days, and report back?

Regards
George

Quote from: blade1212 on October 03, 2005, 06:55 PM
Pete, I disagree. I believe any BIR could and should be exactly replicated at home - it defies logic that this is not possible.

Blade

I'm with you, and Yellow Fingers, I think, on this one. I see no scientific, logical or common sense reason why we shouldn't be able to produce exactly the same taste and aroma at home, without massive investment (e.g. a ?3000++ commercial tandoor), time or trouble - just the apparently still missing know-how.

Regards
George

chillihead

Your photos look good, but I can't see them on my screen. Perhaps it's just me. They appear to have a width of over 2000 pixels, like they've come straight from your digital camera. So they're too large to view and anybody without broadband will take a while to download them. Would it be possible, please, for you to process them with a photo editor package like PhotoShop to scale the image down to, say, 600 pixels wide, so they fit on the screen?

Regards
George


.

Sadly, my expectations for this new book are quite low, only because all the books, videos and eBay offerings which have gone before have failed in producing the BIR taste, whilst promising just that in the preamble and pre-purchase publicity. If they said it was impossible to produce the BIR taste at home, and explained why, but "here are some recipes for a poor second best", then I might be more accepting.

The gap in expectations with any of these books can be one of only two things - either (a) they deliberately hold back certain ingredients or techniques or (b) techniques like final tasting really are vital and nobody here has ever succeeded.   I still vote for (a).

My acid test (as mentioned before) is now whether a bag of home made curries in sealed foiled containers and a plastic carrier bag would smell as strong and delicious outdoors as the take-away delivered to my neighbour a few months back. I only knew somebody was walking towards their house, when the smell hit me. This can't be anything too subtle, to smell so strong.

The other acid test is whether any of our attempts (recipes) could be 'signed off' as perfectly 'up to the job' if we decided to set up a take-away as a test of public opinion, i.e. that our customers would think these dishes were (a) good and (b) had the taste they've come to expect from any BIR. A bit like that TV programme where people have a few weeks to train for a different job, and see if they can persuade experts.

Regards
George

Ashes

Great video find, thank you. This is one of the few Internet videos which have worked right away for me, without any problems, and I'm using Firefox too!

Regards
George

Darth

Thank you for the extra info. I just searched for "Dabari Rice" at google co.uk for uk results. There was not a single result, so it must be a bit of a speciality!

You no doubt explained in previous postings how to use the microwave to re-heat the rice just before serving and after a slow defrost. Is a slow microwave setting the best for the re-heat, would you say, for as long as it takes the defrosted rice to warm through? And do you leave all the spices in situ?

Regards
George

Quote from: DARTHPHALL on September 28, 2005, 09:42 AM

        I do this part after rice is done.

    The Spices.( enough for 4 dishes).
    4 Cardamom Pods, 4 Star Anise,2 level Teaspoon cumin seeds,
    4 pieces Cassia Bark,4 Bay leaves,8 Cloves.
    I separate into 4 small portions  in a suitable container with a lid & add to each, 1 half Teaspoon oil & half tsp of water & Mictowave for just under 30 
    seconds.You add to your cooked rice dishes mix in then sprinkle over the top a little desiccated coconut.     

Darth

I look forward to trying this recipe. Thank you for posting it and for your R&D effort. Firstly, though, I've never heard of 'dabari' rice. Is it pilau rice + coconut? Are the spices you list the same ones for standard BIR pilau rice?

Also, when you say you "separate into 4 small portions" is that just the spices? No rice? Then you microwave the raw spices, oil and water alone for 30 seconds? No rice at this stage?

At the end of your recipe (6), you say: "sort into portions & add the cooked spices, mix them in & sprinkle the Coconut over the top, let cool then freeze".

But what then? How do you bring the frozen rice out of hibernation for reheating and serving, please?

Regards
George

Quote from: Nessa on September 16, 2005, 11:23 PM
You have to be vigilant nipping out the flowering buds to promote the bushy growth.

Nessa

Many thanks for this suggestion. It's encouraged me to try again. I tried general pruning but not specific flower bud removal. I'll take photos along the way - probably next Spring, and post them here if it works out. As Pete says, it's a bit late now.

Regards
George

Quote from: raygraham on September 15, 2005, 07:10 PM
I think this has given me a few tips straight away, like buy it at the Asian supermarket at 50p a bunch and save the hassle...

That's certainly my conclusion, despite near-100% success in taking each and every seed to a plant of around six or eight inches tall. It's just that there aren't enough leaves to compare with the 50p bunches. For anyone who wants to try, I use a propagator (cheap heated seed tray) with cheap B&Q multipurpose compost in it. When the seedlings are large enough, plant out into small flower pots. Sunshine and high temperatures will help bring on the plants, as on a window sill in summer.

Regards
George

Ray

I grow a lot of fruit and veg with quite a bit of success. Unfortunately, Coriander is one of my few and greatest disappointments. I simply cannot get the great growth and 'bushiness' which you expect from the bunches at Asian grocers and some supermarkets. I guess the Cyprus climate and greater expertise must help. So I've given up. The flavour is there and it will be fresher tasting, though, for micro-quantities, e.g. a sprinkle on one or two curries but not for a dish requiring one or two whole bunches.

Regards
George