Nice one george, well done for getting this rolling  ;D
I'm up for this, why not? I share my house with 3 others but there's no problem having people over. The table seats 6 and it's walking distance from the tube. There's a pub very near too!
So it turns out we're pretty close George, i'm in north london too. Harringay, near finsbury park. It's roughly here on the map (note to stalkers: it's only rough, i dont actually live in the park!

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?rlz=1C1CHNG_enGB362GB362&sourceid=chrome&q=n4&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

Quote from: joshallen2k on December 06, 2009, 05:16 AM
For me, methi is a weird ingredient.

Seeds are one thing.

Fresh leaves are another.

Dried leaves are another altogether.

Now, I'm strictly using dried leaves in the final curry.

-- Josh

Did you not get on with the fresh leaves then?
They were selling it at a cypriot shop on my road. I ate a leaf and it didnt taste like dried methi so i didnt buy it. Having now googled it i see that it was indeed fresh methi. Oops, i shall buy it if they still have some!

Quote from: Cory Ander on February 02, 2010, 11:59 PM
I agree with all of that BB....but what happened to the measuring spoons though?  You're sounding like a proficient (deficient?) politician, there, hedging the question!  ;D

I was enquiring about the accurate measurement (reference your recent thread) rather than the volume.....

hehe, you crack me up CA  ;D  lol

Quote from: chinois on February 02, 2010, 05:09 AM

Quote from: joshallen2k on February 02, 2010, 12:46 AM
I agree. A group "calibration" is a great idea. Unfortunately logistics dictate otherwise. For those close to ChrisWG's offer should try and take it up.

Anyone near (north) london? Surely? I'm in

Sorry i dont seem to have finished the above post. I was really referring to meeting up with members. I meant to say i'm in harringay which is near finsbury park, camden, hackney, tottenham etc

Quote from: Cory Ander on February 04, 2010, 01:09 AM
To my mind, butter chicken (murgh makhani) is the traditional Indian version of the British chicken tikka masala.

That seems to be what i've found. The moti mohal in delhi seems to be credited with creating the original. I have their recipe but havent tried it yet (cheers UB  )
It is on BIR menus though. I think the only time i've had it in a BIR it wasnt the tomato version but was kind of like a korma without the coconut. Not much to it. Others members must have had it more often than me...

Quote from: joshallen2k on February 02, 2010, 05:17 AM

QuoteThe secret is, I guess, to use enough of it to enhance the taste without making the dish overly sweet

Weird. I used just over tsp and found the sweetness noticeable. And not in a caramelized onion sort of way.

Funny thing is, I actually like CTM and Korma... for the sweetness.

Like the tart hotness in a Madras. Not sweet.

Damn... too bad we could not do a cr0 members curry-off...

I think adding the sugar (or chutney/ketchup etc) early so it cooks rather than just dissolves makes a difference. I find it contributes to the taste more. As for bunjara, i havent added it late enough times to know the effect.
Good work on the 4 pan test Josh - the result is what i'd imagine. To me a madras isnt right without lemon, even though a lot of BIRs do it that way. I know what you mean about the bunjara. I like it on its own and i do use it but it doesnt make much of a difference. I have often used quite a bit more that the recipe suggests, which is nice although doesnt really recreate specific BIR dishes. I still like the principal though as caramelized/fried onions are a beautiful thing.
I agree that a madras should be hot, savoury and sour, but they do have quite a bit of sweetness too IMO.
As mentioned before, i almost always use a squeeze of lemon when adding sugar.

Quote from: Cory Ander on February 02, 2010, 05:11 AM
I can't wait for my Bhut Jolokia to bear fruit (I just hope they are not too flavoursome, like habaneros are)! 

One of the hottest chillies in the world ay? Yikes, that sounds scary! I mean i'll try one, i'm not a wimp, just a little bit scared!
The hottest chilli i've had was a scotch bonnet. As if eating a quarter raw wasnt bad enough the head chef pretended to be caring and kept fetching me drinks - drinks which he'd rubbed the rim with the inside of a scotch bonnet  The burning went on for over half an hour before someone owned up. I was trying not to show my pain!

Quote from: joshallen2k on February 02, 2010, 05:22 AM
Actually I was just helping to ensure Chonois got laid. 

As for the glossiness, I put this down to the copious sugar. BIR kormas (as I remembered them) were just as sweet, but with other flavours also coming the fore -- they were curries!

Cheers Josh! I commend you ;D
I find adding some (hot) water near the end often helps prevent a korma being stodgy. It thickens up as it rests. I find garam masala sprinkled at the end is nice and lemon is necessary to give it balance and stop it being sickly.
What's your favourite then twighlightmagic?

That is impressive! I like the variety of the dishes and veg/non-veg too!
I think you're going to enjoy this site.  If you've good results already you're going to be alright!
Take all advice with a pinch of salt would be my advice. Everyone has different problems which are often specific to them so take advice on board but remember it might not be relevant to you.
Straight-up comparisons with a takeaway curry is a no-nonsense approach.

Quote from: joshallen2k on February 02, 2010, 12:46 AM
I agree. A group "calibration" is a great idea. Unfortunately logistics dictate otherwise. For those close to ChrisWG's offer should try and take it up.

Anyone near (north) london? Surely? I'm in