Quote from: Phil [Chaa006] on April 10, 2013, 11:48 PMSpicey, I have been using panch phoran for a considerable time, and have never used it or even encountered it, in ground form, nor have I previously seen any suggestion it should be used that way; in what dishes would you use it ground rather than whole ?

Phil

Panch Phoran is simply a name given to a five spice mix, generally brown mustard seeds, kalonji, cumin, fennel and fenugreek it can be used in whole spice form (as you've been using) at the start of the dish or in ground form either as part of a masala to be fried at the beginning or later in the dish.

It's quite similar to Garam Masala in this sense, which can also be used in whole spice form (bay leaves, green cardamons, cassia, cloves and peppercorns) or as a ground mix.

There are no real hard and fast rules for using spices in cookery as after all we're only extracting the spice essential oils as flavouring components and these can come from spices in ground or whole form.

What you do and how you do it is entirely up to the individual, that's the beauty of Indian cookery.

Quote from: goncalo on April 10, 2013, 04:02 PM
Thanks for the lengthy reply spicey! I have already seen your methi aloo recipe, so the next thing is to give it a try. I finally found a way to order 10kg bags of maris pipers, but I've still fairly large supply by now.

Let me know how you get on with the Aloo Methi and I'm glad to hear you were able to source some Maris Piper Potatoes, I think you'll notice the difference in flavour and texture when cooking with them. Just make sure you store them in a nice cool, dark, dry place.

Quote from: goncalo on April 10, 2013, 04:02 PMCould you just clarify why you recommended reducing the amount of kalonji? I think I used some of these in my naan dough and I did enjoy their taste, I could feel typical naan taste when adding them to the dough. So far I've been using east end panch phoron and it's decent, but I agree, it does tend towards the bitterness a little.

I think Chonk is assuming that you're mixing and grinding your own Panch Phoran from whole seeds, hence his suggestion that you might want to reduce the Kalonji and Fenugreek seeds in the mix. But it seems from what you've said here that you're using pre-ground East End brand Panch Phoran, so I can see why you might be confused at his suggestion of reducing the Kalonji seed component.

I would strongly endorse and support Chonk's suggestion of perhaps considering grinding your own Panch Phoran from whole seeds as you can then have full control over the resulting mixture of flavours.

I'm sure Chonk or myself can give you a Panch Phoran seed mixture starting point.

Crikey, we're all cooking and showing our dinners tonight!

Very nice looking dish, juicy chunks of chicken and nice textured sauce flecked with green coriander and peppers.

Very appetising, I'd eat it

Quote from: curryhell on April 10, 2013, 08:54 PM
I'd definitely eat that lot for supper and would even give the okra a go since it was fresh . Like brinjal, I think that one is an acquired taste  :

Thanks CH!

A I mentioned I was in quite a large Sainsbury's today and as I don't go in there often, they have quite a good vegetable section and I noticed the Okra's looked quite young and tender, so I thought I'd give them a go. As you say Okra is an acquired taste, but I quite like their taste and texture and I think with the sweetness of the onions the dish turned out better than I expected.

I also had a browse of Sainsbury's ethnic section and noticed they had some quite large jars of Nishan garlic puree and ginger puree for GBP1.39 which I though was a pretty good deal, so I bought a jar each of those, not tried them yet. E2A Picture shown, 240g jars.

I also noticed they had some pretty good prices on some Rajah spices, 100g whole cumin for about 89p and 100g of Rajah Paprika for about the same.

Well worth checking out if anyone is after some Rajah spices although they only had a limited selection.

Quote from: Gav Iscon on April 10, 2013, 08:33 PMI've had Vindaloo a few times in the past in various places and I have to say this was the best one yet. I'm sitting here still feeling that lovely chilli warmth I get after a good curry

And yet another person on this forum reporting that what they cook at home easily matches or beats equivalent dishes eaten in restaurants.

No more evidence required in my opinion that all you need to produce restaurant comparable, very enjoyable dishes at home in your own kitchen is all contained on this forum.

And the Vindaloo looks excellent and very appetising indeed!

I'd happily eat it

Quote from: fried on April 10, 2013, 08:11 PMAt the time I lived in a flat with a roof just below the front windows and I used to give scraps to a crow that visited. I left a bit of the beef for him and I didn't see him again. It was more vindaloo strength, hope he was O.K.

Oh dear, poor Crow!

I find that most red meats like lamb and beef need a fair amount of pre-cooking to tenderness particularly as you say on the cheaper cuts. I like mine falling apart, so frequently pre-cook them for anything between 1-2 hours and it's best to test a piece for tenderness rather than simply relying on timing. Just fish a piece out and see if it breaks apart when pushed with a spoon, if it does it's done, if it doesn't cook it some more.

Also, don't be afraid of using meat with fat on it or fat marbling, obviously cut away any large pieces of fat, but the fat marbling will break down separating the muscle fibres and adding to flavour. It's the fats in beef and lamb that add so much to its flavour. You can always scoop off any fat or oil if it produces too much, but bear in mind that's where a lot of the flavour is.

I've pretty much stopped using chicken breast chunks or very lean beef or lamb as I find they dry out too easily, get tough and lack flavour.

Quote from: PaulP on April 06, 2013, 12:52 PM
Here are a few links:

Paul thank you for following up with those links.

I've read some of them and they contain interesting information. I'm not sure I agree with everything they say, but I don't disagree with them either. I think they provide a very good start point for further investigation.

At the end of the day people have to believe what they want to believe as there is so much conflicting information out there.

The bottom line as usual is that all fats are not particularly healthy for you particularly in the kind of quantities your average person consumes and should be consumed as part of a healthy varied diet.

Quote from: fried on April 10, 2013, 07:15 PM
I might have to give that a try. I still have nightmares about the last beef balti I cooked

Why, what went wrong with it?

Quote from: fried on April 10, 2013, 07:05 PM
I haven't used beef in a curry for a long time. Do you pre-cook it and if so, how?

Hi Fried

I did pre-cook it although it was already cooked! It was some leftover beef from Sunday lunch, which I just simmered in the base sauce I was going to use for about an hour, just to make it a little more tender as I can't stand beef that's hard and chewy.

It worked because it was lovely and tender.

Quote from: Phil [Chaa006] on April 10, 2013, 07:02 PM
Looks quite nice, Spicey :  I think I could manage to eat that !

Thanks Phil, I enjoyed eating it!

I thought it was perhaps time I showed a little of what I cook and eat rather than just talking about it.

I know everyone likes pictures.

I particularly liked the Okra dish as that's not a vegetable I cook very often, but I saw some fresh in Sainsbury's and thought I'd give it a whirl. I'll definitely be cooking that again.