The last two bunches I have bought ( from Asda ) I just took the rubber band off which holds it together and opened up the bunch to give it some air , I just keep it in the fridge in a polythene bag and this is the third week I've had it and it still looks fine.

That looks a lot of oil Mikka  what oil do you use and what base sauce recipe ?

Quote from: Cory Ander on October 18, 2009, 09:45 AM
I hear what you're saying Gary, but that IS generally what I do!  And that's where I end up with either a raw bitter taste (cos the chili powder hasn't been cooked sufficiently, I presume) or a burnt bitter taste (cos the chili powder has been burnt!). 

Either way, I find adding lots of chili powder (extra hot, or otherwise) results in a bitter, powdery tasting curry...quite unlike a BIR phal.

This is why I think that it is perhaps best to pre-fry the chili powder into a well cooked (not raw and not burnt) paste beforehand....

I dont know the answer to your question Cory Ander but I don't think a BIR would take the time to pre fry Chilli for any meals  :-X IMHO.

I generely add ' Salt to Taste ' when I am making our Madras I add the Salt gradually and taste the Curry as I go , Salt makes a lot of difference to the finished Curry.

I am very happy with my Curries ( sNs base & Madras recipe ) easily as good if not better than the few T/A's we use so no intention on using old oil but good luck to the ones who feel this is ' The Way ' 

Quote from: JerryM on October 05, 2009, 07:26 PM
i might just make CA's CRO2 development base next. much has changed in terms of the jigsaw for me since i last made it so the final curry would be very interesting.

the base is very basic yet produces a real surprise in terms of quality of base.

i have the original recipe as : 30ml oil, 200g onion, 2.5ml garlic, 1.25 ml ginger, tom paste 10ml, 1.25ml salt, 5ml curry powder, 500 water. finished volume 500ml.

i am pretty sure we double the ingredients to make a 400g onion batch. i later doubled it again settling on an 800g std batch aiming to get 6 portions.

That's interesting JerryM , not much in the way of ingredients there ! Just what a BIR would use probably .

Well said chriswg and 976bar ,
I am going back to the start of this thread cuz I like the sound of this method and simple recipe , as I have said before I am sure we are over complicating what we do in the search for 100% BIR taste and surely T/A's will use the minimum of ingredients that will achieve  a good dish.
The ' cooking down ' method makes an excellent Curry , my Son who is also a Curry Lover  ;D will only use this method but with all the other 'stuff' to make I found it a bit time consuming and am currently making my Madras the sNs way until I am happy with another recipe and chris's could be it . 

Hi all,

I just got to thinking about what the minimum ingredients could be to make a really good Curry Base.

I watched the web cam of the East Indian T/A and they were just starting to make a Base , the Chef put some Cooking Oil in the pan to start and then what looked like Garlic ( fresh ) ,Green Cardamoms , Bay Leaves , Turmeric , Chili Powder then Salt ? he then gently fried this and then topped the pan up with chopped Red Onions and water , he then placed the lid on and left it on the heat occasionally stirring.
To be honest I didn't watch all night and maybe he added some other veg later but I dont think so , also I recently watched Britain's Best Dish where an Indian lady made a very tasty Chicken curry ( according to the experts ) with a very simple Base Sauce ,
http://www.itv.com/lifestyle/food/britainsbestdish/recipes2009/greenchickencurry/default.html

Also the Base they made at the T/A whose kitchen I spent some time in was very basic ( I think similar to the Rajver Base from memory ) then I look at the base I made last night , ingredients - Onions, Carrots , Pepper , Potato , fresh Toms , Tinned Toms , Garlic , Ginger , Fresh Coriander , then all the Spices phew !
Don't get me wrong this base makes lovely Curries but so does my favourite T/A and I don't reckon they go to that type of expense with their base .
So has anyone had close to BIR results with a really basic Base Sauce , and can we work out what the ' essential ingredients ' are required , I'll start with Onions  but Red or White 

I mix with water for the same reasons as PaulP

Quote from: PaulP on October 03, 2009, 11:01 AM
Thanks for the tips everyone. I don't like the idea of uncoated aluminium either - the thought of the acid in the toms dissolving the pot is too much for me.
But then I find the heat distribution on my non-stick ali pot is great.

So it's stainless steel for about 18 quid or coated (non-stick) ali for about 60, both for about 11 litres capacity. I still might splash out on the latter - it should last me years.

QuoteI already have a pressure cooker given to me by an Indian work mate. This is around 3 litres and I only use it for cooking lentils.

Paul.

Ours is 6ltrs but 100 ltrs  now your talking