Quote from: chewytikka on January 20, 2011, 12:15 PM
Hi CA
Thanks  for that! but you missed the technique page:-

Cooking Technique
Controlling high heat. is the secret of a good Madras, the heat brings out the distinct flavour of the Kashmiri chilli powder.
To achieve this with a domestic hob, cover with a lid and turn it up to the highest flame for the last 30 seconds of cooking..
The oil will completely separate and you will have an authentic tasting BIR Madras.

Hi Solarsplace
Worcestershire sauce is "old school" and has been omitted over the generations and replaced with too much bottled lemon juice.
The Tang in Madras = Tomato concentrate, lemon, tamarind.

Back in the day, when I was taught this, Worcestershire sauce was just the Tamarind
substitute and was readily available, the lemon was a wedge of fresh lemon, off the salad counter.
If you try it, I recommend only a dash i.e. three or four drops, because it can be overpowering.

chewy

Just working my way through 'Prashad: Cooking With Indian Masters' (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/8170230063/ref=ox_ya_os_product) and came across Worcestershire sauce in the recipes for a few Parsee (or Parsi) dishes - Kheema Sali (a spicy lamb mince topped with sali, or straw potatoes), and the Parsi national dish, the lavishly complex Dhansak. Both call for 2tbsp of Worcestershire sauce.

What's good enough for the Masters is good enough for me...

Quote from: Whandsy on March 13, 2012, 12:09 PM
I bought it as it was cheap, but the processes were different to what we all associate with BIR so haven't made anything

That's not to say the results don't taste good though

W

Thirty years ago I'd have bought this without thinking!

I'm not one to put something down until I've tried it - but I've already been down the onion puree road many years ago and it didn't lead to a very pleasant place (for me, anyway).

Not to say that there's no place for it; indeed, many traditional Indian dishes call for either a boiled or fried onion paste (some require both), but this will just be part of a recipe that produces a curry with a gravy (either yogurt based, for the likes of korma and pasanda, or tomato based, for basic lamb and chicken curries).

Still, as you say, Whandsy, it's cheap (77p for the Kindle version), so worth checking out.

Let us know how you get on with it. Often useful gems of information can come when you least expect them.

Quote from: emin-j on March 12, 2012, 08:44 PM

Quote from: Salvador Dhali on March 12, 2012, 08:26 PM
@emin-j: I believe whole spices in the base is definitely the way forward (spiced water or other) but working out how much of each to put in could be a bit hit and miss

For what it's worth I've always used whole spices in my base (added after blending for the second cooking stage).

I don't go mad. I'll chuck in some green cardamoms, Asian bay leaves, and cassia bark*, as these are relatively mellow and just provide a subtle undertone.

It's not going to dramatically change anything or gift you that BIR flavour - as we know that comes from technique - but it's another little layer that adds something to the mix, which is all to the good.

*I can't quote precise quantities as I tend to change them depending on how I'm feeling, the base and the amount I'm making, but for a 3L base I'd say you can't got too far wrong with around 8 green cardamoms, 3 Asian bay leaves and a 4-inch piece of cassia. But as with all things BIR, as Chewy says it's freestyle cookery so experiment and find out what suits you, your base and and your palate.

Hi SD,
I'll have to take a guess on the whole spices when making my next base probably working something out on the amount of portions I get from the base,in my last base I used the spiced water method but the spices didn't really come through so next time I'll blitz the whole spices along with the rest of the ingredients,cant see any reason why not 

Unless you've got an industrial blender you may find that the cassia bark doesn't take too well to blitzing, emin-j, though not really an issue if you use Chewy's sieving method.

If you tried two otherwise identical bases side by side - one with akhni stock or whole spices and one without - you'd definitely pick up on the difference, but as said it's subtle.

But then isn't everything in this game?

A little bit of this, a little bit of that, not too much of the other... It's a balancing act, that's for sure...

But it sounds as though you know what you're looking for, which is a good place to be.

@emin-j: I believe whole spices in the base is definitely the way forward (spiced water or other) but working out how much of each to put in could be a bit hit and miss

For what it's worth I've always used whole spices in my base (added after blending for the second cooking stage).

I don't go mad. I'll chuck in some green cardamoms, Asian bay leaves, and cassia bark*, as these are relatively mellow and just provide a subtle undertone.

It's not going to dramatically change anything or gift you that BIR flavour - as we know that comes from technique - but it's another little layer that adds something to the mix, which is all to the good.

*I can't quote precise quantities as I tend to change them depending on how I'm feeling, the base and the amount I'm making, but for a 3L base I'd say you can't got too far wrong with around 8 green cardamoms, 3 Asian bay leaves and a 4-inch piece of cassia. But as with all things BIR, as Chewy says it's freestyle cookery so experiment and find out what suits you, your base and and your palate.

Quote from: curryhell on March 12, 2012, 05:42 PM

Quote from: Salvador Dhali on March 12, 2012, 11:41 AM

Quote from: curryhell on March 11, 2012, 08:25 PM

Quote from: ELW on March 11, 2012, 08:19 PM
4 tbsp chilli powder (or more to taste) &  5 fresh 

am I reading that right? 

I do like it hot ELW .  But now i know how to get the heat out of the chilli powder using my singeing skills, my final version of the recipe on page 8 of the thread will have  a lot more appeal - only 1 tbs.  That doesn't stop me adding some fried crushed red chillis for a little bit more poke and an extra little twist  .

4tbsp plus 5 fresh chillies! Sheesh! I thought I was a chilli fiend! 

Maybe in my youth I could have handled it, but not now. The comparatively mild phal is my limit these days.

But, curryhell, seeing how you apparently have a stomach lining composed entirely from space shuttle re-entry tiles, or perhaps a substance that has yet to be added to the periodic table, perhaps you'd like to try a dish that I created for a crazy mate who likes to chew on nagas for recreational pleasure.

I call it the Murgh Meltdown, which comprises succulent double organic hand reared Poulet de Bresse from the Rh

Quote from: Razor on March 12, 2012, 03:31 PM
Guy's,

Quotebut I've found that it's possible that by using the 'count 'em in, count 'em out' method, it's possible to spoon off around 70% after the curry has finished cooking. (So, if you count in 3 tablespoons of oil in, you should be able to count out just over 2 tablespoons at the end.)

So, that's under 1 tablespoon of oil in a dish that will feed two people (more when cooking traditional recipes).

Not wishing to put a dampener on things, but don't forget the oil in the base gravy.

If your base gravy contains around 300ml of oil for a 3L yield of gravy, at 300ml of base gravy per portion, that's 30ml of oil, per portion on top of what you count in/out.  Potentially, 45ml of oil per portion, which is 3 tbsp. Still not too bad if eaten in moderation :

Ray

I'd be more than happy with that amount, Razor. Now, if only I could get the moderation thing dialled... ;-)

After all, 45ml is probably less than you'll find in the average salad dressing.

I guess it can never be an exact science when it comes to curries though. I know that some of the oil becomes one with the base in the emulsification that occurs during blending, but the ultimate quantity that makes it into your curry depends on the base you use. The Taz base, for instance, is very oil heavy (but then the curry is made using the reduction method and no oil is added to the pan), whereas the Zaal base, and others like it, use very little oil.

But then much of the oil that comes to the top of the base when it's properly cooked can also be skimmed off. (I know of some who do this and use the reclaimed oil to cook their curries.)

I've never count in/counted out the oil in a base, but may well do so next time just to see how much can be skimmed off.


 

Quote from: solarsplace on March 12, 2012, 02:05 PM

Quote from: Salvador Dhali on March 12, 2012, 01:24 PM

A tablespoon of veg oil contains 120 calories, so 60 calories per person isn't too horrifying (to me, anyway) when you consider you're using lean cuts of chicken or meat that's served in what is essentially a spicy vegetable soup.

Compared with a Big Mac meal, damn healthy, in fact!

Hi SD

Good way of looking at it actually! with the bonus that you do indeed know mostly which parts of an animal have gone in to your curry too!

Which is more that I could say for the 2 quarter pounders with cheese in one sitting, while noticing half way through the second that they are > 500 calories a pop!

Cheers

It's my cheery little way of dealing with life on a planet that, even without the Dail Mail telling you that everything you eat and drink kills you, is so vicious, hostile and harmful to human life that it's amazing we get past infancy. Why, even the very oxygen we breathe causes us to 'rust' on a cellular level.

Yes, it's tough surviving on Earth, but I figure I can keep Mr G. Reaper waiting a fair old while by avoiding the Daily Mail and spooning the odd glug of oil off the top of my Ruby... 

Now, where's me beer and fags... ;-)

Quote from: mdex on March 12, 2012, 01:01 PM
Anyone do this?

I use a low calorie spray when frying other foods but not thought about using it for curry.

Suppose it will lose some of the flavouring and the initial method of frying the spices will change a little but must be better for me.

If you're looking to recreate authentic Indian cuisine - traditional and/or BIR - then you can't avoid using oil or ghee, which forms an essential part of the cooking process that's responsible for extracting all those gorgeous flavours from the spices and other ingredients.

You can of course reduce the amount of oil or ghee that you use, but I've found that it's possible that by using the 'count 'em in, count 'em out' method, it's possible to spoon off around 70% after the curry has finished cooking. (So, if you count in 3 tablespoons of oil in, you should be able to count out just over 2 tablespoons at the end.)

So, that's under 1 tablespoon of oil in a dish that will feed two people (more when cooking traditional recipes).

A tablespoon of veg oil contains 120 calories, so 60 calories per person isn't too horrifying (to me, anyway) when you consider you're using lean cuts of chicken or meat that's served in what is essentially a spicy vegetable soup.

Compared with a Big Mac meal, damn healthy, in fact!

Quote from: curryhell on March 11, 2012, 08:25 PM

Quote from: ELW on March 11, 2012, 08:19 PM
4 tbsp chilli powder (or more to taste) &  5 fresh 

am I reading that right? 

I do like it hot ELW .  But now i know how to get the heat out of the chilli powder using my singeing skills, my final version of the recipe on page 8 of the thread will have  a lot more appeal - only 1 tbs.  That doesn't stop me adding some fried crushed red chillis for a little bit more poke and an extra little twist  .

4tbsp plus 5 fresh chillies! Sheesh! I thought I was a chilli fiend! 

Maybe in my youth I could have handled it, but not now. The comparatively mild phal is my limit these days.

But, curryhell, seeing how you apparently have a stomach lining composed entirely from space shuttle re-entry tiles, or perhaps a substance that has yet to be added to the periodic table, perhaps you'd like to try a dish that I created for a crazy mate who likes to chew on nagas for recreational pleasure.

I call it the Murgh Meltdown, which comprises succulent double organic hand reared Poulet de Bresse from the Rh

Quote from: Unclefrank on March 11, 2012, 12:37 PM
Hi Salvador i cant fault their service at all very quick delivery, i had trouble logging into their site and had a phone call from the owner, a very pleasant and helpful person, anyway they got it sorted and everything is working fine.
Thinking of buying some of the handi pots http://www.dadibhais.com/index.php/restaurant/tableware/food-serving-items/handis.html 

These are what they serve curries in at another local of mine http://www.thevine.co.uk/

Dammit. I wasn't planning on buying anything else for a while, but I like the look of those copper handis. Very nice indeed... (Must.... resist... must resist... )

From the menu, which is refreshingly simple, The Vine looks like a good place, too. Bit far for me, but next time I'm in the area I'll check it out...