I will give this balti madras a go soon,i see chewy used the oil from the balti paste,once i was left with half a jar of the paste so i topped it up with veg oil and then left it to infuse the oil for a couple of weeks stirring now and then,i used the oil to start off some of my curries but i had better results drizzling a bit into the sauce just before serving,

I honestly never thought i could buy a completely inedible curry but i did last night,i ordered a bhuna a ,jalfrezi and rogan josh along with pilau rice,they all tasted the same,the sauce was very smooth it did not look like it had been in a blender it looked and tasted like a strong over cooked tomato soup and not a hint of bir flavor or any spicing at all,the rice was nothing more than colored boiled rice no flavor to it at all,we put the lot in the bin,they should be ashamed to sell food like that,if you are ever in that area avoid at all costs.

Looks very nice,would not mind the recipe though.

you could be waiting a fair while

I am sure cro started going down hill once george had given up his moderator roll,i am sure at least a couple of people who wanted to see the back of him never or very rarely posted again,bring back george i say at least he did care about the forum,members are hoping the forum is not going to die but still dont post,well if you dont post it will die,perhaps the moderator needs to post some interesting topics himself to get people interested and a reason to post,i for one take a look at that days posts and if there are none or nothing i am interested in then i move on, i think the more posts and topics there are then the more new and old members will post,if you want to save the forum post more dont just watch it die and say what a shame.

I also cracked it recently,a takeaway owner gave me some of their mixed powder in return for me knocking a fair chunk off the bill for the work i had done for them ,i made about ten curries with it and they were all delicious so look no further,i also did manage to get further info from one of the young workers,when i asked what it is they put in the mixed powder,he said its the root of a plant its boiled and blended to a paste then mixed with the spices,he would not tell me what it was,but he did say a lot of places grow their own plants as you dont need a lot because its very strong,i swear you dont need to look any were else take it or leave it its up to you,but i dont bother making my own curries at home hoping that i have a eureka moment cause i know that im going to be missing a vital ingredient that even the worse chef you know could make a decent curry with it.

hi madrasandy,i start them off inside and then once the plants have a few leaves i move them to the greenhouse,which was towards the end of march last year,the plants always seem to look healthy but like i said the chilli's always shrivel up and die but the plant still look healthy,last year i tried jalapenos,puya and serrano,this year i am trying cascabel and jalapenos again,i have been known to pick a chilli of the plants before they are ready,i will not do that again,also my greenhouse does not have a heater,do you think i need one?

This will be my 4th attempt at growing chilli's and my last if i fail again,they always seem to be going well but then shrivel up just before ripening,i cant work out were i seem to be going wrong,i follow the instructions and advise i get from experienced growers to the letter.

This is one of my favourite dishes and is quite versatile as to how much of each ingredient you can use.

6 pieces of pre cooked chicken tikka
6 pineapple chunks & a tblsp of the juice
1 red 1 green finely chopped  finger chilli
pinch of chill flakes
1/2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
1 desert spoon of lemon juice
2 tsps gg paste
1/2 tsp fenugreek leaves
2 tsps tomato puree diluted with with a tblsp water
1 desert spoon of mixed powder
3 ladles of base
1/4 of a tsp of garam masala
1 tsp paprika
2 tsps of sugar
oil for frying
bunch of coriander herb
1 chefs spoon pre cooked onions
4 slices of tomato
5 slices of pre cooked green pepper
1/2 chefs spoon of tarka dall


first you will need to make the tarka dall
1/2 of a cup of red lentils
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 garlic clove
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp salt
oil for frying

first you need to make the tarka dall
cover the lentils with twice the volume of water,add the salt turmeric and paprika,simmer until the lentils
are soft and cooked
in a frying pan fry 1 finely chopped garlic clove along with the cumin seeds and fry until the garlic just starts to turn brown,add this to the lentils and cook for a further 2 minutes,the mixture should be cooked until a thick consistency,leave this to cool.


In your frying pan add the oil and fry the gg paste,chillies and chillie flakes on a high heat for a minute or so then add the fenugreek leaf for a few seconds
add the mixed powder,chilli powder,tomato puree and lemon juice at the same time and cook on a high heat for 2 minutes
turn the heat down to medium and add a ladle of base along with the lentils,pineapple and juice and sugar,cook for 4 to 5 minutes until reduced and reasonably thick
add 2 more ladles of base,the pre cooked onion,pepper and chicken,leave this to reduce for 8 minutes,
after this add the sliced tomato to warm through,finally add the paprika,garam masalla,coriander herb and cook for a further minute.

cheers sverige,of course i should,i am not used to posting recipes but i will give it my best shot.