Quote from: UncleBuck on May 17, 2008, 07:34 AM
;D YUM YUM  ;D

really enjoyed this one last night, this is probably closer to the kushi recipe then Stews but all the same its a knockout!. im going to regret those whole chili's today mind! 

You know, that really looks authentic
A lot of Homemades end up too red
That looks absolutely brilliant
I want to try this one

Sounds good Stew.
Please tell how the second try turns out

Quote from: George on May 10, 2008, 11:20 AM
has anyone actually tried them and made fair comparisons?

Regards
George

I made the melting base
The curry I used with it, tasted pretty good
But I also froze some, and it totally ruined
A lot of the RCR recipes use a liquid stock
And, in my opinion, this is too strong a flavour
Everything ends up tasting of it
A bit like that "Ahkni" stock Pat Chapman wrote about

Quote from: Derek Dansak on May 08, 2008, 12:37 PM
but he said he used 'soak' or 'sote' or something very similar sounding to that

I reckon that could be "salt"
I don't understand the science, but up to a point, salt brings out the sweetness in cooked onions

Quote from: smokenspices on May 09, 2008, 10:13 PM
the original recipe clearly says it cannot be reduced in volume (which I find a bit weird anyway).

I have experimented with large quantity bases versus a scaled down version.
There were two main differences I noted, but not where I expected to find them
Firstly the chilli heat reduced drastically
Despite using a very hot spice mix, the base had little heat
Secondly, the sweetness increased
I found this was directly proportionate to the salt (yes, salt) used
More salt = more sweet
Perhaps the results I got were also related to the length of time needed to cook the base
The base was cooked for three and a half hours, then left to stand overnight before pureeing

Quote from: Chris303 on April 19, 2008, 12:53 PM
Chicken stock idea is nonsense. They are unlikely to make seperate vegetarian bases.

I have seen the base made at four places
There was no chicken stock used
Some places do use it (see Mark J's base post) but the base is not a consistant recipe
Green peppers & carrots are variables too

The chicken arrives, at takeaways, in two forms:-
Breast and "on the bone" drumsticks
It is never frozen and is halal meat

So there is no boiling carcasses at these places
I think that was old style
1990's and previous
I have been given recipes where it is used (see chicken jelly)
Do you remember those places that would cook you a whole tandoori chicken but you needed to give them 24 hours notice?
Nowhere, round here, does that now
That was the 80's and 90's
I reckon they were using a lot of chicken stock then

All the same, I think Currytester's recipes might still turn up trumps
I'm keen to hear his results
I hope he posts soon

Quote from: currytester on April 18, 2008, 06:17 PM
So my point is this - step 1 make a soup that you wouldnt mind eating on its own without the garlic and ginger and spices - if it tastes good now then the curry stands a good chance of tasting good.

You have certainly started a lively debate!!
But this quoted point, is extremely valid
The best curry house round here makes a gravy to die for
I can't make it, although I know all the ingredients
It's really simple too
Basically:- Onions, oil,salt & spice
However I would point out that there is no canned or packeted soup that has anything like this flavour either.
Attaining this flavour is the goal for many people on this site

This recipe certainly has a lot of spices
Can you pick out the individual flavours when you eat it?
Or does it just give a general spicy taste?

Quote from: JerryM on April 03, 2008, 08:19 AM
do you have any info on the spice mix - what i'm searching for is there 1 mix for balti and 1 for the rest or is it the patak's paste that changes the taste to balti (must admit not a fan of patak?s for sure).

Hi Jerry
         They always use the same spice mix, no matter what curry they are making.
The balti paste does add a lot to the final taste
I have seen only three pastes used in takeaways
Only once were they not Pataks
The pastes are Kashmiri Masala, Tandoori Paste & Tikka Paste
All three are used when making tandoori marinade but occasionally they add one individually to a meal
For the balti recipe you should be able to get pretty close using the Saffron base and a restaurant spice mix ratio of half cummin,1 coriander,1 paprika,1 madras curry powder and 1 turmeric

Quote from: JerryM on April 03, 2008, 08:19 AM
i have read in another post about kashmiri basaar (which u inputted to, topic 2421) and was thinking this is the sort of basic conversion factor for balti. i have seen it on the shelf locally but no info on the pack.

This Kashmiri Basaar is used at a different takeaway
It is their main spice mix
Using it creates a unique flavour, which I cannot duplicate at home.
Goodness know how they achieve it
All their recipes are incredibly simple
That's what is so puzzling
Some are little more than heated curry gravy and tomato puree
I don't think it would give a balti flavour, but I have never tried that.
It's a very strong and hot flavour

Quote from: JerryM on April 01, 2008, 07:49 AM
Haldi,

is there supposed to be a picture or video with this post.

Quotethen add
Garlic ginger,peppers,onion,tomato puree,spice mix,chilli powder & half a ladle of curry gravy

are these added all at one go or is there a time gap between adding each.

Hi Jerry
         No, there is no video
This was a meal I saw prepared,at a particularly friendly takeaway
They always invite me into the kitchen, and this was the curry I bought

All those first ingredients are added, as quick as possible, together