Topic: Indian night at the Uni - Focusing on Vegetarians

[jb]

Very impressive as always,976bar can I ask what sort of spinach you use for your sag aloo? fresh,frozen or tinned? Or for that matter does anyone know what restaurants actually use?I have an upcoming curry feast and I've always used fresh.I can't imagine restaurants use fresh,once cooked the stuff goes down to next to nothing and they would go go through tons of the stuff.I always see these tins of spinach so they must obviously be used but then I'm sure I remember Someone on this forum saying it's vile stuff and to avoid it.

[curryhell]

Hi jb.  Az said he normally used frozen.  The manager in spices said the chef used fresh but then prepared it for freezing so not sure what category this comes under.  As for the tins, are we talking spinach puree or the leaf stuff?  Never used the leaves but have used the puree along with fresh in SS chicken saag.  Very nice.  On its own its very strong and quite off-putting to look at.  I know it's quite popular in some authentic indian recipes.  Not sure if any of this helps with your dilema though

[jb]

Hi jb.  Az said he normally used frozen.  The manager in spices said the chef used fresh but then prepared it for freezing so not sure what category this comes under.  As for the tins, are we talking spinach puree or the leaf stuff?  Never used the leaves but have used the puree along with fresh in SS chicken saag.  Very nice.  On its own its very strong and quite off-putting to look at.  I know it's quite popular in some authentic indian recipes.  Not sure if any of this helps with your dilema though

Thanks,not sure if it's puree or leaves I've spotted in Asda's.They must go through fresh spinach by the bucketload in Spices.

[976bar]

Did you have the opportunity to practice cooking individual portions like in a BIR?

Have your home curries improved through the experience, if so how?

 Great work, Bob 

Hi Huw,

Yes we have cooked and experimented individual dishes in the kitchens to show the difference between BIR authenticity and bulk cooking, and yes there is still quite a difference between the two. However, the bulk cooking has improved vastly by cooking from BIR techniques and not sauces from a bottle...

I've never had a problem cooking BIR at home when cooking single or double portions, so my home cooking has not changed. I am currently working with the Chinese Chef on the Wok Stand at lunchtime and learning some Chinese stuff.

I have mentioned to the head chef about using this wok stand in the evenings to make individual BIR style dishes, but am still awaiting to hear further. Things don't happen quickly for change in a Uni!! lol

[976bar]

Very impressive as always,976bar can I ask what sort of spinach you use for your sag aloo? fresh,frozen or tinned? Or for that matter does anyone know what restaurants actually use?I have an upcoming curry feast and I've always used fresh.I can't imagine restaurants use fresh,once cooked the stuff goes down to next to nothing and they would go go through tons of the stuff.I always see these tins of spinach so they must obviously be used but then I'm sure I remember Someone on this forum saying it's vile stuff and to avoid it.

Hi JB,

It's frozen spinach. It comes in bags of about 1kg each and comes in 2x1 inch blocks which are traye'd up and thrown into the steamer oven at 100 C for about 12 minutes, where they then can be forked through.

It works for the Uni when making vast portions, and probably for restaurants too. But if I were making this at home maybe for a dinner party, then I would use fresh spinach for the taste...

A bit sad, when you have to use these techniques and produce when cooking in bulk, but one has to consider the economics...

Hope this helps

[976bar]

Great stuff 976. Have you got a good recipe for the vegi samosas you did.
Cheers
Steve

Hi Steve,

These are the ingredients I used for the Samosa's although I did not measure the amounts, but tasted and altered as I went along.

Onion - finely diced
Potato - cut into 1cm cubes and boiled, then drain under cold water and when cool put into the fridge
Sweetcorn
Peas
Garlic & Ginger puree
Cumin Powder
Coriander Powder
Chili Powder
Madras curry powder
Turmeric Powder
Salt
Pepper
Spring roll pastry sheets (I use 2 together for better strength)

Heat oil in pan, add onion and fry gently until soft. Add a little G&G and stir in.
Add all the spices and stir in and let cook with the onion mixture for a few minutes, then add the peas and sweetcorn and stir in. Again let cook for about 5 minutes until the peas and sweetcorn are soft. If using frozen cook for longer.

Taste and season accordingly, then set aside and leave to cool. Once cool,gently stir in the potato cubes and spoon the mixture onto the pastry sheets, fold into a samosa, then deep fry at around 180 C until a light golden colour

[Peripatetic Phil]

Do you make your own g/g puree in the Holloway kitchens, Bob, or use bottled ?  I ask because I have recently switched to bottled (two jars, with preservative, one of each for ratio adjustment) and really cannot detect any deterioration in the quality of the final dish.  I know there ought to be, I just can't detect it !

** Phil.

[Malc.]

Stirling work Bob, the selection pots look great. Like yourself I find most vegetarian dishes not to my liking. Indian food though, has allowed me to enjoy vegetarian dishes. Those selection pots look great and I would have happily devoured one despite it being devoid of meat.

[976bar]

Do you make your own g/g puree in the Holloway kitchens, Bob, or use bottled ?  I ask because I have recently switched to bottled (two jars, with preservative, one of each for ratio adjustment) and really cannot detect any deterioration in the quality of the final dish.  I know there ought to be, I just can't detect it !

** Phil.

Hi Phil,

Yes I do make my own. They buy these pots of garlic puree which when opened is a brown colour obviously this stuff is mass produced and is sitting around for quite some time. If you make fresh garlic puree it should be a creamy white colour, but if you leave it lying around in the open for a few hours you will see it start to go brown YUK!!

I get the head chef to buy packs of pre-peeled garlic cloves and ginger, which come as they should, garlic a creamy white colour (vacuum packed) and the ginger looks as if it has just been pealed. I whiz it up in the blender with a little oil to make my own G & G.

We still also buy fresh garlic bulbs and ginger when we want to make fresh dishes with say, "Julienne" sticks of ginger or when making a fresh pasta sauce and chopping up the fresh garlic.

[976bar]

Stirling work Bob, the selection pots look great. Like yourself I find most vegetarian dishes not to my liking. Indian food though, has allowed me to enjoy vegetarian dishes. Those selection pots look great and I would have happily devoured one despite it being devoid of meat.

Hi Malc,

Thanks for the kind words, I haven't done much in the way of veggie Indian stuff before, so thought it about time to start experimenting and the selection pots went down really well.

I've run out of fennel seeds and panch phoran, and need to go get some this weekend as I want to explore more with vegetables