Here's your "missing 5%" 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olfactory_fatigue

Quote from: redman1212 on July 08, 2016, 09:04 AM
I know this is an old thread but I've recently got into making BIR style curries at home and this website has been a great source of information. I have tried several recipes and they have all been fantastic but I tried this and found it -  'bland'. I've found several recommendations for this as a good kushi recipe on the forum but this did nothing for me. What did I do wrong?

I am using the kushi base, kushi spice mix and pre cooked chicken (all of which I've used to good effect in other recipes) and followed the recipe as closely as I could although I did add some tomatoes and green pepper along with the chicken (as these seem to be normal additions to a jalfrazi). The dish was not helped by the lack of heat. I bought some fresh chillies, but these turned out to be really mild, and I used kasmiri chilli powder and probably should have used a hotter one. Cooking time was about 10 minutes rather than the 1 and half hours mentioned by Paul-B

Can anyone recommend a good alternative jalfrazi? Later in the summer I will be cooking for the parents of our kids local football team so want to select three dishes I know people will enjoy
thanks
RM

I'm surprised you found the kushi recipes bland RM I've always made great curries with this book. If anything I found halving the spice inclusion in both the base and the pre-cooked chicken was a must otherwise the dishes were too overpowering.


MM

Quote from: Madrasandy on February 12, 2016, 01:14 PM
I love this tikka, delicious, as a starter or stand alone dish, but I feel it overpowers when added to a curry.

I have also found this! The key is to cook it at the same time as your curry. And drop it in at the last minute so the tikka marinade doesn't leach into your curry sauce and ruin the flavour.

Fantastic Phil I hope you like it! Yes I was starting to notice the lack of curry related posting. It's only took me 3 years to get round to putting some of my own recipes up!  ;D

I've just realised whilst putting a vindaloo recipe up, how to add more than one photo to the same post..duh!

Guess it's too late to modify these now!

Mushroom Mike Chicken Vindaloo

1 chefspoon Seasoned Oil
1 tsp Garlic & Ginger Paste
1 1/2 tsp Mix Powder
1 level tsp Methi
1 tbsp Extra Hot Chilli Powder
1 tsp Tomato Paste (mixed with approx. 1-2 tbsp of water)
6 pieces Glasgow Pre-Cooked Chicken plus some sauce
Juice of 1/3 of a Lime
3rd tsp Ground Cardamom Seed
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Salt
250-300ml Garabi
1 tbsp Chopped Coriander

Method

Start off with a chefspoon of the oil skimmed off the top of the pre-cooked chicken and gently fry the garlic and ginger followed by the mix powder. Cook well but do not burn.

Add methi, chilli powder, ground cardamom, black pepper, salt and tomato paste and fry gently until the water from the tomato paste has mostly evaporated.

Add the first ladel of Garabi and turn up the heat. Stir in the chicken and a small amount of its cooking sauce.

When reduced by half add the second ladel of base. Stir in half of the coriander and squeeze in the lime juice.

Now cook rapidly until the sauce is at the consistency you desire.

Serve and garnish with remaining coriander.

Ok confession time, this recipe had its similarities with one or two other vindaloo recipes you may have seen but this is my simplified version. In conjunction with my takeaway replica base this has now become my go-to curry. Absolutely superb moreish flavour. Please give it a whirl!

Notes:

The ground cardamom seed contains no husk. I remove the seeds from whole cardamoms and whizz them up in the electric spice grinder with the black pepper. Use only the freshest cardamoms as stale ones have no flavour!

The mix powder I am currently using is the IFFU recipe but I'm sure any decent version will give equally good results.

Blend.

Add other ingredients and simmer for at least 3 1/2 hours until onions are melting.

Add mix powder then tomatoes.

Frying garlic and ginger.

Mushroom Mike Garabi

1200g Spanish Onions - Sliced
1 Small Green Pepper - Sliced
100g White Cabbage - Sliced
75g Carrot - Sliced
20g Coriander Stalks - Chopped
1 1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Garam Masala (Jalpur)
1 tbsp Salt
1.5 litres Boiling Water

Baghaar

200ml Veg/Sunflower Oil
50g Garlic & Ginger Paste (50/50)
300g (approx. 3) Fresh Vine Tomatoes - Blended
1 level tbsp Mix Powder (IFFU)
1 tsp Sugar

Method

Heat oil in a saucepan and gently fry the garlic & ginger followed by the mix powder, sugar and tomatoes. Continue to cook for 5-10 minutes or until the tomatoes have darkened.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer on the lowest heat for 3 1/2 hours.

After the 3 1/2 hours, blend until smooth and simmer for a further 1/2 hour until the oil separates.

Use.

This recipe came about after I ordered a portion of base from a local takeaway. After tasting it and using it to make a madras (which was far more BIR than most other curries I'd made) I realised what it was about the base that was different to many recipes I'd tried in the past. The main difference being the fact that the taste was so smooth and rounded so I set about creating something to rival it. This is what I came up with.

Most of the ingredients at lower levels except garlic and ginger and slightly elevated levels of onions to offset the other ingredients further.

With the lovely mild Spanish onions and slightly longer than average cooking time you end up with something that has all the key elements but toned down a notch.

Also slightly against the norm I have made the baghaar at the start rather than at the end. Thereby the garlic and ginger and mix powder all have a chance to mellow during the simmering process.

I've made some superb curries with this including a vindaloo which I will upload shortly in the appropriate section. I hope you will try the base and let me know what you think.

The weights of onions and carrots are peeled.