I love that this recipe is getting cooked by you guys.  I just took out a portion of base from the freezer to cook a curry tonight to celebrate my 7th wedding anniversary but you know what?  I'm going to put that base in the fridge and cook BIR tomorrow and give this old thing another go, moderating the salt this time. I have skinless, boneless thighs to hand and will pair with Phil's aromatic pilau and some (sorry) store bought roasted garlic naan.

90 deg F today so more comfortable cooking indoors too, rather than outdoors on the grill burner like I usually do for BIR.

Will report back on my results.  Ah, the nostalgia of being in my 20s...


Robbo

Hey Phil,
I did not, but I had plenty of great outdoor dining in the evenings I recall.  I think of all the Asian countries I visited, Malaysia food had the closest relationship to India for me.

Robbo

Fish head curry in Malaysia was one of the best dishes I ever had. Never got used to the sweetness of Teh Tarik though.  Many great dinners in KL and the surrounding area. Hungry again.


Robbo

Wasted talent Phil. But I think I shall try the trim and laminate method of the original, thus preserving its future value at auction.


Robbo

And Phil, great job on the typing.  I have an app (from Tom Hanks, believe it or not) that replicates typewriters too.  I would have kept the 'tope' word at the end, just for authenticity. I wonder if I can laminate the original?  No A4 size laminator pouches here, only what the Americans call Letter.  Feeling all sentimental about being in my early 20s in Sunderland now...

Robbo

Looks great Onions, nice job!  I honestly can not remember how mine looked, although the over-salt experience still smarts a bit.  That's a great result from you though.  Who knows how long that battered old piece of A4 would've just sat inside one of my cookbooks but now I have to give it a go, for posterity.

Had no luck finding the Dum Aloo recipe so far.   Really wish i had kept everything from the course. Would be a good walk down memory lane...

Robbo

Very good sir.  We just received a family gift food delivery from Taste of Chicago so tonight is hot dog dinner with chilli for me. Really fancy a curry but nothing new about that. Maybe tomorrow.

Robbo

Wow, tough audience. Well let me tell you both, I doubt any of you would have stood up to that diminutive Indian lady.  She was fiesty so even had I spotted the cumin omission there is no way I would be bringing that to her attention, let alone the tope issue.
I look forward to hearing and seeing the results.  Don?t think I will get around to it this weekend but maybe through the week as it?s a relatively non-spicy dish Mrs Robbo can handle.

Robbo

Cheers guys, certainly a blast from the past.  The chicken would have definitely been skinless, probably breast at the time, although I default to thighs these days.  I also agree 3-4 cinnamon is too much too, but I bet I put 3-4 sticks in there.  Rajnee was an intimidating woman, I dared not deviate!  I?m pretty sure I still have the Dum Aloo she had us make documented somewhere and will try and dig it out.

Robbo

In a recent post about Balti, I recounted how I had taken evening classes on Indian cookery. Well here is the typed recipe we were given that I still have, 28 years later.  Took the course at Monkwearmouth School in Sunderland and now posting from home in North Carolina.  Funny where life takes you.



I remember my dish came out more salty than I liked and looking at the recipe I?m not surprised. 2 - 3 tsp salt? 

The hand written notes are mine which I added that matched the actual times we ended up taking for each stage.  I might give this a bash, just for posterity.

Robbo