For those who like to pre cook their main ingredient and veg the following may prove helpful as well as tasty ;D

10 tablespoons Oil
2 onions finely roughly chopped
6 bay leaves
2 or 3 sticks of cassia bark
4 green cardamoms
3 black cardamoms
1 tablespoon garlic puree
1 tablespoon ginger puree
1 tomato
1tsp salt
2 tablespoons mix powder (any will do or curry powder)
Meat  or vegetables
Half pint of water (more if needed during cooking time)

For chicken cook for 20 mins
For Lamb cook for at least 45 mins until tender

For vegetables simmer until just cooked

Quote from: AchMal-Curry Barking Mad on February 18, 2011, 08:16 PM

Quote from: Axe on February 18, 2011, 09:37 AM
Mick, thanks for posting the pics, it's an interesting insight into the pre-cooking of spuds. I don't suppose you have some rough measurements of ingredients used do you?

Can I also ask if the same recipe and technique is applied to the mixed veg and mushrooms?

If that is base in the background, its a very similar colour to the IG base.

@ Axe and Ramirez,
Going by memory and the fact that this was a very large pot of spuds I would suggest the following for home use.
As long as you understand this will be close but may not be totally true to the amounts the chef used..........disclaimer ;D

For 2 lb of potatoes,
150 ml of veg oil
1 tennis ball sized finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon of garlic/ginger paste
Cassia bark 2" x 1" piece
1 bay leaf (Asian)
1 tablespoon of panch phoran
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of tomato puree watered down 50/50
2 teaspoons of turmeric powder
1 tablespoon of mix powder
Water to cover

The mixed veg are done the same way.

The mushrooms are a different matter, when I saw the way they were cooked I was very surprised....and thought that they wouldn't be upto much. Having tried the method I can say they are very good and have no complaints when used in mushroom rice or mushroom bhaji for example.
They used sliced button mushrooms simply boiled in water with a little mix powder, when cooked they were drained, put into a suitable container with a little veg oil mixed in. This stopped them drying out until needed in the dishes.

Cheers
Mick

This seems to be  a revelation to many.  For those who are not familiar with veg preparation in this way, your veg dishes are now about to go to the next level .  I have been using a similar prep method for years for veg and meat and will post it in the appropriate section of the forum for those members that may wish to try it.

Why are the possibilities always so endless? ;D  I think i'll try your suggestions Gary and feedback over my next couple of bases.  I am inclined to include some black cardamons as well as i think there may be some milage in using them too! :

Quote from: Cory Ander on January 09, 2011, 02:28 PM

Quote from: curryhell on January 09, 2011, 02:14 PM
Another alternative, would be to use  "Pakistani Curry Gravy" from Pat Chapman's Indian Restaurant Cookbook

Hehe, I have to say that I have great admiration for Pat Chapman, his books, the informative and pioneering nature of his books, his contributions to bringing BIR curry cooking into the home, his achievements, etc, etc......but....

...this was one of the very first "curry bases" I made (1984....I think this was his first book?) and, I have to say, I had extremely "limited" (BIR) results with it.

I'd be very interested to hear how others find/have found it though.  I might try it again, just for nostalgia's sake.......

I reckon his books and recipes improved thereafter.  But a pioneering, informative and enjoyable book, nevertheless (I still have it).  It certainly steered me in the direction of BIR cooking....(the "Pakastani Curry Gravy" was from "Ivan Watson", anyone heard of him?)

Interesting, though, the only "curry base" I've seen without onions in it....well spotted CH! 

It was certainly the starting point for me having been walking in the wilderness for a long while and bought a selection of "curry" cookbooks, none of which provided what i was looking for .  Nevertheless, many contained interesting recipes and ideas.  Think the first one i bought was Harvey Days, which someone else made mention of in one of the many articles i have read on CRO. Then came KD..........and the rest is history ;D.  Here i am and still learning every day .  Re. the base, when i made it i was surprised at how close in consistency and look it was to bir dishes.  I agree not quite the BIR taste, but with work could be put to good use for someone that doesn't like or cannot eat onions.

What a terrible dilema   As suggested there are ways round it.  Another alternative, would be to use  "Pakistani Curry Gravy" from Pat Chapman's Indian Restaurant Cookbook (will this attract some abusive /disparaging remarks i wonder ;D), which is simply a combination of milk, oil and purreed tinned tomatoes using whatever spicing method you normally use.  Would be happy to send full details if required.

Would definitely like to see some pics of this new addition in action.  Glad to hear the tikka turned out  very well.  Sure you'll bottom out the problem with the sheeks and have equally superb results.  I am toying with the idea of treating myself to a nice bit of kit like this as i have some nice skewers that need a tandoor to be used in ;D.  And it's my birthday soon.  What better excuse does one need for a little treat?   As for the commercial "restaurant" charcoal, where can one purchase this?

Quote from: Phil (Chaa006) on January 09, 2011, 01:09 PM
Not powder but sticks : would his sense of smell/taste differentiate ?
** Phil.

She is good, but i doubt that good   Anyway, powder or  whole,  its presence is currently intriguing me.  And just for good measure, to add to my intrigue, somebody starts talking about garam masala being added to the base sauce.  And we all know that most garam masala mixes normally contain cinnamon in some quantity ;D.  Sure this will keep me busy for a while.  Hopefully,  it won't prove to be yet another red herring

I too found this site some years ago whilst on the Holy Grail trail.  For those new to curry cooking, it will have its uses unless they arrrive at CRO first ;D.  Did the onion paste, time consuming process.  Must confess, it did add a certain "something".  I agree onions are the most wonderfull vegetable and so versatile.   But one thing i did take away from the site, which i am still experimenting with, is the use of cinnamon powder. .  A former X of mine detected its presence in some of the dishes from one of my local BIR's.  Her sense of taste is pretty much akin to a bloodhound's sense of smell. If i have any breakthroughs with the cinnamon thing I'll let everybody know.  Maybe other members out there have some knowledge or have already experimented with this???  It would be interesting to hear . 

Discussion on this topic could even rival that of the search for the "missing ingredient"  .  Personally,  i am a confirmed Belgium beer drinker, preferably with a starting alcohol content of 6.6%.  Normal tipple is Leffe Blonde peaking at Rochefort 10 at 11.4% - the last one of the night having tasted many other good 8% and 9% on the way (Chimay however does nothing for me, all  a question of pallet though!).  After that the memory starts to cloud a little ;D In the absence of "quality" beer, a good real ale, cask or bottled goes down equally as well.  Lager is a non starter unless there is total absence of any of the above.  The only exception is Cobra or Lal Toofan - imho the perfect accompaniment to a curry.  Post curry, back to the proper stuff of course .  As for Guinness, refuse to drink it outside of the emerald isle, with the exception of the export gear clocking a respectable 8% on the intoxication meter.
All this said, a glass of nice ice cold milk also goes down very well with a quality vindaloo or phall :

Hi Luke.  Haven't time to write my recipe for this dish now but will do this tomorrow for you. A very tasty dish albeit heavyish on the oil.  Let me know if you find anything in the meantime worth trying.