No 

This is still the most popluar 'Go to' recipe, for my friends and I when I ask them what they would like me to prepare.

Thank you again to Curryhell for this... absolute gold!

Quote from: Robbo141 on May 31, 2021, 08:14 PM
Does this consistency look right?

My apologies Robbo, I did not remember that stage of the cook (and I didn't check).

At the risk of being shot down in flame....

Base Gravy has always been a liquid... a runny mixture of various ingredients that is then reduced to the desired consistency during cooking of the main ingredients.

What am I missing?

Quote from: Peripatetic Phil on May 21, 2021, 09:44 AM
Fascinating, Bob

During CV-19 lockdown I made a few new friends, one of which is of Indian descent and living in Houston, Texas and gave me this simple recipe she uses.
(I have added commentary where I queried with her my cooking experience and she has offered solutions).
Pictures at the end are of my last cook when I wanted a drier consistency (almost but not as dry as 'stuffing balls' you might have with Roast Chicken) as it was for a mixed platter type meal with Tandoori chicken leg, Samosa, Bhaji, Keebabs, salad, raitia and mango chutney (no pictures of that, sorry, you will have to imagine).

Jasmine's Tarka Dal
( Medium spice, Vegetarian )


Serves 2

Ingredients:

- 250ml Toor Dal (Yellow Lentils) or Masoor Dal (Red Lentils)
- 500ml water

Tempering:

- 3 Tbsp sunflower oil (or ghee if you prefer a nuttier taste)
- 1.5 Tsp Mustard seeds
- 1.5 Tsp Cumin seeds
- 1.5 Tsp Urad Dal
- 1.5 Tsp Chana Dal
- 1.5 Tsp Turmeric
- a good pinch of Asafetida (I am generous and use about 0.5 Tsp)

- 2-3 Medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 Tbsp minced Ginger
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced
- 1-2 Green chilies
- 1 small Onion finely chopped
- salt to taste

Method:

- Lightly dry roast the Toor Dal for a minute OR rinse the Masoor Dal until the water is clear.
- Add water to the Dal and simmer until soft (about 20 minutes).
- When the Dal is almost cooked, heat the oil in a seperate pan.
- Add the ingredients for Tempering and cook until the Mustard seeds start popping.
- Add Garlic, Ginger and Chilies and soften the onions (I add a little water as needed just to stop them burning).
- Add Tomatoes and Salt (if using sweet salad tomatoes, I have sometimes added a little Tamarind paste, about 0.5 tsp or just a very little lemon juice) and cook for a couple of minutes until soft.
- Add cooked Dal, mix well and cook on low until desired consistency/heated through.
- Serve

Toor Dal is my favourite! My photo's are of Masoor Dal as I didn't have any Toor Dal left at the time of cooking.

I am really not sure where this fits, curry or not curry, not BIR and yet as close to 'curry' as some can get right now.

So, my wife does not eat meat and on occasions, neither do I.  This week we both watched a news broadcast that highlighted that children, especially, are suffering in India, from both CV19 and the complete loss of income for workers, meaning their parents have NO way of providing food for their children.

This distressed us both.  I remember going to 'hunger meals' at school in the mid 70's, where I received a small bread role and some cheese but paid for a full school meal.. the difference going to charity, I can't remember which now but it was important at the time, even to me as a teenager.

Back to India and CV19, we were shown what some volunteers were cooking and providing as a daily meal for some few (40-60) children per day in an attempt to keep the children fed, 1 meal instead of 3 but at least something.  It reminded me of a 'simple' chickpea dish I make for my wife (yes, no attempt to get youtube views!).

I can add it to the Vegetable Curries section of the forums but it is not BIR, I never ordered this dish before I met my wife and I did only a few times in the decades before CV19 but she has liked it for years.

If you think it is relevant, reply, if not, I will keep it as a home recipe.

Quote from: Peripatetic Phil on June 10, 2020, 06:22 PM
...when (for example) "Latif's inspired" shows the viewers a mixed powder which he is about to use, and then tells his viewers that it is nothing like the mixed powder that they use in his restaurant, I fail to see any point in continuing to watch.

** Phil.

I said the same thing about Parveens Indian Kitchen where she cooked "a firm family favourite" but then says she is using a generic (can't show the brand / product placement) garam masala but she normally makes her own... which is the same point.  Some families have garam masala recipes that are handed down through generations and secret.  Same thing as the saying the Americans use about 'Mother's apple pie' or 'just the way Mother used to make it', the way different people cook a dish by which all others are compared. etc.

I haven't managed to get through very many of Syed's videos yet as I will want to make them and for that I will need his 'mix' and base (set based as Livo mentioned), both of which I have plenty of in-stock at the moment.

Phil,

I have seen some posts that question the use of curry powder (undefined/questionable ratios) of spices/powders to then be added as a 'Spice mix' with the spices in the curry powder.

I have made a few versions of Chicken Tikka from this site many times and my wife has decided on her favourite (who am I to disagree, it is not sensible  )

I am therefore somewhat surprised to see you recommending a 3rd party ingredient, Laziza tandoori spice mix paste, without the usual interrogation of what is actually in it.

I have used Laziza shami kebab masala before, it was very good.. but I have not made a single beef/chicken or lamb burger/kebab since a very close friend of my daughter and ours died of Hodgkin Lymphoma at the end of 2017.  I have some packets of it in my cupboard that are now out-of-date but unopened, they will probably just have less 'flavour' and be less aromatic if I was to use them.  Right now, I still do not have the will to make them as they were a favourite and I am not ready yet.

Quick check, I couldn't find the post I saw a couple of days ago about 'mixing a small portion and frying it later'...

This struck me as a point of interest, the order in which the powders are added and so will be fried for longer.. obviously some benefit from heat more than others and so the initial Turmeric to the pan for the longest time.  Does this powder release any oils, even in dried form to help fry the other powders?