This is something that's been puzzling me as of late. For example, I was under the impression that I needed to throw in the spices when the oil would be hot. I've occasionally got the smoke blast when I did it, which suggests I was burning the spices rather than cooking them properly. However, how do the chefs manage to throw in spices in those industrial stoves with massive amounts of heat and not manage them to burn? dipuraja1 or julian as examples that come to mind

On another note, would you advice to mix the spices altogether or just add one by one? because before I start cooking, I generally have all the veggies separate and cut and then all the spice parts mixed in a container which is shakened to mix properly before thrown into a pan with g&g-oil and (depending on dish) tomato puree (or paste)

So any more insight on this would be greatly welcome before I ago about making my next curry

Quote from: chewytikka on January 05, 2013, 03:19 PM
Hi Gagomes, back to basics...

As a general rule of thumb, a Bengali BIR "Mix Powder" starts off with 4 main
ground spices which are the primary elements.
1. Madras Curry Powder (A historic blend of at least 12 spices)
2. Turmeric Powder
3. Coriander Powder
4. Cumin Powder
Then each Chef/Restaurant usually might add secondary spices into the Mix
5. Paprika Powder
6. Garam Masala Powder

Thanks chewy. I made mine similar, following c2g's recipe, but with the addition of bassar, but I'm going to make this one to stick to BIR-dom!

Thank guys:) I love this community.

Thanks Naga. I've just made this recipe, it's currently in the fridge marinating until tomorrow and smells wonderfully already.

I hope it tastes good, as I had to use tikka paste instead of tandoori paste as I didn't have the latter.

Quote from: stevejet66 on January 04, 2013, 09:59 AM
Hi rob, After watching the video as ive watched a few times julian tells you only what he wants you to know, One example was when he was adding the spices to the base mixture he say's there are 18 different spices, he names a few then says every chef has his own secret, well if he's going to tell everyone the true secret why not name the rest of the spice's! that then left a few folk on here asking the question too what the rest of the spices were! so in my eyes he's not really telling you the exact recipe, again a guessing game, and secondly, as with all the bir videos its all for publicity.

cheers.

steve.

Garam masala is another spice mix, could it be he is counting the individual spices in garam masala as contributing to the 18 spices?

Axe,

Quote from: Axe on January 04, 2013, 02:25 PM
Gagomes,


Just rub the 'nest like' leaves between your palms to grind it to a powder like substance. Don't worry too much about getting it to a fine powder.


There is an alternative cooking method that doesn't require skewers and provides a nice addition which cooks in the oven as opposed under the grill. Preheat your oven to it's hottest setting, slice an onion and separate the rings, place on a baking tray and place the chicken on the onion. Pop it in the oven for about 15-20 mins or until cooked. Done right you should end up with succulent chicken with singed edges and tobacco onions to accompany it.

That is some suggestion right there! I will follow your advice - thanks a lot

As for the "methi nest" as I put it for lack of better english to describe it (which I think Axe may have understood correctly) I was referring to semi-tangled bunch of dried methi leaves. This is the one I bought:



Funnily, while I don't seem to exaggerate on this spice (generally add less than a level teaspoon, not even very packed as there is some room in between the interleaved leafs  and I don't add too much because Julian claims too much can add a sour taste to the dish)  I seem to get my curries wrong whenever I add it, though that seems to be a coincidence only

I bought a jar of "coleman's classic mint sauce" is this the same as this recipe calls for?

Also, with regards to methi leaves, it seems the pack I bought has them in sort of a "nest-like layering"... do people just shred them with fingers to get them down to a "consistency" between leaves and powder?

Has anyone used fenugreek powder as an alternative and if so, how many TSPs or some such has been used?

Is there an alternative for someone who does not have skewers?

That's a lovely tandoor ovenbtw . I presume you meant to write "homemade"  rather than "nomemade" ?

In any case, this is something I'm considering in the some months. My girlfriend just bought a house and I wanted to make  a tandoor oven for us to be able to cook our stuff :-)

To resize pictures, you can also upload them to facebook and link from there...as I did in my jhalfrezi post hehe :-)

Quote from: stevejet66 on January 03, 2013, 11:02 PM
Nice one, thanks for the pics, well looks edible to me, mind you i do like bombay potato, Chicken Jhalfrezi looks tasty too. well done.

Thanks Steve

I know made it saucier than the usual, but that's because I thought everything was sticking at the beginning and I was afraid of burning

Quote from: stevejet66 on January 03, 2013, 11:49 PM
Ask yourself would  a bir chef stand there all day mixing/grilling/grinding a ton of mix powder spices for the week, LOL,,,,Its all about making notes,,,, i know i wouldnt want to. well the notes yes ;D

Hi Steve,
Of all the things takeaways have to worry about, I'm sure making a mix powder is the least heavy/complex part of the job. Look at Dipuraja's video below which Graeme kindly pointed me out to, and you can tell the buckets of ground spices they use. All it would take to make a 2+ day worth of spice mix would be to use a mug instead of a tablespoon for each part of each individual spice. For example, I find things like peeling potatoes, onions and garlic a lot more hardwork, but remember that the chef in most cases will have a staff person to help doing this type of work too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuD3l0b6ep0