Quote from: joshallen2k on March 22, 2008, 02:14 PM
Very impressed with these. 90% there. I do have question I'm hoping someone can answer. The "self-raising" flour I have (Iive in Canada) says "includes baking powder and salt" on the packaging. Is this the same as in the UK? I added the tsp of baking powder, and the outcome although delicious was a little brittle on the outside. Would reducing the additional baking powder help me with this?

J

I've just checked the flour I use
The only ingredient is "wheat Flour"
So it might be worth trying a naan mix without adding baking powder or salt

Hi Annam
         I am very curious about this onion fennel sauce that you spoke of
I have never come across this before
Is it made by frying the onions or boiling them?

As far as I know, all BIR's use one base for all dishes
I've seen it used in everything from a korma to a phall
No curry base sample I ever bought, was even slightly chillie hot
So I guess that Darths base is not a real curry base, although I'm sure it is very good for a madras

Hi Richard
                The coriander seeds are crushed with the back of a spoon in the takeaway
So that is definitely ok to do at home too

The fenugreek is dried fenugreek leaves

When you put the first ingredients i the pan you give just a general stir to mix things up a bit
Then it is left to simmer

The lid on the pan isn't tight fitting
I don't have a lid to any of my frying pans so I guess you have to improvise
In fact I have seen this done by another chef. using an upturned pan on top of the one cooking!!

This is a dryish curry
Fairly sweet & spicy
The sweetness is from the onions in their base
To be honest the similarities between this, and any another mild curry, is pretty startling.
There are obvious differences between curries, such as amounts of garlic and chillie
But I am starting to feel they are all, almost the same
Never the less it?s a magical experience, to see them cooked
I?ll never tire of that
I was hoping to see demos around their entire menu, but I am now questioning the wisdom of that
I have favourites that I would rather buy

I talked to the chef about whether a domestic cooker could produce a similar resulting curry as the one being cooked..
He said definitely yes
To prove his point he cooked this Bhuna curry on a low gas setting
It tasted brilliant
So I think if our curries don?t taste right, then we have to look elsewhere for a solution

I was asked if I wanted salad with my curry
I said yes, and the side chef sliced some iceburg lettuce ,tomato, lemon and red cabbage
He put it all in a small freezer bag for me
That?s the first time I have seen red cabbage in a takeaway before
Has anyone else had it in anything?

We discussed making naans too
I?ve always followed Paul Cleary?s recipes which are on this site somewhere (his username was Pacman)
This takeaway has an almost identical recipe, but also adds a little yoghurt to the dough.
I don?t know what difference that would make, but I?ll try that

So, I?m sorry if this seems really similar to any other curries I have posted, but this is how it was cooked:-


Vegetable Bhuna


1 desertspoon finely sliced peppers
1 desertspoon finely sliced onions
2 desertspoons veg oil from deep pan fryer
1 teaspoon garlic ginger puree
1 and a half dessertspoons of tomato puree (white tower brand)
1 rounded desertspoon of spice mix
1 ladle of curry gravy
half a teaspoon of crushed coriander seeds
1 teraspoon fenugreek
1 sliced fresh mushroom
1 desertspoon peas
1 fresh tomato quartered
1 portion precooked veg
1 teaspoon fresh chopped coriander leaves

Heat the oil for a minute then add
Garlic ginger,peppers,onion,tomato puree,spice mix & half a ladle of curry gravy
The curry gravy should cover the base of the pan, which is about 9 inches wide
Cook on fairly low for about five minutes
It smells absolutely gorgeous
Then add tomato, peas,  mushroom & precooked veg
Stir for a minute then put a lid on the pan
Leave the pan for five more minutes
Stir thoroughly then add the rest of the curry gravy, crushed coriander seeds and fenugreek leaves
Cook on for five minutes more then scrape into a carton
Add the fresh coriander and eat!!!

Thanks Sns
That explains why any recipe using fried pureed raw onions, tastes so bitter
I have a Pat Chapman recipe using it (I think it was CTM from his first restaurant cookbook)
I thought I did something wrong, but I guess the recipe could never have gone right

Quote from: Domi on March 04, 2008, 04:09 PM
Adding a little salt to your chopped onion will also cut down on the bitterness as it releases the natural sugars.

Hi Domi
        I noticed how salt affected the sweetness of a base I was cooking
It was one of those "experimental curry base days"
The second base version I made that day,used double the salt
It didn't turn out saltier, just loads sweeter
It does seem strange, doesn't it?

I've had Bombay Aloo, as a side dish, where it totally stole the show
The sauce was the best
I thought at first it was panch poran that gave it the extra something
I've still got a big bag of the stuff
Please post any success
I look forward to it

I've always wanted the real thing too
I got given a pan by a chef, but it wasn't like the ones he used
So well done Gary
Tell us, if they make a difference!!

I grew some fenugreek sprouts a few years back
Dead easy to grow as well, they were used in a mixed salad
There was a bit of a side effect though
They make you have an body smell of curry
It was really strong
It's not like garlic, it is more like curry powder

Quote from: Secret Santa on February 16, 2008, 06:54 PM
This one was bothering me so I finally managed to find out what this Tawa is, although I still can't help with a recipe!

Hi SS
     This Tawa is what I know as a Tava
It's used to cook chapattis on
I've bought one from an Asian shop
(this doesn't help with the recipe either)