Nice report Wickerman.  CA will be impressed.  I look forward to reading subsequent reports on the gravy and the finished dish.
On the subject of spiced oil, i think this is very subjective.  Some people swear by it and some think it adds little compared to the time and effort involved in making it.  Unfortunately for us home BIR chefs we don't have a restaurant kitchen and cook the volume of dishes where it is in ample supply and a by product of the BIR process so hats off to CA for coming up with a method of "manufacturing" the stuff  ;D.  .  Personally for me, the jury is still out.  I can remember back in the 80's visiting a kitchen and my dishes were always prepared using the oil from the top of the gravy pot.  Kitchens visited in recent years, the oil seems to be fresh and untouched, usually sitting in an old ghee tin.

Well done for starting this thread DD.  It's certainly made me rack my brains  :.  If all regular contributors on this site come up with something, I am sure all of us will discover a golden nugget to take from it.  It may not provide the Eureka moment for all, hopefully for some, but we will all be producing better dishes as a result.

Breakthrough 1

Quote from: Stephen Lindsay on October 19, 2011, 11:37 PM
For the last year I've been regularly knocking out 3 to 4 curries, 3 to 5 times per week. My curries have never tasted better and I am reminded of Bruce Edward's last post - this site has everything you need - crack on and get cooking!

And how true this is.  We are all guilty of it  .  Even when the answers are right under our noses, we ignore the obvious or it takes ages for the penny to eventually drop.

Breakthrough 2
I'm guilty of the above.  .  It wasn't until i tried the method in the following thread for precooking veg that i was able to realise the moreish taste that i love in a well cooked bombay aloo  : https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5537.msg54474#msg54474
This produces absolutely top notch results when combined with a good bombay aloo recipe like Solarsplace's.

Breakthrough 3
The discovery of Asian bay leaves.  How can something something so simple be overlooked?   I managed it and wondered what everybody was on about till i found them in my local asian store.  These little blighters really do provide a different taste, very noticeable in pilau rice, and have an intense aroma compared to the poor european relation.

Breakthrough 4
This is yet to come but i am sure i will glean something when i look at the differences (and they are only slight and i believe turmeric has something to do with it) between the above method and one that i posted and used regularly https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5568.msg54512#msg54512.

I will keep you posted when this comes .

I look forward to reading this thread as it develops since it has so much potential for us all

Quote from: Stephen Lindsay on October 19, 2011, 11:37 PM
I would like to suggest that this post doesn't veer into a search for the holy grail - the fact that some members can beat 3 out of 5 BI Rs is actually testament to this site and their cooking. If we said we could beat 3 out of 5 French restaurants would that be considered an achievement.

For the last year I've been regularly knocking out 3 to 4 curries, 3 to 5 times per week. My curries have never tasted better and I reminded of Bruce Edward's last post - this site has everything you need - crack on and get cooking!

I really don't think it's about reclaimed oil, jaggery, or msg, I think it's about sticking with a decent base, spice mix, set of recipes and bashing on. There's a lot of these on this site and I really don't think one will draw you more to an "ellusive" taste than any other. The more you cook the better your results will be.

I think you're right Stephen.  We "chefs" are always going to be our own worst enemies.  Will we ever be satisfied with every dish we cook - no.  But we all know the elation when we nail a dish ;D.  At the end of the day, we're self taught and do it as a hobby, for the love of the taste and the challenge to produce BIR dishes every time the pan goes on the stove.  In light of this 3 out of 5 aint that bad but it won't stop us trying to improve.  And that is what this is all about and what keeps a forum like this alive.  Long live CR0

Hi Mark and welcome to the journey.  You'll never look back now .  Be prepared for the frustration though   So so close, but just not quite there yet ;D ;D

That looks absolutely delightful Stephen.  I'll add it to the ever increasing list 

Of course i've got to be up for this one  ;D

Quote from: madmatt on October 17, 2011, 11:49 PM
CT, thanks for the info. Will have a look for mr naga next time I'm in the Asian store(not seen it in tesco's)

CH,
I shouldn't panic about the rice, the brand you use is still widely available.

Has a group test been done on pilau? If not, let's get one organised!

Matt

Now that is not a bad idea Matt.  Cost wise cheap for everybody to do and timewise, again does not require a lot of peoples time to do it.   How about you post the idea in the group test section and see what the response it.  It's been a bit quiet in there of late ;D.  It certainly would be useful to those individuals who have just started to cook BIR.  And some of the regular contributors may experience a pleasant surpise too  .  My recipe developed only through trial and error.  And there were a few errors and saucepans of what i can only describe as "gloop" 

Quote from: ELW on October 17, 2011, 08:14 PM
yes curryhell i'll put it up where it can be seen, Im new here, but am on the fastrack to get up to speed..must have read 1000 posts..trouble is, once i learn something new...it pushes something old out of my brain!
ELW Pp

I know the problem only too well . The capacity decreases year on year.  The question you asked is very valid and I think quite a few members here will be able to contribute positively and we may all learn something which is what this site is all about

Quote from: chewytikka on October 17, 2011, 04:29 PMHi CH
You rice looks spot on, what brand do you use?

Hi Matt
Get yourself a jar of Mr.Naga, its what BIR cooks use to create
Naga dishes, like your "Naga Chicken". only half a teaspoon will
give you the Naga flavour.
https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5591.msg55597#msg55597
I use it in lots of my restaurant recipes.
https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5834.msg57818#msg57818
cheers Chewy

Thanks CT.  The brand i have at the moment is called Badshah.  I bought a 25kilo bag way back when.  You could definitely call it aged as its gone way way past its BB but as you can see it produces the results ;D and the taste is as good as any pilau i have eaten.  Having read the thread on basmati rice, i am a little bit concerned as what brand i will buy when eventually my supply runs out .  But that'll be a while yet ;D.
As for the Mr Naga, i love the stuff on my poppadums.  next time i cook i will add a couple of teaspsoons to my curry and see what happens.

Quote from: 976bar on October 17, 2011, 01:28 PM
I've just made Taz's base, which uses 450ml of oil and I replaced 100ml of the rapeseed oil with the hot curry oil. The smell is amazing and the colour is really good too.

Can't wait to cook a curry now

I wait with baited breath 976 for the verdict