Quote from: madrasandy on February 26, 2012, 12:17 PM
Well i made it last night, i ended up with an acceptable curry, my wife enjoyed but i wasn't overly keen. But you have to take in to account the fact i was seriously hungover, to the point of still feeling sick at 7.00pm.
I think i over 'singed' the turmeric in the first stage as i was completely knackered at this point after making the rice and marinating and grilling the chicken tikka, so with feeling so ill i dont think my cooking skills were up to scratch. I will definately have another go at this recipe as i want to learn how to fry the spices properly as i think it is key to achieving the 'taste' we crave.
The curry cetainly had enough heat even though i normally use at least tablespoon of chilli and dirgi mirch which i havent been frying but just adding to the sauce and hard boiling , similar to Dipuraja style of cooking.
I shall report back when ive retried the recipe next weekend.
Also worth pointing out that im not sure if my base was upto scratch, bruce edwards one, which is normally very good but i dont think this batch was up to the mark.
PS I have some sauce left, no chicken, so i will have a taste later tonight to see how the flavours have mingled together and if it any better hungover free

Some may call me partially, or even completely insane (and indeed many who know me do), but on the occasions when things don't go to plan and I've produced a curry that refuses to sing to me (i.e. is a little bland and not 'quite there', I have a rescue remedy that works pretty well.

What I do is to produce a 'micro fuse' by decanting the oil from the recalcitrant curry of the night before into a small pan, heating it up, and going through the initial fusing/singeing process with small quantities of garlic/ginger paste, diluted tomato paste, chilli powder and curry (or mix) powder. (We're talking a quarter teaspoon of garlic/ginger, a teaspoon or so of diluted tomato paste, and a quarter teaspoon or so each of curry/mix powder and chilli, though of course you can vary the amounts to taste, and also depending on how much curry you have left over. If you've got a fair bit then up the quantities, but if it's only a few mouthfuls then it's not worth bothering.)

Once you've got the fuse/singe stage done, simply add the remains of last night's curry to the pan, bring up to heat and cook for four or five minutes. Voila - one revitalised curry.

As I said, some may think me crazy, but it works for me.

P.S. Don't forget to check your salt level and adjust if necessary. A pinch can transform the bland to the sublime...

Quote from: qprbob on December 15, 2010, 03:46 PM
Another tip when cooking Chapatti, is to hold down the chapatti with a t-towel. This will cause it to blister and the blisters become brown when turned over. Do this on both sides and the chapatti will have an authentic look about it.

I've seen them get the blistering in BIR kitchens by holding the chapatti over the gas flame, but for those (like me) with electric hobs, simply use the rack from your grill and cook your chapatti directly over the hob for blisters galore:

Quote from: noble ox on February 25, 2012, 07:08 PM

Quote from: Salvador Dhali on February 25, 2012, 02:28 PM

Quote from: Whandsy on February 25, 2012, 02:09 PM

Quote from: 976bar on February 24, 2012, 11:43 PM
Hi Martin,

What is this myth about drying out seeds in the airing cupboard? Just put them in some paper towel in a bowl and put them on the window ledge.

I don't even bother drying mine out, I just remove them sometimes from the chilli and pop them straight into the compost

Hi 976bar

Is this method of cutting chillis open and planting a certainty, i'm up for cutting one of my finger chillis open but as it takes 2-3 weeks to appear I'll be gutted if nothing happpens

W

While nothing is a certainty in this game, I do it all the time with all sorts of seeds gifted from produce I've bought, and can confirm that it does work. And on the occasions when it doesn't, it hasn't cost you anything other than around a week of time waiting to see if they sprout. (I'd recommend planting 3 seeds per pot to give yourself the best chance. You can always thin out if they all sprout.)

Nature is a wonderful thing. In 2010, for instance, I chucked some rotting supermarket tomatoes into my compost bin, and in 2011 worked the compost into my raised beds. A few weeks later what I thought were strange-looking weeds started appearing everywhere, and as it transpired their distinct tomato plant appearance was entirely due to the fact that they were, in fact, tomato plants, which had sprouted from those rotting supermarket tomatoes. I let a handful of them do their own thing, and they turned out really well.

Previously I'd gone to all the trouble of scooping tomato seeds out of the flesh, painstakingly separating them and placing them carefully on blotting paper to dry out.

Now I don't bother - just scoop a few out with a teaspoon and whack them in some compost and let them get on with it.

Give it a go!

Cheers

Gary

Hi Gary
Yes its very rewarding harvesting seeds from bought produce, often they will all germinate the problem is with the fruiting, very frustating after waiting 8 months and no chillies.The way to avoid this is to buy a packet of seeds named but not a hybrid then save and use them every year
I have been using tobasco seeds from 1 packet for some 25 years no problems
hope this is of some use

Top advice indeed (and it sounds like you and I have been doing this for about the same length of time).

I've been pretty lucky to date with fruiting (more luck than judgement), but as you say you can't be certain which produce has had the Monsanto touch, so best to be on the safe side - especially when starting out.

If you've got room, I guess a safe way to proceed would to be to plant some bought seeds to be assured of a crop, but also a few taken from fresh or dried chillies to grow alongside to see how they get on. If they work, then harvest the seed for next year.

I've just loaded the propagator with some finger chilli seeds from a few chillies I begged from my local restaurant, along with some Kashmiri, habanero, cherry bomb, jalapeno, poblano, lada api (a chilli from Borneo I've not tried before) and a few others.

Now the wait....

Quote from: Phil (Chaa006) on February 25, 2012, 06:37 PM

Quote from: madrasandy on February 25, 2012, 05:59 PM
In the first part of the ingrediants where does the 1 ladle of base get used?

Good question, Andy !  It should read :

Method :

• Place 3 tablespoons recycled oil (reclaimed from previous curries) in a wok
• Add 1 tsp ground turmeric
• Add 1 tsp G/G paste
• Heat, stirring continuously, until air bubbles are clearly being driven off from the spices and G/G (the turmeric will have changed colour from yellow to brown, but this may be masked by the colour of the recycled oil)
• Add 1 ladle of warm base to quence the spices and cook for a further couple of minutes, stirring all the while
• Add the chicken and reduce the heat.  Continue to stir until the chicken changes from pink to white on all sides, then decant into suitable container to rest and relax
• Reclaim the oil from the chicken ...

Thanks for pointing out the omission.  It would be interesting to learn what Salvador Dhali & Les did at this point : was it obvious to them what to do with the base, or did they omit it completely, and do they think it was better or worse as a result ?

** Phil.

As I'm knocking on a bit now and increasingly short-sighted I didn't even notice the omission. There aren't too many advantages to advancing years, but as an old git with many quenchings under my ever expanding belt I just did it as part of what's become a standard process.

(Ooo - get him... ;-)

Cheers

Gary

Quote from: Phil (Chaa006) on February 25, 2012, 02:22 PM

Quote from: Sojourn on February 17, 2012, 07:03 PM
In my opinion a good curry needs oil - sometimes a fair bit.  My missus on the other hand thinks that oil is the stuff of the devil, anyone else have experience in making the fairer sex chow down on the 'Rogan'?

No problems in this household, Soj : we cook most things in beef dripping (apart from pancakes, which we cook in lard), so the half-litre or so of oil in one of my normal Madras's is healthy by comparison :-)

** Phil.

I've managed to get away with it thus far by patiently explaining that because the density of water, which is 1.00 g/m, is greater than oil (around 0.91 to 0.93 g/cm3, depending on temperature), the exact quantity of oil added will always rise to the surface, where it can be skimmed off to leave a virtually fat-free curry.

Of course, I know this is a little bit of a white lie, but as I remarked to a mate of mine as we browsed the latest Jacamo catalogue the other day, it's worked for me....

Cheers

Gary

Quote from: Whandsy on February 25, 2012, 02:09 PM

Quote from: 976bar on February 24, 2012, 11:43 PM
Hi Martin,

What is this myth about drying out seeds in the airing cupboard? Just put them in some paper towel in a bowl and put them on the window ledge.

I don't even bother drying mine out, I just remove them sometimes from the chilli and pop them straight into the compost

Hi 976bar

Is this method of cutting chillis open and planting a certainty, i'm up for cutting one of my finger chillis open but as it takes 2-3 weeks to appear I'll be gutted if nothing happpens

W

While nothing is a certainty in this game, I do it all the time with all sorts of seeds gifted from produce I've bought, and can confirm that it does work. And on the occasions when it doesn't, it hasn't cost you anything other than around a week of time waiting to see if they sprout. (I'd recommend planting 3 seeds per pot to give yourself the best chance. You can always thin out if they all sprout.)

Nature is a wonderful thing. In 2010, for instance, I chucked some rotting supermarket tomatoes into my compost bin, and in 2011 worked the compost into my raised beds. A few weeks later what I thought were strange-looking weeds started appearing everywhere, and as it transpired their distinct tomato plant appearance was entirely due to the fact that they were, in fact, tomato plants, which had sprouted from those rotting supermarket tomatoes. I let a handful of them do their own thing, and they turned out really well.

Previously I'd gone to all the trouble of scooping tomato seeds out of the flesh, painstakingly separating them and placing them carefully on blotting paper to dry out.

Now I don't bother - just scoop a few out with a teaspoon and whack them in some compost and let them get on with it.

Give it a go!

Cheers

Gary

 

Quote from: chewytikka on February 16, 2012, 05:19 PM

Quote from: gary on February 16, 2012, 03:30 PM

Might still be usable as it tastes and smell quite nice, quite sweet oniony smelling. Wouldn't like to think I expended all that energy passing it through a sieve for nowt

Gary

Until I came across this I'd never sieved my bases before, but having tried it I'm starting to do it more and more. Being a lazy sod though I tend to sieve as required, so if I'm just making one or two curries I'll sieve 700-800ml into a smaller saucepan.

I tend to keep my bases ticking over for a couple of days and indulge in an intense curry cooking frenzy, so when it comes to freezing the remaining base (if there is any left), again I'll sieve as I go.

It's just as much work (probably more!), but seems like less...

Quote from: 976bar on February 24, 2012, 04:43 PM
I posted this earlier, but when I went to edit it, I lost the original message, hence you only got to see the tomatoes etc.....

Makro have a special deal at present and I don't know how many of you have a Makro store near you but if you are not a member I believe you can pay ?1 on the day at the door to enjoy...

From 22nd Feb to 6th March.

100l bags of multi purpose compost for ?6.99 + VAT. Buy one get one free, thats 200l of multi purpose compost for ?6.99 + vat.

I also got a 2.056kg leg of fresh halal mutton for ?15.40

A 1.8kg frozen leg of lamb for ?13.99

A 5kg pack of fresh Chicken breast for ?14.84. When I opened the pack it was not water injected breast but good quality, probably not free range but the way I go through chicken I thought this was a bargain

I can't remember the weight now but a large box of de-veined jumbo raw prawns for ?8.40. (I'll post the weight later on).

No VAT on food...

Thanks for that. I was planning to do a compost raid on B&Q this weekend, but that offer is just too good to refuse. (Be rude not to pick up some lamb while I'm there too. Turkey thigh is great, but not every sodding day of the week...) 

Quote from: ELW on February 24, 2012, 05:23 PM

My tikka now feels like the guitarist who comes on stage after Jimi Hendrix

ELW

;D And no one wants to do that. Not even Pete Townshend (about 25 secs in) : Who Will Play First, Monterey Pop, 1967

Looks like I'm going to have to bite the financial bullet and get one of these mothers...

Quote from: chewytikka on February 24, 2012, 02:15 PM

Quote from: Petrolhead360 on February 23, 2012, 09:01 PM
Just an update on the grinding of the Kashmiri chillies.
The grinder I have is a single blade coffee grinder made by Moulinex bought about 20 years ago. (?17)
I chopped off the stalks and broke up each of the dried chillies and ground 3 or 4 at a time for several 20 to 30 second grinds.
Not cooked with the results yet.
Then again I don't know what to expect or compare it too when I do.

Hi James
Is your retro Moulinex in Orange/White, as I've got one and its built like a tank.

These whole Dry Chilles in the pic, were they labeled "Kashmiri", as I'm no expert
but they look like Bangladeshi Dry Whole Chillies, which I have a huge bag of in store.

I've googled Kashmiri Chillies, a few times in the past with confusing results, as to what they actually look like.
Mostly it comes back with a bright/deep red crinkled shape, and one report even
came back with that they actually crinkle as they ripen on the plant.
Then there are other pics of a dried jalapeno size pods, fat, smooth and dark red in colour.

I've been using the Bangladeshi Dry Whole Chillies for years, but I'd really like to know which is what.

Any Chilli experts out there?

cheers Chewy

I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I've been growing chillies for over 30 years, and I regularly buy dried Kashmiri chillies. I've never seen them fresh, but as Chewy says they're definitely crinkled, and a really dark, vibrant red, as in the picture I've just taken below (apart from being labelled as such, you'll know they're Kashmiri chillies as they're bloody expensive!. These came from Akrams in Southsea):