hi stew
have you tried the indian at the end of tenterden high st called badsha it is opposite the william caxton pub. it has got a reputation for good food some celebrities get helicopters etc to deliver their fav dish to them. and remember phil godley he lives through the stone gateway also opposite. on your next visit try visiting Rajver (recipes posted) in biddenden on the headcorn road you won't be disappointed. they have just changed the menu it now looks and reads like the one from the Raja of kent which you pass on the way to biddenden from tenterden. the raja don't do deliveries but rajver do ;D. when i saw the new menu was alittle disappointed coz now they do things like mass( bangladeshi fish) haash( duck) and harin(venison). the raja of kent have a website so you can see there is also less dishes on the rajas menu again a plus for Rajver now. another downer is that my usual order was ?16.05 but now will cost ?19.35

regards
gary

hi haldi
the salt you add to the onions is to extract the sweetness from them. when you have completed your gravy taste it if too sweet then to counteract the sweetness add salt to taste. if not sweet enough obviously add some sugar again to taste. that way it will not matter how long before you blend. i tend to blend once everything is easily cut with the spoon with the oil still in it then return to the hob to simmer with some water added to begin the process for the oil to rise to the top which probably takes about 30 minutes.

regards
gary

hi mikey
i live in the weald of kent biddenden in fact and i have no probs getting the spices. there are three places i can source spices juliann graves in tenterden or ashford, ashdown chemist in beaver rd in ashford and just down the road is the gurhka shop also along beaver road. both worth as visit. although tescos in tenterden also do spices etc and also asda in ashford.what is your fav dish?
mine as you will gather is vindaloo.

enjoy your stay and if i can help let me know.

regards
gary

hi thaiexpat
i found this on the net not exactly what you asked for but still it serves four and is a balti,

Balti Butter Chicken




Ingredients
150 ml (1/4 pint) natural yoghurt
50g (2 oz) ground almonds
1 1/2 teaspoons chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon garam masala
4 green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon ginger pulp
1 teaspoon garlic pulp
400 g (14 oz) can tomatoes
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 kg (2 lb chicken, skinned, boned and cubed
75 g (3 oz) butter
1 tablespoon corn oil
2 medium onions, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
4 tablespoons single cream
Method
Place the yoghurt, ground almonds, all the dry spices, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and salt in a mixing bowl and blend together thoroughly.
Put the chicken into a large mixing bowl and pour over the yoghurt mixture. Set aside.
Melt together the butter and oil in a medium karahi, wok or frying pan. Add the onions and fry for about 3 minutes.
Add the chicken mixture and stir-fry for about 7-10 minutes.
Stir in about half of the coriander and mix well.
Pour over the cream and stir in well. Bring to the boil. Serve garnished with the remaining chopped coriander.
Serves 4.

regards
gary

hi kendo
what is ment by a curry base is that a sauce is made by a restaurant/takeaway so that it may use this in order to make every curry on the menu. it is also known as onion gravy by those in the trade, as curry base, as curry sauce and as a base sauce. they all mean the same there are many here to choose from and many recipes to try with them all trying to replicate british indian restaurant curries. you my friend have just struck gold and i sure you will not be disappointed. what is the dish you would most like to make? my favourite is chicken vindaloo a dish i eat most nights a week ;D

welcome to cr0 and enjoy your stay. anything you aren't sure about just ask

regards
gary

hi jeera
try it with the base i posted and you won't dissapointed.but renember about the smell of toffee when you ad the spices tom puree and the chilli powder and salt once you get that it will come quite quickly after you put it back on the gas then adding the first ladle of your base. i'm very pleased at last someone is actually listening to my comments and input from my experience of demos and good relationship with my locals and how good they are. they have been voted for entry into a good customer satisfaction award. i would certainly agree as this afternoon the wife had her half of my set meal for one from friday night. chicken tikka starter chicken vindaloo bombay aloo pilau rice and plain naan. i polished the salad onion bhajis poppadoms and mint sauce the other night, anyway she was kind enough to feed me a couple of mouthfuls and it was delicious........sorry started to salivate. anyway to anyone starting the curry quest by all means try the others but thhis is not a hard recipe to cook or follow by all means someone is free to edit the recipe into the most readable format for even newbies to follow. i popped into my local tonight to give the chef a sample of my sauce not sure if he will see or even taste it but it is worth a try and to ask for a recipe for a dansak the owner said comeback on tuesday @ 5pm as they were busy . so here's fingers crossed. will ask for the recipe with more quantities for the base sauce the use in the restaurant all 15 litres of it( may do a few curries for a couple weeks maybe)..... good luck. and goodluck to another site with the book. may do one myself ?

lol :

regards
gary

ck did you try to make the vindaloo?

gary

hi lagathy
when you have been cooking restaurant curries for as lom=ng as i have on an electric hob which just blasts out 1.3kw of heat intensley confined to the ring and then you get hold of a gas camping stove which only chucks out 2kw but control completely at your finger tips you too would make the best curries you have ever had. and thats not to mention the fact that i have actually been in the kitchens  of a bir on four occassions to actually witness and document what i see so the techniques i have witnessed and practiced. there is never a day goes by that i am not eating a vindaloo rice naan or defrosting some chicken to precook for that evening. dude just try the dish yourself but it will only taste like Rajvers sauce and vindaloo if you follow the recipe to the letter before you try to mix and match it with another recipe. i will try to get some more demos this week as i am on holiday and told a friend i would try to cook her a dansak ;D

that is not to say add less chill powder and you could probably get away with a madras and maybe put a lemon wedge in just before you add the chicken but removing before serving. the lemon wedge not hte chicken

oh and the gas was on medium to heat the oil and garlic before adding the spices and turning up the heat to full then comes the toffee spice release then comes the sauce! added off the heat!

regards
gary

hi haldi
1)heat pan
2)add oil heat add garlic (if using) then remove pan
3)add tom paste then powdered spices
4)return to heat and then quickly add ladle of base this must be runny once boiling or bubbling add more sauce . the work is done really once you have released the oils from the spices then it should be down to getting the finished consistency right. see my Rajver vindaloo sauce posting he had put all of the sauce in the pan within the first minute this also included the methi and some of the coriander.what size frying pan do you use and what is it made of? this can make all the difference.remember because the bubbles move in from the outside because the output of the flames are so intense if you know what i mean.

regards
gary

sorry but it wasnot ctm but butter chicken and the last place you would look for ctm is india as the dish was created in the uk imho.surely you would at least checkout the place you eat maybe you could ask the chef ....heston

regards
gary