Quote from: smokenspices on March 12, 2008, 09:23 PM
all sweet and succulent...

Just like me eh SnS?

Quote from: Domi on March 12, 2008, 08:00 PM
Following the recipe is OK for less confident cooks, which is why I feel it's important to specify a base to use.

You're absolutely right. I've been making BIR style curries for so long now that I forget just how much of a black art it is to the uninitiated. That got me thinking. What would I think of the first curry I cooked from this forum using any base and any recipe if I had never cooked BIR style before but had eaten in BIRs?

Answer. I think I would be bloodywell impressed that on my first try I managed to at least approximate what I have had in restaurants.

I really wish this type of forum was going when I got into this lark, it would have saved me days of experimenting and bags of wasted ingredients.

My point is that while for the oldies like me mixing and matching bases and recipes is not ideal, for the beginner it isn't a real issue.

Has anyone noticed (I can't see how you couldn't), just how crap the tomatoes are in the supermarkets. I mean bad to the point of being inedible. I find that I have to buy Tesco (for example) finest on the vine tomatoes to even approximate the taste of a good tomato.

Who actually cooks, and god forbid eats raw, the cheapest tomatoes that they sell?

Cheers unclbuck!

Quote from: Domi on March 12, 2008, 08:00 PM
it's always good to read what someone's opinion is...

Absolutely and I wasn't belittleing Bobby's efforts if that's the way it came across. I think it's a great post and a great subject, just look at all the talk it's generated.

By the way where is darths 100% base, I can't seem to find it.

What concerns me Bobby is that you seem to be interpreting the results of your experiment as a valid test for the comparison of base sauces which it clearly isn't for all the reasons that domi, me, and others have already stated.

All it demonstrates is that for your personal taste, and cooked with your personal technique, and with this particular curry recipe, that you prefer the one made with the Saffron base. That doesn't automatically make the Saffron base is in any way superior (or indeed inferior) to Darth's base or any other base.

Quote from: Rai on March 12, 2008, 12:21 PM
And I very much doubt that BIR kormas or passandas have tomatoes in them...

Oh I'm pretty sure they do, but only that which is in the base sauce. It's just that the ratio of cream to base is so high that they come out yellowish in colour.

comment removed by SnS

Quote from: Bobby Bhuna on March 12, 2008, 10:54 AM
you must agree that some bases are better than others.

Well no actually I don't.

For a start define "better". Your idea of better might not be my idea of better (in fact going by your aguments in this thread it almost definitely isn't). I don't know about you but I've never actually tasted a genuine BIR base sauce (I've seen a few). So just how do you know when you've cracked it? I don't think you can until you've tasted a few of the real things. We're (almost) all in the same boat in that respect.

Quote from: Rai on March 12, 2008, 04:53 AM
I find that kris dhillons recipes are seriously lacking (including her base)

I agree entirely that her recipes leave a lot to be desired, relying as they do on too much cumin an garam masala. You are so wrong about the base though. Its simplicity is its strong point and I haven't found many better bases. The fact that you find it lacking implies that you don't know how to achieve a suitable balance of base and added spices to give a good result. In other words it shows your lack of ability rather than a lack in the base.

QuoteClearly the most versatile option is NO BASE...I conclude that a base with tomatoes in it is logically less versatile than one without tomatoes in it

Technically you are correct but you're just being a complete arse about it. BIRs use bases and the majority will include some tomato, end of story.

Totally off topic, and I know you'll think I'm mental when I tell you this (shut it Domi!) but, if I eat something with a spoon it seems like it has a different taste compared to when I eat with a fork. It must be psychological but bloody weird all the same.