Quote from: chillihothot on October 04, 2012, 04:01 PM
My curry base is all those plus tinned tomatos, and those big red dried chillis. I think its Taz's base (not entirely sure)?

I'm very fond of the base actually, but in the finished curry theres that aged-ness missing, it tastes...too fresh, but not in a good way more in a immature way.

I tend to only cook base for an hour, so I'm thinking maybe 3 hours and let it cool through to settle, before freezing.

Thoughts? Similar problems?

Taz's base does not use dried red chilies. I make gallons of this stuff at the Uni and have now got the ideal base I want for all the curries there.

The rawness you are getting is (I believe) not cooking the spices thoroughly before adding other ingredients. There is a difference of opinion on this forum of whether to add the diluted tomato puree/paste before adding the spices or after.

I definitely choose the latter, so oil, G&G (unless you are cooking onions/peppers etc, which you would soften through first) then the spice mix and chili powder, (if you want you can add any further spices/leaves later on, but I feel that the spice mix and chili powder needs to be cooked through prior to adding the tomato puree/paste.

You'll know when you have it right, because when you add the tomato paste, and stir it in the spice mix, the aroma of the spice mix & chili will hit the back of your throat and make you cough and your eyes will water, if you don't get this then I don't think you have cooked the spices quite long enough. They should just be on the point of singeing and to get this right you will need to cook quite a few curries in order to achieve the rightness (if that is the right word to use) prior to adding the tomato paste/puree.

The mixture should then produce quite a lot of steam/smoke as the tomato paste/puree briefly cools the spice mixture and then starts to heat rapidly and will then burn the spices as it gathers heat, so have a good ladle of base ready to add about 30 seconds after adding the tomato paste/puree.

If your base is correct, you will notice that the base will sit there in the mixture as a big yellow puddle and will not/should not blend in until stirred into the mixture. You should then notice a change in colour, the mixture will stop spitting at you momentarily until the water evaporates, then you'll notice little puddles/droplets of oil coming through which will probably be a reddish colour, stir once again then add some more base and continue to cook through until the above appears again, by which you add another ladle of base.

At this stage you can add the pre-cooked meat/chicken veggies or whatever you are using and start warming that through. Add more base as required to your consistency.

This should get rid of that rawness that you are experiencing.

Also if using tomatoes, the seeds can produce a bitter taste, so consider either removing them or adding a sweetening agent to compensate.. Personally, I do not like the sweeter curries and remove the inner parts of the tomatoes before adding to the dish..

Hope this helps

Have you guy's ever used, Maggi coconut milk powder for Korma's and CTM's?

This gives the perfect coconutty taste with the smoothness required for the dish. I find coconut block ok, but not as smooth as the Maggi powder. It is quite expensive as opposed to coconut block but the flavour is so much different....

I have to admit, I am watching these videos with great enthusiasm

Quote from: Phil [Chaa006] on October 02, 2012, 10:21 PM

Quote from: 976bar on October 02, 2012, 09:32 PM
If you are around on Thursday evening Phil, we have another Indian night.

Can't make it before I leave for Abu Dhabi & Shanghai, Bob; return on 22nd or therebouts, so will liaise with you on my return.

** Phil.

Have a good trip Phil, hopefully see you upon your return

Quote from: joshallen2k on October 03, 2012, 02:09 AM
Bob - your mass production curry exploits have got me thinking... over here in Canada, most Indian Restaurants focus on the buffet style. Large plates of various curries etc under heat lamps, replenished as they get eaten, or just turn foul.

This type of Indian restaurant, I cannot stand. Awful curries. I'd rather eat McDonalds.

Since learning BIR cooking - base plus mains cooked on demand - I can see why the "buffet" style could never replicate what I remember as proper BIR.

You seem to be doing it with the Taz base and established cr0 main recipes. Does it scale well? Why don't the buffet guys do it? Cost?

Just curious what you think.

Cheers and great work,
-- Josh

Hi Josh,

Yes it does scale well. With Taz's Base, all I have done is quadrupled the quantities, (largest base I have ever made), using 8 litres of water, 4kg onions, 4 green peppers, 24 garlic cloves cut in half, 4 x 2 x 1 inch pieces of ginger, 6 tbps Turmeric, 6 tbs of both Coriander & Cumin seeds, 1.6 litres of oil, 4 desert spoons of salt. Oh, and I use 1.6kg chopped tinned tomatoes.

I have started cooking the onions in the oil first until soft and translucent, then adding everything else, simmering for about and hour and a half, (time doesn't seem to matter too much when working in a commercial kitchen as there is always something else to do whilst waiting), then blend to a smooth liquid, then return to a low heat until the oil separates.

I've discovered cooking the chicken in trays in the ovens first at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes, gets it three quarters of the way there. Make the sauce in a large "Brat Pan", then add the chicken and cook for a further 10 minutes on a low heat just to finish the chicken off, which comes out so succulent.

I can only think the buffet guys don't do it as they are probably making a lot more dishes than say my 3 or 4 which is time consuming, but shouldn't be if everyone pulls their weight in the kitchen.... It's easy to prep in between services and par cook or marinade something a couple of days in advance

If you are around on Thursday evening Phil, we have another Indian night. Everything you would expect from a BIR but on a much larger scale. Made 4 x size of Taz's base today, Chicken is marinading in one of the massive fridges.

Chicken Tikka Masala (CA's), Chicken Tikka Ceylon (CA's Chicken Ceylon but with Tikka), Chicken Madras (CA's), (apparently the students love Chicken!!!), Brinjal Aloo Bhaji, (Thanks to Curryhells, Brinjal Bhaji but with potatoes), Rice, Onion Bhajis (Indian Garden), Mini Naan Breads, Poppadoms, Coriander Chutney (Mine), Yogurt mint sauce, Indian salad (cucumber, tomato, red onion, coriander), Mango Chutney....

Not sure if I have forgotten anything yet, but will advise later

Quote from: Phil [Chaa006] on October 01, 2012, 09:46 PM

Quote from: 976bar on October 01, 2012, 09:32 PM
Right now Phil, I will stay there for as long as I can. It's still pretty quiet in the other industry and if the money side of things could change I would stay, so who knows, I might be making turkey & Cranberry Filo Sacks there for Xmas yet

Well, that's great news from my perspective, because I have just ordered 30 25L sacks of lawn top-dressing to be delivered to a friend's home in Camberley (local supplier, too bulky and too heavy for nationwide delivery), so I will need to make more than one Chainhurst--Camberley--Chainhurst trip to get it all home, and with any luck I can time one to take in a Bob BIR-special at College.

** Phil.

Good luck with the lawn...Just give me some notice so that we can accommodate...

Quote from: Willyeckerslike on October 01, 2012, 08:40 PM
WOW, that looks great....
enough to feed the CRO regulars for a week!

Thanks Willy,

It's certainly been a fantastic learning experience for me, and I hope to share a lot more with everyone soon

Quote from: Phil [Chaa006] on October 01, 2012, 09:20 PM

Quote from: 976bar on October 01, 2012, 09:05 PM
It's a shame you couldn't make it today. I have been told by Carol the Head Chef at the Uni that I can stay on for as long as I want   The only problem with that, is that I really don't think I can afford to which is a big shame as it is a dream come true for me...

Oh dear, that's a great shame.  Mind you, bearing in mind your former occupation, I can hardly say I am surprised.  So, do you think that six weeks and it's all over, or might you stay on until (say) Christmas, just to gain additional experience in a commercial kitchen ?

** Phil.

Right now Phil, I will stay there for as long as I can. It's still pretty quiet in the other industry and if the money side of things could change I would stay, so who knows, I might be making turkey & Cranberry Filo Sacks there for Xmas yet

Quote from: natterjak on October 01, 2012, 08:59 PM
Looks great 976. Do you think with your new found knowledge of bulk cooking you could come up with some recipes for cooking some of the forum favourites in the largest pot many of us will have at home, something like a 6 to 8 litre stockpot? Cooking in bulk this way might be a time saving way of getting 12 or 15 portions of curry cooked at once and allow for freezing the finished curries in take away trays for reheating when required.

Hi Chris,

The difference which made the difference today, was that I cooked the chicken tikka separately in the ovens and let it cool just as I would at home then made the sauce, then added the meat, just as I would at home, whereas before, it was a case of adding oil to the "Brat Pan", then sealing the meat/chicken, then adding the G&G, spices, tomato puree, base etc etc...

This is the first time I have achieved a near on "BIR" curry on such a large scale and will continue to develop this with other dishes.

I am sure that in the near future I will be able to post some recipes on here for the party goers