Topic: Pasatta

[Cory Ander]

Posted by Secret Santa:

By coincidence I made a madras with passata for the first time about two weeks ago. It was Heinz passata in a small box and it completely ruined the curry. I tasted the passata on its own and it was very sour. I am not a fan of passata if this is typical.

Posted by Domi:

I'd never use passata in a curry as most I have tried are sour, I only ever use passata in sauces (mainly italian) which take a long cooking time over lower heats as you are guaranteed to cook out the sourness that way.

Posted by Secret Santa:

I know what I would use instead of passata though...tomato juice. You know, the type that's sold for drinking. Now that's sweetish and watery, I would think it would be ideal for curries. I'll give it a go next time I have some.

Posted by Cory Ander:

I like that idea SS, I've tried everything else.  I'll be interested to know how you find it!   

Posted by Bobby Bhuna:

I had the Pasatta on the go again last night with the Darth Madras. Same excellent result...

Posted by Secret Santa:

Which brand are you using Bobby?

Posted by Bobby Bhuna:

I'll find out and get back to you - it's in a long jar and I bought it from Sainburys at around 50p. I think it's 500g.

Posted by Smokenspices:

Okay, so what exactly is Pasatta?

What is in it?

How does the taste differ from tomato puree or pureed tomatoes.

Is it a particular variety of tomato or is it additives that make it taste of "Pasatta".

Posted by Jethro:

It's just pureed fresh ripe tomato, sieved to get the skin and seeds out, no more no less.

Posted by Smokenspices:

In that case what is all the fuss about with Pasatta?

As far as taste goes (in a Madras), surely pureed tomatoes would do the job equally as well .... or perhaps I'm missing something here.

Posted by Secret Santa:

often use pureed tinned tomatoes in my madras and get very good results but, this Heinz passata I tried really didn't work. Perhaps it's just a duff brand.

Posted by Domi:

I don't have anything against passata, I just like to use what I like to use  Horses for courses again. I guess what it boils down to for me is that I'd rather puree my fave tomatoes and be sure of the result than risk a passata that could ruin a damn good curry :/.

Posted by Smokenspices:

Hi Domi

I agree with that ... never tried passata though - not yet? I'm still using frozen pureed cherry tomatoes that I saved from last summer. Really got a tangy sweetness to them, not like some of these tasteless things available at Tesco's ...

Posted by JerryM:

for what it's worth i was told by an italian chef never to use tin toms without passing through a coarse sieve to trap the seeds ie make passata. the reason being that the seeds are not sweet.

this holds good for steak diane but have been unable to detect any difference in curry making.

[Bobby Bhuna]

I checked and it's Sainsbury's Italian Pasatta that I use.

[currytester]

BBC Web site

Passata is made from ripe tomatoes that have been pur?ed and sieved to remove the skin and seeds. It's sold in jars and can be smooth or chunky depending on the level of sieving.

It's useful to keep in the cupboard to use in soups, sauces, pasta dishes, casseroles, or anything that needs a concentrated tomato flavour. Passata is also great for using in drinks with a tomato base, such as Bloody Mary. Once opened a jar will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

I regularly use passata which comes from lidl - I have never had any problem with it in curries or anything else.
I have tried to find a label or ingredient list for the Heinz Passata but no joy.
Heinz is a big brand I dont feel that they would market a passata that was the same as the basic passata otherwise where would be their edge. By virtue of the fact you describe it as italian passata I would hazard a guess that they have added Italian style herbs such as basil and oregano. Neither of which I would put in a curry. Anybody got any experience of a Italian Curry House?