CC, Thanks for making the video and for it being located right there in the post. I genuinely believe you should trust yourself to prepare a Garlic Ginger Paste you can add a little oil to it so it won't burn when making it and cook it along with your tomato paste first. When cooking you can also add a little water to protect it. I think you will find this will take your excellent results to another level again. I am also thinking just how much I could have learned quicker if when I first joined we could have had great videos like yours just placed directly in front of you when reading a post, thanks again.PP

Jerry. I tend to follow much if not all of your input here and genuinely value all I am learning from you just as I do with others too. I wondered whether it makes sense for you to post elsewhere your now definitive recipe or approach to pre cooked onion as this type of conclusion coming out over what can be a lengthy thread can get lost on all of us unless we are reading and remembering everything on the site. Just a thought. PP

I've been very busy but did get a copy of the book and two weeks ago made the base and the pastes together with the Bhuna Onion. I cooked a couple of dishes but can't say they came up to The Ashoka standards for my Glaswegian taste buds. The Bhuna Onion is OK if you can't be bothered with making the Bunjarra however they say life is to short to drink cheap wine it's certainly to short to waste cooking inferior curry other than to experiment or test other's suggestions. in this case once is enough though the Bhagi was reasonable IMHO. PP

Cheers VC and I do hear what George is saying. Is there not a decent compromise here? Is is it not the motive of most if not all of us to recreate BIR standard food and probably to put together a credible BIR meal. Surely actual BIR recipes that need a number of sauces and pastes should be kept together and also be broken up as per George's view, can we not simply do both in this type of case? PP

Thanks CA for taking the time to respond. I am really busy just now so starting from scratch to write it all up again is not that exciting especially as it would take one big long sitting. If I could be advised how I could do it over time ( I suspect this is easy to do but I am bit of a technophobe ) and then post it all in one go I would be up for updating it in light of the odd mistake made originally with ingredient quantities and other descriptive improvements. I might even be able to add a few more from the Hand book I was given. I would only want to redo it all if it was going into a dedicated reference section for single BIR or Chef sourced recipes, IE mini books. Any further comments or questions could be linked to another thread so as not to create the trouble you had before. all of this of course if the rest of the guys can see the merritt in it now and for the future when someone else gets a series of lessons or a site visit.

I am going to buy the book now that so many of you feel it might add value even if just for the Bhuna Onions which given my passion for Bunjarra makes sense. PP

Go for it VC I can't honestly say that my curry improved when I bought three of them from a Glasgow Asian store but my self esteem went up an notch with the sound and look of the exercise. When guests come I think they really appreciate it and when they taste my efforts I suspect they go up an notch too just by adding all the real drama including serving them in authentic bowls brought from the same store.

Haldi, I really appreciate you including The Ashoka posts in your best book list. For the record the recipes were not my interpretation of what I was shown in those two hours I had back stage but the actual recipes from the Groups Chef. He also gave me a copy of the actual Chef's handbook that is given to each one in the group so as to insure high and consistent standards. I don't have the privilege to share it all but if I did I would have the definitive direct from the Glasgow style BIR kitchen best seller. I have argued elsewhere that the entire Ashoka postings should be brought together here in one place as a " book " exclusive for our usage. They were posted in two goes just because of the time it took to type it all up, when they were all split up even I can't easily find them in order to follow the obvious logic. I would argue the same should be done for other direct from chef's postings so as to keep them together as mini books. Random recipes from our esteemed membership is a different thing altogether and kept as they currently are makes sense. We do a disservice to ourselves and especially for beginners when we divide the posts up IMHO. Personally I will order the new book too just because you can always learn something even if it is to only confirm you are already on the right track.PP

As you might expect Chaa, I stick to the real thing and freeze it in double portions for my wife and I. PP

Thanks Guys, you have inspired me to have a go with this bhaji approach rather than having my usual Pakora. I have finally followed Gazman and bought myself a dedicated Deep Fat Fryer I picked up for 12 quid in Sainsbury's last week. Has anybody cracked he excellent Yellow Dip that goes with Bhaji you can find in Brick Lane in London? PP

Razor, thanks for making the distinction and for posting your "cheats" version. I will have a go at it myself when I find myself in need of a curry but everything is in the freezer and I need a fix urgently. PP