QuoteBut there is actually mix powder in there it's just in the base and pre-cooks instead of adding it in later

Well powdered turmeric for sure. I mostly use whole coriander, cumin seed & chuck in some fresh chilli when making a base, which turn really soft when cooked long enough. Same with precooks. I find these easy to blend in the base. I reckon fresh & longer cooked ingredients produces superior tasting food in general

ELW

Hi JohnSmith4,
that recipe is traditional rather than restaurant or takeaway, in that its base is tomato rather than an onion gravy(base), which gives a sweet background against the spices which can be bitter.
Traditional 'Indian' cookbooks are full of recipes like that one. Coconut being another base in Southern Indian cuisine.

Some places would mix the different spices(mix powder) together for speed to add to the curry all at the same time. Some add enough oil & salt to their base so they don't need to add more making the curries. The mix powder method of making curries is predominant on this forum, but they are only different methods of achieving roughly the same thing. The base gravy can be thick or thin also, with thin requiring reduction in the pan. I would guess there's more methods that are not on this forum, but everything you need is on here to get you started

None of the places I buy from in Glasgow use mix powders when making the curries, except for garam masala.
The spicing is done when making the base gravy(which does use powdered spice) & in the pre cooking of meats & vegetables. That way the spice is cooked for longer & produces a better flavour in my opinion

A Glasgow takeaway / restaurant bhuna as i know it & if made with a bit of care, will typically differ from a basic curry by adding more tomato puree, garlic ginger paste & less onion gravy (base)used, giving a darker, slightly drier curry & completely different flavour.  A madras will have more tomato puree still, lots of blended fresh chillies in a paste & lemon juice. A south Indian garlic chicken dish will have a big spoonful of pre made 'south Indian sauce' added


Being Scottish you could try the Ashoka stuff below, which has different method again. Maybe to give you something to aim at?

]https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,5355.0.html]

Regards

ELW

Welcome to the forum JohnSmith4!

ELW

I doubt many people would notice a difference between almond and cashew in a curry

Regards
ELW

Hi bristol86, I also use a wok, but I've also got ali pans, the best being a kitchen king which I picked up about 3 years ago for about 6 quid in an Asian cash and carry

http://www.kitchenkingcookware.co.uk/Product-Kitchen-King--Chef-Fry-Pan-Wood-handle-Heavy-Duty-26cm/78

The deeper the pan the better imo, and if your using the mix powder method of cooking curries, I'd go for a smaller diameter pan so the oil covers most of the surface. To prevent the powders catching and burning. Wok for me now though as I don't use that method

Regards

ELW

Some of them rinse the curry pans back into the smaller working pot of gravy & at least one place I know uses the stock from boiling veg & chicken bones in their gravy.

Regards

ELW

Chef & owner told me last week he wont cook more than 2 savoury curry dishes in the one pan when supplying & topping up his standard buffet for consistency of flavour. He just adds to it from single or double portions when needed.
He does do larger batches of korma / chasni, which require less "flavouring of the pan" . An English style tikka masala could also be done like this, but tm here in Glasgow is more often savoury than sweet. He sometime makes 5 or six curry dishes at a time when busy, so bulking for buffet is not really an issue for him.

For catering size portions he uses big pots, which end up good but different than the bir single portions.

Apart from garam masala, he never uses mix powders or powdered chilli in a dish as he reckons they are  too harsh / hot & lack flavour when cooked in 10 mins or so.

I never had much success bulking up bir dishes,  so after what he told me I wont bother now.
Regards

ELW

Hi blackcloud, a bit of experimenting with the ingredient ratios might get you close to what your after.
It's unlikely kebab shops, regardless of region put too much effort into donner sauce & if you recognise a specific flavour or texture in across the north east, then it probably points to a concoction of the ingredients in the posts above, rather than fresh.

Regards

ELW

Quote from: Edwin Catflap on June 25, 2015, 09:37 PM
I think the best way is just to simmer in some base gravy for 20 mins whilst doing other prep. Enhances the base as well

Ed

Enhancing the base with chicken stock(made from bones /carcass)
& vegetable stock from pre cooked veg is a widespread restaurant(not curry forum)method also ed.
You can imagine why it's an aspect that's not publicised in web videos. There's no labelling either.
I love it though & couldn't give a monkey's tbh

Regards
ELW

Quote from: Pugs on June 24, 2015, 03:17 PM
I have only used this one recipe for pre-cooked chicken but I do like it, could almost eat the leftovers which remind me of a basic chicken curry! I too, also added in whole spices mentioned at the beginning but did not cook'em for 5 mins, only for 1 min before adding G\G

It won't taste like bir basic chicken curry if no onion gravy is used though pugs.
It will taste a little less sweet or more bitter,as in homestyle curry.

Regards

ELW