I completely agree with Ray , the book tended to be all hype and no substance .  :-[

Like trying to decide on your favorite beer , sample them all once ( or twice ) then formulate an opinion . If you are still in doubt , do more research . ;D

I have on occasion roasted green chilies and a variety of other vegetables and then added them to  a curry . This does impart s slightly smokey flavor to the more delicate dishes .

Have a try at making your own  guys ... its easy !

I have both seen and used the " Bouquet Garni '' technique in a number of recipes . I found that it did not make an appreciable difference to the taste . I feel that whatever the BIR chefs are doing to create the taste is probably very subtle and consistently reproducible from dish to dish . Kidnapping a chef may be an option .

Hi Gary -
Based on experience , I would strongly suggest that you try Darth's base sauce . The layering of flavors is of ultimate importance when creating the " taste ". Rajvers is close  , but certainly not a contender when achieving that taste . A balance must be struck in order to maintain both the flavor of the base and the spices / herbs added . One must compliment the other without overwhelming the end result . A harmony of flavor must be achieved by both the spice/herbs - base - heat , in order to create a satisfactory result . There are a number of base sauces on this forum - stand-alone  , they are all quite good ! Try them all , but let them rest for 24 hrs and then taste them again....the result should be obvious...or not !!

OMGILCC (OH MY GOD I LOVE COOKING CURRY ) 

Appears that this is just yet another instance where either the base sauce or prepared curry is best left for at least 24 hrs before serving . Much like red wine , once uncorked and left to breathe , the flavors are left to both mingle and mature . Ahhhh....life is good !!!

The majority of cooking oils ( including olive oil ) have approximately 120 calories per tablespoon .  For those counting the calories ,the more oil you can recover from the dish the better.

Is this the same book as  " The Food of India " ? by Carol Selva Rajah ?

The Indian restaurants that I have frequented over the years basically use the same final prep for all their dishes , namely a moderately high heat in conjunction with a reasonably thick pan that will retain the heat . The method of cooking seems to be common to most restaurants - a stir -fry format .? The base sauce is at the ready ( to be added at various stages ) and onion , garlic , ginger etc are incorporated . This is followed by various vegetable components and pre-cooked meat . Additional butter , yogurt , coconut , or stock is then added depending on the recipe . Seasoning is then adjusted . The sauces? are usually composed of either tomato or an onion base so that the underlying flavor seems to be similar from dish to dish . ( personally I am not a big fan of base sauces for this reason ) . Trying to infuse a distinct flavor when using a common base is quite difficult to say the least . Adding spice or herb components to the base only succeeds in diffusing the flavor of the base . The quandary then is , how to maintain a balance between the base and ingredients added .With experimentation this balance can be achieved . I have found through double blind studies that base sauces such as Darths' seem to lend themselves to moderate spice adjustment - that is to say that the underlying base flavor is not disturbed and is carried throughout the recipe . Other bases seem to loose their delicate flavor even with minor additions . So what is the answer to this flavor balance dilemma ? Use a base sauce and add components or start from scratch and build ? I find myself somewhere in the middle ,employing both BIR and traditional cuisine in order to achieve " the taste " !!! The quest goes on