I will try the saffron base again but my next one is going to be my standard slightly modified KD base because I know that's always been a winner for me. Now if that comes out bitter, I really will be worried.

Quote from: smokenspices on March 04, 2008, 10:05 PM
Balti belt of Brum.

Is that like one of those weight lifters belts that stop your guts from exploding? Actually that would be pretty useful after a Balti phall! 

It's a strange one this. I've had a run of bad base sauces in the past few months.

I made stew's (admin) base a good few nmonths ago now and it turned out bitter which it seems it also did for a good few others that tried it. But of course there were as many (or maybe more) who tried it and found it a great base, totally lacking in bitterness.

I then tried Smopkenspices base (the original unadjusted one) and that had some bitterness to it too.

My latest was the rajver base and I was expecting great things from this as it has had many favourable reviews, but it turned out to be the worst base I've ever made. I actually threw it away when only half finished, something I've never done before, it was just so bitter.

Now I've been racking my brains to see what I'm doing to end up with bitter results, but I just can't fathom it. I'm using exactly the same spices, pots, etc. that I have alway used. The only thing I know I did differently in the last two was use red onions and Tesco value onions, not the white (brown skin) medium sized onions that I would normally use. I'll revisit one of the bases eventually and use white onions and see what happens.

It just seems very odd that after what must be in excess of 100 pots of base sauce made over the years, all without any bitterness, I have three bad results on the trot. All very weird!

Hi currytester.

That's great that you got into the kitchen. Can you tell us anything else? For example, the technique he used to cook the curry? Did he use fresh oil, did he use high heat, that sort of thing?

It looks like the pod of the cashew nut and as cashews are a major export of tanzania this might be what it is. I'm not sure how you would use it though if that is what it is.

There's a picture here: http://www.kriyayoga.com/photography/photo_gallery/d/19768-2/cashew_nut_cashew_fruit-dsc06868.jpg
The little bean shaped thing is the pod.

And here's another: http://tinyurl.com/2lbuqt

See now, if I was the suspicious type I'd look at CK replying at 6:28 and Domi in there at 6:47 and I'd say Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

But staying with the thread, an accompaniment I used to eat by the jar load was geeta's  chilli pickle. Oh my god, I can just taste it now, it is just to die for. And when you're on the loo the next day that's pretty much what you wish you had done.

I was entertaining a friend this afternoon and we dropped into a curry house just up the corner from me. Never been there before and as they had a buffet going so we decided to try that. It was the usual fare and all very uninspiring, lacking both the "taste" and "smell". However, I had some of the bombay aloo and would you believe it, it had the taste. The actual old fashioned taste. Strange thing that the rest of the dishes were so uninspiring!

I have noticed on one other occasion at a different restaurant that the bombay aloo was very close to how I remember all curries tasting. I don't mean they all taste the same, I mean that this bombay aloo flavour was a sort of background flavour in all curries (in times gone by). So I'm going to be concentrating my efforts on making various bombay aloos from now on in the hope of capturing the old fashioned taste.

Quote from: Domi on March 02, 2008, 12:46 PM
I just can't like lime pickle...I've tried all different kinds but I can't get any of them down..

Good grief you northern heathen. Lime pickle is my absolute can't do without accompaniment. I have to say though, when I first tasted lime pickle I just couldn't believe how anyone could stomach it, but somewhere along the line I just acquired a taste for it. So much so that I used to polish off a full catering jar of patak lime pickle about every two weeks. I saw a program ( or maybe read about it) that had these bevvied up scoundrels betting each other that they couldn't eat a full small jar of patak lime pickle in one go. I just thought what's the big deal, that's one portion for me! 

Quote from: christo on March 02, 2008, 05:41 AM
Without sounding like Secret Santa (sorry!)
Christo

Jesus christo! (See what I did there? I was going to say jesus christ, but I put your nick in instead. No? Oh well...). Anyway, don't start another alias rumour or there'll be no end to it. 

Quote from: ast on February 24, 2008, 06:46 PM
I had dramatically different results with her basic curry recipe (for a vindaloo) simply by changing the cooking technique.

And if that dosn't emphasise just how important technique is to the final outcome, I don't know what does.