Quote from: fried on October 04, 2019, 05:15 PM
Never seen an Indian recipe asking for it.

I am not entirely certain which side of the border it is from but I was looking at a recipe for "Kashmiri Masala/ Spice Mix Recipe".

BAJ

Thanks to everybody for the responses.

Quote from: livo on October 01, 2019, 12:12 AM
Have you ever tried to grind or powder dried ginger?

I have a kitchen gadget that I use for wet and dry grinding (I got a separate dry grinder only for coffee beans as I think the flavours were sometimes crossing over even though I thought I had cleaned it well).  I have used both wet ginger root and ginger powder in it to make pastes and such but I have not tried grinding dried ginger root so I guess I will take your advice and leave it to 'industrial' grinders.

Quote from: chewytikka on October 01, 2019, 03:30 PM
Waste of time, unless you become a purest.
Galangal is an interesting root to explore, has a great flavour.

I wouldn't say purest but I have been 'down the rabbit hole' several times too many for no discernible (to me) benefit in taste/flavour but which have often required a lot more prep. time and in some cases expense.  Galangal - I will bear in mind as it sounds ideal for some stirfry's that I make (usually in summer months) which also gives me some time to see if I can find it locally.

Thanks again.
BAJ

Hi all,

I am always looking for new recipes and blends and today I found a recipe for an interesting Masala that I might be able to 'tweak' to my own preferences, once I have tried it several times of course.  The recipe calls for Fresh Turmeric, peeled, dry roasted and then powdered (along with all the other ingredients of course).

Now, I must have been living under a rock as I am totally familiar with ginger root but I have never seen Turmeric before and yet a quick search shows that it is widely available, even in some of the 'Big 4' supermarkets, so:

Q1.  Is this something you would bother with in any of your recipes or for pure convenience just use powdered?
Q2  Which would you recommend (a reason would be really helpful to me but not necessary)?

I look forward to your opinions, thanks in advance.
BAJ

My wife recently took over management, of a recently acquired contract for a primary school kitchen (5 yro - 11 yro), where the management were weak and not doing the job.

As part of that, the food must be prepared and delivered on time and to the agreed menu and for this, she must take mobile phone pictures of the food, every day, as presented... I am guessing that if there was any dispute of date and time then this would be available from the metadata of each photo.

The photo's are uploaded to the school but also kept for a while until they can be uploaded to the company database as well.

I understant your point Livo and rules is rules but if there are no children present, as in my wifes case, then the photo's should have been OK and maybe could have been agreed with the relevant staff?

I only mention this as it seems a shame that we cannot see all the hard work you went to and you have no record of it.

Regards,
BAJ

Hi Leeroydan,

I guess it depends which base you make and how long you let it simmer for.  If I am making Taz's, JB's or CA's base, I can get as many as 6 or 7 containers from a single pan (sometimes this is not quite enough when I come to make a serves-2 Jalfrezi or is a little too much if I make a serves-2 Chicken Tikka Masala or Madras).  Four days ago I made a Balti base with more water than in the recipe so I don't burn out my blender.  After letting it cool overnight, I blended it several times the following day and yesterday I simmered on a low heat for about 3 hours to reduce it back down.  When I got home late last night and could still smell it, I couldn't resist making a quick chicken balti.  Today I intend to make some more chicken and some meat Balti dishes and any left over base will be frozen in about the same quantity as I save for other bases.  I only expect to have a couple of portions left for the freezer.

I guess the answer is really, "save as much or as little as you intend to cook with".  I always tend to make curries in portions of 2/3 servings at a time but if you are only intending to make enough for 1, then portion it out so it is just enough base for each and as Mickyp says, make sure you have enough freezer space.

I hope that helps.
BAJ

Welcome Aboard Colin.

BAJ

Quote from: Peripatetic Phil on September 14, 2019, 06:36 PM
Maybe I'll try an Asda curry one day

I used to live near a large Morrisons, close enough to walk in the early evenings when food was being discounted heavily.  The 2 for's were ok.
I now live nearer to an Asda but not close enough to walk and without transport, it makes picking up the same bargins not quite so easy.  Asda's 2 for's tend to always have a Korma, which I bin.  If it contains a Jalfrezi or the separate trays of Jalfrezi are in the reduced to clear then I will pick them up (several if there are more than one) as they tend to be quite spicy (nothing like the ones you like from Morrisons though Phil) and the other curries are not much to write home about imo but I still prefer to make my own.

BAJ

Thanks for the responses everybody.

To answer your question CT, I was diagnosed with severe Hypertension (high blood pressure) over a decade ago and told to make changes to my diet that excluded as much salt and processed meat as possible.  A bacon sandwich that was once a 3 times a week breakfast in the work restaurant became a once only treat after several weeks, if I waivered.  Whilst that is now under control but as a consequence of the diet change, I am now twice the man I used to be (you will have maybe read how I try to stay away from oil and such).

After another assessment recently, I have now been given a 'diet sheet' which is basically a list of only the foods I can have.  I am sure you won't be surprised to hear that there is virtually no meat on it and even that is in such small amounts and prepared in the healthiest possible way, including having to buy some new kitchen gadgets and learning how to cook differently.

So whilst I didn't explicitly explain the link as there is a lot of media attention on obesity being linked to over indulgence in takeaway foods, I hope you can now see the reason for my post?

Thanks
BAJ.

I have personally been stuggling with serveral issues recently, Halal (stunned/non stunned), Pescatarian and recent articles on Veganism (related to climate change).

Whilst I greatly appreciate the consistency of meat (Family Sunday Roast would not be the same), I have to admit that I/we are moving more of our mid week meals to vegatables... Samosa, onion/mushroom bhaji/pakora, salad and raita, Home made Pizza and Pasta (not home made yet) dishes.  Most of which is mainly for cost based reasons.

Q: Whilst meat (except Lamb) seems to be becoming cheaper, have you moved to a more vegatarian diet by choice/unconsciously? Considered doing so?

I look forward to your insights.
BAJ

Response removed.

I now understand your comment although I presume it was a restaurant.

BAJ