Topic: 18hr Slow Cooker Curry Base, Double Concentrate

[natterjak]

So you have tried and proved this method on a few occasions?, how do you think it compares with your normal base of choice, cooked in the conventional way?

mmmmm, this has got me wondering if a BIR style curry could be cooked in the slow cooker?  Obviously, using all the ingredients that you would usually use normally?  Nah, can't see it, how would you release the oils out of the spices for a start?

It's certainly been giving me much better results than the base sauces I've cooked in the past, but I'm not sure which part of the recipe makes the difference, or if the bases I've cooked before were just not great recipes.

To answer your second point, I can't see how you would cook a curry in a slow cooker.

[natterjak]

Just a further thought about the timings for this recipe.... I specified 4hrs for the initial period on "high" heat because it's important to get the thing up to boiling point, otherwise the subsequent long cook on "low" will need to be extended to an unreasonably long degree. However I started with onions which had come from the fridge and used frozen carrot and frozen cabbage, so the initial average temperature of the ingredients was low. If all your ingredients start at room temperature you could no doubt shorten the duration of "high" heat as everything would come to the boil quicker.

The other factor which can affect slow cooking duration is the ambient temperature. I guess the moral is that as with any other recipe you should be prepared to use your common sense and adjust as necessary.

[curryhell]

You know that lesson at Zaal was worth its weight in gold. Anyone who gets the chance to go and learn from Az should take it.  Seeing, smelling and feeling what the right way of doing things is helps so much over and above reading about it on a forum.

Could not agree more Natterjak.  It certainly has cast a different light on many things for me and certainly will go back to Zaal's when the opportunity presents itself.  Hopefully Chriswg is working on that ;D

[CardiffCurrylad]

Hi NJ, great post you have certainly put a lot of time/effort into this.  I have exactly the same slowcooker so once I have used up the dozen portions of base in "my base chest freezer in the garage", I will look forward to giving this a go

[ELW]

Your ideas also helped me understand the contributions the akhani and sieving can make to the end result so thanks

CT or Natterjak - could either of you point me to the thread on the Akhani stock? I've seen references to it here and there, but can't seem to find it.

Thanks!

-- Josh

Hi Josh, this was the one I remember from currybarkingmad
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=7731.msg68147#msg68147

ELW

[ELW]

You know that lesson at Zaal was worth its weight in gold. Anyone who gets the chance to go and learn from Az should take it.  Seeing, smelling and feeling what the right way of doing things is helps so much over and above reading about it on a forum.

Could not agree more Natterjak.  It certainly has cast a different light on many things for me and certainly will go back to Zaal's when the opportunity presents itself.  Hopefully Chriswg is working on that ;D

Not only to the 5 who went payed & posted their findings, but to me also! It's probably why Panpot solved the thing 1st time
Regards
ELW

[curryhell]

Not only to the 5 who went payed & posted their findings, but to me also! It's probably why Panpot solved the thing 1st time
Regards
ELW

From your posts your singeing like curry chef possessed     Keep it up ELW.  Glad our day trip paid off for you and any other members of the forum whose skills in the kitchen have been sharpened by it  ;D

[Cory Ander]

mmmmm, this has got me wondering if a BIR style curry could be cooked in the slow cooker?  Obviously, using all the ingredients that you would usually use normally?  Nah, can't see it, how would you release the oils out of the spices for a start?

Hi Ray,

I often cook BIR style curries in a slow cooker (for lamb, beef, etc).  Of course, it's not really a BIR style curry because it's slow cooked (and doesn't use precooked meat) but, otherwise, is exactly the same.  And it works a treat.

You can also now get slow cookers that can also be used to sear (i.e. the meat, and other ingredients such as spices, garlic, etc) before you put it into "slow cook" mode.

I don't have one of these, so I do all the initial frying stages in a frying pan (also searing/sealing the meat) and then transfer the lot into a slow cooker.  Give it 2 to 4 hours and the meat melts in your mouth. 

The only thing, I find, is that you might need to use more spicing (or "pep it up", e.g. with garam masala, towards the end of cooking) because some of the spice flavours can be lost over such a long time.

By the way NJ, nice logical thinking to use it to make a curry base (though I still maintain that around 1 - 1.5 hours, on a conventional gas hob, is sufficient to achieve the same result, for such relatively small quantities of onions, etc) 

[Razor]

Hi CA,

Brilliant news, so I have a reason to buy one then ;D

Ray

[Cory Ander]

The main reason to buy one, I'd suggest, is to slow cook meat (e.g. lamb, beef, pork...NOT chicken) until it melts in your mouth....

But, of course, you can achieve exactly the same result (i.e. slow cooked) without one.