Nice work everyone! I not sure if anyone if aware but my partner had to drop out at the beginning of the month due to personal reasons. I was supposed to have a replacement, but it never happened....
Let's hope next month's test goes better.

I'm still not really sure in Bir terms what exactly a vindaloo and for that matter what a Madras really consists of. I use fresh lemon in a Madras but if I were to use the same in my vindaloo it would only differ in the amount of chilli powder used. I can't see lime being used in Birs for cost reasons. I've used vinegar and had good results but if I'm just making one dish I just use my Madras recipe and up the chilli content.

I know it's been debated before but I've eaten so many variations of the two over the years that it's hard to have a real idea of what is used in Birs.

I can remember one Easter whan I was a kid, melting all my Easter eggs down and mixing then with corn-flakes. I hadn't kept an eye on the mixture and sadly it burned and ruined my mum's favourite gravy saucepan. I chucked it in some bushes across the road and swore my sister to secrecy. We did find it difficult to stay straight-faced as she searched in vain for it for days, and still didn't tell her the real story until years later. I must have been about 12 at the time.

I don't have a sweet-tooth but still love chocolate with corn-flakes or rice-krispies.

And as Spicey mentioned only using white wine.

There's as many ragu recipes as there are Italian families. I've never seen either anchovies or star anise used; that's not to say that neither are authentic or wouldn't make a fantastic recipe.

I personally use freshly grated nutmeg and cook it in the oven for up to 3h.

I've seen milk used in some recipes. I was given my recipe in that time honoured fashion, I.e.  no exact quantities or exact ingredients but as a general set of guidelines from which to make a traditional recipe.

I cooked a Balti from PC's balti book and I undercooked precooked the beef which was a cheap cut. I also used a GM that was very heavy on the cloves.

I remember chewing the pieces of beef for an eternity before risking swallowing them. At the time I lived in a flat with a roof just below the front windows and I used to give scraps to a crow that visited. I left a bit of the beef for him and I didn't see him again. It was more vindaloo strength, hope he was O.K.

I might have to give that a try. I still have nightmares about the last beef balti I cooked

I haven't used beef in a curry for a long time. Do you pre-cook it and if so, how?

Long before I found this site I always used milk in Basmati rice. I have no idea where I got the idea but it certainly wasn't my creation! Is it mention in any of the PatC books or the like?

Lovely looking curry.

If I was a suspicious person, I'd be convinced that 'some' of the 'posters' on this site are the same person trying to up the hit rate for the site.

Anyway its a good place to while away my coffee break since I'm a big fan of surreal comedy.

There are some good recipes too, once in a while someone even cooks something.