Looked like a regular domestic supply to me,what struck me though was that he used a cold pan,cold oil and then put into onto the stove.No flames at all from the pan, I guess you could compare the size of the gas flame to having the biggest ring on your domestic stove on full blast.

Just scoffed my takeaway(chicken madras,bombay aloo,veg rice,onion bhaji and keema naan).Recommended to go to a little takeaway in the middle of nowhere by a friend at work.The place wasn't much to look(sometimes I think they serve tastier food) but the bonus was the kitchen was completely open and you could see everything going on(unusually the kitchen staff didn't seem to mind at all)
  One guy cooked the curries while another dealt with the naan and onion bhajis.The madras was most interesting to watch.First he took a cold pan and put a spoonful of oil from a medium sized tin on the stove(I've seen these sort of tins before in kitchens).I looked closely and I'm pretty sure it was just pure plain oil,not spiced in any way.He then swirled it with a spoon and added what looked like ginger/garlic paste.He then added a pinch of dried green leaves(methi??),a dollop of what looked like curry paste,tomato puree and then some precooked chicken from a tub he had.Last was two spoonfuls of base sauce(this was simmering by the side in a large pot).He then put it to one side and let it boil away for about five minutes and added some fresh coriander.No flames,no special technique and from what I could see no secret ingredients.The resulting madras was very nice indeed,it looked so simple to make,surely the recipes on this site cannot be that far off from being identical to a real takeaway??
   Another thing that caught my eye was the jars of pataks pastes on the shelf(tikka,tandoori and kashmiri massala).Hate to say it but I've noticed them in most takeaway kitchens I've glimpsed in this area.I guess it's down to costs but I'm pretty sure most chefs these days simply don't bother making their own spice blends etc.(despite what they tell you!!)




   

Actually there is a recipe for CTM on page 152 at the end,not sure about one certain ingredient though!!!  I guess the proof will be in the eating!!1

Got it through the post this morning,it certainly is an interesting read.The guy has definitely saw the workings of a BIR kitchen.From what I've read so far no magical ingredients or techniques.He does however stress the need for using reused oil(from onion bhaji cooking etc) when making the base sauce(again no other magical ingredients).This is says is the key to achieving 'that' special taste....I'll keep on reading

Sadly no another false alarm I'm afraid.I emailed the guy again yesterday but he's just not responding to my emails.I don't know why,he seemed so keen when I spoke to him on the phone.He was charging ?30 for an hour's lesson,so it's not as if he's going to be out of pocket.Perhaps after I starting talking about base sauces and spice mixtures he had second thoughts about it all and realised he wasn't going to be able to pull the wool over my eyes.

No I was trying to arrange something for this week,I emailed him but I am still waiting for him to reply.I just hope I haven't scared him off!!

Quote from:  link=topic=4722.msg44835#msg44835 date=1276585590
Do you know which restaurant he works for? I think he lives in Stanford-le-hope which could mean he works in either Monty's Curry Centre or Bombay Nights. It would be good to try the restaurant version to compare with the home cooked one.

Just managed to find an internet cafe(I'm still on holiday in sunny Cromer in Norfolk and I'm probably not going to be back until Tues or Wed next week now...sorry...I'm trying to arrange a meeting with the guy now hopefully on one of these days).

Must add that this is the first time I have found an authentic Indian chef whose is willing to show me how to cook Bir meals.OK he might turn out to be not as good as he seems but who knows?  I have nothing to loose!!!!

' chriswg' what makes you thing he works in Monty's or Bombay Nights?? I haven't actually asked him yet. They are just round the corner from where I live,I have had loads of takeaways and sit-it meals from these two places so if he does work in one of them I will definitely know what to expect in taste etc.

Well it's definitely happening!!  I have just spoken to the guy,he seems quite an honest and genuine person.He works in a restaurant and tells me he is quite busy doing cookery lessons for people at home in his spare time.

I told him I am basically a curry addict,eating at least two sometimes three take-aways/sit in meals a week.I added that I have been going to the same local restaurant for about 20 years,and said that getting any recipes/info etc from the staff was like getting blood out of a stone.Most of the time I get a shrug of the shoulders and the comment 'Only the chef knows' or they tell me you simply cannot recreate restaurant standard curries at home.

He said you can definitely cook these same dishes at home using a base sauce,spice mixture etc.All it takes is a lot of preparation and a bit of practice.

I am on holiday this Friday for a week,so he is coming round to my house around the 21th June for a half hour session,basically he wants to go through exactly want I want to cook and to tell me exactly what ingredients I am going to need.He will start by demonstrating how to cook a base sauce,leave me to to have a couple of attempts on my own and then return and progress with the recipes I want to cook.It does sound very promising,I think he realises that I have done by homework already and hopefully he will tell me everything he knows.Like I said he does seem like an honest guy.

Watch this space!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone just an email back...

hi jason, thank you very much for your e-mail, could you kindly forward your contact number please so i can call and take 15 minutes of your time to respond to your questions. look forward to hearing from you
thank you

abdul

amohed

Off to work now but I will try and get in touch with him later on today.I guess he's been thrown a bit by me mentioning the fact that I know about base sauce....I'm just thinking about the questions he may ask,and also questions I am going to ask him(base sauce,spiced oil,high heat when cooking etc).I don't think I will mention the forum,I'm not sure whether it might perhaps scare him off.

ps Don't worry if it does happen(I really hope it does!!)there will be plenty of pictures and recipes!!

This is the message I have sent.....

Hello,I found your advert in this week's edition of the Yellow Advertiser.I live in Grays in Essex and am really interested in some Indian Restaurant cookery lessons.

Can you tell me what sort of recipes/techniques you are willing to show me???  I have tried many times to reproduce the sort of basic take-away/restaurant meals I enjoy but there is always something missing and my local take-away chef is unable or unwilling to me.

I know that restaurants use a basic base sauce that goes into almost every dish and I have a few recipes for this but I would love to get a real chef to show me exactly how it is done.Also how to make the basic curry house recipes,i.e madras,tikka massala,bombay aloo etc.

many thanks!!!!!!!!!