Curry Recipes Online
Curry Base Recipes => Curry Sauce, Curry Base , Curry Gravy Recipes, Secret Curry Base => Topic started by: chewytikka on March 17, 2011, 02:16 PM
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Hi All
I usually do my 1hr pressure cooker base, which is here
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5606.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5606.0)
But for people without a pressure cooker, here's the 3hr version:
Watch 3hr Curry Base Video 8) (https://vimeo.com/21104829)
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Hi Chewy,
Great video my mate. As I've mentioned before, what I like about the look of this base, is how it runs off the spoon, leaving the spoon clean rather than coating it. Also, the straining of the base is something that I've never done but do intend to on my next batch.
So Chewy, if you don't mind me asking, what's your background in BIR cooking? How did you come by your methods and techniques, are your recipes your own or gleaned from your favourite BIR chef?
Sorry for the questions but you seem to be offering us something subtly different than has been mentioned before and maybe your style is what quite a few of us are looking for?
Just one more thing if I may, would you mind putting up the exact measurements to this base? I know we can see it for ourselves, and you have also added commentary on your video but there is something reassuring about seeing a recipe in print ;D
Many thanks Chewy, excellent work again fella.
Ray :)
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Really enjoying these videos chewy.
As Ray requests, could we have the exact measurements? I've ran out of Taz base and want to give yours a whirl.
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Hi Chewy,
Great video my mate. As I've mentioned before, what I like about the look of this base, is how it runs off the spoon, leaving the spoon clean rather than coating it. Also, the straining of the base is something that I've never done but do intend to on my next batch.
So Chewy, if you don't mind me asking, what's your background in BIR cooking? How did you come by your methods and techniques, are your recipes your own or gleaned from your favourite BIR chef?
Sorry for the questions but you seem to be offering us something subtly different than has been mentioned before and maybe your style is what quite a few of us are looking for?
Just one more thing if I may, would you mind putting up the exact measurements to this base? I know we can see it for ourselves, and you have also added commentary on your video but there is something reassuring about seeing a recipe in print ;D
Many thanks Chewy, excellent work again fella.
Ray :)
Hi Ray
I don't think any base has exact quantities, but here goes...
200ml any vegetable oil
1 medium carrot.
1 Large bulb of Garlic.
3 inch piece of fresh ginger.
A quarter of medium white cabbage.
1 medium green capsicum.
A handful of fresh coriander+stalks.
1tbsp of Salt.
2 Kilos Onions.
3 litres tap water
Put a lid on and Boil it up for at least an hour.
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Add quarter of a tube of tomato puree, or Chefs spoon.
2 tbsp of Mixed Powder. ( for a stronger flavoured base)
Mixed powder in the vid :-
2 tsp Madras Curry Powder
2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
0.5 tsp Garam Masala or Kitchen King
Cheers
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I have tried this base recipe and followed it as best as I could with out the exact amounts and it does produce a very good garabi.
I have never seen a chef sieve his garabi before. I PMed Chewy about this and he confirmed that this was 'old school' from the 70's. My first kitchen visit wasn't until the 80's so that would explain that.
I did sieve the garabi myself and I was surprised how much fibrous material was taken out, I would suspect a lot of it would have come from the cabbage. It did leave the gravy very smooth.
Having tasted it once made, it tastes very much like a finished curry albeit not as intense of course. I went on to make a lamb dopiaza madras hot.
It was a very good curry with a great depth of flavour.
Nice one Chewy, I really enjoyed it.
Cheers,
Mick
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Mick,
Interestingly, I defrosted 500ml of my own base sauce last night after watching Chewy's video, and I also was left with a surprisingly large amount of 'fibrous stuff' too.
My own base contains no cabbage, peppers or carrots and is a simple as it get, so I was also surprised at what was left in the sieve.
As you have observed, it made for a very smooth final curry, with a very nice flocculated texture.
I'm definitely going to give Chewy's base a go and do the sieve thing.
Many thanks Chewy and thanks for the ingredients list.
Ray :)
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I have tried this base recipe and followed it as best as I could with out the exact amounts and it does produce a very good garabi.
I have never seen a chef sieve his garabi before. I PMed Chewy about this and he confirmed that this was 'old school' from the 70's. My first kitchen visit wasn't until the 80's so that would explain that.
I did sieve the garabi myself and I was surprised how much fibrous material was taken out, I would suspect a lot of it would have come from the cabbage. It did leave the gravy very smooth.
Having tasted it once made, it tastes very much like a finished curry albeit not as intense of course. I went on to make a lamb dopiaza madras hot.
It was a very good curry with a great depth of flavour.
Nice one Chewy, I really enjoyed it.
Cheers,
Mick
Hi Mick
Glad you tried it and enjoyed a good curry ;)
This is the bit of kit that used to be in all the BIRs I've known, but 4 times bigger.
Cheers Chewy
(http://foodmill.jpg)
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This is the bit of kit that used to be in all the BIRs I've known, but 4 times bigger.
Oh boy. If only I'd had one of those when I tried to make blackcurrant sorbet, it might have been edible rather than having a texture not dissimilar to cassis-flavoured sawdust :(
** Phil.
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Chewy,
Was these food mills used in place of a blender or food processor?
Ray :)
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Chewy,
Was these food mills used in place of a blender or food processor?
Ray :)
Hi Ray
Before and as well as the big power blenders, just the final step for the sauce.
I mentioned it in my first post on cr0, which I referred to it as a grinder.
(Grinding or passing it through a sieve gathers all the unwanted pulp, onion fibres/skin, pips and seeds etc. leaving you with the smooth BIR textured sauce.
The importance of the grinder, if your trying to emulate the curries of the 60/70/80's
in those days, every BIR and TA would have two or three whole chickens boiling away in the curry base brew!
They would fish out the overcooked chicken at the end, literally falling apart, leaving lots of bits and pieces behind.
Once put through the grinder the base was ready to go! This was a real "curry secret" which meant all the vegetarian's of the time weren't, if they liked a good curry that is!)
cheers chewy
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I have tried this base recipe and followed it as best as I could with out the exact amounts and it does produce a very good garabi. I have never seen a chef sieve his garabi before. I PMed Chewy about this and he confirmed that this was 'old school' from the 70's. My first kitchen visit wasn't until the 80's so that would explain that. I did sieve the garabi myself and I was surprised how much fibrous material was taken out, I would suspect a lot of it would have come from the cabbage. It did leave the gravy very smooth.
I begin to wonder whether the failure to sieve also lies at the heart of my failure to achieve satisfactory results (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5378.msg55898#msg55898) with Ray's modification to the Madras 2011 recipe. My real problem with the finished dish, apart from the taste, was the consistency, which was distinctly fibrous. I put this down, at least in part, to Ray's replacement of the originally-specified garlic with g/g paste, which would in itself have a high fibre content from the ginger, so when I re-heated it last night I added 1 1/2 ladles of fresh chicken stock and the consistency was much more to my liking. Bearing in mind that during my original experiments with the Taz base and Madras 2011 recipe I had also reported a far higher fibre content (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5378.msg53822#msg53822) that I was expecting (admittedly I had inadvertently used three times as much ginger as I should have done !), I do now think that perhaps the Taz base, when used in conjunction with further g/g paste (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5378.msg54789#msg54789), should be sieved (but not if used without : see earlier negative feedback (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5378.msg54568#msg54568) on this experiment). I don't have a food mill, unfortunately, but as it was my 64th birthday only three weeks ago, and as I don't yet seem to have received any present from she-who-funds-my-cookery-experiments, I might just gently remind her of this and point her at a [url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/R
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Incidentally, try as I might, I cannot locate an electric version of the food mill. It seems me that having to hold one handle stationary while rotating the other is going to be pretty d@mned tiring, never mind the risk of the whole thing tipping sideways, so what I was hoping to locate was a heavy, substantial, motor-driven unit (or, better still, attachment for my Kenwood Major) that would take all the effort and risk out of sieving, but I have not yet been able to locate such a thing ...
** Phil.
Hi Phil
I think the principle is similar to a modern day juicer, you may want to look at KENWOOD AT644 Attachment and adapting it to suit or a more expensive option of a Italian passata maker.(http://fruitpress.jpg)
(http://passatamachine.png)
cheers Chewy.
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Excellent, many thanks CT : now added to my birthday list ;D
** Phil.
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Chewy,
Have made your base a good 3 - 4 times now, and I've got to say, it's top notch, it really is.
It is so easy to make, and so consistant. I think the clincher for me is, keeping the onions 'whole' during the boiling. It seems to really bring out their natural sweetness that runs through ever curry made with it. It is the 'BIR' sweetness that I have been searching for, for a very long time.
Finally, the sieving process is a masterstroke. It is truly remarkable, the amount of 'stuff' left behind! I've even tasted this 'stuff' to make sure that I wasn't losing a flavour and what I found was, you know sometimes, when you get the strange after taste? well this 'stuff' is definitely the culprit, without a shadow of a doubt.
Now, I know that I tend to rave on about a new base (Mick/Taz) once tried, but actually, I rave on if I really like it, If I don't, I tend not to say anything, and I have tried loads of bases from here.
This base is right up there with the best in my opinion. The sieving process is the only 'awkward' part but it is well worth the effort.
Definitely going to invest in a food mill.
Thanks Chewy, you have a mighty fine base on your hands there fella ;D
Ray :)
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Hi Ray, great post you've made there. I've just made the ABC Kushi base and I tried to sieve it. Wow - what a mess I was making. The sieve gets blocked up really fast.
I was looking at this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Metaltex-Food-Stainless-Steel-Diameter/dp/B002UHJV5Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1309001335&sr=1-1 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Metaltex-Food-Stainless-Steel-Diameter/dp/B002UHJV5Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1309001335&sr=1-1)
It might make things easier. I hope to try this base soon.
Thanks to chewytikka for the recipe and advice.
Paul
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Excellent work there Chewy, thanks for putting in the effort and for sharing.
Great endorsements from Ray and Mick, this speaks volumes for me about the quality of your base.
I Will be making this in the near future and will offer my feedback as well.
Thanks
Alan ;D
ps you sounded like a drunken geordie in the vid ;D South Shields ;)
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Hey Paul,
That's exactly the type of thing I'm looking for mate, should make life a little easier. However, even though it is messy, stick with the sieving process until you get sorted with the food mill, it really makes a difference.
Hey Alan, you've really got to give this base a go mate, it really is the mutts nuts. I still use my own spice blend though, which compliments this base perfectly in my opinion.
Ray :)
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Thanks for all the kind words Lads
Really great Ray, glad to hear your getting consistant results ;D
It's funny, but I quite enjoy the sieving, but there again after 35 years
I suppose its second nature, just like peeling onions, all part of the process.
Keep up the good work mate, as there's nothing quite like making a pan full of golden nectar.
Never touched a drop, moonster. honest. ;)
cheers and thanks again.
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Ray, Chewy,
I have ordered the food mill posted by Paul, so as soon as i receive it i am on with Chewys base.
earlier in the thread Chewy you mentioned about chickens being used in the base. I have experimented with this idea by using knorr chicken stock pots in Rays base rather than boiling up a full carcass.
Like yourself i have been told that this is the big secret in BIR cooking.
Do you have any thoughts on whether this makes a difference or have you tried anything at home to replicate this process.
Regards
Alan ;D
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Alan, I recently got a recipe for curry from scratch - it uses 120ml of knorr chicken stock - best curry I have made - it's delicious - I will post the recipe tonight
Garry
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Ray, Chewy,
I have ordered the food mill posted by Paul, so as soon as i receive it i am on with Chewys base.
earlier in the thread Chewy you mentioned about chickens being used in the base. I have experimented with this idea by using knorr chicken stock pots in Rays base rather than boiling up a full carcass.
Like yourself i have been told that this is the big secret in BIR cooking.
Do you have any thoughts on whether this makes a difference or have you tried anything at home to replicate this process.
Regards
Alan ;D
Hi Alan
This base is easily flavoured to suit your taste. After the initial boil its basically onion water. whatever you add in the second boil, will give you that flavour!
I.e. If you add chicken/stock, you will taste chicken stock in the finished base.
This particular recipe is just a lightly spiced simple "neutral" base gravy.
e.g. If you add say, Bassar Powder instead of mixed powder, you will end up
with a Pakistani curry base, and all your final dishes will have that Pakistani background flavour .
Hope this makes sense :)
cheers Chewy
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With the possibility of Chicken bones in those old style base gravy's I can well understand why they would sieve the cooked base.
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Chewy,
Taking onboard what you said about the old BIR's boiling up chicken in the base, I added 1 kilo of chicken breast just after the 1 st boil but before the blend, gave it 15 mins, took out and diced........wonderful, moist flavoured chicken.
No need for me to do a seperate 'precooked' chicken step from now on.
Many thanks mukka ;D
Ray :)
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Chewy,
Taking onboard what you said about the old BIR's boiling up chicken in the base, I added 1 kilo of chicken breast just after the 1 st boil but before the blend, gave it 15 mins, took out and diced........wonderful, moist flavoured chicken.
No need for me to do a seperate 'precooked' chicken step from now on.
Many thanks mukka ;D
Ray :)
Hi Ray
Sounds good, did you notice any more flavour, in your finished base?
Did you ever get round to getting a pressure cooker, as it really speeds things up.
I broke my record yesterday, 4 litres of fresh base in 55 minutes ;D
cheers Chewy
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Ray,
good idea that mate, as you know i believe the chicken adds more depth to the bases. I have only used chicken stock up to now on the second simmer in your base purely because i believe stock is made up out of chicken carcass and then concentrated.
I am going to do Chewys base as specified then add the chicken stock next time around to see if it makes a difference to the overall finished dishes.
Alan ;D
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Chewy,
Just finished your base mate, it is looking good. I used the food mill Paul posted up and cant believe the amount of fibrous that is left behind.
I must admit the aroma coming from your base was the best that i have encountered. It really does smell the dogs bollocks.
This base is quite different from any other i have made on this forum apart from sieving aspect you also use twice the quantities of onions that is specified in any other base.
I also agree with Ray,s observation that putting whole onions in the pot brings out the natural sweetness in the onion.
I am using this base later in a curry and i am really looking forward to the finished result.
Thanks for sharing.
Alan ;D
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What does the scum consist off that you scrape off towards the end of the vid?
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Chewy,
Just finished the zeera madras curry, with your base and Ray's spice mix.
I have made the Zeera madras several times since you posted it, with the Taz base and have had good results.
It really has superseded my expectations, the sieving and skimming really does make a huge difference to the consistency and texture also it really brings out the flavour of the spices in the final dish.
My conclusion is that the sieving and skimming takes away any bitterness from the base and puts the spices at the forefront and would recommend that this procedure would improve most base sauces.
I am going to speculate a little bit and say that the reason sugar is included in some recipes that really shouldn't require it, is to try and disguise the bitterness from the process, of not skimming and sieving in the base.
Top notch mate
Alan ;D
Most importantly Mrs moony is raving about the dish
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meesta,
Boiled chavs :o instead of chicken stock.
Alan ;D
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meesta,
Boiled chavs :o instead of chicken stock.
Alan ;D
LOL cant stand those boiled chavs!
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Hi Alan,
Was the food mill any good, the one I posted a link to. If so I'll get one myself.
Cheers,
Paul
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Hi Alan
Great news, happy this base is working for you. ;)
Yes your right, it's all about the onions and boiling the hell out of them.
And to think, I was taught this base and method back in 1973, so really, you and Mrs Moony should get glammed up
and have Slade, Sweet and Wizzard playing in the background the next time you sit down to a "Moontser Madras" ;D
cheers Chewy
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Fantastic post - I have been in the Ashoka kitchens for a cooking lesson - few yrs ago at 11am In the morning - they already had a massive pot full of whole White onions boiling away - I think chewy has cracked the base - going to have a go at panpots Ashoka base now and boil them for a good 6 hours whole and see if I get a good result - cheers chewy
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Hey Chewy,
Finally found a food mill at a price that agrees with me. Got this one off ebay for 8.60GBP inc delivery.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/dbf336325f5585e27a5d12f98361fa8b.jpg)
Hopefully it will arrive before next weekend, just in time to knock up another batch of your curry base.
Waddya think?
Ray :)
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Be good to see how you get on with it! let us know if any good and I will buy one!
Barry
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Hi Barry,
Will do mate, can't wait for it to arrive ;D
Just one observation though, even the attachment with the smallest holes is still nowhere near as fine as a sieve so it going to be interesting to see how it compares with sieving.
Wish me luck 8)
Ray :)
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Hey Chewy,
Finally found a food mill at a price that agrees with me. Got this one off ebay for 8.60GBP inc delivery.
Hopefully it will arrive before next weekend, just in time to knock up another batch of your curry base.
Waddya think?
Ray :)
Hi Ray
Looks great, brand new in fact, under a tenner :o Bargain
The plate that's in there should be small enough, if I remember rightly you just adjust the tension spring on the central pole.
An ideal planet friendly, low tech kitchen gadget, plus a really good bicep workout ;D
You'll have an arm like Hellboy in no time ;)
cheers Chewy
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Ah, I see, so the more tension you apply, the finer the grind?
Well, looking forward to giving it a go, so, hopefully, full report offered about Saturday(ish)
Ray :)
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Guys,
I've just remembered this from last year http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4749.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4749.0)
Base on the success that I'm having with Chewy's base, it seems that I/we was on the right track over 12 months ago ::)
Why the hell didn't I persue it further, god only knows ???
Ray :)
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Ray,
That looks more or less the same as the one I got from not so Amazon, at triple the price >:(.
Nice find mate, patientce is a virtue, which is sadly something i lack.
Paul i would purchase the same one as Razor, I cant see how there will be any difference in performance from the one i bought to Rays purchase.
Alan ;D
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Hi Alan,
Thanks for the advice. One thing I've read to look out for with these food mills is whether the perforated plates are actually stainless steel or just normal steel that is chrome plated. On some of the cheaper ones the chrome plate starts to come off after a short time. They should be made of solid stainless steel.
It would be good to hear from both you and Ray on how they perform.
Cheers,
Paul
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I didnt realise that Paul, maybe it will be best to see what raymondo says.
Alan ;D
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Hi Ray
The importance of the grinder, if your trying to emulate the curries of the 60/70/80's
in those days, every BIR and TA would have two or three whole chickens boiling away in the curry base brew!
They would fish out the overcooked chicken at the end, literally falling apart, leaving lots of bits and pieces behind.
Once put through the grinder the base was ready to go! This was a real "curry secret" which meant all the vegetarian's of the time weren't, if they liked a good curry that is!)
cheers chewy
[/quote]
VINDICATED AT LAST!!!!!
I've mentioned this before on here: I've been using home made Chicken stock in my bases for years now, which is effectively what the above process achieves: I would never go back to making base without it, it's completely inferior IMO.
I use chicken stock in place of some of the water in the base, made by simmering the remains of a roast chicken joint in a few pints of water, skiming the fat off the top and filtering out the crap.
If you havn't tried it PLEASE do, it makes a HUGE difference.
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Hi Alan,
Thanks for the advice. One thing I've read to look out for with these food mills is whether the perforated plates are actually stainless steel or just normal steel that is chrome plated. On some of the cheaper ones the chrome plate starts to come off after a short time. They should be made of solid stainless steel.
It would be good to hear from both you and Ray on how they perform.
Cheers,
Paul
PaulP, it's also the Grade of Stainless Steel that is used in the item,I have clearly marked ' Stainless Steel ' tools for cooking on the Barbeque and they are Rusting away nicely >:(
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Stainless steel will rust if it has come into contact with mild steel. Brillo pads are usually the main culprit.
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Stainless steel will rust if it has come into contact with mild steel. Brillo pads are usually the main culprit.
Hi Razor,my tool has never seen a Brillo pad :o The amount of Chromium in the Stainless is what helps keep it Rust free,obviously not much in my 99p BBQ set :-\ Stainless that has been Welded can Rust as the Chromium is destroyed with the Welding process.
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Correct! especially if it has been MIG welded. SS really should be TIG.
Ray :)
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Hi Guy's,
Well, my food mill arrived yesterday morning. At first, I was a little disappointed at the size of the thing (no comment required Mrs Razor...!)
However, I didn't need to be as the bowl itself held a good 750ml of base, so all was good.
So, turning it clockwise, I started to pass the base through the mill. All the liquid passed, I was surprised/disappointed not to see any fibrous matter left in the bottom of the mill? I ladled another 750 ml into the mill and passed it through the mill. Again, nothing. I took the mill off the pan and checked the passed base. It was incredibly smooth, and as it should be.
I put the mill back over the pan, still baffled as to where the 'gunk' was? I then turned the handle anti-clockwise and bingo, there it was, at least a good chefspoon of the stuff appeared.
So it works. Is it any less of a faff than passing through a sieve? probably not but it does look the business when your frantically turning away.
I can really imagine how invaluable it would have been back in the Old School BIR kitchen, especially in ensuring none of the chicken bits got through.
Glad I bought it because I got it for a song, but is it essential to the home BIR cook? no, not really, sieving does the job adequately.
Ray :)
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Razor,what do you think are the benefits of adding the White Cabbage.
ATB ;)
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Glad I bought it because I got it for a song, but is it essential to the home BIR cook? no, not really, sieving does the job adequately.
Ray :)
Hi Ray
Good report mate, an added bonus with your bargain, it will make perfect mash potato. :D
cheers Chewy
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Hi Emin-j
Razor,what do you think are the benefits of adding the White Cabbage.
If I'm being perfectly honest, I haven't bothered on the last two batches and not really noticed it missing. To be fair, I have only added the cabbage on the first 2 batches (made 4 in all) and can't quite remember what it added at the time.
With or without cabbage, I love this base and I love the BIR sweetness and aroma that runs through every single dish that I use it in.
Chewy, maybe you are better placed to answer emin-j's question? What do you believe the cabbage adds to the base and, do you think it could be omitted without any noticeable differences?
Ray :)
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Hi Ray / Emin-j
Cabbage and Green Capsicum are savoury, which helps balance the sweetness of the onions and carrot, just like adding salt to season.
My last base I used cauliflower trimmings, with the same result.
cheers Chewy
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Thanks' Ray/Chewy,I would dearly love to try something different in a base which is why I asked about the White Cabbage but if as Ray says It doesn't seem to make any difference with of without it this Base appears no different than many were already using/have used and is very similar to the last Base I made but did as Chewy does run it through a Strainer and a very good tip too. ;)
I am keen on using whole Spices and recently bought a Stainless ' Spice Ball ' and my plan is to put Cardamom Pods,Cloves,and Cinnamon Stick into the ball and use this in my next batch of Base to give more of a fragrance to it,using these Spices with Curries from scratch work very well.
Love the Vids Chewy you certainly know your stuff.
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Hi Emin-j,
Like I said mate, I can't actually remember what difference the cabbage made. Chewys explanation makes a lot of sense, so I will include it in my next batch.
I would give this base a go though emin-j, it really does have a fantastic affect on all my curries.
With regards to your suggestions on using whole spices in a base, I have cooked the ABC Balti base many many times. It also uses whole spices such as , Star anise, cassia bark, mace, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. It does produce a very nice base but there is always this 'medicine' like taste that runs through every dish made with it, but because each of the recipes only calls for 120ml of base, you can live with it.
Ray :)
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Good point Ray one man's Medicine is another mans fragrance :D
Will try the Cabbage next time Ray and make my mind up from that,is there anything you can ' put your finger on ' that makes this Base different than any others using the same ingredients ? Never made a Base using the Onions whole mind you :)
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Hi emin-j
Never made a Base using the Onions whole mind you :)
I think it is exactly that, boiling the onions whole and for a long time. Any other base, including my own, I've always had to add sugar to the final dish but I've never really been satisfied with the kind of sweetness that sugar adds, it's not BIR to my mind.
This base oozes BIR sweetness, and that is purely down to boiling the onions whole. No need for any additional sugar in any of my curries now, which is great.
Ray :)
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Would you say your curries are now 100% BIR Ray?
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Cheers Ray/Chewy, this will be my next Base whole Onions and all ;)
Just as an aside I have started putting a pinch of Orange food colouring in my Base and it really adds to the look of the Base and Curry's.
ATB.
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Hi Emin-j,
I also have a stainless steel spice ball and used it in my first attempt at the ABC balti base. I have to agree with Ray on this - there is a taste from the whole spices which slightly ruins it for me. I think it was mostly the mace and partly the cassia sticks.
If I made the ABC base again I would look to reduce the quantities of mace and cassia but would stick with the green cardamom, cloves, star anise and bay leaf.
The next base for me is definitely the one in this thread.
Paul
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The next base for me is definitely the one in this thread.
Go for it Paul, I'm sure that you will be happy with it.
Ray :)
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I love this base and now use it all the time. I will also give the spice ball a crack after blending next time as I used to get good results in the past when adding spiced water to bases.
I am planning on getting a pressure cooker for the one hour base. Should be good to speedup the process!!
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Hey Mads,
Glad to hear that you are also getting some good results with Chewy's base. I also used this base as standard now, even dropping my own base in favour of this one.
As for the pressure cooker version, dya know what, I quite enjoy the lengthy cooking process. Gives me time to get everything else ready whilst the base is brewing.
How suprised was you with the 'gunk' left behind after the sieving? I know I was amazed.
Ray :)
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Chewy,I like to make around 5 - 6 litres of Base at a time would I just double up on this Recipe ?
Cheers ;)
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Chewy,I like to make around 5 - 6 litres of Base at a time would I just double up on this Recipe ?
Cheers ;)
Hi emin-j
I wouldn't say double, just add another kilo of onions, and maybe bit more veg
keep the same oil, G&G, coriander, salt, mixed powder, tomato puree.
Once blended and thinned, should give you 5-6 litres no problem.
cheers
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Ray,
I totally agree with yourself with regards to the quality of this base sauce and that it would compliment most if not all recipes.
Like yourself the foodmill is not an essential tool to BIR, but i feel the process benefits the gravy.
I must admit i wouldnt of tryed this base if chewy had not posted the 3 hour version, purely and simply i like the longer process, just because it feels right!!
Abdul now has posted a gravy with no G or G which i made the other day, which again produced an outstanding curry.
Help, when is the confusion going to end ;D
alan ;D
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Hi lads
Glad this base/method is working for you.
I must say it's great to communicate with people with the same level of passion
for cooking a good curry.
You will probably agree, that cooking a new batch of base, becomes a kind of pleasurable ritual, quite unlike cooking anything else.
The pressure cooker, is a great tool if you need to speed things up, the initial boil in this recipe, will only take 30minutes under pressure
and there is also the theory that the goodness is locked in, which if correct, just adds to the finished base.
This is a bit random but -
I was just thinking, there must be at least 10.000 BIR kitchens in the UK
all boiling up a batch curry base daily, with no exact ingredients and no fixed recipes and probably an array of slightly different techniques.
So at least 10.000 different curry bases a day, and probably none of them documented into a recipe.
The only sure thing is, that's a hell of a lot of onions.
Cheers Chewy
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Chewy,I like to make around 5 - 6 litres of Base at a time would I just double up on this Recipe ?
Cheers ;)
Hi emin-j
I wouldn't say double, just add another kilo of onions, and maybe bit more veg
keep the same oil, G&G, coriander, salt, mixed powder, tomato puree.
Once blended and thinned, should give you 5-6 litres no problem.
cheers
Thanks' Chewy I'll give that a go next time ;)
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This is a bit random but -
I was just thinking, there must be at least 10.000 BIR kitchens in the UK
all boiling up a batch curry base daily, with no exact ingredients and no fixed recipes and probably an array of slightly different techniques.
So at least 10.000 different curry bases a day, and probably none of them documented into a recipe.
The only sure thing is, that's a hell of a lot of onions.
Cheers Chewy
From all the accolades i will definitely make this the next base i cook :). All reports so far suggest excellent results. Well done Chewy and thanks for posting the 3 hour version. Another great vid by the way.
Another random thought, criminal I know, how would we cope if there was an onion shortage or a severe hike in the price of the big white gems :o
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after finishing off my current batch of base last night (with a rather nice chicken madras ;)) i thought i would give Mr Chewy "Friday night is curry night" Tikkas base a whirl.
i am currently in the final satges of the process as all looks good. the sieving process is inspired and i was amazed at the amount of fiberous muck i was left with.
i will report back with my findings after my first curry with this fine looking base......i cant wait.
cheers chewy :)
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Hi,
I'm going to make this base tomorrow morning. Does anybody know if it will fit in a 4.5 litre stock pan? I've got a bigger pan if I need to use it.
Cheers,
Paul
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Hi,
I'm going to make this base tomorrow morning. Does anybody know if it will fit in a 4.5 litre stock pan? I've got a bigger pan if I need to use it.
Cheers,
Paul
Hi Paul
Yes, your pan should be good, the one in the video is only a 4litre pressure cooker.
Transferring to your bigger pan and adding water for the final boil, should be Ideal.
cheers Chewy
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Thanks Chewy, I'll report back after my Saturday night curry evening.
Paul :)
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I made the base on Saturday morning to spec. The onions were cooked whole and I did the straining just using a sieve.
There is definitely a difference in onion taste using this method and the base tasted nice enough.
For Saturday night I made a butter chicken, balti chicken and a lamb madras.
All the food went down a storm and the compliments were flowing so a great result.
Thanks Chewytikka, I'm already looking forward to cooking with this one again.
Paul :)
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Hi chewy
With this base getting so many great reviews I'm going to make a batch this week just one question i know it says 3 litres of water but how much of this goes in at the start do you keep some back until the end to get the right consistency?
Jamie
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I made the base on Saturday morning to spec. The onions were cooked whole and I did the straining just using a sieve.
There is definitely a difference in onion taste using this method and the base tasted nice enough.
For Saturday night I made a butter chicken, balti chicken and a lamb madras.
All the food went down a storm and the compliments were flowing so a great result.
Thanks Chewytikka, I'm already looking forward to cooking with this one again.
Paul :)
Great feedback Paul, Thanks :D
Glad you took the time to try it and you got a good result.
Have you posted your final dish recipes before, as I would
be interested in how you do your Balti Chicken. ;)
cheers Chewy
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Hi chewy
With this base getting so many great reviews I'm going to make a batch this week just one question i know it says 3 litres of water but how much of this goes in at the start do you keep some back until the end to get the right consistency?
Jamie
Hi jamie
3 litres all in at the start, for the first boil.
Then just add more water after you've blended it, to get a passata sauce type consistency
or thinner if you like.
cheers Chewy
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Hi chewy
cheers for that i have a week off next week so ill give it a crack
Jamie
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Hi Chewy,
The balti chicken was from the Authentic Balti Cookbook but I substituted two thirds of the balti base sauce with your base sauce. I did this to tone down the overbearing flavour of mace and cassia from the balti base and it seemed to work well.
The butter chicken recipe is from the other forum so I'm not going to post it here. It was from a member called ferret. Very nice too!
For the lamb madras I followed your madras sauce recipe including the lemon dressing and a touch of Worcester sauce. I used leg of lamb chopped up and briefly fried before cooking for 5 hours in my slow cooker with enough base sauce to keep it moist.
The lamb was very tender, you could have eaten it with no teeth.
ATB
Paul
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The butter chicken recipe is from the other forum so I'm not going to post it here. It was from a member called ferret. Very nice too!
Paul
I don't know about this other forum Paul, any chance that you could enlighten me???
Or is it a Taboo ::)
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Hi Chewy,
The balti chicken was from the Authentic Balti Cookbook but I substituted two thirds of the balti base sauce with your base sauce. I did this to tone down the overbearing flavour of mace and cassia from the balti base and it seemed to work well.
The butter chicken recipe is from the other forum so I'm not going to post it here. It was from a member called ferret. Very nice too!
For the lamb madras I followed your madras sauce recipe including the lemon dressing and a touch of Worcester sauce. I used leg of lamb chopped up and briefly fried before cooking for 5 hours in my slow cooker with enough base sauce to keep it moist.
The lamb was very tender, you could have eaten it with no teeth.
ATB
Paul
Thanks Paul
I'll have to check these out.
cheers Chewy
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Made this yesterday (for the second time) and it really is a nice base. As others have mentioned, it produces a lovely, natural sweetness.
One question though, how long did you cook to get the onions to turn that colour? Obviously this is a '3 hour base' but not sure it that relates to the total time or just the initial cooking of the onions, et cetera. I think I cooked for roughly 3 hours and my onions, although soft, did not turn that colour. Perhaps I was not aggressive enough with the heat.
Made Razor's Rogan Josh with it: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5950.msg59322#msg59322 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5950.msg59322#msg59322)
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Made this yesterday (for the second time) and it really is a nice base. As others have mentioned, it produces a lovely, natural sweetness.
One question though, how long did you cook to get the onions to turn that colour? Obviously this is a '3 hour base' but not sure it that relates to the total time or just the initial cooking of the onions, et cetera. I think I cooked for roughly 3 hours and my onions, although soft, did not turn that colour. Perhaps I was not aggressive enough with the heat.
Made Razor's Rogan Josh with it: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5950.msg59322#msg59322 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5950.msg59322#msg59322)
Ramirez , Made this Base for the first time yesterday, cooked all veg for about 1.25 Hours, the Onions did turn colour very slightly but not by much.
I put a pointed knife into the Onions which passed through so I took it that they were cooked through , nice Aroma when cooking compared to some Base's I have made but did find it very thick in consistency even putting enough water in to make it up to almost 5ltrs it is still on the thick side.
Having the family around Tomorrow evening for a big Indian nosh up hopefully I'll do chewy proud with his Base :D
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Thanks emin-j.
Do you think the base tasted sweeter than other bases you've tried?
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One question though, how long did you cook to get the onions to turn that colour? Obviously this is a '3 hour base' but not sure it that relates to the total time or just the initial cooking of the onions, et cetera. Could you clarify? I think I cooked for roughly 3 hours and my onions, although soft, did not turn that colour. Perhaps I was not aggressive enough with the heat.
Chewy - not sure if you've seen the above question or not. :)
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One question though, how long did you cook to get the onions to turn that colour? Obviously this is a '3 hour base' but not sure it that relates to the total time or just the initial cooking of the onions, et cetera. Could you clarify? I think I cooked for roughly 3 hours and my onions, although soft, did not turn that colour. Perhaps I was not aggressive enough with the heat.
Chewy - not sure if you've seen the above question or not. :)
Hi Ramirez
Sorry I missed it. This is a duplicate answer, on Ray's Thread
It took me 3 hours in total, one lazy Saturday afternoon in March.
The first video I did, only took 1hour in total, and was not as sweet.(pressure cook 30mins)
If I want a really sweet base I leave the onions whole (pressure cook 30mins)
The point people may seem to be missing, is that there should be 90% onion in any base recipe.
The more onions the better/sweeter! If your want to mimic what they do in all BIR/TA's I know and probably in your local,
Boill them whole. @100 degrees!
Here's some random poor quality phone snaps
one with the foodmill in action
cheers Chewy
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When i was having a BIR meal with family last week i sure seen one heck of a
onion mountain (whole onions) out of the large pot on the
stove and topped with garlic and ginger, spice mix etc
ready for cooking down.
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Made this base yesterday and it certainly is very good ;D.Created a nice smooth sauce, that I used in CA's Chicken Korma.
For the spices, I used Dipurajas mix powder recipe, and added 1.5 teaspoons of chilli powder.
Looking forward to making a 'Proper' curry(i.e. one with a bit of heat in it! :o lol)with it.
I intend to make CA's base over the next week, then will use both bases to make identicle curries, and decide which, I believe, is the best.
Here some pics of my efforts.
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More pics :)
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Last set of pics showing, 1) the completed base, 2 and 3, the Korma(Cory Anders Recipe);D
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Nice one Matt - good pics. Let us know how you get on with the comparison.
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Nice set of pictures mate. I too made this base yesterday and was very pleased with the results. Very tasty base on by itself :P. Used it with Razors rogan josh recipe - fabulous ;D. Will be interesting to hear the results of your side by side comparison. I have a similar experiment planned myelf with a couple of bases. ::)
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Thanks emin-j.
Do you think the base tasted sweeter than other bases you've tried?
Hi Ramirez,
To be honest I don't think the Base tasted any sweeter than my usual Base but that's not surprising because my usual Base is made with the same ingredients - except the cabbage,however it did have a better Aroma when boiling than most of the Base's I have made and judging by my ten Guests comments last night this is the Base I will be making from now on so well done chewy ;)
When I put the Base through a fine strainer there was very little fibrous material left in the strainer but I do blitz very well so it's not surprising,so little that I wont bother next time ( I can understand BIR's in the 70's using a food mill or whatever if they put a whole Chicken in with their Base because of the likelyhood of having Bones in the Base :o) but using the Onions whole is a definite.
What I made last night was -
6 Portions Chicken Madras
4 Portions Lamb Korma
10 Portions Bombay Aloo
1 Chicken Jalfrezi
20 Onion Bhajis
10 Portions Pilau Rice
5 Portions Saffron Rice
Cooking from 9.15 am - 6.00pm
I was bloody knackered :)
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To be honest I don't think the Base tasted any sweeter than my usual Base but that's not surprising because my usual Base is made with the same ingredients - except the cabbage,however it did have a better Aroma when boiling than most of the Base's I have made and judging by my ten Guests comments last night this is the Base I will be making from now on so well done chewy ;)
Thanks. The reason I was asking is that you only cooked for 1.25hrs. The fact it didn't taste sweeter supports the notion that the sweetness that comes from Chewy's base comes from cooking duration, rather than the cooking of onions whole.
6 Portions Chicken Madras
4 Portions Lamb Korma
10 Portions Bombay Aloo
1 Chicken Jalfrezi
20 Onion Bhajis
10 Portions Pilau Rice
5 Portions Saffron Rice
:o
Wow - I bet you're knackered. I've never done anything even approaching that! Very impressive.
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Hi Ramirez,
Yes I only cooked the Veg for approx 1.25hrs and by then the Onion was cooked through (but didn't change colour by much) then the Spices etc, then short Boil, followed by Blitzing, continued to simmer then for about another Hour until the Oil separated. ;)
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Hi Ram,
Thanks. The reason I was asking is that you only cooked for 1.25hrs. The fact it didn't taste sweeter supports the notion that the sweetness that comes from Chewy's base comes from cooking duration, rather than the cooking of onions whole.
Possibly, but it could be the length of cooking the onions in conjunction with leaving them whole that makes the base sweet? I guess the only real way to prove it would be to cook the base with the onions whole for three hour, and then cook another base with the onions chopped but also for three hours.
I'm away for a week as from tomorrow, so my 'experimenting' will have to wait I'm afraid :(
Bloody hell, a whole week without making a curry, I'll be like a crackhead without a fix :(
Ray :)
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Hi All
Some great feedback and photos and thanks for the good reviews
plus you are all making good curries from it. Result ;)
Just one point, if you don't add enough water on the second boil/simmer, you can
actually overcook it and it will go from golden to dark brown.
In a BIR there is plenty water added as its kept over low heat for many hours
during service.
Tip: The right consistency is when it runs off your spoon and leaves the spoon
clean.
cheers Chewy
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Chewy,
Followed your Recipe but even adding enough water to make almost 5ltrs it was on the thickish side and no where near as thin as the Base in your Photo above,any idea why ?
Lovely Curry's from this Base though ;)
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Chewy,
Followed your Recipe but even adding enough water to make almost 5ltrs it was on the thickish side and no where near as thin as the Base in your Photo above,any idea why ?
Lovely Curry's from this Base though ;)
Hi emin-j
The restaurant base in the pic is a 20ltr pot and really well thinned with water.
Madmatt's final base pic, looks like it could do with thinning quite a bit.
I can't say, without seeing your base, but if yours looked similar to Matt's, you just need to
add more water.
Here's a pic from the Video
cheers Chewy
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When I made Chewy's base using 2 kg of onions my finished volume was just over 4 litres. That seemed about right to me for the consistency of the finished base.
Cheers,
Paul
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You may be right CT, but at the end of the day, it made a very tasty curry, just like a BIR one.
The more you thin it the less flavour you are left with?
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The more you thin it the less flavour you are left with?
Hi Matt.
That is why chefs have the reduction time to thicken the curry and allow all the flavours to develop when making the final curry.
Mick
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Hi Matt
I'm not criticizing in anyway mate. Really glad you tried this base
and appreciate your feedback and great review.
Just trying to explain the method and share my knowledge.
cheers Chewy
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Hi Chewy and all,
As soon as i tasted my first batch of this i recognized it !
I have had this base from my local take away and in a few restaurants.
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This looks awesome Chewy and its the first ever base i am going to make tomorrow.
How do i use this for a Madras (my favourite) or a Pathia ?
Pretty new to site so not sure where to look or even if you have any recipes for the finished curries ?
Thanks.. ;D
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This looks awesome Chewy and its the first ever base i am going to make tomorrow.
How do i use this for a Madras (my favourite) or a Pathia ?
Pretty new to site so not sure where to look or even if you have any recipes for the finished curries ?
Thanks.. ;D
Welcome Bilabonic. Sounds as though you're having a lot of fun and cooking some great BIR food. CT's is a damn fine base sauce to use and will go well with any of the recipes in the links below. All will need base sauce. I'm sure other members will suggest certain madras/pathia recipes in preference to others. If not read the threads and make your own mind up. Keep us posted on the results. I'm sure they'll be good ;D
madras http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?board=52.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?board=52.0)
Pathia http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?board=56.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?board=56.0)
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This looks awesome Chewy and its the first ever base i am going to make tomorrow.
How do i use this for a Madras (my favourite) or a Pathia ?
Pretty new to site so not sure where to look or even if you have any recipes for the finished curries ?
Thanks.. ;D
Hi Bilabonic
Once you've made the base, watch my Madras Video, it should help you.
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5634.msg55685#msg55685 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5634.msg55685#msg55685)
cheers Chewy
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Hiya!
I joined the forum a couple of years ago in search of curry cooking tips and recipes, I learned a few things, learned even more from my Indian friends, and can know make a pretty authentic Indian curry (which my friend from Orissa calls a "Party Curry" as it reminds him of the currys the women make when they're celebrating).
Anyhoo! At that time, it seemed the forum was still in search for that final "5%". So, I kinda forgot all about it until last week, I thought I'd check back in to see if we'd found that final 5% (convinced nothing will have changed) and by crikey it seems like we're there :)
I went on a little shopping trip yesterday to get all the required spice blends for the mixed powder, Kashmiri Chilli blend wasn't in any of my usual Indian stores in Leeds, but I eventually found some "King of Spice" branded Kashmiri Curry Masala in a corner shop which is hopefully close enough!
http://www.kingofspice.com/traditional_kashmiri_curry_masala.html (http://www.kingofspice.com/traditional_kashmiri_curry_masala.html)
So right now I'm on the initial boil, about 1hr 45 mins done, it's almost looking like Chewy's in the video, so pretty soon I'm be blending!
Once it's made, I think I may be adventurous and go for a Madras and a Pudinda Murgh for the Mrs :)
Big thanks in advance to Chewy for posting up the really helpful videos and sharing the BIR secrets he's learned over the years - :D
EDIT : Blended and sieved. It's pretty thick, added some water but my pan is pretty choc-a-bloc :o Tastes nice, not what I expected at all, the ginger is pretty much taking over and I only put 2 inch stick in ::)
Second boil now, let's hope it ends up something like Chewytikkas!! 8)
EDIT : Kinda tastes like carrot and corriander soup. Can't really tell that it's mainly onion :/
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At that time, it seemed the forum was still in search for that final "5%". So, I kinda forgot all about it until last week, I thought I'd check back in to see if we'd found that final 5% (convinced nothing will have changed) and by crikey it seems like we're there :)
I think, based on yesterday's experience, I can safely say that we have indeed achieved the final 5%, if our gold standard is an average BIR. If, on the other hand, the gold standard is the Indian equivalent of the Manor aux quat'Saisons, Le Petit Blanc, or the Waterside at Bray, then I don't think there would be any shame in admitting that most of us still have some way to go. But to expand on yesterday's experience, Khanh didn't want to have a "Super Tuesday at the Taj", as she said she had too much to do, so we opted for a takeaway from our other local BIR. We had Chicken Madras, Lamb Biryani, Mushroom Pulao, and Sag Aloo. And we both agreed, as soon as we'd had a couple of mouthfuls, meals that I have prepared in our own kitchen far surpassed the Chicken Madras, the Sag Aloo, and the Mushroom Pulao, and tied with the Lamb Biryani. So yes, I think we are there, in terms of equalling and even surpassing the run-of-the-mill places, and so it is clearly time to set our sights even higher ...
** Phil.
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Hi Smoothound,
This is an excellent base my friend, and full of BIR flavour when turned into your end dish.
Just noticed this though;
Kashmiri Chilli blend wasn't in any of my usual Indian stores in Leeds, but I eventually found some "King of Spice" branded Kashmiri Curry Masala in a corner shop which is hopefully close enough!
I don't think it will be the same mate. Just the fact that it is a curry masala will mean it will have a quantity of 'mixed' spices, whereas Kashmiri mirch (chilli) is just chilli powder, albeit, a very superior chilli powder in my opinion.
I think it would be worth your while to seek out some Kashmiri mirch or even order off the net if you're struggling to get hold of it locally.
Hope that helps,
Ray :)
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Just to follow up on this message :
[W]e opted for a takeaway from our other local BIR. We had Chicken Madras, Lamb Biryani, Mushroom Pulao, and Sag Aloo. And we both agreed, as soon as we'd had a couple of mouthfuls, meals that I have prepared in our own kitchen far surpassed the Chicken Madras, the Sag Aloo, and the Mushroom Pulao, and tied with the Lamb Biryani.
The takeaway lasted three nights in total, and there is still a little left for tomorrow (I eked out the chicken with a couple of boiled free-range eggs). Rather than simply re-heating what had been a pretty pathetic offering, I set about bringing it up to my normal standards. The chicken curry was virtually oil-free, and the sauce looked most unappetising as a result, so I added a fair amount of rapeseed oil, made a very quick tarka with some g/g paste and a little Bassar Curry Masala and Achari Masala, and then re-heated the curry with that as its nucleus. It was certainly far better after that, both visually and taste-wise, than it was when we first took it home. The Sag Aloo was a harder nut to crack, and on the second night was not much better than when we had brought it home (still pretty tasteless) but tonight I cracked it : a good dollop of ghee, a good sprinkle of chat masala and hing, a heaped teaspoon of g/g paste, a squeeze of tomato puree, a quick stir around in a hot work, in with the sag aloo, up to temperature and serve. And what a difference ! A really nice sag aloo at last, and Khanh suggested that I go back and offer to show the chef how to do it !
** Phil.
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The mind boggles Phil, even thinking about what you described: De-constructing a TA and rebuilding it over a 4 day period whilst avoiding the "wrath of Khan", adding eggs and what not.
I'm not having a pop but you could get the rubber duck award for the most off-topic post in 2011.
Cheers,
Paul ;D
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I agree that it's off-topic w.r.t. the thread title, but it is a logical continuation of my reply to the observation by Smoothhound :
At that time, it seemed the forum was still in search for that final "5%". So, I kinda forgot all about it until last week, I thought I'd check back in to see if we'd found that final 5% (convinced nothing will have changed) and by crikey it seems like we're there :)
to which I replied (in part) I think, based on yesterday's experience, I can safely say that we have indeed achieved the final 5%
My most recent message was just a follow-up to that, but apologies to your good self and to anyone else who found it annoying.
** Phil (off to the garden to pull up some weeds -- more useful than searching for a rubber duck !).
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I don't think it will be the same mate. Just the fact that it is a curry masala will mean it will have a quantity of 'mixed' spices, whereas Kashmiri mirch (chilli) is just chilli powder, albeit, a very superior chilli powder in my opinion.
I think it would be worth your while to seek out some Kashmiri mirch or even order off the net if you're struggling to get hold of it locally.
Hope that helps,
Ray :)
Thanks Ray, I will hunt some down, but even using the masala blend the curries I made turned out perfect! As close to BIR as I could ever hope for, and I was convinved the base hadn't worked ::)
I made the Madras for myself and the Pudinda Murgh for my other half - we both said that if we had ordered that in a restaurant we would have gone away happy and raved about it the next day.
Chuffed to bits :)
Afterwards I've got 4 takeaway tubs full of base, which I recon is good for 8 servings. I am a very happy bunny. Took a few pics too which I can post up ?
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I made the Madras for myself and the Pudinda Murgh for my other half - we both said that if we had ordered that in a restaurant we would have gone away happy and raved about it the next day.
Chuffed to bits :)
Afterwards I've got 4 takeaway tubs full of base, which I recon is good for 8 servings. I am a very happy bunny. Took a few pics too which I can post up ?
It's always good to hear success stories and when people are 100% happy with their efforts. It's things like this that make being a member of a forum such as this very satisfying 8). Pictures are always appreciated Smoothound. Post away ;D
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Hi Smoothound
Excellent, glad you've enjoyed my video recipes and more importantly, that you've
been inspired to cook, and had a good result straight off.
Posting your photo's would be great.
cheers chewy
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Hi Smoothound,
I can only agree with CT & CH, it's fantastic that you have a success. What makes it even more pleasing for me, is that your inspiration came from cr0 members and their recipes.
Absolutely brilliant, well done mate.
Ray :)
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New member here. Made this base sauce today and to be quite honest I thought it tasted ok when I finished.
However, after making a vindaloo with it I've realised it's actually quite bitter and doesnt taste nice at all.
It's most definitely the base sauce as well, I 'm convinced the white cabbage is the culprit. Had I left that out
I'm almost certain it would of taste better.
My sauce looked exactly like Chewy's in the video, but less oily. My vindaloo looked like a restaurant curry, but thats where it ended I'm afraid. Bit gutted, spent way more than what a take away cost on ingredients and a hand blender. All in all with washing up again and again, about six hours wasted. I feel like I've done a days work almost, and for nothing. Ah well, not beginners luck here then. Still got bitter taste in my mouth now, over 45 mins ago since eating it.
I do have some base sauce left, and I'm considering adding something to it, like chicken stock maybe, in the hope of making it worth eating. Or maybe it's only fit for the bin.
Well done to all of you that are successful at it though, sure it taste great if done right. Can't for the life of me see where I've gone wrong though and for it to taste that bad.
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Hi FC, 2 common sources of bitterness are anything 'burned' & tomato. iF the base tasted ok on its own , you have probably burned the spices or garlic at the start of the dish. I've personally never used cabbage in any base & pretty sure I could leave out carrot also. The base is only 1 component of the finished dish, and as a rule personally, if I dont like the taste of it on its own, its not going to go away in the finished dish. The flavour will only intensify when reduced..don't know your location but the difference in flavours can vary street for my next step by street. Im in Glasgow where the chefs/owners are predominately Punjabi/Pakistani & find the taste here is fairly profound..My own curries are like my restaurants except with the volume down low.I;m looking at oil used for frying pakora /bhajis for use in the base & main dish
Regards
ELW
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I've made this base to spec complete with the cabbage and I couldn't really taste any cabbage in the finished base.
Like ELW says it sounds to me like you've burned something (garlic and or spices) when you cooked your vindaloo.
The base sauce recipes are generally easy to cook but producing the finished curry is where you need to be careful. It does get easier the more you cook.
Good luck with your next attempt.
Cheers,
Paul
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New member here. Made this base sauce today and to be quite honest I thought it tasted ok when I finished.
However, after making a vindaloo with it I've realised it's actually quite bitter and doesnt taste nice at all.
It's most definitely the base sauce as well, I 'm convinced the white cabbage is the culprit. Had I left that out
I'm almost certain it would of taste better.
Hi FC. Sorry to hear your first attempt seems to have not worked out. Bases normally improve the next day after cooking. You need to determine whether it is the base that is bitter or the resultant curry. The base should only have a slight vegetable soup taste with a hint or more of curry flavour to it. There shouldn't be any bitterness. If there is this will just be exagerated when cooking a curry using it. If the base tastes ok then try cooking a different dish and be extra careful not to burn any of the ingredients. As for the cabbage, that is very unlikely to be the culprit that caused any bitterness. Some other members have had the bitterness thing with other curry gravy recipes so you are not the first and probably will not be the last. Different reasons have been put forward for this taste. If the base is bitter then i wouldn't waste anymore time trying to disguise it. Bin it and try doing it again or do it with a different base. The other current popular bases are CA's, Abdul Mohed's and Taz's (the latter being probably the easiest to make, not that the others are hard).
Let us know how you get on. Good luck - you will succeed in the end and it will be worth the pain experienced at the beginning ;)
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Thanks for all the feeback guys. I think I probably did slightly burn the garlic and ginger, when making the curry. Also, feel like I didn't use enough oil. Have some base left, so I'll give it another go using much more oil and
being very careful not to burn anything.
Cheers
-
Good luck with it FC. Let us know how you get on :D
-
made this superb base again and thought I'd take some pics.
only difference to chewys was I added some Chalice hot curry oil.
this was maybe why it turned out a slightly darker colour.
cooked Curry2go madras with this and it turned out not too bad.
didn't notice any significant improvement with the Chalice oil added because twas the first time I'd cooked it.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/c373187f8cb97d66e22cd279d9d3fd1c.JPG) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#c373187f8cb97d66e22cd279d9d3fd1c.JPG)
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/fd5e6ab0b05c4263a758bc03e7818182.JPG) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#fd5e6ab0b05c4263a758bc03e7818182.JPG)
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/38b66432b20aad77f38a2720aeba78bd.JPG) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#38b66432b20aad77f38a2720aeba78bd.JPG)
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/670bc429e9bf32e68146a99ea8968354.JPG) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#670bc429e9bf32e68146a99ea8968354.JPG)
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Chewy,
Was these food mills used in place of a blender or food processor?
Ray :)
Hi Ray
Before and as well as the big power blenders, just the final step for the sauce.
I mentioned it in my first post on cr0, which I referred to it as a grinder.
(Grinding or passing it through a sieve gathers all the unwanted pulp, onion fibres/skin, pips and seeds etc. leaving you with the smooth BIR textured sauce.
The importance of the grinder, if your trying to emulate the curries of the 60/70/80's
in those days, every BIR and TA would have two or three whole chickens boiling away in the curry base brew!
They would fish out the overcooked chicken at the end, literally falling apart, leaving lots of bits and pieces behind.
Once put through the grinder the base was ready to go! This was a real "curry secret" which meant all the vegetarian's of the time weren't, if they liked a good curry that is!)
cheers chewy
If you remember chewy they use to use boilers /old chickens thats how a leg looked a strange shape.the first I tasted
was in1967 THE TAJ MAHAL Pakistanis then
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Hi Mojo
Looking good, glad your your having a result with the base.
I've just done another Madras video, you might like to check out.
Ifindfyou
Spot on with Boiler Chickens, Terry.
I remember, they were slightly too big for the foil containers
and the Chef or the server trying to get it to fit or sometimes just putting the lid on
and leaving the bone sticking out of one end.
The good old days, lol. ;D
cheers Chewy
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Chewytikka,
stumbled on this from infindforu's base comment about yours.
well pleased to find someone else taking the scum off. i kept the scum on for long time knowing in my head it was wrong to do so. for a good while now i take it off as soon as the base comes back to the simmer after blending - there's a window if you keep stirring to stop the oil surfacing which allows it to be removed.
on fellow chummy chilli head's base he uses colander. it's something i've never got round to trying. i do a thorough job on the blending - in fact the good lady has cotterned on and i get all the blending jobs.
loved the music too
best wishes,
-
In 2011 I have tried spiced oil, bhaji oil, different spice mix, stock from chicken bones, spiced water and loads and loads of base sauce recipes. I have had some successes and many failures but I have had a good time and have learnt so much from trying new techniques etc. Although my curries have been pretty good and are better than some of the takeaways in my area I think I am in need of some solid practice so I decided to go back and use Chewys 3 Hour base which although I have only made once I had fond memories of.
After knocking up a batch of this sauce (along with Chewys spice mix) it made me realise just how bloody good this base really is. I made my usual Madras but now used my newly purchased splatter guard which allowed me to let the sauce caramelize on a high heat without fear of making a fine mess ? I was happy with the result and my Mrs even more so!! In the past I have been so conscious of mess that I did not want the sauce to splatter that I have constantly stirred the mixture thus not letting the spices cook properly.
It was by far the best Madras I have made partly down to the excellent base and partly to the techniques I have recently picked up from Chewys, Julianss and CBMs videos. I went on to knock up a perfect Korma and a Chilli Chicken Masala both from Micks book/video. The Chilli Chicken Masala was a bang on 100% replicate of one made by my favourite restaurant and have not seen anything like it on this site. All three curries sat nicely in my new Curry Station which I was well chuffed with. http://www.jean-patrique.co.uk/629/product_detail.html (http://www.jean-patrique.co.uk/629/product_detail.html)
Anyway, I am going to get my head down this year and stick to using this base rather than trying out anything new or different and will concentrate on improving my technique.
Best of luck for 2012
Nick
-
In 2011 I have tried spiced oil, bhaji oil, different spice mix, stock from chicken bones, spiced water and loads and loads of base sauce recipes. I have had some successes and many failures but I have had a good time and have learnt so much from trying new techniques etc. Although my curries have been pretty good and are better than some of the takeaways in my area I think I am in need of some solid practice so I decided to go back and use Chewys 3 Hour base which although I have only made once I had fond memories of.
After knocking up a batch of this sauce (along with Chewys spice mix) it made me realise just how bloody good this base really is. I made my usual Madras but now used my newly purchased splatter guard which allowed me to let the sauce caramelize on a high heat without fear of making a fine mess ? I was happy with the result and my Mrs even more so!! In the past I have been so conscious of mess that I did not want the sauce to splatter that I have constantly stirred the mixture thus not letting the spices cook properly.
It was by far the best Madras I have made partly down to the excellent base and partly to the techniques I have recently picked up from Chewys, Julianss and CBMs videos. I went on to knock up a perfect Korma and a Chilli Chicken Masala both from Micks book/video. The Chilli Chicken Masala was a bang on 100% replicate of one made by my favourite restaurant and have not seen anything like it on this site. All three curries sat nicely in my new Curry Station which I was well chuffed with. http://www.jean-patrique.co.uk/629/product_detail.html (http://www.jean-patrique.co.uk/629/product_detail.html)
Anyway, I am going to get my head down this year and stick to using this base rather than trying out anything new or different and will concentrate on improving my technique.
Best of luck for 2012
Nick
I am thinking along the same lines as yourself Nick, just trying to finalise which base i am going to work with mostly this year (CT's is in contention) although i intend to play with it in an attempt to get it close to that of my local BIR. Am also in the process of finalising which mixed powder i intend to use as well. I too got a new spatter guard. Posted a pic of mine
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=7616.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=7616.0)
A little gem from Ikea. Works an absolute gem. I won't hijak the thread anymore as i need to do a cook off to assess the use of jalpur garam masala vs anyother and what difference it may make a madras. Best of luck in 2012
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Chewy,
I know this is a long shot, But you are the only guy that I think may have one,
A recipe for a 60s/70s/80s Base, Please say you have one :'( And could you post the recipe,, If not, some idea of ingredients whould give me somewhere to start from, Don't go a lot on the new base's, to many veggies in there for me, Plus I hate coriander(the herb) with a passion ;) I'm using the Admin base at the moment but I think it needs a twek or two
Les
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Hi HS,
Not wanting to answer on CT's behalf but I assumed that this base WAS at least a 70's/80's base that Chewy has been using since said dates?
You could try my base, not suggesting that it is a 60/70/80's style base but as you have been using Admins Bradford base, apparently mine is similar but preferred by at least one member that has tried both;
Quote from Domi on June 19, 2010
I used admins base for madras/vindaloos mainly but it didn't work as well with other recipes IMO. I've used SnS's base but I wasn't overly impressed with that, I found it to be a bit weak and by far preferred Ca's base up to trying Razor's. I had 4/5 bases on my to do list before trying this one and since using this one I haven't wanted to try the others as I'm extremely happy with the results I've had (I've made it six or seven times and never had a curry that wasn't top notch, regardless of recipe used in conjunction with it) - I even made a vindaloo/korma cross dish that was beautiful but I can't remember what I did as I'd been on the Magners lol.
It's become my fave base so far - I've not even made Admin's base since I've been using Razor's
Don't worry about the lack of oil either...I've had a good yield of oil over every dish so far (I add around 3 tblsp to start my final dish and I don't reclaim, just stir it in).
Now, it does contain coriander stalks but you could leave them out I suppose? Anyway, here it is; http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4596.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4596.0)
Ray :)
p.s, Apologies to Chewy for advertising my base on your base recipe mate, no offence intended :)
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Hi HS,
Not wanting to answer on CT's behalf but I assumed that this base WAS at least a 70's/80's base that Chewy has been using since said dates?
You could try my base, not suggesting that it is a 60/70/80's style base but as you have been using Admins Bradford base, apparently mine is similar but preferred by at least one member that has tried both
it does contain coriander stalks but you could leave them out I suppose? Anyway, here it is; http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4596.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4596.0)
Ray :)
p.s, Apologies to Chewy for advertising my base on your base recipe mate, no offence intended :)
Thanks for that one Ray, And if It's good enough for Domi, It's good enough for me,
Next time I make a new batch will give your's a shot, (Leave out the coriander stalks......Hell yes)
There is so many Bases on here I totally missed your's, Had I seen it before I woukd have tried it as there is none of them there veggies ;) Just as a by the by, You where talking about the aniseed after tone in some curry's in another thread, Well sat we had a curry from a new T/A in town which also had this aniseed back note to it, I said to one of my son's that It tasted like Chinese 5 spice, and he said NO, It tastes more like Allspice, what you recon, Could it be Allspice in the spice mix or garam masala? Just a thought
Les
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Whoa, whats going on here, I'm sure our moderator will think this illegal Ray
poaching my base recipe customers like this, is nothing secred on cR0. lol ;D ;D ;D
To make my (Enhanced 70's Base), at the start Skin and wash a Chicken leg quarter and add it to the pot
with 2 Tej Patta Leaves and 1 finger length stick of Cassia Bark plus a couple of green finger chillis.
Boil as instructed and fish out the extra before you blend.
cheers ChewyBhunao
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Whoa, whats going on here, I'm sure our moderator will think this illegal Ray
poaching my base recipe customers like this, is nothing secred on cR0. lol ;D ;D ;D
To make my (Enhanced 70's Base), at the start Skin and wash a Chicken leg quarter and add it to the pot
with 2 Tej Patta Leaves and 1 finger length stick of Cassia Bark plus a couple of green finger chillis.
Boil as instructed and fish out the extra before you blend.
cheers ChewyBhunao
Thanks Chewy
Get you, "Enhanced" base now is it ;)
I got the adding bit,
But just which base are we talking about here, I'm a bit confused (or have I just lost the plot ::))
Les
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Thanks Chewy
I got the adding bit,
But just which base are we talking about here, I'm a bit confused (or have I just lost the plot ::))
Les
[/quote]
Probably both HS ;D
My base mate
-
Thanks Chewy,
Les (Having a senior moment :D)
PS
Did they really use all them veggies in the base during the 70s?
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Hi,
I ran out of my CA base today so gave this a go and made your Madras too (not cooked for a while), worked out really good.
thanks
Will
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I've just finished making this. :)
I haven't made a large quantity of base for ages now. These days I just make a couple of litres at a time, with the usual suspects as ingredients. But I made Chewy's full quantity of base last year, and thought it was great. I want to try some of Chewy's dishes - that's me branching out at last after 10 years of just cooking vindaloo and madras - so I decided to make up his full base again to use with them.
Here's my effort, resting after the final simmer with the scum spooned off. The pan is from a pressure cooker, but unfortunately I don't have the top part, as this was given to me after the rest of it fell to bits. :-\
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/e485b5c910f7a972264f7d423690b90e.JPG) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#e485b5c910f7a972264f7d423690b90e.JPG)
Now I'm off to cook Chewy's madras. I need to build myself up for taking the plunge with his Jalfrezi, which I'll try later in the week. :)
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Wow, that looks the business and exactly the way it should, curry on mate. ;D
Nice to know your going to follow through, making the base and final curry recipes. ;)
cheers Chewy
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This is the first time I tried this base and I'm very happy with the result. Great recipe!
I did a slight modification and added a piece of lamb bone (+-20cm) while cooking. This
adds a lot of extra flavour to the end result. Try it if you are planning to
make lamb curries. However, don't add more than 1 bone of +-20cm or the taste of
meat/lamb might be to powerful. A small bone adds a lot of depth in terms of flavour.
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This is the first time I tried this base and I'm very happy with the result. Great recipe!
I did a slight modification and added a piece of lamb bone (+-20cm) while cooking. This
adds a lot of extra flavour to the end result. Try it if you are planning to
make lamb curries.
That certainly accords with my recollections of good BIRs of the late sixties and early seventies. In those days, one sure way of telling the good from the not-so-good was that in the good BIRs, the sauce with a lamb curry (any variant) had a distinctly lamb-ey flavour, whilst the not-so-good simply had a generic curry flavour.
** Phil.
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That certainly accords with my recollections of good BIRs of the late sixties and early seventies. In those days, one sure way of telling the good from the not-so-good was that in the good BIRs, the sauce with a lamb curry (any variant) had a distinctly lamb-ey flavour, whilst the not-so-good simply had a generic curry flavour.
** Phil.
I've actually never been to an indian restaurant in the UK. I am from Belgium and indian food is still fairly unknown for most people here. In the larger cities, there are indian restaurants, but the quality is often moderate. However, I have a good feeling of what to expect of an authentic BIR. A couple of years ago, I started with making authentic indian curries. I bought a lot of books but I was still unable to replicate restaurant food and full flavor curries. After few years of experimenting, I finally got it right. Thanks to this website, I managed to make my curries perfect.
Anyways, the trick with adding a bone for extra flavor is just some basic knowledge about cooking. It's something you should consider when making any sauce or soup.
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Hi Temesta
Thanks for posting
Glad you had a result with this recipe. ;)
Be interesting to know what final curries you make with it and how they turn out.
cheers Chewy
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Hi Temesta
Thanks for posting
Glad you had a result with this recipe. ;)
Be interesting to know what final curries you make with it and how they turn out.
cheers Chewy
I tried CA's madras chicken :
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3830.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3830.0)
However, I did it with lamb meat and ghee. I tend to do 50% ghee and 50% spiced oil.
Actually, I'm a bit surprised that Ghee is left out on many many recipes on this forum. Ghee is just
something that also adds a lot of flavour to the final product.
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Hello Chewy,
I just made this over the weekend and I think I did pretty okay (I'm still new to cooking Indian food). I actually think I made it a bit thick, but I used it for the Aloo and it came out really nicely. I ended up doing the first cook for about 2 hours and the second cook for about 1.5 hours. One question I do have though is about the onions. What type does people use? I couldn't find any mention of specific types, but they look like Medium Sweet Onions, so that's what I ended up using.
Thanks again!
Dv
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Hi All
I usually do my 1hr pressure cooker base, which is here
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5606.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5606.0)
But for people without a pressure cooker, here's the 3hr version.
"http://player.vimeo.com/video/21104829"
just joined as a new member yours is the 1st vid and recipe i have viewd looks a great base sauce m8 think i,ll give that ago my self ty
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Hi Dv
Sorry I missed your post and welcome to cR0.
With regard to the onions, I buy a sack at the Asian store, always the cheapest.
No idea where they come from but probably Dutch or British.
Have used all kinds of onions in the past, some are sweeter than others, but these
recipes/methods produce consistant results, whichever I use.
chef888
Welcome to the forum, hope you enjoy the recipes.
cheers Chewy
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Hi Chewy,
I've made this base and followed everything as closely as possible i.e. no additions or things left out.
I was wondering about the oil separation part - I've boiled and boiled, in the end for about 2 hours after blending/sieving, and all I get is a sheen of minute oily droplets on top, not the pooling of oil you have on the video.
Have you (or anyone else who's made the base) experienced this?
I know there are threads on oil separation, but I wondered how it might affect this particular base and the dishes created form it, if you cant achieve that pooling oil separation?
I don't want to boil it any more as it's going to end up as a puree, unless i keep topping up with water
Ta
Gary
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Hi chewy, I made your base a couple of weeks ago and it was fantastic :D I also froze enough to make 4 other dishes which I knocked up on Saturday ;) which were Madras, bhuna, jalfrezi & rogan josh. When I work out how to download the pic's to this site I will inbox you, Rob.
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OK so about to know one of these highly recommended bases up and wanted to check I have wrote this recipe up so I can get as close to chewwies base as possible.
200ml Vegetable oil
2 Kg Onions
1 Medium carrot.
1 Large bulb of Garlic.
3 inch Fresh ginger.
? Medium white cabbage.
1 Medium green capsicum.
1tbsp Salt.
3 litres Water
Handful Fresh coriander & stalks.
4 tbsp Tomato paste or ? Chefs spoon.
3 tbsp Spice Mix (for a stronger flavoured base)
Spice Mix
2 tsp Madras Curry Powder
2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
? tsp Garam Masala or Kitchen King
METHOD:
1. Wash and coarsely chop all ingredients EXCEPT ONIONS.
2. Place all ingredients (except the tomato paste and spice mix) in a large saucepan
3. Cover the pan and bring to a medium simmer
4. Simmer for 2 ? hours (30 min if using pressure cooker)
5. Add Spice mix and Tomato paste
6. High Simmer for a further 10-15 minutes
7. Blend to a soup-like consistency when sufficiently cool
8. Sieve base
9. Simmer for 20 minutes, adding water to make Passata consistency.
10. Clear scum from surface
Sound right?
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Hi BMB,
That looks about right. Just one thing, I think this base needs a finished volume of about 5.5 to 6 litres to get the consistency right. Just make sure you have a big enough stock pot. And it can get a bit messy forcing it through a sieve into a second pot.
IMO this is a very good base recipe and I believe the sieving improves the base a lot despite the mess and effort.
Cheers,
Paul
-
? Medium white cabbage.
that would be 1/4 of this. would hate to see you put the whole bloody thing in there ;D
-
Hi Chewy,
I've made this base and followed everything as closely as possible i.e. no additions or things left out.
I was wondering about the oil separation part - I've boiled and boiled, in the end for about 2 hours after blending/sieving, and all I get is a sheen of minute oily droplets on top, not the pooling of oil you have on the video.
Have you (or anyone else who's made the base) experienced this?
I know there are threads on oil separation, but I wondered how it might affect this particular base and the dishes created form it, if you cant achieve that pooling oil separation?
I don't want to boil it any more as it's going to end up as a puree, unless i keep topping up with water
Ta
Gary
Hi Gary
Sorry a bit late with this
Seems a bit strange, it not giving up the oil.
All I can think, off the top of my head is it may have needed more water and did you do a rolling boil with a lid on.
As you will stir the oil back in, it won't make that much difference to your final curries.
But if you don't add enough water on the second boil/simmer, you can
actually overcook it and it will go from golden to dark brown.
Just a thought, that after 2 hours of boiling it could be well be knackered.
What does it taste like? A photo would be good.
Hi CCL
Glad you had a result and it would be great to see your pic's
of the final curries.
cheers Chewy
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Hi bmouthboyo
5ltr Stockpots are Ideal for this :)
Only simmer right at the end Boyo ;)
Slight Update =
2 Kilos Onions.
200ml any vegetable oil
1 medium carrot.
1 Large bulb of Garlic.
3 inch piece of fresh ginger.
A quarter of medium white cabbage.
1 medium green capsicum.
A handful of fresh coriander+stalks.
1tbsp of Salt.
3 litres tap water
Put a lid on and Boil it up for at least an hour.
____________________
Add quarter of a tube of tomato puree, or Chefs spoon.
2 tbsp of Mixed Powder. ( for a stronger flavoured base)
keep it on a rolling boil for 20-30mins. switch off, let it cool
or put some gloves on and blend.
Now transfer the sauce to a clean stock pot,
(At this stage I pass the sauce through a food mill/sieve, old school) - optional
Add three cups of boiling water, mix well and bring it back to the boil, covered
with the lid slightly tilted. keep it on a rolling boil for 20 mins, a froth will start to appear
and eventually form a scum, skim the scum off at the end and discard.
Turn it down to a final 10 minute simmer.
You will know when the sauce is ready, when the oil separates and starts rising to the surface.
N.B. Make sure you add enough water to get consistency as in the Video.
Mixed powder in the vid :-
2 tsp Madras Curry Powder
2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
0.5 tsp Garam Masala or Kitchen King
Cheers Chewy
-
Thanks Chewwy. So to double check:
The initial boil is only an hour? The total time following that guide is about 2 hours. Should I let the initial boil last 2?
Would the equivalent of double concentrated tomato paste to your recipe and video be about 4tbsp straight from the jar?
And lastly when you say add 3 cups do you mean 750ml? which is the rough equivalent in UK cups?
Sorry if I am being overly cautious but I always find it pays to get it as close to the recipe the first time so I know my opinion is relevant.
Thanks
-
Hi Gary
Sorry a bit late with this
Seems a bit strange, it not giving up the oil.
All I can think, off the top of my head is it may have needed more water and did you do a rolling boil with a lid on.
As you will stir the oil back in, it won't make that much difference to your final curries.
But if you don't add enough water on the second boil/simmer, you can
actually overcook it and it will go from golden to dark brown.
Just a thought, that after 2 hours of boiling it could be well be knackered.
What does it taste like? A photo would be good.
[...]
cheers Chewy
Thanks Chewy.
Yes it's gone a fairly dark brown colour now, though I found it a bit darker to start with than a lot of bases I've tried.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/12fd47f85ffbb2e0f815889412ffe4ce.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#12fd47f85ffbb2e0f815889412ffe4ce.jpg)
7ltr Pot
Might still be usable as it tastes and smell quite nice, quite sweet oniony smelling. Wouldn't like to think I expended all that energy passing it through a sieve for nowt :)
I think I must have kept boiling rather than letting it simmer at the end - the oil was probably rolling right back into the body of the gravy.
D'oh!
Gary
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From the look and your description of the taste, i would say it is usable, but it's CT's base and he's the expert. Personally, the only way to tell is get the rest of the kit out and make a curry ;D ;)
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Thanks Chewwy. So to double check:
The initial boil is only an hour? The total time following that guide is about 2 hours. Should I let the initial boil last 2?
Would the equivalent of double concentrated tomato paste to your recipe and video be about 4tbsp straight from the jar?
And lastly when you say add 3 cups do you mean 750ml? which is the rough equivalent in UK cups?
Sorry if I am being overly cautious but I always find it pays to get it as close to the recipe the first time so I know my opinion is relevant.
Thanks
Anyone? Im itching to get this on go but don't want to balls it up lol
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I found 1h30 to 1h45 enough for the first boil if CT doesn't give you a quick enough answer. You should be able to put a knife through the onions like they were butter.
I found it easiest to use a potato masher to push it through the sieve!
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Hi Boyo
Just boil your onions till really soft and completely cooked.
Should only take about an hour or it may take longer mate. (variables)
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/9a8356d1320244b1c4ef32bd28d4fbf4.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#9a8356d1320244b1c4ef32bd28d4fbf4.jpg)
I remember shooting this video one lazy saturday afternoon and
started prep at 3.00pm, did loads of other stuff in the meantime and finished
it off at about 5.45pm. So I titled it a 3 hour base.
I would say 3tbs tom puree would do it. +750 ml of water.
cheers Chewy
-
Thanks Chewy.
Yes it's gone a fairly dark brown colour now, though I found it a bit darker to start with than a lot of bases I've tried.
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/12fd47f85ffbb2e0f815889412ffe4ce.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#12fd47f85ffbb2e0f815889412ffe4ce.jpg)
7ltr Pot
Might still be usable as it tastes and smell quite nice, quite sweet oniony smelling. Wouldn't like to think I expended all that energy passing it through a sieve for nowt :)
I think I must have kept boiling rather than letting it simmer at the end - the oil was probably rolling right back into the body of the gravy.
D'oh!
Gary
Hi Gary
Still Looks OK ;) :)
cheers Chewy
-
just made yet another batch of this golden wonder.
gonna try to singe more when making my curries now.
singe singe singe :)
-
Might still be usable as it tastes and smell quite nice, quite sweet oniony smelling. Wouldn't like to think I expended all that energy passing it through a sieve for nowt :)
Gary
Until I came across this I'd never sieved my bases before, but having tried it I'm starting to do it more and more. Being a lazy sod though I tend to sieve as required, so if I'm just making one or two curries I'll sieve 700-800ml into a smaller saucepan.
I tend to keep my bases ticking over for a couple of days and indulge in an intense curry cooking frenzy, so when it comes to freezing the remaining base (if there is any left), again I'll sieve as I go.
It's just as much work (probably more!), but seems like less...
-
Hi,
Could I please ask for some advice, I do not have a large pan to make this base curry and would like to make a small amount say half. To make half the amount is it simple just half the ingredients , onions and all?
Thanks
Gary.
-
Hi,
Could I please ask for some advice, I do not have a large pan to make this base curry and would like to make a small amount say half. To make half the amount is it simple just half the ingredients , onions and all?
Thanks
Gary.
Yes, halved should be O.K.
80/90% Onion is the main rule of thumb with this base.
cheers Chewytikka
-
Thanks Chewytikka . :)
-
Cheers for this Chewy - going to make it tonight / tomorrow.
One question - the mixed powder guide that youve put up - does that effectively come to the 2 tbsp needed?
-
Cheers for this Chewy - going to make it tonight / tomorrow.
One question - the mixed powder guide that youve put up - does that effectively come to the 2 tbsp needed?
Hi Hilly
Probably have a bit left over, Ideal for starting your Madras off.
Good luck with your currying :D
cheers Chewy
-
Base sauce......done!
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/20120313232806.jpg/ (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/20120313232806.jpg/)
-
Base sauce......done!
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/20120313232806.jpg/ (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/20120313232806.jpg/)
Nice pot - wish we could get quality like that
best, Rich
-
Base sauce......done!
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/20120313232806.jpg/ (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/20120313232806.jpg/)
Nice pot - wish we could get quality like that
best, Rich
Had to borrow it off my dad if I'm honest! The biggest pot I had held about 4 litres. This did the job spot on.
Unlike some of the others my base sauce did have a bit of a spice 'tang' to it. Nothing major but you could certainly taste them - not the onion water that most have seemed to suggest.
One other thing - I'm planning on freezing this base for future use - what portion sizes do people recommend dividing the base into for freezing. I don't mind how many bags I end up using, but it'd be good to get a point where 1 bag = 1 portion size, therefore if I'm cooking for more, I just defrost the relevant number of bags rather than a bag and a half or something!
-
Base sauce......done!
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/20120313232806.jpg/ (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/19/20120313232806.jpg/)
Nice pot - wish we could get quality like that
best, Rich
Had to borrow it off my dad if I'm honest! The biggest pot I had held about 4 litres. This did the job spot on.
Unlike some of the others my base sauce did have a bit of a spice 'tang' to it. Nothing major but you could certainly taste them - not the onion water that most have seemed to suggest.
One other thing - I'm planning on freezing this base for future use - what portion sizes do people recommend dividing the base into for freezing. I don't mind how many bags I end up using, but it'd be good to get a point where 1 bag = 1 portion size, therefore if I'm cooking for more, I just defrost the relevant number of bags rather than a bag and a half or something!
Around 300 - 400ml is the average portion size for most of the recipes you'll find here, Hilly. I'd go for 400ml as it gives you a bit of room for manoeuvre if, say, your gravy reduces too much when cooking the curry and you need to thin it down a little.
Personally, when I freeze my base I always do it in 500ml batches, as I use a few ladles of base for pre-cooking the lamb/chicken. (There are plenty of pre-cooked meat recipes on the site if you need any inspiration).
-
Usually 300ml batches for me, which I find is easily enough for quite large portion curries.
Martin
-
Cheers guys. Ended up dividing it into about 600ml portions in the end (4 ladel fulls) mainly because my freezer bags were so big!
Cooked Chewy's madras recipie last night......WOW! Absolutely spot on. I went for a level tbsp of Kasmeri chilli instead of a heaped one (afraid it might have been a bit too spicy for my taste buds - Im sure I could handle a bit more though!).
I'll post a photo of it later, but needless to say I was very impressed with it. Next port of call is trying to perfect chicken tikka without a tandoor, because I must admit - I cheated a bit last night - went to my local BIR and ordered a portion of chicken tikka to shove in my sauce!
-
Hi Hilly,
There are a few really good tikka recipes on this site. Check out the group tests:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5055.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5055.0)
The recipe from blade is very good but the one by CA (Cory Ander) is unusual in that you don't need any paste jars (Pataks) and it is also good.
Cheers,
Paul
-
Thanks again Paul.
I like the look of Blades recipe (another one that calls for methi - might have to admit defeat and buy some!!).
I'm quite the advocate of preparing as much as possible and then freezing them once done. Do you know the best way to do this when it comes to chicken tikka?
Is it best to maranade fresh chicken and then freeze it in the maranade, or can you maranade the chicken, cook it, freeze it then just pull the frozen chicken out (defrost) then throw them in the sauce.
-
Is it best to maranade fresh chicken and then freeze it in the maranade, or can you maranade the chicken, cook it, freeze it then just pull the frozen chicken out (defrost) then throw them in the sauce.
You could do either but I don't know which way would be best. I imagine it might be fresher and juicier if you marinade (say for 24 hours) then freeze it and defrost and cook on the day you need to use it.
Cheers,
Paul
-
I must admit I freeze it cooked.
I just find it easier (lazier?) to cook a load in one go and freeze it in portions enough for a curry.
Martin
-
I'd like to do that Martin if I'm honest - just wondering whether there was any downsides at doing so.
I'd rather do a massive batch one evening which I can defrost and throw into the final sauce than defrost it in the marinade, shove it on skewers and put it under the grill.
The easier I can make it on myself I'm all for!
-
Hi Hilly
I honestly don't know, but I also, like SD, would imagine it being slightly better frozen uncooked, but I've not had any problems with it frozen cooked.
I also forgot to mention, I usually use frozen chicken breasts, so I couldn't do it that way anyway. ::) ;)
Martin
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Have tried both methods and IMHO cooked and then frozen seems to work better and is more moist. Unless the meat is completely inmersed in marinade there is a high chance of freezer burn and some of the good marinades don't require large quantities. Hope this helps. I always now have precooked CT in the freezer ;D
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Have tried both methods and IMHO cooked and then frozen seems to work better and is more moist. Unless the meat is completely inmersed in marinade there is a high chance of freezer burn and some of the good marinades don't require large quantities. Hope this helps. I always now have precooked CT in the freezer ;D
Fantastic! That's exactly what I wanted to hear!
Had a go Dipuraja's balti sauce last night - pretty good. But I've got to admit I'm a massive fan of Chewy's recipes. His base sauce has been spot on. His madras has been spot on. Looks like I have to go to man for great recipes!
Next stop Chicken Tikka!
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I made this base yesterday, anc cooked up a madras, Jalfrezi and a korma for the kids.
CA's base is excellent, but this sauce along with th sieving produced excellent results.
Thanks Chewy for taking the time and trouble to do the video. It REALLY helped me out no end.
Cheers
Mick
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Hi
I found this superb site yesterday (1st April 2012), I loved the 3 hour base recipe after watching the video. I went out and bought my ingredients this morning, came back and avidly set about preparing the base. I tried watching the video but for some reason it wouldn't load today, so I have been unable to cook my curry base (not having taken any notes yesterday). Could you just let me know the method please, what order, etc.
Mant thanks
mikbex
-
The vidoe is working for me. have you tried again?
-
Hi
I found this superb site yesterday (1st April 2012), I loved the 3 hour base recipe after watching the video. I went out and bought my ingredients this morning, came back and avidly set about preparing the base. I tried watching the video but for some reason it wouldn't load today, so I have been unable to cook my curry base (not having taken any notes yesterday). Could you just let me know the method please, what order, etc.
Mant thanks
mikbex
Try rebooting your PC or whatever you use. The written recipe is also on page 1 of this thread.
Cheers,
Paul
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Hi
I found this superb site yesterday (1st April 2012), I loved the 3 hour base recipe after watching the video. I went out and bought my ingredients this morning, came back and avidly set about preparing the base. I tried watching the video but for some reason it wouldn't load today, so I have been unable to cook my curry base (not having taken any notes yesterday). Could you just let me know the method please, what order, etc.
Mant thanks
mikbex
This is almost the same recipe by the same author (Chewytikka) but using a pressure cooker.
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5375.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5375.0)
So if not using pressure cooker adjust the timings to be 3 times as long for each stage. That'll get you close but hopefully you'll resolve your computer problems and be able to view chewy's video above. In fact, if you're having trouble following the link to the video why not go directly to Vimeo.com and type in "curry base" in the search box top right of page. Chewytikka's 3 hr curry base is one of the first results of that search.
-
Hi
I found this superb site yesterday (1st April 2012), I loved the 3 hour base recipe after watching the video. I went out and bought my ingredients this morning, came back and avidly set about preparing the base. I tried watching the video but for some reason it wouldn't load today, so I have been unable to cook my curry base (not having taken any notes yesterday). Could you just let me know the method please, what order, etc.
Mant thanks
mikbex
This is almost the same recipe by the same author (Chewytikka) but using a pressure cooker.
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5375.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5375.0)
So if not using pressure cooker adjust the timings to be 3 times as long for each stage. That'll get you close but hopefully you'll resolve your computer problems and be able to view chewy's video above. In fact, if you're having trouble following the link to the video why not go directly to Vimeo.com and type in "curry base" in the search box top right of page. Chewytikka's 3 hr curry base is one of the first results of that search.
It works O.K on Google Chrome, but for some reason Firefox doesn't load it.
-
Dosent work for me either now, (used to) >:(
Is this Vimo a new thing?, Maybe I need a Vimeo plug-in of some sort.
Les
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Its still on vimeo
on chewytikka ''Mike's'' page.
page 2
http://vimeo.com/mikestyne/videos (http://vimeo.com/mikestyne/videos)
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Its still on vimeo
on chewytikka ''Mike's'' page.
page 2
http://vimeo.com/mikestyne/videos (http://vimeo.com/mikestyne/videos)
Still don't work for me >:(
Les
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Strange works ok for me using internet explorer and google chrome, did you follow this link http://vimeo.com/mikestyne/videos (http://vimeo.com/mikestyne/videos) then go to page 2.
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Strange works ok for me using internet explorer and google chrome, did you follow this link http://vimeo.com/mikestyne/videos (http://vimeo.com/mikestyne/videos) then go to page 2.
Yes Sir, used link again, still nothing, using IE8, wonder if that has something to do with it,
has anyone played these videos on IE8?
Les
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Been using IE8 here for the last few months. No issues experienced with any of the videos. Sorry can't offer any technical advice :-\
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Been using IE8 here for the last few months. No issues experienced with any of the videos. Sorry can't offer any technical advice :-\
Thanks CH
The prob must be my end it seem's
Les
-
Sorry can't help either, but they work for me on Opera and IE8. :-\
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Just gotta say this recipe was spot on for me. Made this base yesterday (my first attempt at making BIR style curry) and was perfect, maybe a bit to thick but that was my own fault (not enough water)So used it with your madras recipe last night and it was awesome. Really enjoyed it and was very close to BIR for me. Thanks Chewy.
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Thanks!!
Your the man !! Pressure cooker base( quality) x
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Chewy,
Not sure how to post this
So here wee go
Been trying for years
Your magic pressure cooker base !
( wife friendly) ????
Cory anders magic spice mix!
Grind and fry 2 Kashmiri chillies no burnnnn
Then 1garlic & 1ginger1 min
Good squash of Tom pur
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Yes, I have to admit Chewy's 3 hour base is definitely the next base I'll be making, after watching his video demo! I reckon as mentioned by many earlier that sieving does make a lot of difference to the end result leaving it more smooth and velvety.
Just need a pressure cooker now ;D
Thanks for taking the time to upload the video Chewy! ;)
Ben
-
Made chewy's base sat night pretty much to spec, everything went bloody excellently.
Here it is after blending
(http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/9374/basebs.jpg)
With the oil separated, scum mostly removed and final consistency
(http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/685/ladle.jpg)
Madras done pretty much to chewy's madras recipe
(http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/5522/curryg.jpg)
Tastes absolutely divine, proper BIR/TA taste and smell.
My sister was round and got to sample it. We've had a family madras curry every week for the last 15/17 years. Her eyes jumped out and said "that's a Madras" and was stunned how much like a top TA it tasted like. We were both pretty stunned. Eating more and it just got better. Can't believe how much depth in flavour, the transitions, no tomato just that familiar TA taste and texture and after taste. The key for me was the final bit of sauce left and how good it tasted and had to be mopped up. Many times in the past my curries fall away half way through eating and don't come through with that savory texture that just glides and demands to be eaten and miss the background flavour building up.
We concluded it was a mixture of a restaurant and takeaway we've gone to many times, like some divine hybrid. We both said its actually a touch more fresher and better. In looks its more like the restaurant, my preferred TA is bit more redder and thicker/richer with a bit more oil left in. The balance was very good and my sister doesn't like too much oil and is really impressed with the spicyness and then the flavours taking over. The restaurant is a bit weak on heat for their madras. On cooking I did add 2 fresh cut bird eyes chillies in with a small bit of diced pepper/capsicum. More like a mix of chewys two madras videos but I left out the small bit chopped onion. my local TA does put a small quantity fresh cut chillies in the cooking stage and perhaps some other stuff like pepper, onion.
Some small differences I did, around 2.5 kilo of onion. The resulting base was slightly thinner than chewy's video I've watched over and over. Did 2 cups of water instead of 3 because the base seemed thinner. Perhaps the water in a few more onions helped. Sunflower oil instead of regular veg oil. My chilli powder in the mix powder is Deggi Mirch by MDH instead of chewy's Kashmiri mirch. I believe there' not much difference. Didn't have time to sieve but felt I did a good job blending it.
A big thank you to chewytikka, this forum and its members.
With chatting to the head chef at my local TA over the years, talking about how good his are he's pretty insistent how many are too tomatoey and for me this is another key in no tin of toms used in the base. Sure this is what the chef is alluding to.
All the powder is from my local Asian store that the curry houses use.
-
Made chewy's base sat night pretty much to spec, everything went bloody excellently.
I take it Harley, you're pleased with your results then? ;D ;D ;D
Cheshire cat and a dog with two tails springs to mind ::) - a very satisfying feeling indeed :)
I think the pics say it all in terms of appearance and the family critique confirms you did a blinding job of the base and the madras. As for the "freshness", some say a base improves after a day, but we won't go into that.
Another notch of Chewy's chef spoon I think ;D
All power to the forum!!!
Keep us updated on any more developments ;)
-
The review is very positive indeed; I am beginning to think I must give this one a try.
** Phil.
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The review is very positive indeed; I am beginning to think I must give this one a try.
** Phil.
Indeed you must, Phil! This has been my default Madras recipe since I discovered it here almost a year ago, and I can only echo Harley's comments.
I've found that it works with any decent base, and while it's excellent as it is, the depth of flavour is further enhanced by the addition of a tablespoon of good bunjarra. In fact, it is this Madras recipe and bunjarra combination that gave me one of those 'eureka' moments in my lifelong quest (well, since 1981/2) to recreate the Glasgow experience.
Here's how it turns out (sauce only) for me:
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/41baa6245a55091aa3747db543a87a37.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#41baa6245a55091aa3747db543a87a37.jpg)
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Yes very pleased, grinning from ear to ear. I'm under pressure to deliver it again for the family next time lol but have the urge to increase the heat and get it a bit richer.
Some other points whether they're important its too early but I got some quality madras curry powder, not to be confused with british madras invention, I'm sure most of you know though. Also after watching the Indian chef many times being able to leave it bubbling away at high heat in the final third for 3-4 minutes, I was able to do the same thing, getting the evaporation of the base and reducing down really well. Seemed like the base came through. The ally pan I bought recently from dadibhais is very good. When doing the scooping in technique I was half expecting to have burnt some but it was crackling away underneath. Seemed to fuse together just like I've watched many times at the takeaway. No bitterness in the final curry.
Base is probably the key, when cooking it I could tell from the aroma.
-
Getting good results is about a combination of things being right and them all coming together. Quality ingredients, a good base and a good technique. Oh, and i forgot the all important thing - PRACTICE ;D
A very nice looking sauce there SD.
Talking of practice, I can feel a vindaloo coming on with some freshly chopped green chillis just for a change ;D
-
I got some quality madras curry powder
Could you let us know which ? I am alternating between Bolst's and Rajah at the moment, but would not be averse to trying a third ...
And to el senor Dhali : any particular bunjarra recipe you recommend ?
** Phil.
-
Curry powder is Natco as is the Cumin and Coriander
Tumeric is East End
Garam Masala is TRS
I too would like to know the bunjarra please Salvador.
I plan to either get some ground star anise or grind some myself and try some black pepper and fenugreek powder. Fenugreek in past experiences seems to add some kind of smokey or charred something but not quite. I only used it when starting this endeavor a few years ago to substitute fenugreek leaves and definitely miss it when not used so will be interesting to try it later.
Just another comment last night from my sister was how you could easily put this sauce in a cup and drink it like you could from a TA/BIR it was that good. I was chuffed to bits.
-
Not sure about posting this pic, but wanted to show how beginning to end its really on the money to me in look taste and consistency. The final mouthful is just the same as the takeaways and restaurants, you know when its cooled down but still nice to eat and liquidy/glidey.
(http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/4352/curryf.jpg)
Sorry if the pic is a bit gross or hard to determine.
Found that 3/4 fresh cut bird eye chillies added at the start of cooking along with the tbsp of deggi mirch as per is really up there with how my TA does it in heat. Absolutely buzzing now after that madras hit, taking me back to many days of past takeaway curries.
Thanks again chaps. So happy to have curry on tap now.
Question to chewy and others, if I double the onion count for the base to around 4kilo, what scale would the rest need to be? esp how much water. I read chewytikka's reply somewhere saying keep the rest the same I think, but wouldn't it need a bit more scaling up on the other bits? I've got a 11l ally pot so want to utilize it and save doing more bases. Cheers.
-
Brilliant pic! I keep meaning to take photos more when I'm cooking put end up preoccupied. At the end of the evening this is what I'm left with. Lovely looking stuff.
-
Thanks fried. Glad it comes across.
The ending is so right and familiar I needed to show as I feel its very important. If the ending isn't there is not a replica.
-
I too would like to know the bunjarra please Salvador.
There's a bunjarra / bunjara / spicy onion paste recipe on this site here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3921.0, (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3921.0,) and I've had great results using the onion paste recipe from p. 20 of Mick Crawford's pdf, though I tweak it a little (as I tweak everything - can't help myself!) by using a little less tandoori masala, cutting the teaspoon of sugar out (the caramelised onions are sweet enough for me), and adding a little tomato puree.
Mick is known as Curry Barking Mad on this forum, and you can get hold of his book in pdf form from here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3921.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3921.0)
Fantastic value, and for me it's well worth it for the onion paste recipe alone.
A word of warning though. Do set aside anything up to an hour to make this properly. It's the slow caramelisation of the onions that's key to the success of a good bunjarra/bunjara, and you need to be watching over the pan like a hawk, stirring regularly (and being particularly vigilant towards the end). Don't use a heavy based pan that retains heat for hours after it's taken off the flame/hob. Your perfectly caramelised onions will continue to cook their way into pure carbon territory!
It's a dead simple process really, and once you've cracked it there's a good chance that you'll become hooked on the stuff, as I have.
Make a reasonable sized batch, and jar it. Keeps in the fridge for weeks.
If you can, try to leave some of your bunjara-ised curry overnight for sampling the next day. You should find the intensity levels have nearly doubled!
-
Made chewy's base sat night pretty much to spec, everything went bloody excellently.
Here it is after blending
(http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/9374/basebs.jpg)
With the oil separated, scum mostly removed and final consistency
(http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/685/ladle.jpg)
Madras done pretty much to chewy's madras recipe
(http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/5522/curryg.jpg)
Tastes absolutely divine, proper BIR/TA taste and smell.
My sister was round and got to sample it. We've had a family madras curry every week for the last 15/17 years. Her eyes jumped out and said "that's a Madras" and was stunned how much like a top TA it tasted like. We were both pretty stunned. Eating more and it just got better. Can't believe how much depth in flavour, the transitions, no tomato just that familiar TA taste and texture and after taste. The key for me was the final bit of sauce left and how good it tasted and had to be mopped up. Many times in the past my curries fall away half way through eating and don't come through with that savory texture that just glides and demands to be eaten and miss the background flavour building up.
We concluded it was a mixture of a restaurant and takeaway we've gone to many times, like some divine hybrid. We both said its actually a touch more fresher and better. In looks its more like the restaurant, my preferred TA is bit more redder and thicker/richer with a bit more oil left in. The balance was very good and my sister doesn't like too much oil and is really impressed with the spicyness and then the flavours taking over. The restaurant is a bit weak on heat for their madras. On cooking I did add 2 fresh cut bird eyes chillies in with a small bit of diced pepper/capsicum. More like a mix of chewys two madras videos but I left out the small bit chopped onion. my local TA does put a small quantity fresh cut chillies in the cooking stage and perhaps some other stuff like pepper, onion.
Some small differences I did, around 2.5 kilo of onion. The resulting base was slightly thinner than chewy's video I've watched over and over. Did 2 cups of water instead of 3 because the base seemed thinner. Perhaps the water in a few more onions helped. Sunflower oil instead of regular veg oil. My chilli powder in the mix powder is Deggi Mirch by MDH instead of chewy's Kashmiri mirch. I believe there' not much difference. Didn't have time to sieve but felt I did a good job blending it.
A big thank you to chewytikka, this forum and its members.
With chatting to the head chef at my local TA over the years, talking about how good his are he's pretty insistent how many are too tomatoey and for me this is another key in no tin of toms used in the base. Sure this is what the chef is alluding to.
All the powder is from my local Asian store that the curry houses use.
Fantastic review Harley and thanks for the feedback. ;)
Scaling up from 2kg to 4kg of Onions, won't make any difference to my original recipe.
Once you have everything in the pan, your water level should be about two thirds of its depth.
Curry On...
cheers Chewy
This was a scaled up version for a huge pot.
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=8542.msg75643#msg75643 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=8542.msg75643#msg75643)
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Well it obviously went down very well ;D Looks just like my plate when i've been to the BIR. Very inconsiderate of you not to provide all the curry porn before you demolished it though >:( ;) EDIT Apologies, you did. Now you've gone and made me hungry again, god dammit >:( >:( ;D
-
Thanks for the in depth reply Salvador Dhali on the bunjarra. Look forward to trying it. :)
Cheers chewytikka. Yeah, with that huge base link I can see I don't need to add any more.
I added some ground up Star Aniseed, about third of a star, put it in the pan after the mix powder and seems to be part of the taste that my fav local has. The liquorice taste disappears into the corriander, lemon etc and compliments the lot and adds a extra throaty taste and feel on the after tangy taste, very similar indeed. I wonder if they add some into the base. Anyway, definitely a must addition for me.
I read in another thread of chewy's that Razor did the same (use star aniseed). Must be a few restaurants and takeaways that use it around Audenshaw/Denton area of Manchester. Would recommend quarter or third ground up, any more would take over probably.
Incredible chaps, thanks again for your efforts.
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This seems to be the most popular base so I'll put it my list of things to try.
I have a 3.8 L and 5 L pots; will these get the job done?
I don't have a food mill at the moment so to those that use a sieve; is it effective or do you feel it would be significantly better with a mill?
Thanks guys.
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I use an 8l-pot and this can get pretty full and I need a bit of room as I'm a fairly* messy cook.
I usually sieve it, but some times don't bother if I'm running short of time. It's quite time consuming and is easily the most hard work part of making the base. If I had the space I'd invest in a food mill.
*My missus' definition of fairly is not the same as mine ;)
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(deleted, accidentally posted twice)
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I don't have a food mill at the moment so to those that use a sieve; is it effective or do you feel it would be significantly better with a mill?
A big sieve and a convex-backed nylon cooking spoon will do the job without major effort -- the key is that the convexity of the spoon needs to be a reasonable approximation to the concavity of the sieve.
** Phil.
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I use an 8l-pot
Yikes! Guess I'll have to scale it down then.
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I don't have a food mill at the moment so to those that use a sieve; is it effective or do you feel it would be significantly better with a mill?
A big sieve and a convex-backed nylon cooking spoon will do the job without major effort -- the key is that the convexity of the spoon needs to be a reasonable approximation to the concavity of the sieve.
** Phil.
Thanks Phil.
Good idea with the spoon.
Anyone noticed any tangible difference between sieving and not?
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I've not noticed any great difference in taste between sieved and unsieved, there's obviously a difference in texture. I think I should leave an unsieved portion in the freezer and compare it with a sieved.
My sieve must be too fine (and it's flat-bottomed). It takes me forever.
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Oh, and don't forget uclown that you need another pot to sieve into.
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@CT
How big was that pot in the 3 hr video?
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I find using the bottom of my ladle the best for passing through a (stainless) sieve, and works really fast.
Like Phil said it fits the shape of the sieve nicely.
You will be surprised at the amount of stuff/bits/fibres that get caught in the sieve, even if you have blended really well.
Martin
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Hi UC
it was a 4ltr Pressure Cooker pot
Sieved and transferred to a 6ltr stock pot.
A ladle is a good pestle, but I use an old cylinder sieve and I usually grab my Marble pestle
or sometimes a handy glass sauce bottle, which works the best on this type of sieve.
If you've cooked the onions fully, you'll be left with a thin Passata type finish to your base gravy.
Thinning it down with water, you should get 5-to-6 ltrs
Harleys photos are spot on
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5635.msg82419#msg82419 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5635.msg82419#msg82419)
cheers Chewy
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Hi UC
it was a 4ltr Pressure Cooker pot
Sieved and transferred to a 6ltr stock pot.
A ladle is a good pestle, but I use an old cylinder sieve and I usually grab my Marble pestle
or sometimes a handy glass sauce bottle, which works the best on this type of sieve.
If you've cooked the onions fully, you'll be left with a thin Passata type finish to your base gravy.
Thinning it down with water, you should get 5-to-6 ltrs
Harleys photos are spot on
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5635.msg82419#msg82419 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5635.msg82419#msg82419)
cheers Chewy
Thanks CT
Guess I'll be scaling down a touch as 5L is my biggest pot. No problem though as more than enough gravy to last me. I might just half everything; seem to recall it thread that it should scale down nicely. I assume I would half all the water too?
Will the cooking time shorten a little or not?
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I tried a slightly scaled down version of this base today. It looked and smelt almost perfect before final 10 min simmer. To save a bit of time I dumped 1.5 kg of chicken in to precook, which turned out nice. It did however, seem to thicken the gravy and in hindsight I should have added a touch more water. 1.6kg of onions got me 2.7 litres of gravy, but I would have expected a bit more
Regardless I'm happy with my efforts as it is only the second time I have done a garabi.
I'll knock up a curry tomorrow night and find if it worked out.
Thanks for all your help.
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I was wondering about something similiar, not to pre-cook the chicken but to include a chicken stock.
Any idea if it would work to add chicken carcasses etc, directly into the base, then fish it out later? I'm a bit worried about the fat content after the 'great risotto disaster'. Or maybe better to just use ready made chicken stock instead of water.
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Could try this fried http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5674.0 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=5674.0)
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Thanks for that. Do you find that you end up with a lot of solid fat using the chicken carcass anf if so are you skimming it off?
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Not really because most of the meat has been removed so it's mainly just bones.
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just made this base looks and smells great so madras tonight it is
chewy what was the Indian restaurant called where the boss cooked the special dish in your videos
ive seen him before but cant think
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Hi charlie180
Half built website here:- http://www.tandooriinternational.co.uk/index.html (http://www.tandooriinternational.co.uk/index.html)
Naz, a good mate.
cheers Chewy
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sitting here eating a chicken madras made with your 3 hour base sauce and its spot on and the Tandoori International
is my Favourite Indian restaurant on ocean road
i thought i new him thanks m8
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Added a star aniseed to the base but didn't result in anything good, just slightly clouded the base, maybe toned it down a bit. Much more effective adding the aniseed in the cooking stage.
Forgot to add, with a new base I did some garlic ginger paste instead of garlic cloves and ginger whole and nothing changed or enhanced. I didn't expect so but read Bruce Chapmans thread I think, stating better results with paste.
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beeing a curry making novice i followed your 1 hour base video and recipe and made a fantastic madras cant thank you enough for the video. you have truly made helped me take my curries to a whole new level thank you so much.
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beeing a curry making novice i followed your 1 hour base video and recipe and made a fantastic madras cant thank you enough for the video. you have truly made helped me take my curries to a whole new level thank you so much.
Welcome Currynoob. A fine choice there mate. I think your cooking will now move to a new level. Let us know how it goes.
I did warn you, didn't I. Congratulations. Now you'll just become more and more fussy as times goes on and restaurant curry won't be as good as it used to be :-\ ;D ;D
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...and restaurant curry won't be as good as it used to be :-\ ;D ;D
This
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First proper attempt at a chicken madras tonight.
Followed your 3hr base to the letter Chewy and also a combo of your madras sauce/dinner recipes.. the net result.. Mrs Bluebalti said "If it was a takeaway it would be a 7/10" ... I felt I overcooked the chicken a bit, possibly a bit harsh on myself but all told, for a first go at a curry from scratch I am made up.
So ... just to re-iterate what others have said...Cheers for the vids and recipes mate, most appreciated by us both!
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"If it was a takeaway it would be a 7/10" ...
Some takeaways wouldn't even score that ::) Well done BB. Onwards and upwards. And of course thanks to the base provider too. I love the vids :D
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I sieved out shed loads of fibre, Mrs BB was wondering what difference it makes? I mentioned a few of the earlier posts saying it removes some of the bitterness and makes the sauce more smooth but wondered if those with a more educated palate than mine could tell the difference?
The madras wasn't that hot (my preference), I eased down on the hot chilli powder which I had as a replacement for the Kashmiri chilli
Anyway I now have 7 takeaway containers full of gravy in the freezer, am I right in thinking each container would make approx enough curry sauce for 2?
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Are they the large variety or the sort that you get your side dish in? If you thinned it down in line with Chewy's video instructions 250ml - 300ml is enough for one portion of curry. Depending how big you like your portions of course ;) If your gravy is thicker, obviously it will go further.
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They're the chinese takeaway plastic type, typically what the fried rice comes in... I'll have a look back through this, and other threads. Not a million miles away, size wise though!
Thanks again.
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They're the chinese takeaway plastic type, typically what the fried rice comes in
Then they would almost certainly be 500 or 650ml. Look at the base and you should see one of those numbers there in the plastic moulding.
* Phil.
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Will a normal seive work instead of the food mill. Just pushing it through with a spoon? I'm doing a curry tonight and don't have a mill.
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That's what I do! It takes some time and my hands seize up, but worth doing if you have the time. I sometimes (often!) don't bother though and the results are just as good (almost). A pestle works better than a spoon if you have one.
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Thanks Chewy. Your base gave me the nearest to a BIR that I've achieved to date; identical actually.
Only 1 curry with it so far, I ran with a Jalfrezi; 5 tbs oil, rough chopped half onion, rough chopped half red pepper, rough chopped half green pepper, 1 tsp garlic puree, 1 tsp ginger puree, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tbs tomato puree, 1 star anise, 500 ml Chewy 3h base, 500g pre-cooked beef, 1 tsp salt, pinch fenugreek leaves, 1/2 tsp garam masala & fresh coriander. In respect to the Jalfezi, I think the star anise was the final key.
A very good base, more flavoursome than others due to the spice mix; new on me. So far I've tried KD's, a variety on KD's, Darth's and your own. Still have a few more "famous" bases to try yet; hope they are as good as yours.
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Hi Chewy,
Great video my mate. As I've mentioned before, what I like about the look of this base, is how it runs off the spoon, leaving the spoon clean rather than coating it. Also, the straining of the base is something that I've never done but do intend to on my next batch.
So Chewy, if you don't mind me asking, what's your background in BIR cooking? How did you come by your methods and techniques, are your recipes your own or gleaned from your favourite BIR chef?
Sorry for the questions but you seem to be offering us something subtly different than has been mentioned before and maybe your style is what quite a few of us are looking for?
Just one more thing if I may, would you mind putting up the exact measurements to this base? I know we can see it for ourselves, and you have also added commentary on your video but there is something reassuring about seeing a recipe in print ;D
Many thanks Chewy, excellent work again fella.
Ray :)
Hi Ray
I don't think any base has exact quantities, but here goes...
200ml any vegetable oil
1 medium carrot.
1 Large bulb of Garlic.
3 inch piece of fresh ginger.
A quarter of medium white cabbage.
1 medium green capsicum.
A handful of fresh coriander+stalks.
1tbsp of Salt.
2 Kilos Onions.
3 litres tap water
Put a lid on and Boil it up for at least an hour.
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Add quarter of a tube of tomato puree, or Chefs spoon.
2 tbsp of Mixed Powder. ( for a stronger flavoured base)
Mixed powder in the vid :-
2 tsp Madras Curry Powder
2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
0.5 tsp Garam Masala or Kitchen King
Cheers
I think- and I know this is a big thing to say- but I think this could - be - IT :D
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I've just made this base and I'm well impressed, it's has a nice sweetness to it, it could almost be used as is for people who like mild curry or with a few additions would make a very nice soup, this will be my go to base from now on.
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Thanks, just the recipe I was looking for, I do not have a pressure cooker.
A stupid question: olive oil is good for this base?
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I would say not, as OO has a flavour of its own- which is why it gets used as a garnish and veg oil e.g. doesn't. Small quantiities perhaps (like in pasta) but not hundreds of mill.
PS: A question which clarifies can never be a stupid one ;)
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Hi Peeno
I wouldn
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Thank you!
Sorry if my questions may seem stupid, but I am a newcomer to the curry, and we, in Italy, put olive oil everywhere! ahahahhaaha
Unfortunately we were brainwashed with the Mediterranean diet, also writing (http://extravirginshop.com/oil-and-well-being/) false things, but this is not the place to talk about it, I know.
Thanks again!
See you soon :)
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Chewy,
Can I use frozen garlic and frozen ginger in your base if so how much of each.
Cheers,
London.
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Hi London
The frozen G&G is 100% natural and a good standby.
I would use 2 blocks of each for this base, should work fine. ;)
cheers Chewy
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Never did find a base better than yours Chewy. I did change a few things, but not much really. I fry the tomato and spice mix before adding, and I don't bother with the sieve. Other than that, I follow this pretty much identical.
As I have a base I'm happy and familiar with, I'm starting to change things up just a little. On this occasion I added a bit of coconut block and reserved some of the water to boil up some cardamoms, cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves and bay leaves. Added the stock water into the pot. If it doesn't come out so well, I'll be able to pick out what didn't work and revert. I'll keep you updated.
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Never did find a base better than yours Chewy. I did change a few things, but not much really. I fry the tomato and spice mix before adding, and I don't bother with the sieve. Other than that, I follow this pretty much identical.
As I have a base I'm happy and familiar with, I'm starting to change things up just a little. On this occasion I added a bit of coconut block and reserved some of the water to boil up some cardamoms, cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves and bay leaves. Added the stock water into the pot. If it doesn't come out so well, I'll be able to pick out what didn't work and revert. I'll keep you updated.
And that's what this site is all about. It provides all the necessary building blocks for BIR home chefs to tweak things until we get to where we want to go.
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It's difficult to say if the minor changes I applied to Chewy's basic approach added much. I'd really need a side by side comparison. What I can say though is the slightly adapted base produces a great curry. So as it's not much extra effort to boil up some whole spices, and as it probably does add an extra layer of flavour complexity, I'm going to stick with it.
Today I cracked Rogan Josh (1990's Bradford). Happy days.