Quote from: RubyDoo on January 25, 2013, 03:28 PM
Gagomes. I think you are better off grinding your own cardamon. It is a pain but worth it. Seems like the commercial powdered stuff is ground seeds and pod so you get all the crap as well. Do it yourself and you just grind the seeds. Suggest krupps spice mill or similar to do this.

Oh, bummer. Speaking of which, I often tend to forget/miss the pods and cloves in my pilau rice, does anyone use a net/tea bags to prevent them hiding around the rice?

Quote from: pauly58 on January 25, 2013, 12:43 PM
Not being able to find them here in Ireland, I bought some off a supplier on ebay.

Not wanting to run out , planted some seeds last year, they grow like weeds. Grew them on the windowsill, I froze loads that I couldn't use up.

They add a lovely flavour without much heat to any curry.

Oh, how ya pauly58! It's good to find a local! What part of Ireland are you in?

I looked around for indian cooker courses, and I came across this bio of a tutor named Atul Kochhar at the Dublin Cookery School.

QuoteAtul was the first chef to achieve a Michelin star award for Indian food while working as head chef at ?Tamarind? in London. He went on to open his own restaurant, ?Benares? of London, which also won Michelin star status along with many other awards. He has since opened a second restaurant just outside London and has most recently opened his first restaurant in Ireland ? ?Ananda? in Dundrum ? to great critical acclaim. Atul is well known to followers of TV cookery programmes such as ?Saturday Kitchen? and ?The Great British Menu?.  He writes on Indian cookery and returns to India regularly, leaving him very little time to teach, but he continues to make Lynda Booth's Dublin Cookery School a regular part of his teaching schedule.

Has anyone ever heard of him or his london-based restaurants? I've never heard about his restaurant Ananda in dundrum, but I don't generally visit dundrum, which is at the south end of Dublin and not really in the way to anything or anywhere I go.

I also came across this one on gumtree:

QuoteHow it works?
1. You can choose from the list of menus from our menu list.
2. option 1: We will do shopping for you and come to your place to teach you cooking ? The rest of the ingredients you can try cooking on your own for 3 ? 4 times option 2: You can come and pick me from my place and I will bring you to the Indian shop and we will do shopping ? it will be a great experience
3. Once we cooked you can serve for 5 to 6 people its better you can invite your friends for dinner. If you are couples invite your friends ? sure it will be a great session for you. Glass for wine will make it even better.
4. For this service we don?t have any specific charges. Cooking is my passion. After tasting the food any cash rewards will be accepted. ?call now ?

Quote from: RubyDoo on January 25, 2013, 12:00 PM

Quote from: gagomes on January 25, 2013, 11:48 AM
No delivery outside UK. I've pm'ed the seller requesting an exception

Ah.. I did wonder as I typed it. Best you send question tomthe other one then and ask for the info before deciding.  If you get really stuck and want the others then I am happy to order for you and forward but this may cost more in the long run. Let me know Pm etc

Truly appreciated RubyDoo! will try not to bother anyone for the moment, but I will definitely request your help if I do! ;-)

Thanks Salvador. I bought green ones, but they definitely don't look similar, but oh well.

No delivery outside UK. I've pm'ed the seller requesting an exception

Quote from: RubyDoo on January 25, 2013, 11:27 AM

Quote from: gagomes on January 25, 2013, 11:18 AM
Would these be any good?

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/6-METAL-SKEWER-WOODEN-HANDLE-BBQ-BARBECUE-KEBABS-FOOD-GRILL-ZINC-COATED-STEEL-/310537371283?pt=UK_Kitchen_Accessories&hash=item484d783e93

They look the part but I would want a bit of description. How long are they, what diameter and what profile are the splines? Eg are they square etc.

Be more tempted by these
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-x-BBQ-KEBAB-STICKS-SKEWERS-STAINLESS-STEEL-WITH-WOODEN-HANDLE-FULL-LENGTH-55cm-/281028008507?pt=UK_Home_Garden_BBQ_Utensils_Accessories_LE&hash=item416e931a3b

Thanks, just about to place the order ;-)

Quote from: Salvador Dhali on January 25, 2013, 11:35 AM
Sorry about that, chaps! Glad you're sorted now though.

I've lived 53 of my 54 years on this planet without a pressure cooker, but since acquiring one just after Christmas I now realise that many of those 53 years have been wasted.

I just can't stop using the thing!

And having bought a very good book on the subject, I'm amazed at just how much you can do with the things. It's not all about base gravy and stews, I'm delighted to discover...

Don't be sorry, it's really helpful and I feel appreciated for you taking your time to do a quick search to help us ;-)

I am pretty much with you, except on the age , with regards to pressure cookers. They seem to be terra incognita to me as well!

Thanks Salvador dali

As for kashmiri chillies, there was an interesting thing which I forgot to detail. When I arrived at one of the stores, the main supplier of vegetables for that asian store, was an indian from kashmir and he was there talking to the store owner and he approached me, after not being successful at identifying them with the store clerk. I asked for the chillies in dried or not-dried form, and he didn't recognize them - even from a ton of pictures. So, is there a more common way to refer to these chillies?

I ended up getting some green/fatty/big chillies which supposedly are milder, but unlikely to add that color which the kashmiri chillies seem to add.

Got the manual, enjoy h4ppy-chris!