[quote author=Cory Ander link=topic=2358.msg20598#msg20598 date=1202382139
Sorry Haldi, I'm a little bit confused (what's new!  )
Are you saying that (unless they add it straight after blending, in which case it may still be warm) they add cold curry base to their curries?
[/quote]
At this particular place they make up a base with about twenty onions plus all the other ingredients (pepper,tomatoes etc)
When it's cooked they puree it straight away and it sits on the stove unheated
They take the gravy as and when required
They don't reboil after pureeing to get the oil
They use oil from the deep pan fryer

Quote from: Cory Ander link=topic=2358.msg20533#msg20533 date=1202255131
Thereafter, I suppose it will be left simmering, whereupon the oil will begin to separate, and the base darken, anyway?
/quote]
In all the times I have been in takeaways, I have never seen the curry gravy on a simmer after it's been cooked
Anyone else seen it?

This could get quite complicated couldn't it
Your curry recipes should link through to the base that goes with it (if there is one)
If there is no reciped base, then maybe a recommended one could be provided
I'm not totally sure which is the most "up to date" version of your demo base

I wasn't totally sure where to post this, so please move if appropriate
A lot a people have said that potatoes are precooked by simply boiling them with turmeric and salt
Well maybe some places do that, but at all the recent places I have seen, they pull out a lidded plastic tub of them, and they are swimming in a red oil.
When I was out the other night, I saw them being prepared
The reason they are cooked separate to the veg is because they are used in other recipes such as vindaloo & bombay potato
Anyhow here it is:-

Pre Cooked Potatoes

A chefs spoon is about four dessertspoons

Heat about an inch of veg oil in a large pot (about 9 inch wide)
Add half a chef spoon of garlic ginger puree and cook for about five minutes on fairly low gas
Add 1 chef spoon of tomato puree, 1 chef spoon spice mix, 1 desertspoon salt, ten green cardamons and stir into the oil
Let it all sizzle for another five minutes
Add about ten medium sized ?chopped into four pieces? potatoes
Stir and coat with the oil
No water is added
Now put the lid on the pot and check every ten minutes or so and stir
In about forty minutes they will be done
Remember they need to be a little undercooked

Thanks Gary
           Your recipe looks a bit classier than mine
Mine is basically fried tomato puree with chilli powder
I'm getting a long list of recipes to try and this is on it
It's brilliant in the kitchens isn't it?
How's their English?
The people I know are really nice, but it's very difficult to talk
I just smile a lot
So do they, actually
I think I'm the entertainment

Hi CA
     In response to your questions I think:-

Your deep pan fryer must be set too high a temperature
They cooked me some onion bhajees, and they took about ten minutes
So their heat must be relatively low, because that's a really long time

For the chef spoon question, see the top of the recipe
I've got one myself which I use for stirring my curries

As for how much curry gravy
That's really quite hard to judge
They are using a pan about 9 inches wide and they add enough curry gravy to just cover the base of the pan (omelette thick)
They add more later on too
I reckon about 200 ml
The curry ends up with the vegetables above the sauce
Not covered in it

As for the aroma, I think it's a combination of all you mentioned
But perhaps the most important thing is the spice mixture
I think the curry powder part of the spice mix could be basaar

I saw a Phall cooked last night too
When I've got more time I'll have to compare our recipes
Mine was flipping hot
When you see the ingredients, it's not surprising
Here's mine

Chicken Phall

A chef?s spoon is about a 4 desertspoon quantity

2 desertspoon of oil (from deep pan fryer)
Three quarters  chefs spoon of tomato puree
Half chefs spoon of spice mix
Three Quarters chefs spoon of chilli powder (yes, are we mad?)
1 teaspoon garlic/ginger fresh made but stodgy consistency
Precooked chicken
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chopped coriander
Curry Gravy
A good splash of water

Heat the oil and add garlic/ginger, tomato puree, spice mix, & chilli powder
Stir fry this to a dry paste for about three minutes
Than add enough water to cover the base of the pan
Mix this all in and you get a lovely red looking sauce
Stir fry for about five minutes than add a ladle of curry gravy & precooked chicken
Stir for another minute than transfer to low gas and leave for about ten minutes
Add a lttle more curry gravy and stir
Scrape into a carton and add a sprinkling of chopped coriander

I saw this cooked tonight

Vegetable Dopiaza

A chef?s spoon is about a 4 desertspoon quantity

3 large chunks of green pepper
A third of an onion chunky chopped
Half chefs spoon of tomato puree
Half chefs spoon of spice mix
1 teaspoon garlic/ginger fresh made but stodgy consistency
Precooked veg (cauliflower,cabbage,beans,carrots)
A few sliced mushrooms
1 desertspoon peas
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh chopped coriander
Curry Gravy
A little extra oil
Half a teaspoon of mixed whole cumin and coriander seeds

Deep fry the onion and pepper for a couple of minutes until there are brown edges on the onion
Transfer to a pan then add the garlic/ginger, tomato puree & spice mix
Stir fry this on a medium heat for about four minutes
This is using the oil already on the deep fried onion/peppers, but it is a very dry frying mixture

(Although they are using these ultra powerful cookers, I notice that nothing ever seems to burn
It?s all done in a very lazy way
If I cook like this at home things DO  burn
So I have recently turned things right down)

Add enough curry gravy to just cover the base of the pan, stir and cook on a couple more minutes
Add the precooked vegetables, mushrooms, peas, a little more curry gravy, a desertspoon more oil then put a lid on the pan and transfer to a low gas ring for about ten minutes
Stir and add the dried fenugreek
Cook another couple of minutes and transfer to a carton
Sprinkle the fresh coriander on top and something NEW
Take the cumin/coriander seeds and crush them between your palms onto the curry

This curry was, once again, absolutely excellent
Amazing aroma, with a full spicy taste

Hi CA
The curry gravy was just finished being cooked
They pureed it and used it straight away
They don't separate out the oil at this place
There are so many variations on recipes aren't there?
However,this particular place uses the usual ingredients in the base
No surprises
Onion, green pepper,canned tomatoes,tomato puree,garlic/ginger,salt,spice mix,water and oil
It's a really good "exactly what you'd expect" place

In fact I have had two fairly recent, first hand experiences of curry gravies being made
Neither of the curry houses (where I saw them) exist now
I didn't post because I felt it was, very much told, in confidence
Also, some of the staff are young and use the internet
I thought if my posts were seen then I wouldn't be shown any more, too
To be honest, I think that the Saffron base is "the" one and posting more might confuse people with too much choice

You also have the problem, that my recipes are for a LARGE amount of gravy

Quote from: Cory Ander on February 04, 2008, 07:55 AM

Quote from: haldi on February 03, 2008, 08:23 PM
It goes a creamy colour when blended

Isn't that always the case Haldi?  Isn't that why many curry base recipes specify re-simmering the curry base for a while (after blending), whereupon it darkens and the oil separates?

Yes, you are right
But this one seemed to be an extra light colour
I was in in a takeaway kitchen, about a month ago, and they didn't even bother to reboil after the blending
I thought, at first, that they had a base with cream in