Quote from: Secret Santa on November 01, 2012, 02:39 PM
I'm not sure I follow you t99.

The veg curry that comes with a Biryani has whole veg in it, it's not blended down base style.

Yes, that is what I am saying. To make the veg curry they must use a ladle of the base gravy BEFORE it has been blended.

I thought that I would add my first photos and these are of my meal tonight.

For the veg curry - I used a base gravy recipe of my own (contains onions, green pepper, carrot, potato, white cabbage) and then used some of that (before it was blended) to create the veg curry. It was absolutely spot-on with that BIR smell and taste that I have been after for years.

For the rice - I  used cooked and cooled brown basmati rice. I fried it in some of the oil from the base gravy. Then added green beans, peas, egg, cauliflower, small prawns etc.  When cooking the rice I made a space in the middle of the pan and cooked an egg omelette. Rather than leave it whole and place it on top of the finished rice, I chopped it and mixed into the rice.

Next time I would use much larger prawns in the rice and add some pan roasted cashew nuts.

Image below: Finished curry.



Image below: Finished curry.



Image below: Oil from the base gravy.



Image below: Cooking the rice.

Quote from: bamble1976 on October 31, 2012, 07:11 PM
not that I have ever had.  It tends to be a standard veg curry.

regards

barry

The biryani veg curry contains onions, green pepper, potato, carrot, cabbage... which is a cooked base gravy before it has been blended...

I doubt that BIR bother to boil cabbage etc. separately to make a veg curry. It is logical that they would instead just use a ladle of the unblended base gravy.

I have just eaten a biryani based upon my theory and finally after many years of trying I actually nailed that BIR taste.

I made the base gravy with onions, potato, carrot, and white cabbage. I used a ladle of it to make a veg curry before the base was blended. It works!

I have taken a few photos here: https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=8980.0

Quote from: Phil [Chaa006] on October 30, 2012, 11:11 PM

Quote from: tommy99 on October 30, 2012, 10:53 PMI actually know that shop but it doesn't sell them. I wonder if BIR get them from wholesalers such as Makro etc.

We have both Makro and See Woo on the Greenwich Peninsula, and the selection in See Woo is infinitely greater than that in Makro. Sorry that the Asian Foodmart info. was not useful; I would be inclined to have a word with the owner of a good Chinese restaurant, if there is one nearby, and ask where they get their king prawns.

** Phil.

Thanks Phil.

I hadn't heard of See Woo before and it seems they would have what I would be looking for if I lived nearby:

http://www.seewoo.com/frozen/seafood-2/10

I have a local Chinese (but not a local Indian) and will see if I can find out. I will post back here if I manage it. Anyone else reading this, then please do the same.

At this moment I am experimenting with a new curry gravy base.

I have just realised that the side veg curry dish served with a biryani in a BIR is actually the curry base before it is blended.

Am I right?

Quote from: Phil [Chaa006] on October 30, 2012, 06:10 PM
    Asian Foodmart
    65 Dereham Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 4HU
    Tel: 01603 621 412
    VAT number: 988 7281 46

I actually know that shop but it doesn't sell them. I wonder if BIR get them from wholesalers such as Makro etc.

I live in Norfolk.

The best prawns I have found so far (for value and size) have actually been from Farmfoods.

However, I can't help but think that restaurants and takeaways must be getting frozen prawns far cheaper and bigger and that nearly every place has the same looking king prawns (that are bigger than the supermarkets sell).

I wonder if someone could ask a restaurant of takeaway if they could buy a whole unopened bag of frozen king prawns from them... and then check the label. Even if they say "no" then perhaps ask which ones to buy and from where?

BIR, Chinese, and Thai Restaurants and takeaways have much bigger prawns that I see for sale in the supermarkets.

Which ones should I buy and where?

Quote from: Naga on October 22, 2012, 07:41 PM
ChewyTikka uses white cabbage in his base gravy. I made some the other day and had it with UncleBuck's Pathia recipe and very nice it was too!

Many thanks for that. I had a quick read of some of his posts and he says that some chefs also use a little bit of cauliflower in the gravy too.

I noticed a little bit of cauliflower in my BIR Biryani side sauce.

Ummm... it seems that the biryani side sauce has the same chunks of veg (potato, onion, cabbage, carrot, and sometimes cauliflower) in it as goes in to make the actual curry base gravy. It is so logical and obvious that perhaps no-one else has noticed the link before.

Last night I ordered a biryani. I noticed the side sauce had a lot of white cabbage in it (with potatoes and carrot).

I doubt that BIR buy-in white cabbage just to use in a biryani side curry.

I think that it is highly likely that white cabbage is in the base gravy. They then use cabbage (and potatoes and carrots) again but in chunks to fill-out the biryani curry.