Has anyone tried the following:

Made 3 identical curries using same ingredients, technique etc but with one difference : the mixed powder?

Was there a noticeable difference ?

Stu-pot

Hi LC

I'm very interested to know what base & mixed powder you've chosen to work with?

I'm finding that my curries have a familiar taste, at first I thought it maybe because the base is the same for each dish so I went thru a process of elimination using different bases.  I discovered the base gives the finished curry a depth of flavour(s) but the 'familiar taste was still there! So it must be the 'mixed powder'

My next couple of weeks will be taken up with "mix powder".

Stu-pot

Hi Mike

If it's any help I use KTC Butter Ghee because I love the taste of butter and IMO KTC is the only one that tastes like butter.  I just use it towards the end to achieve a really nice flavour and to get a good glossy look.
Some years ago I purchased 5 or 6 tins of Ghee, all different, lined them up on kitchen side, opened them up, smelt each one and then tasted each one and finally heated them up and tried them all again just in case there is any change etc but there wasn't and KTC WON HANDS DOWN.

That experiment cost me

So much great looking food on here!    Defrosted Chilli for me too...

Is it possible to over cook your Base?   

After 3 weeks of making a Base almost every day I can answer my own question: Not really!

I've discovered that there is not a bad base, just a different base. 

My problem was that I don't really like the taste & aroma of base.  So when I was using the base in my curries, I seemed to try and disguise its flavour by upping the quantities of other ingredients durring the cook.  Big error! 

Anyhow, my latest Bach is Mick Crawfords Vol 2.  It's full of flavour and works very well with Jhal Frazi.

I can now move onwards and upwards...  I figure I need 4 or 5 different 'mixed powder" recipes...  I can feel another thread coming on...

Quote from: Sverige on April 18, 2015, 03:35 PM
Beautiful stuff Robin and Chewy. Nice one!

AGREED - Fantastic looking food...  Lovin this thread!

Quote from: Naga on April 18, 2015, 07:52 AM
Nice looking curry there, Stu. I must confess that, when I scrolled the first photo up, I thought the yellow pepper at the top left-of-centre was an egg yolk, such is the vibrancy of the colours!

Ha yeah... After I took the photo last night, on the first view back I had to take a double glance as well...

Cheers mate

Stu

Hi LC.  Yeah I should have posted on Photos...  Next time.

It's Chewy's Jhal Frezi.   I've cooked this dish many times recently and now very happy with the flavour etc...  It all seems to be down to quantities & technic.

I'm absolutely lovin making this dish.  I add a little extra water to the GG & Green chilli and Coriander paste and get flames 4 feet tall without burning the ingredients.

Flames, Chef spoon, Ali pan, noise and an excellent curry at the end of it.   All sure signs of POSEUR !

Jhal Frezi... 

Quote from: Secret Santa on April 14, 2015, 11:30 PM

Quote from: bamble1976 on April 14, 2015, 10:29 PM
I am a firm believer that the base ahs to be cooked for as long as it tastes for the natural sweetness to develop. This normally takes at least 1-2 hours for me.

Exactly. It takes as long as it takes and will vary with type of onion. Personally I find that three hours, on average, does the job.

Depends on what other junk you've lobbed in with the onions as well though. Any acidifying component added early will kill the sweetening process...toms are a prime example which is why many bases add them later on.

Excellent information... Hadn't thought acidic veg could ruin the sweetening process !!   I'm now sure this is a big part of what's wrong with my base. 

After travelling India many times and going into their homes over there and here in UK, I can say with certainty "they throw away NOTHING" everything is used.  So is it possible the "other junk lobbed in with the onions" was started years ago to prevent waste and improve nutrition?
When the other vegetables are added, it is my opinion the gorgeous, sweet taste of the onion gravy is lost! Which leads to my next question: Do they then add curry powder etc to improve the taste?  I'm sure they do!