Interesting article MA. Thanks for posting.  A good excuse to up chilli intake.

SS... The LIDL (UK) ones I've found to be favourable, as well as ones I buy from the local asian grocery.  I think the key is to warm them well in the toaster, without turning them crispy. 

Ghoulish, give me a pitta bread, grilled meat and sauce/salad and I'm happy, regardless of recipe, but this shawarma hits the spot.  A habit I have (good or bad) is to fiddle around with recipes...  I like a bit more tang in kebab sauces.  Do you have a chilli sauce recipe that would go well alongside the tahini?

Jerry...good to see feedback on the lamb version.  I agree on the cinnamon & lime powder amounts... Don't be shy with them.  (I assume you are using cinammon(cassia) powder and not whole bark).

Tha tahini paste, as you said, tastes surprisingly like hummus.  I didnt have fresh parsley, so used a little dried, but added fresh coriander, and made sure there was enough lemon juice for some tang, as well as a squirt of tomato ketchup (hey... Nobody is perfect).

Made this again today (chicken version) & the tahini sauce.

Adjusted recipe slightly adding a squire of ketchup in the tahini sauce, and added some pan fried mushroom/garlic/red pepper.

Delicious.  Waiting to hear your results with lamb, Jerry.

Hi Jerry, we must stop these midnight encounters

Can I just correct you about burners...  I am most definitely a fan of them.  If my kitchen could cope with a gas burner without burning the house down, I would buy one immediately.  Sadly I don't have a garage/shed to use, and I know one wouldn't work well in the yard/garden because of wind.

Having been in your furnace (oops meant garage) and experienced the extra flavour/smell that your burner gives,  I'm a believer in that it can add importantly to most curries.  Thinking back,  that garlic curry you cooked was amazing. 

So, in the absence of a burner, will have to carry on with 3kwh gas ring and a few shortcuts.

Regarding the burner flame/height issue...  I would imagine that given the wise suggestion on adjustment to the members Burner, it would allow more BIR flavour to be created, but at the expense of the members kitchen in which it was cooked.

SecretSanta, thanks for the reply.  When you refer to cooking the base, are you referring to the base gravy preparation or the final dish fry, or both?

Hi Jerry, you're up late... Good man.

Sugar... It really is a tricky one for me to justify in curries, but it does work for me, whether it be white sugar, mango chutney, jaggery etc.

It does seem like a 'cheat', a 'cop out', a 'fudge' though, and I'm struggling somewhat with the 'BIR morality' of it. In all the videos I've seen of TA chefs cooking curries, I don't think I can remember sugar being added (CTM/Korma etc being the exception). 

Is the natural balance of sweetness supposed to be obtained by the skilful caramelisation/Maillard of ingredients (notably the base gravy pre-prep, and the cooking of base gravy in the pan fry)?

In good TA/Restaurant curries I've had, I don't immediately think 'this flavour isn't balanced enough and needs more sweetness'.  So, where is this gap being filled from? 

Is it a gap only for my tastebuds, i.e. I may require a little extra sweetness, or is it technique or ingredients the BIRs (and more experienced ameuters than I) are using?

All that being said, I know that sugar is used readily (and authentically) in Asian cuisines (e.g. Thai,Korean) to achieve balance of flavours... Sweet vs bitter vs sour vs hot vs umami (sic), so from that perspective I feel a little less guilty of adding a tsp.

Looks fantastic Lou.

Have you tried the CBM Mick Crawford pre-cooked lamb recipe from ebook?  Would be interested to see how it compares with your slow cooker method.

Would be interested to see what they are doing with mustard oil... Fancy a trip there sometime Jerry ?

I've been there before with late night kebabs (haven't we all).  Taste so much better when you've had a few/loads beers.  When sober, best to cook it for yourself. But the smell coming from the takeaway smells SOOO good.