Sorry,Tomato Puree it is good luck trust it all its the business.

Folks I am in the middle of moving house and my telephone lines are down In new home due to a mini tornado that came through three weekends ago now and the French engineers are still to get them up and running so there may be a delay in sending them this may well be my last Post from my old home but unfortunately my connecting cable
for the iPhone is in a box somewhere so bare with me as it will be worth it and UnckleBuck has agreed to help, good man that he is.

By theway I have just taken out of the fridge theeft overs from last night and I have to say that I actually think I can defy anyone of you to say that if you follow the recipes to the letter that the basic Ashoka Kit isn't the business,perfection even 24 hours on mmmmmmnnnn tasty! Panpot

Hey I coped out and decided to cook to the letter Bhuna, Jaipuri and Korma from defrosted Ashoka Kit ie Base Sauce, Bunjara and Garlic/Ginger Paste. I wanted to test out the Korma thing from another post and I have to say
my best Indian meal for thirty years. The slow flame together with slowly adding little amounts of sauce until the consitancy was right really madpe the difference especially with the marinaded chicken being cooked from raw as per the recipes. I have taken Photographs too perhaps Unclebuck will help me post them again below. Bye the way the Pakora secret of not adding water till the vegies bleed enough for the batter really worked a treat though It took a cople of hours and a few stir rounds to happen but it did and they were my best ever too.

Like I have said so often now I need to go back for the Madras and other dishes and it wont be till the new year. I have just cooked to the letter the Bhuna, Jaipuri and Korma from defrosted Ashoka kit and all were 10/10 BIR standard I will see if Unclebuck will help with photos again and will post detaila on the Asboka recipe thread.

Fantastic post Secret Santa. I would have to agree that if we are looking to test a base against a BIR Standard then it would have to be able to produce a Korma. The Chef I met is like a lot of folk on here he doesn't care for Korma. He did demonstarate and let me taste a Korma using the Base and indeed one that was served up to a customer and it was really good thoughnot the type I would order. If you refere back to The Ashoka recipe for Korma he advised we add the UHT Single Cream to taste. He also points out that other varieties involve Coconut Cream (not Block)
and various nut powders. THe Base and UHT Cream are the starting point and works on its own as he proved.

I must confess to enjoying the more exotic sounding Kormas typical of Glasgow BIRs where on the menu is usually a whole section and many to choose from but all based on the Curry sauce and Cream base. I also have to be honest to say that when I learned much earlier and elsewhere that Kormas were cooked form base sauce and no additional spices I was amazed. Having now witnessed it first hand I have to point out that apart from the Patias and Garlic and Spiced Dishes this single base was used for everything else on an extensive menu.

The Chef was really  keen to help us and had taken a great deal of care so that I could get it right. He was adamant about using fresh oil and for health was big on Sunflower rather than cheaper stuff in our base.

I would say that Korma,Bhuna and other low spiced or non spiced dishes have to be the litmus test for a BIR Standard since in The Ashoka it clearly is though who can say about TAs and cheaper joints where maybe standards don't matter too much.

I would also make a plea here that when comparing The Ashoka base and for that matter any of the recipes there that those doing so actually cook to the letter. It would be unfortunate for others to perhaps dismiss the potential of what was shared based on an incomplete comparison especially when you consider that Korma in all its variations at least in Glasgow demands real subtlety in the mix of additional ingredients to produce the really nice flavours

A final point in Glasgow when groups goout for a curry or even just a couple or two peole tend to order to share them and usually I make sure there is a Korma to balance the palate or to help those more wary of the real stuff. Hope as ever this helps

Right my turn to ask you guys a question! I am going to defrost the base, Bunjara and G/G paste in the morning together with marinading the chicken, so apart from a rerun of the excellent  Bhuna any suggestions of what I might do eg anybody up for suggesting a Madras based on the Ashoka basics ?

Jeera sorry about my phone correcting your name to Jeers I am back tomorrow so laptop for  few weeks means all my mad typos and most posts will actually be up on the site, ive lost some to hyperspace. Del the chef didn't make a direct down scale but said that what he was giving us was right. I am not sure of the size of my pan sorry but will measure it when I get back tomorrow though moving house so may be delayed.As I posted elsewhere the sauce was thicker than I expected, you might notice that from the photos but his approach involves cooking on a slow flame and gradually adding the sauce in little portions stirring them into a dish and adding more until the final consistancy is right. So there is no laddlefuls of watery base being quicky boiled off on a high heat at this BIR though have seen this in TA, because it's not required. He just makes sure that the onions are always covered and topped up until ready for stage two ingredients. Trust the recipes they really work well, the best results I have ever had in thirty years of having a go. cheers Panpot

Jerry I am on the road again and moving house over the weekend,scales in a box somewhere Im afraid. I use a cheap electronic type that can give the readings so unless someone else can do what you ask I will get to it sometime soon.

Jeers, yes he gave the recipe this way you can trust it I followed it to the letter.

Our passion for this stuff in some cases like my own could be like an obsession. Curry might not be the healthiest of foods and being almost consumed by it's seduction probably isn't healthy either. Without all the guys past and present who make this forum magical then it wouldn't be able to do it's thing and both of you are up there with the best of them for enthusiasm and more importantly commitment and experience. What about three deep breaths probably better taken away from a certain aroma. What I would love is for you to provide some inspired leadership especially for the less experienced and less adventurist members and take the gifts I was given by the Ashoka Chef and show us what is possible with the basics  he uses to produce over 30 mouth watering dishes. Maybe if you did along with the other Stalwarts past and present we could aim for a full BIR menu standard. If it helped I could post a list of all the individual componants I witnessed and use it as a checklist to go back for more especially the Patia base. Remember too they use lemon dressing for something!!! Take care Panpot.