That looks wonderful!

My bum will be haunted by that image! Looks fantastic. Do I get the feeling you're using a pretty decent camera for these? Any advice to those us who know nothing of photography to getting such sharp images, as mine often come out blurry.

Cheers

BB.

My first curry was a chicken Madras from a little place in Kinross around 1999 / 2000. It was like molten lava. I daren't think what their Vindaloo would be like. Anyway, I went back about a year ago and got one. It was nothing like I remembered. It was just like a remarkably average hot Madras recipe for here. It was the same chef and everything. Next time I was in I asked if they changed their recipe. They said they had not. I would suggest that when I reminisced about the curry, my brain put a bit of a silver lining on it. 

I certainly think that the old school guys on the forum are looking for something different to what they're making but perhaps a little less different than they think?

Making as many curries as I do, to the very high standard that the recipes on this forum allow, I'd say I've developed a bit of an educated BIR curry palate. Places that I used to think make great curries are often now just so-so but nothing about the establishments appears to have changed. Could this improved BIR curry eating palate contribute to member's feelings of places going downhill? I mean, you'd have to be buying BIR all the time to go through nearly as many curries as you do when you're knocking up base sauce batches left right and centre!

Alternatively, the chef at that little place in Kinross just made me a shit curry! (no pun intended)

Quote from: Cory Ander on January 04, 2010, 01:39 PM
So, in essence, it's....errrrr...bottled lemon juice plus artificial colouring? 

I've always used this. It's not like Jif Lemon, it's thinner, weaker and sweeter. Sorry for chatting off topic.

I have tried several Balti recipes, and some traditional Pakistani recipes from friends at work, as well as a good number of traditional Indian curry recipes. However, what I'm looking to make is the perfect BIR style curry and with the recipes on this site I can reproduce all but the finest BIR's curries that I have eaten, and with continued practice and experience I get closer and closer.

I have given the recipes on this site to two friends recently who have followed them to the mark (I gave them CA's base and main recipes as I feel that these are excellent but most importantly beginner proof due to their level of detail). One friend called me and said "Mate, that made my local takeaway taste like a microwave meal" and the other said she made a great curry - as good or better than her local BIR, but knew what was in it, which she finds very important being very health conscious. Her husband also thought it was delicious. I recommended rice bran oil to her given the positive threads about this here (having not tried it myself). She said it was tasteless, odourless and she was happy to use the seemingly large volume of oil our recipes require, without feeling so guilty, given its health benefits.

I realise that I'm wandering off the topic of this thread, but to get back on the subject, there are a wide array of traditional Indian cookery books on the market, specifying recipes for curries, many of which will be lovely, but just not what you're looking for if you want to reproduce your local takeaway or restaurant's efforts. If you are looking to reproduce BIR style curries, I think this is certainly a worthwhile part of the experience, however not worth spending the money on the book - that's what CR0's online resources are for!

Thanks and apologies for going on a bit!

BB.

Quote from: Secret Santa on January 03, 2010, 08:18 PM
If you can taste the coconut, then you've gone too far.

If you can't taste it, what qualities does it add to the Madras? I just figure that if you can't detect it, couldn't it be omitted?

Cheers

BB

The curry looks fantastic! I do like a bit of the old food colouring the rice myself, although a lot of people don't! You have lovely fluffy separate grains there! Brilliant!

Quote from: Mikka on December 26, 2009, 04:19 PM
Sorry this is late Bobby.
So you sort of oven steamed it then? Excellent idea, one I hadn't thought of too. Like Cory it looks amazing that rice.

That's bang on. It was CA and Gary who posts recipe's from the Rajver who put me on to this method and it's great!

Quote from: emin-j on December 24, 2009, 09:42 PM
SS I reckon at least 75% of the questions on the forum he been asked before over the past five years so nothing new there 

Hahaha, and they'll be asked again and again. Gives people like me who have reading the threads for a couple of a years a chance to feel smart, and no doubt people who have been reading them for even longer a chance to feel smarter still

Merry Xmas!

BB.

Quote from: jimmy2x on December 19, 2009, 05:50 PM
finally got around to making this curry tonight. thanks for an excellent recipe ub, tasted better i think than the one my wife got thursday from the local indians. was very moorish.

Stunning photo! Absolutely beautiful curry! I would be very proud of that one!