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Author Topic: The "Secret Ingredient" Onion Paste  (read 84,661 times)

AI Summary
The discussion revolves around the use of a "secret ingredient" onion paste in curry cooking, which some members believe enhances the flavor of their dishes, particularly in recreating the taste of restaurant-style curries. While some users, like JerryM, report significant improvements in their curries after incorporating the paste, others express skepticism, noting that it did not yield the desired results for them. The community appears divided, with some advocating for the paste's effectiveness and others suggesting it may not be essential for achieving a good curry. Overall, there is no clear consensus on its necessity or effectiveness, leading to varied opinions on its use in different curry recipes.

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Offline Panpot

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The "Secret Ingredient" Onion Paste
« on: November 07, 2008, 02:40 PM »
I hope this is the correct location to post this.

I trust too that this wont be controversial in that this post may bring back some challenging memories for some of us who were about a couple of years ago. At the time someone who many of us ended up not trusting came onto the site with a big splash and finished by setting up another site taking with him a number of our contributors at the time.

He particularly annoyed a number of us with his post regarding a "Secret Ingredient" which was an onion paste which we later found out was copied form another source. Due to the general trouble and mistrust at the time I suspect many of us missed out in what he was getting at.

I eventually had a go with the idea but I am sure it was a modified recipe coming from the thread of experimentation and simple trial and error of members and dont remember it now. For many at the time I remember concerns of it taking to much time and something about a soapy smell. My own effort which turned out to be a dark red/brown paste was absolutely fantastic, it had the BIR smell and taste and having made a decent sized batch I froze it in ice cube trays for single portion use. To be honest It kept me going for a year and more and definitely made all the difference.

I ran out at the start of the summer and since I tend not to cook curries over the warmer months I assumed when I returned to the site a few weeks ago to make batches of base sauce and pick up on the forum and new recipes I would find the post and figure out how to make it again.

It has been removed probably for good reason which I can only understand and agree with but the resultant recipe was the business. I asked elsewhere for help and on another post I got the Link to the original recipe. I have made it and it does smell OK but its a green colour and without whatever I did as a result of the thread is missing something least of all the colour.

Can anyone help and maybe on our behalf Stew could go through the old thread if he still has it and gleam from its entirety the resultant versions that may give us all a chance to see if it can add any value to us, I know it will for me.

I certainly don't wish to open old wounds but there was something in this paste and I do see something similar being used by my local take away with an open kitchen. Cheers Panpot.
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Offline Derek Dansak

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Re: The "Secret Ingredient" Onion Paste
« Reply #1 on: November 07, 2008, 03:55 PM »
There was a secret onion paste in the kris dillon curry secret book. i never thought much of it, but maybe i did not use, or make, it correctly. did anyone else get a good result with the kris dillon onion paste?
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Offline adriandavidb

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Re: The "Secret Ingredient" Onion Paste
« Reply #2 on: November 07, 2008, 04:23 PM »
I don't think I've been a member long enough to remember it. But I would certainly like to hear more about this one!

A brown onion paste??  Some have said that the missing '5%' is a savoury flavour, that others here have likened to French Onion Soup.  The preparation of Onion soup involves frying and caramlization, techniques that DO produce a savoury taste.  A paste that is brown and contains onion is likely to have been fried!  Interesting!  The counter point of view to this I supppose is that a paste is simply a thick 'bas sauce', that we all produce already, so perhaps those flavours should already be present in some base recipies?
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Offline Unclebuck

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Re: The "Secret Ingredient" Onion Paste
« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2008, 04:37 PM »
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Offline Bod68

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Re: The "Secret Ingredient" Onion Paste
« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2008, 05:01 PM »
Not being an expert like most on here I can't see:

QuoteThe Secret Onion Paste (biggest secret!)
2 lge white onions, chopped finely
4 cloves garlic
3tbs vegetable oil
Pinch of cumin
Pinch of cinnamon

Being that much of a secret to be honest...
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Offline joshallen2k

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Re: The "Secret Ingredient" Onion Paste
« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2008, 05:34 PM »
QuoteWas this it??

https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1606.0

LOL. That was an amusing read...
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Offline parker21

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Re: The "Secret Ingredient" Onion Paste
« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2008, 06:53 PM »
hi pp try the Natco website it gives the original recipe which had been ripped off. the so called "secret ingredient" is now no longer used elsewhere. but opinions varied on the results again there is regional differences to take into consideration. but for many it was not the answer. imho there is no secret magic ingredient and a more than happy that i can reproduce Rajver chicken vindaloo/madras/chilli masala/korma( have made for my friend and they love it, not chilli heads) and phall(the DB). i no longer measure my ingredients but do it so regularly and i lay all my ingredients out in their pots and use my chefs spoon same method every time. my recipe for chicken tikka is adapted from the many on this site and my girls love it and my friends will be enjoying it tomorrow night i have 2 kilos marinating in my refridgerator by then it will have been 48hours yummy!
am also cooking a large korma possibly with some of the tikka and a vindaloo, gits onion bhajis and poppadums fresh( will save the oil for next base) and may have talked myself into making an aloo gobi as well oh and don't forget the mint sauce!

will let you all know how it goes ;)
regards
gary
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Offline parker21

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Re: The "Secret Ingredient" Onion Paste
« Reply #7 on: November 07, 2008, 07:02 PM »
hi pp add 3 tbsp TRS tandoori masala 3tbsp tom puree 6 spanish onions 12 cloves garlic 3 chefs pinches of each cumin/cinnamon 150ml sunflower oil cook on low heat until you no longer smell the raw onion/garlic stirring regularly it takes about 90 mins or longer. hope this helps
regards
gary
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Offline haldi

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Re: The "Secret Ingredient" Onion Paste
« Reply #8 on: November 07, 2008, 07:25 PM »
Quote from: Unclebuck on November 07, 2008, 04:37 PM
Was this it??
https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=1606.0
That thread is so funny
It almost wandered into an episode of Fawlty Towers
How could Andy deny the similarity?
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Offline Cory Ander

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Re: The "Secret Ingredient" Onion Paste
« Reply #9 on: November 08, 2008, 01:29 AM »
Hi Panpot (and welcome back)  :)

This was the original post.  I hope it helps:

Here is the recipe for the pre-cooked paste as mentioned in my post under cooking methods. You can half or even one third this recipe down again for home use. We normally do twice as much as this in one go.

6 spanish onions, chopped finely
12 cloves garlic, chopped finely
150ml sunflower oil
3 chefs pinches of cumin
3 chefs pinches of cinnamon
3 tablespoons of TRS tandoori massala powder
3 tablespoons of tomato paste

The raw onion and garlic are placed into a blender and water is added to about halfway up the side of the blender. The contents are blended until the mixture is well smoothed.

Place the oil in a pan and heat on a high heat till near smoking. Add the blended mixture. Be careful as it will spit back at you.
Quickly stir the mixture around in the oil. Reduce the heat down. As we do this on a gas cooker controlling the heat is easy. If you are using an electric hob you will know best about controlling the heat.
You have to keep stirring now regularly. Add the cumin, cinnamon, tandoori masala powder, and the tomato paste.
STIR IN WELL.
The idea now is to fry very slowly while the water is evaporated off. Not easy the first time you do this but the aroma is superb.

Keep stirring very regularly. The paste is ready when no virtually no steam is being evaporated off and the paste resembles soft bread dough.

The finished paste does not fall off the spoon when tipped

Turn off the heat and place the paste in a container and cover with oil.

It's interesting that you had such good results with it and suggests that it might be worth pursuing.  However, I tried it and ended up throwing it in the bin.  Maybe I did something wrong.

As far as I'm aware (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong?) this onion paste was never seen or heard of again in any subsequent curry recipes by the poster. 
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