Correct, Ashes.  See my last post W U, the Forum is evolving all the time and as the great Guys & Gals who run this site see the trends etc., they add new areas, e.g. Hints, Tips etc.  Indian cooking is a great adventure, and like all adventures we get off the beaten track and sometimes lost  .  Hopefully now we will be able to focus our input to the correct areas, but I do hope that we might digress occasionally and then put the topic in the right place; free thought is a great way to creativity, whether in this case it is after the Birvinci Code of BIR cooking or traditional recipes.

Risquer heureux
CP

Sorry again!  I guess it is because at the time we did not have the new area hints tips etc.  But now we have so we can keep to topic and thread more easily.  I think our Admin guys have moved the Garlic thing there now.

CP

I hope this OK, but I copied this across from an old post of mine.
CP

Here are some tips about the hot topic of curry powders etc.  In base mixes it is not really that important which powder or masala you use.  If you have a favorite curry house then find the nearest Asian shop and ask them if the supply the restaurants.  If they answer yes ask them which ones.  Then look on the racks for the large packs of spices (whole and powder), this will give you a clue to what brand(s) and what particular spices are being used.  This equally applies to the jars of pastes and pickles.

When you buy check for two things; the use by date (very important, don't buy if it is out of date within 6 months).  If it is powder, hold the bag sides and rub the powder inside between your fingers, if it feels gritty leave it alone and try other bags.  The quality of spice powders varies tremendously; it may have TRS on the bag but the origins of its content may be from many sources.  You may recall that there was a very big scare over the carcinogenic Red Sudan dye that had been put in some Paprikas and chilli powders to make it look redder, TRS was one of the sufferers of this scam.

Look at the colours of the spices. If say, all the cumin powder looks the same colour then chances are it is from the same batch and the shop has a reasonable turnover.  However, as is often the case, you will see variations in colour with cumin and  this is because of age and the origins, if you see one that is paler than the other leave it alone.  This will come with experience.

Check the price labels.  My supplier is notorious for having different prices on the same products (his kids are usually at fault because they think it is a game!).  Prices do go up and down and the Asian grocer is not interested in keeping everything the same.  But price can give you an indication of age sometimes.

Garam Masalas  and Curry Powders.  To me I would rather make my own because they are our signature in some of the more individual dishes we make.  There are thousands of variations of the basic masala, mostly governed by the region of Asia they originate from.  A good general purpose masala I use from time to time is the one you find in Pat Chapman's books, and for that matter his curry powder is quite good too.  I use these with slight a modifications to make my simple Punjabi Gosht (Lamb) which is one of our more popular requests.

Pastes.  Well this can be a very purist subject; some say they would never use a OTS (off the shelf) product and they always make there own.  Quite frankly I use pastes regularly and I have my long time favorite (Ferns) which a lot of restaurants and Asian home cooks use as it is the closest you will get to middle India curries (it is made in Mumbai by Mrs Fernadez).  I always use Simtom Tikka Paste for CTMs and sometimes Jalfrezis as it is pointless making my own as this is simply the best for these dishes.  I do make my own however for Tikkas and Tandoori style, as they are the best in my humble opinion.

Pickles.  Try adding some pickles or chutneys to your dishes as you cook them, maybe instead of a masala.  The BIRs do!  I use some Ferns Chilli Pickle for my Madras dishes as it adds a very subtle hot and slight sweet and sour flavour. 

Vinegars, lime and lemon juices have a special place in Asian cooking. fresh tomatoes have a similar effect.  With the exception of Vinegar in most cases, when these are added to the final stages of the the cooking.  The citric acid reacts chemically with the spices and creates/releases that final flavour.

I think that is enough to kick off this topic.  This is a big area to cover so I am sure there will be plenty of posts.

Happy Cooking
C P

This is a BIR recipe using the UCB (Ultimate Curry Base).  Just a point first, triggered by some knowledgeable comments elsewhere.  Korma should not really contain coconut; it originally contained ground almonds, but the BIRs found this hard to get sometimes and too expensive, so we end up as usual with a bastardised version.  Here is one given to me from an Indian chef friend.  It can be used for Lamb or Pork, but this version is better for Chicken

Marinade some chicken (enough for 2 portions) in half teaspoon salt and a slightly watery mix of tomato paste (same for precooked) for 10 minutes.  You need enough to give the chicken a slightly pink finish. Some chefs also add a splash of lemon juice here.

Heat about half a cup of oil or Ghee in a pan to smoking.

If the chicken is raw add this to the oil and stir fry for about 2 minutes
OR
Add about 1/2 cup UCB (for two portions) and continue to stir fry for 2 minutes
THEN
If you are using precooked Chicken, add it here and fry for a minute

Mix in a half a cup of ground almonds (or powdered coconut if you prefer) and fry for 30 seconds
THEN
Add (up to a maximum of) a small tin of Carnation evaporated milk and stir on high heat until it has deduced by about a third (use your own judgement on sauce consistency from start to finish).

Add salt and a little ground black pepper to taste

Leave to rest for about 5 minutes in a warm (not hot) oven, and then serve.

Cooking time should take about 5 minutes max for precooked, and 10 minutes for raw.  The standing time completes the cooking process

Notes;
You need to use high heat from the start and only reduce it after you have added the final seasoning; remember this is a BIR recipe, and stir all the time.

You can allow the sauce to stick a little as this will increase the flavour, but do stir it off a fter is starts to stick.

You will need to adjust the times to suit for pre-cooked or raw chicken, you need to take care here because Chicken toughens very quickly.  I do not recommend using Chicken on the bone.

The black pepper is optional but if used sparingly it will add that special flavour, it is in effect the GM for this dish.

You can add one or two crushed green Cardamoms to the hot oil initially.

Play around (as I am sure you will) with this recipe; it is very simple and very forgiving to the cook!

Happy Cooking
CP

I  and the other Jedis await your result and verdict with anticipation; assuming you are still on this planet afterwards Darth 

You are right of course about the weird changes and effects of superhot curries; the endorphins they say, but there is something else...... 

My fellow curry fanatics that worked with me on a big projects in London and elsewhere came up with a lunchtime solution.  This was because we were not allowed to drink much.  What we did was to order basic dishes like Bhuna, Madras etc., but not too hot.  Then we would also order a bowl of Vegetable Phall to share.  As we ate we used the Phall much like a pickle.  The benefits were that you still got the 'hit' but were in a suitable condition to return to work afterwords (we did complex IT stuff so needed a functioning brain )

Good Luck
CP

Thanks Darth, just remember to use the 'Force' and please remember to notify the local emergency services so they know what to do in case of an emergency   It is reminiscent of Goa but more inland, this guy Leon travelled all over India collecting recipes & methods.
I am not sure about the chicken though as it might just disappear in the process (melt) 

Happy Cooking
CP

Quote from: Ashes on October 05, 2006, 04:05 PM
Hi CP!

I posted this a while ago, if you havent tried it, i would recommend you do - This is probably my favourite garam masala, very different from the norm.

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=491.0

Regards Ashes

Thanks Ashes, I will give it a try.  The Urad (dhall) I think is there solely as a latent thickening agent. 

Happy cooking
C P

'I saw a program quite a while ago that seemed to imply that tinned tomato soup was used'

I use Heinz tomato soup for my CTMs and one or two special dishes.  It does work well and saves an awful lot of time getting the taste to authentic way.  I sometimes add a little soup when I am flash frying onions.  It tends to catch and adds something akin to the BIR taste.  It can't be a secret ingredient because i dint think BIRs uses it in all their curries.

On the 'secret ingredient' point; in the 1970s  a lot of people believed that Hashish was the secret ingredient in Phall.  I knew a BIR in Bermondsey that admitted they put a little in for special customers; it certainly felt like it afterwards but that might have been the good ales beforehand.

Happy Cooking

C P

Leon was probably one of the greatest European Chefs in India, and I should imagine now has passed to the great Tandoor in the sky.  He wrote the 'Home Book Of Indian Cookery' in the 1950s and I have a copy; in fact my first Indian cookery book.  This is is his hottest curry, and as he says 'Not many can eat this' only for the faint heated.  I have not tried it as it is not to my taste but friends have and liked it.

Frithath Curry

1 LLB of Lamb or Beef, cubed
2 large onions sliced
2 tablespoons of Ghee or Groundnut or Vegetable oil

Spices

2 tsp Cumin
10 Cloves
10 Green Cardamoms
4 inch Cinnamon stick (not Cassia)
3 inch Turmeric or equivalent in powder
18 Black peppercorns
10 red chillies (very hot ones)

Grind all the spices in vinegar (Rice vinegar is good) to make a paste

2 Tbsp Tamarind Pulp or equivalent in extract

Fry onions on a high heat until they start to catch at the edges, then add the meat, and fry on a medium heat for about a minute to seal the meat.

Add the spice paste and stir until it is dispersed; about 3-4 minutes.

Add more vinegar if needed but do NOT use water or any other liquid

Add tamarind.

Turn to a very low heat.

When the meat is cooked, add salt to taste.  You may need to add a small amount of sugar to balance the acidity.

The rest is up to you :

Happy Cooking
C P

This is on my list of things to try next week; I am salivating already.  Your point about the oil is correct.  The type and quality of the oil(s) you use is very important, and I guess this is worth a new topic under hints and tips.

On topic, I might just post a recipe for Frithath curry from India (authentic IIR {Indian Iadian Restaurant]).  I never tried it but I have some friends who have and survived.

Happy Cooking
C P