Quote from: Ian S. on April 30, 2005, 04:06 PM
The chicken stock/jelly is something I must try on my next cook-up.? Pete, do you think it's essential to actually just use the jelly from the top of the cooled stock? I'm just thinking about the waste....

I made some of this chicken jelly two weeks ago.
This time I just used chicken bones and rubbish bits, which I got for nothing from a butcher shop.
I followed the below recipe
After straining and cooling I was very surprised that everything but the oil turned to this jelly.
There was no waste at all.
This was probably because there was a greater proportion of bones this time.
I had to do it.
I had to know.
And I was so upset that it was right.
There is nothing wrong with making a stock, and I suspected for a long time that the base sauce was not vegetarian.
But the smell of boiling this is disgusting.
The first couple of hours are worst.
It has put me off because I do have strong vegetarian tendencies.
But once you know the finished taste and smell, you can distinguish it in the bought curries.
It's as individual as fenugreek.

The revised recipe:-

This is the chicken jelly recipe
Here is what you do:-
Chicken bones and bits (wings & scraps, I filled half a three? litre pot)
Then? add 4 black cardomons
8 green cardomons,
8 bayleaves
2 long cinnamon sticks,
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
and? 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Put in enough water to half cover the chicken bones.
I warn you , it really doesn't smell nice.
I thought it would be unusable because of it's smell.
I cooked it on very low for about four hours.
Any meat takes on a string like quality.
Then I strained it and left it to cool.
The jelly that you get is what you use.
It is surprisingly very un spicy.
Almost like chicken crisps with a hint of bay leaves.
I added this to my curry gravy and boiled for another ten minutes to dissolve.
It works out about half a tablespoon per curry portion.
The jelly keeps three days in a fridge or could be frozen
Most of my curries are veggy so the addition of this stock made a massive difference

Quote from: dc on April 27, 2005, 12:05 PM
It tastes sort of tomatoey without tasting of tomatoes,
hot without tasting of chilli powder,
sort of curry like but without tasting of curry powder.
slightly smoky, aniseedy, liquoricey underlying taste.?

I thought the above quote was absolutely brilliant.
The only other thing I would add is that this flavour does not taste straight away.
When I have compared sauces I made, to bought curries, I found that initially there was little difference.
But after about two seconds the extra flavour becomes apparent
This taste seems almost separate to the curry
Sorry, folks, but I believe this taste to be the chicken jelly stock.
I spoke to someone who worked as a waiter in an indian restaurant for six months.
There really was a degree of secrecy over preparations of the curries.
But when you work for that length of times you can't fail to see things.
Think of what we've all reported from ten minutes in the kitchen!!
This person used to puree the garlic and ginger as one of the tasks but mainly just got the orders and took the meals to tables.
Apart from always seeing the large pot of curry gravy cooking they saw this other pot regularly.
Guess what it was full of?
Sorry, but it WAS chicken bones and water.
They said that they believed the finished curry gravy NOT to be vegetarian.
The recent times that I have added this stock I thought I really had finally captured the mouth feel of a restaurant curry.
To tell the truth, I found making the stock, quite distressing.
I am a closet vegetarian and boiling chicken bones do not smell pleasant.
I usually buy vege curries.
If you make a chicken curry at home you can get pretty close to what you want.
I had been failing because there was no chicken in my home made vege curries.
And you do need it to get a similar restaurant curry.
Now I know what's in the base, I may actually stop buying from takeaways.
Sad eh?
I can actually distinguish this flavour in my bought curries.

Quote from: Curry King on April 25, 2005, 11:44 AM
I actually made a restaurant chef a vegtable curry at the weekend!!!

When you see him again, would you ask him about the chicken jelly stock?
Thanks ck

Quote from: Blondie on April 24, 2005, 07:06 PM
Hi Pete,
The Pat Chapman base that had Fennel in it, could you please give me a link for it or perhaps post the recipe here,
Thanx Pete,
Blondie

This is it!!

Curry Masala Gravy

Makes over 1kg curry masala gravy

120ml vegetable oil
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander powder
6 to 8 whole garlic cloves, peeled
4 x 225g whole onions, peeled (four large)
10cm carrot, coarsely chopped
1/2 green pepper coarsely chopped
500ml water
1 - 2 teaspoons salt

1. Place everything in a saucepan minimum size 2.25 litre (4 pint).
2. Simmer for 2 hours (yes two hours).
3. During the simmer period, add more water as needed. (Keep the onions covered with water.)
4. Mulch the mixture down using a hand blender or jug blender, until you achieve a gravy-like pur?e.

All these recipes are very similar, aren't they?
I am sure this is used at a stage to make curries by some restaurants.
I think it's all the little "tricks of the trade" that transform it into something we love.
On it's own this is nothing special and certainly doesn't have "the taste"
I remember when I was making it, I thought "hmm, this smells promising"
Fennel is definitely not wrong, and I am sure some restaurants use it

There are curry base recipes on the in2curry chat site.
I tried a couple, they were ok but not so ok that  I would do regularly.
I posted a curry base from Pat Chapman on this site which includes it too!

Quote from: George on April 20, 2005, 11:56 PM
curry powder. Don't we need the recipe for the first curry powder too?
Regards
George

Curry houses do use prepacked curry powder.
Rajah and East End are two makes.
We're trying to get their flavour, so we do the same.
But, yes, I see your point!!

I have recently got as close as I ever have been to making a curry of restaurant standard.
However the "nicest" flavour of the curry still alludes me.
My curries are excellent but I want that extra something in them.
The curry I want to make perfect is veg vindaloo

I use the base I was given by a chef which is posted at:-

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3.0

I add the chicken jelly even though it's disgusting to make, posted at:-

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=203.0

and precook my veg in fried garlic ginger puree with a few spices, salt and water

I believe if the base is right then vindaloo should be merely a case of adding a little chilli and garlic

If you can just find out how to make the base with "the taste" then everything else would follow.
See if you can get a taste of the base.
Does it have "the taste" at this point?

Quote from: ghanna on April 18, 2005, 07:25 PM
Korma
It is one of the quickest curries to make in the restaurant kitchen.

If the curry gravy is really nice (like the one I was sold) then Ghanna's recipe would be brilliant, even without whole spices.

Quote from: Curry King on April 20, 2005, 08:17 AM
Whos the curry kid then, you Pete?

No, that's not me.
There's nothing wrong with anything I have read of these recipes,but they seem ever so Kris Dhillon.
Some parts are exactly the same words as her book (Kris is a lady)