Quote from: emin-j on November 07, 2010, 03:28 PM
Ground Cardamom is also available if anyone's interested 

And cardamom seeds; you don't need to crack the pods yourself !

** Phil.

Quote from: Razor on November 06, 2010, 11:35 PM
Are you saying that, you've gone back to your starting point, and are happier with the results than your own development?

In a word, "yes", although as you will see from the notes to the pictures, I did allow experience to guide me rather than following Kris's ideas to the letter.  I think my real idea is that we all need to re-visit our own personal starting point from time to time, just because it is only too easy to forget how that starting point tasted.  A secondary point (but I suspect just as important) is this idea of "less is more" : I actually removed ingredients from Kris's recipe rather than adding to them (no garam masala, no tomato, and no added ground coriander : the last a personal addition that I incorporated soon after starting on her recipes), and I felt that the simpler dish that resulted was actually better than the more complex ones that I have been cooking of late.  And my wife agreed !

Quote from: haldi on November 07, 2010, 09:17 AM
I've got two versions of her Curry Secret.  Where does the red onion idea come from ?  Is that in one of the later versions ?

This is from Kris's first book, but I forget where I first read about the idea of using red onions, but I do remember it was emphasised : "2lb red onions (yes, red onions)", or words to that effect ...

** Phil (will comment on more recent posts later; just back from collecting Mother-in-law from hospital after a fall down stairs ...).

Kris Dhillon was my first BIR mentor, and her "Curry Secret" literally changed my life, but as time went by my confidence grew and eventually I started creating my own recipes and evolving my own methodology.  Now, after several years of experimentation,  I decided that it was time to go back to my roots and to re-create a basic Kris Dhillon dish (in this case, Chicken Madras), to see how it compared with my own recent offerings.  The following sequence of photographs illustrates the progression, starting with the basic cooking utensils and ending up at the finished curry.  Any deviations from Kris Dhillon's recipes or methodology are noted at the appropriate photograph.


And the end results ?  Far far better than I had anticipated.  This dish would not have disgraced the Taj of Kent.  My wife also agreed that this was noticeably better than my recent offerings, despite the fact that she had thoroughly enjoyed those when they were served.

Conclusions ?  "Less is more".  This is about as basic a BIR curry as you can get, yet it left nothing to be desired.  I have reserved two pieces of chicken in adequate sauce, and will repeat this dish substituting Bassar Curry Masala for the ground red chillies whilst making no other changes, then compare the two to see which I prefer (and ask my wife the same question).  Thereafter I will continue to make only one change per curry, and to keep a little of the previous best curry to evaluate, by comparison, whether the change is beneficial or retrograde.

** Phil.

Quote from: telecaster445 on November 05, 2010, 05:49 PMIs this a regional (South london) thing? In what context do members suggest their use (rice excluded)?

I lightly crush them and add them to most dishes (most dishes with a sauce, that is, not dry dishes such as tandoori chicken); but then I love them, and my wife hates them, so she always complains.  (She's Vietnamese/Chinese, so not used to our South London ways !).

Quote from: George on November 05, 2010, 05:19 PMIn
Those machines are built like tanks and should last 25-50 years apart from just one aspect which may need attention after, say 10-15 years, and that's the electronics which control the speed from slow to fast. On a slow speed, there can be more of a load/demand on the electronics than on a high speed. If you smell any burning, let alone see smoke on the lowest speed, let me know and I'll tell you more! Which model number is yours, exactly?

An interesting question : as there is no baseplate, I am not sure where to look.  But cross-referencing the only numbers I can find (MCD3 19328) suggests it is an A 707 A.

Quote from: George on November 05, 2010, 05:19 PMThe good news is that for liquidising using the top jug (not the main bowl) you normally use the highest speed. Be sure you do.

Ah.  I typically run it at 6 for liquidising, since any higher number does not increase the speed.  And of course for pastry I run it at 1 

Quote from: George on November 05, 2010, 05:19 PMAll being well, you could leave it on for many minutes without a problem. For blending, it will knock any hand held blender into a cocked hat. I might give it a break after 10 minutes but probably not less, unless it specifically states a time limit in the instruction book. Do you have one? I do, but I'll need to find it.

I thought I did, but I cannot find it -- it does not appear to be anywhere on the cookery bookshelves, and I cannot think where else it might be ...

Found it    All it needed was to change my glasses from +1.25 dioptre to +2.0 dioptre and it virtually leapt out at me ...

And in fact, the instructions say : "MOST IMPORTANT : When running the liquidiser the maximum time per run must not exceed three minutes with an interval of one minute between runs, otherwise the goblet and drive coupling may be damaged."

So my caution was, in fact, not ill-advised !

** Phil.

Quote from: George on November 05, 2010, 04:49 PMThat's a top rate, near-professional machine. I have one, too.

In that case, you may be able to advise me : KD recommends liquidising the onion/garlic/ginger/water mixture and the peeled plum tomatoes for two minutes : is this well within the Major's abilities, or is it safer to liquidise for (say) one minute, give things a chance to cool down, and then repeat the exercise ?

** Phil.

Quote from: George on November 05, 2010, 02:53 PMThat's not my finding. It doesn't taste salty, perhaps because it's given a good rinse. It just alters the texture.

Well, one man's "salty" is another man's "tasteless".  I don't regard my coffee as sweet, with two heaped coffee spoons of sugar crystals, but for anyone who normally drinks coffee without sugar, it would probably taste disgusting.  I personally find a great deal of modern food sadly lacking in salt (for which I blame John Major), and to compensate I probably add a great deal more than the manufacturers have taken out in the first place.

** Phil.

posted in error.

Quote from: Secret Santa on November 05, 2010, 02:42 PM
Blimey at

Quote from: George on November 05, 2010, 02:01 PM

Quote from: Chaa006 on November 05, 2010, 01:31 PMfrom a physics perspective there does need to be such a membrane for the osmosis to take place as you describe.

I doubt that very much. Do try it, rather than hypothesize. Just drop a chicken into a bucket full of water with lots (ascertain quantity) of salt added - no membrane required!

No hypothesising, George, just pure science. Osmosis can take place only when two solutions of differing concentrations are separated by a semi-permeable membrane; the solvent (water in this case) will then pass through the membrane from the less concentrated side to the more concentrated side, tending thereby to equalise the osmotic pressure acting on each side of the membrane.   But the membrane doesn't have to be a third party; it may well be that the skin of the bird acts as the membrane, or the flesh itself (which isn't, of course, homogeneous but rather highly differentiated).

And it may even be that osmosis isn't involved in the process under discussion at all; but if it is, there has  to be a semi-permeable membrane involved, otherwise it is not osmosis !

** Phil.