Quote from: Razor on October 24, 2010, 11:17 PMIf they're frozen, that would be ok but i wouldn't like to use them that you can get in jars.  They're either in a brine or some sort of oil. 

Looking at the Waitrose site (http://www.waitrosedeliver.com/wdeliver/servlet/JSPs/shop/display_ind_fs.jsp?line_number=659896&prrfnbr=308071), it seems as if they are not preserved in anything, so may be worth a try.

** Phil.

Further to my report on preparing pulao rice using Dave Loyden's method :

Quote from: Chaa006 on October 23, 2010, 09:04 PMJust cooked Dave Loyden's pulao rice from Undercover Curry ...

I have just received feedback from Dave in which he confirms that my estimate of the amount of milk to be used was about right.  Dave writes : "You've done exactly what I would've done with the milk content of your rice. It's not essential to use milk but especially when its combined with the addition of some ground almonds or cashews, it gives a lovely flavour that I find hard to describe  but I'm sure you will see what I mean when you taste it."

** Phil.

Quote from: haldi on October 25, 2010, 08:10 AMMy poor old tandoor, is starting to show signs of age.  It's got a crack running up the inside wall. 
It's only five years old

But you have a tandoor : how many of us can say that, I wonder !?

Quote from: Razor on October 24, 2010, 10:57 PMI'm tempted to give this a go, just wished they'd have said that you don't need to bother peeling the garlic either ;D  There must have been at least 100 cloves in that bowl

I'm pretty sure you can buy them ready-peeled in oriental cash-and-carries such as See Woo or Hoo Hing, but I'm less certain how they are preserved; a quick check also reveals that Waitrose carry them, but in domestic rather than catering quantities.

** Phil.

Quote from: Razor on October 24, 2010, 10:33 PM
I post this because when I blend my own garlic and ginger, after a few hours or so, it takes on a greenish colour.  It's really off putting and I end up throwing it away.  Now these ladies suggest that this GG paste stays white and can be kept in the fridge for upto 2 months.

I don't know the video, Ray, although I think I have seen at least one of the presenters elsewhere, but two things come out as potentially significant : (1) the drying of the ginger; (2) the heating and cooling of the oil.  Have you used either or both of these techniques ?

** Phil.

Quote from: Razor on October 24, 2010, 10:39 PMRooster's for me make the best roasties without a shadow of doubt.  crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.

Ray

Seconded !

Interesting (both replies, that is).  I really can't see bone-in/bone-out making the sort of difference that I am used to (Tandoori with a much deeper flavour, tikka mild and delicate), but regional variations are certainly a possibility.  I cut my teeth on Tandoori Chicken in the Agra, Whitfield Street (London), but have no recollection of ever trying Chicken Tikka there; now in Kent, I often have Chicken Tikka as a starter, or Tandoori Chicken as a main course, and I can think of nowhere decent around here where the two are the same.  I also use two different marinades when I make them myself, with the tikka marinade containing curd, chilli, curry masala, ginger, garlic, salt, sugar, oil and colouring whilst the tandoori marinade contains in addition black cumin, garam masala  and sherry vinegar (the quantities and ratios vary as well).

Ray : yes, lamb tikka probably needs a fuller marinade than chicken, so I could imagine the full tandoori marinade being used for that.

** Phil.

Quote from: Secret Santa on October 24, 2010, 10:03 PM
I'm surprised at the recommendation of Rooster potatoes. The only pack I ever bought was from LIDL and I tried to boil them to make mashed potato. The damned things completely disintegrated in the water, I'd never had a disaster like it before or since!

Perhaps I got a duff batch?   

I think you must have done, Santa (although Lidl seem to have discontinued stocking Roosters of late).  Since discovering them a few years ago, my wife and I have used them in preference to virtually everything, including King Edwards by which I swore until then.  Roosters really do seem to be the best yet "one potato does all", and they have an ever better flavour than KE.  We roast them, boil them, mash them, make Bratkartoffeln from them, and even use them for chips if we run out of ready-made (cut into slices, parboil slices, cut into chips and flash-fry at 190C).

** Phil.

Very helpful information, Ifindforu : thank you.  My last attempt at Chicken Tikka used Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi's recipe/methodology, but I was not very impressed with the results; I had had more success on previous occasions using a modified Kris Dhillon recipe (a part of the problem with the CHSS version may have been that I forgot to adjust for the difference in the size of American and British tablespoons).  But would you agree with me that the marinade for Chicken Tikka is quite different to the marinade for Tandoori Chicken ?  I ask because I am amazed at the number of places in which I find it stated that the same marinade is used for both, yet to me the two dishes taste as different as chalk and cheese.

** Phil.

Quote from: currycouncil.com on October 24, 2010, 04:50 PMHi, Which is the best type of potato to put in a curry?

For BIR curries, maybe Roosters ?  We used those last night, and they seemed fine.  You need a waxy rather than a floury potato so that it doesn't break up, and Roosters straddle the waxy/floury divide.  For Thai curries, little new potatoes are excellent, but they need to be large enough to peel.