Thanks Mark,

If you run out let me know, there's bin loads of it up here!!

Ray

Not wanting to a be a spoil-sport Payal but could you perhaps outline for us just what IS worth us eating on this planet without causing serious disfigurement or to glow in the dark!!??.
Your postings only seem to point out the negative side of what most of us on this site consider a subject of enjoyment and worth pursuing.
I seem to feel if I took your advice on what was good and bad for us I would perhaps stop eating for good !!

I would still prefer you to give more positive input such as help with traditional recipes for Indian food which you have a lot of experience and sound excellent and I am sure would be great knowledge to share at. More of that would be spot on!

Regards

Ray

Yes I agree the use of Curry Leaves does not do very much for flavour. I have tried them and can't say they are strongly flavoured. They are available near me mainly dried in packets. Fresh leaves are available but not always. This makes me think if they are not in abundance then they don't get much use. Coriander on the other hand is available all over so it's widespread use is clear.

Jamie Oliver and Madhur Jaffrey recipes are very good but don't resemble the taste this site is mainly interested in. I find Madhur's dishes very powerful and heavily spiced with aromatics, not everyone's taste!

Ray

Hello Paast,
It is interesting to read your postings and personally I would like to share some of the positive feedback you might offer the group?
For example, you seem to have a lot of experience in the U.S. of restaurants and your own home cooking which I find different in certain respect's to what we find in the U.K. Now you are in the U.K. perhaps you can experience the differences yourself.
I have eaten in a few Indian restaurants in the U.S. and don't find the taste is the same as in BIR's in the U.K.. Why is that? It would be interesting to explore the reasons.
It would be good to share your experiences, recipes with constructive input that gives advice from you for traditional Indian Cooking as well as The Restaurant Curry we all are looking for answers to.
I can't seem to find recipe advice from you on the site so it would be great to see a posting or two with your recipes attached.

Regards

Ray

Nice one Mark.

Tell us a little more of your methods and if you would do anything different next time. Would you use it again?

Ray

Quote from: pete link=topic=433.msg3907#msg3907 date=1124612399

Chicken Tikka Masala Is it really the nations favourite?

quote]

More than likely it is. And the reason I think is that it is a marriage of flavours that appeals to more taste buds than any other curry dish.
There are a lot of peoples favourite flavours in it like, coconut, cream and almonds it also appeals to the majority of young kids.
It is the first curry I would introduce to a child and not many don't like it.
It seems to be more widely advertised than any other curry and nearly all the local pubs and eateries have a version of it on the menu even if they don't have any other curry choice.
It also gets more press advertising so gains it's popularity this way too.
It's interesting it was more an invention for the west rather than a genuine Indian recipe. I find it delicious although it isn't my favourite and could happily sit and eat a bowlful of the sauce on it's own. I also find it one of the most consistent to make and always gets a thumbs up from guests.

The smell of Asafoetida reminds me of Cat Wee so I don't tend to use it. It's one of those spices that sits on the shelf cos hardly any recipes use it. Does anyone use it in a curry base and if so what does it add to the flavour?

Quote from: DARTHPHALL on August 21, 2005, 08:45 AM
Ace !!!  Nice to see there is so much good humour on this site theses days.

I quite agree! Life doesn't have to be serious all the time! It's refreshing to come on the site and find folk with a bit of humour and it's good to have a laugh trying to  find that elusive secret!

Thought it would be interesting and a bit of fun to see just how much a curry costs where you live. That is the cheapest and the dearest.
To make a level playing field I have chosen a standard Chicken Madras, Plain Pilao Rice and 3 Chapatties. Yes, I can eat all that! There are a few up my way (Keighley) that include either the rice or the chappaties in the price of the main dish so it turns out very good value. I always choose the rice as the free item as it's usually the dearest. So get out your menu's and let us know how much you pay, if you can beat these prices and where in the world you live.

Cheapest:-?

Chicken Madras? ??3.50
Pilao Rice? ?1.20 choose this for free as it's the dearest
Chappati? 20p each

Total= ?4.10p

Dearest:-

Chicken Madras? ?5.95 that is very dear for round here!
Pilao Rice? ?2.25
Chappaties? 75p each

Total ?10.45p?

It's interesting what a huge difference this is and just for the record both these places are within 100 yards of one another. The only physical difference is one is newly built and looks posh like the Taj Mahal ( the real one! ) and the other has a lot more basic decor.
The cheapest charges less for ALL three chappaties than the price of just one at the dearest place and their rice is nearly half the cost.
Both these places serve good quality tasty food, so which one is ripping us off !!! On the other hand Iv'e been eating at the dear place for years and only just realised I am being fleeced!

A friend of mine has an allergy to M.S.G. so ask's the local Chinese Takeaway to leave the M.S.G. out of the order. However, they say the taste is lacking from dishes with it in so I guess it's job as a "flavour enhancer" shows it does do a job. Can't comment on how bad it is for us though!