Curry Recipes Online
Curry Photos & Videos => Curry Videos => Topic started by: Curry Barking Mad on April 18, 2012, 08:45 PM
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Hi All,
I spent over 2 hours in the kitchen with Chef Baba Miah as he prepared for the evenings business.
He made his base gravy. The chef was obviously more concerned with getting the job done than me and my video efforts.
On more than a couple of occasions he caught me out when I wasn't quite ready with the camera. However, I have got everything covered.
There were a couple of surprises,
No green pepper in the base,
The addition of moong dhal in the base.
His base is a 3 stage process.
1 Boiling the onions, carrots etc
2 Make a Akhni stock, similar to the Curry Mahal method.
3 Blend some plum tomatoes and cook with Mix Powder and Veg Oil. Then add the blended base to that.
This made a great base with a hint of sweetness.
I hope you enjoy the video.
Click on the link.
Little India Base Gravy (http://youtu.be/f16jdW6DwGA)
Cheers,
Mick
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another brilliant video.
many thanks
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Thanks for that Mick another excellent video from your good self.
Cheers,
Paul
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Brilliant work and thank you again!
The 3rd stage reminds me of abdulmohed's enhance gravy,which i really must try this coming weekend.
It's also interesting to note how much water is in the pot.
I've been reading Julian's new E-book, (as many of us have) where the emphasis is on how little water you really need to cook the onions properly.
Also the use of any spiced oil.?.? -again, as we can see in the video above,these things just aren't happening.
@Curry Barking Mad,i take it you've eaten at Little India,what's the food like?
It certainly looks the business
Once again,thanks for all your videos and Keep'em coming. ;D
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Excellent video Mick, Thanks for taking the time to do it.
Bit of a bugger to scale down for home use though ;)
Unless we have a maths teacher in our midst ;D
Les
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Thanks for sharing Mick.
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Thanks for putting this together and posting Mick. The moong dhal is certainly a new one on me, I wonder how widespread this is, or whether it's just a chef's touch borne from running out of green pepper one day and finding something else to add a bit of body? I guess once you try a variation like that once and it turns out ok you'll tend to stick with it, particularly if the ingredient cost is lower.
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Fantastic Mick,some great footage.I may be wrong but I think that's the first time I've actually seen a complete video of a genuine BIR chef making a gravy that's actually going to be used in a restaurant,nothing hidden or any secrets that's how he does it,brilliant.
No spiced oil so I assume he can achieve 'that' taste without it.The spiced water creeps in again,looking a lot like Az's water he used at the Zaal lesson.
He boiled the onions/carrots quite vigorously with quite a bit of water.This is completely different to the method that Julian from c2go swears by,in fact he says 'that' taste can only be achieved by slowly simmering the onions with very litle water.I just can't see how restaurant chefs could do this,the pot would take forever to heat up to boiling point.
Well done Mick keep 'em coming.
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Just adding my thankyou as well .Very much appreciated
and it is what the forum is all about helping each other ;)
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thanks mick
mick
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Brilliant work and thank you again!
I've been reading Julian's new E-book, (as many of us have) where the emphasis is on how little water you really need to cook the onions properly.
Also the use of any spiced oil.?.? -again, as we can see in the video above,these things just aren't happening.
@Curry Barking Mad,i take it you've eaten at Little India,what's the food like?
It certainly looks the business
Once again,thanks for all your videos and Keep'em coming. ;D
Thanks everyone for your comments.
The knowledge that Julian has learned and passed on is not new to some. I have seen the method and use of bhaji oil before mostly as a way of adding the flavour and not wasting the oil.
I know that works for me when I use the same method, however, a lot of places have moved on. Whether some think that is a good thing is open to debate.
Many more places don't use the old-spiced-bhaji oil (call it what you prefer) these days. I agree that a good base does not need it. You can make a great curry without it.
This restaurant's food is some of the best I have ever had.
Cheers,
Mick
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Fantastic Mick,some great footage.I may be wrong but I think that's the first time I've actually seen a complete video of a genuine BIR chef making a gravy that's actually going to be used in a restaurant,nothing hidden or any secrets that's how he does it,brilliant.
No spiced oil so I assume he can achieve 'that' taste without it.The spiced water creeps in again,looking a lot like Az's water he used at the Zaal lesson.
He boiled the onions/carrots quite vigorously with quite a bit of water.This is completely different to the method that Julian from c2go swears by,in fact he says 'that' taste can only be achieved by slowly simmering the onions with very litle water.I just can't see how restaurant chefs could do this,the pot would take forever to heat up to boiling point.
Well done Mick keep 'em coming.
Thanks JB,
Unless someone can prove otherwise I think you may be correct.
The chef did say that the use of bhaji oil was the old way and was quite dismissive of it. He said "old oil, no good"
The use of spice water (Akhni water) has been around a long time. He felt some chefs try to cut corners and were lazy.
Different chefs will always have different ways I suppose.
Cheers,
Mick
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This is completely different to the method that Julian from c2go swears by,in fact he says 'that' taste can only be achieved by slowly simmering the onions with very litle water
I just don't know what to think
There's lots of water in this base
Clearly he is mistaken
This base is only two hours cooking as well
I've seen base made lots of times too
Julian actually made me doubt what I saw
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For those who haven't seen it
this is Little India Restaurant.
Cheers,
Mick
Little India (http://littleindiaa47.co.uk/index.php)
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Another good video Mick, this really should settle the base argument. Surely no one is going to argue with a restaurant video :) I'm still not sure what bhagaring :) the gravy brings yet, some methods fry GG/tomato & spices, some tomato only. I can't tell the difference whether it adds anything worthwhile or not. Whats bhagar supposed to do to a gravy exactly?
regards
ELW
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Another good video Mick, this really should settle the base argument. Surely no one is going to argue with a restaurant video :) I'm still not sure what bhagaring :) the gravy brings yet, some methods fry GG/tomato & spices, some tomato only. I can't tell the difference whether it adds anything worthwhile or not. Whats bhagar supposed to do to a gravy exactly?
regards
ELW
I don't know that any arguments will be settled by this. ;) but this is just how this very experienced chef does it.
I tasted the fried/boiled spices, tomato. The resultant liquid was quite sweet. The oil which of course had coloured well was very sweet.
Mick
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I don't know that any arguments will be settled by this
Just that the base ingredients were added & cooked just like at home. C2g book may have some people concentrating their time & energy on the boiling of a bag of onions. The blended tomatoes, looked much thinner than the consistency I normally have. Is that usual in your experience?
Regards
ELW
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Excellent video yet again Mick. All your video work behind the scenes is a great help to us all and a constant source of reference.
Fantastic Mick,some great footage.I may be wrong but I think that's the first time I've actually seen a complete video of a genuine BIR chef making a gravy that's actually going to be used in a restaurant,nothing hidden or any secrets that's how he does it,brilliant.
No spiced oil so I assume he can achieve 'that' taste without it.The spiced water creeps in again,looking a lot like Az's water he used at the Zaal lesson.
Well done Mick keep 'em coming.
I believe you're correct jb. This is the first video that shows the chef preparing the gravy for the evenings cooking. I like the fact a lot of what we see is common to what Az taught us, but with both chefs adding their own personal touches. This also shows the power of those burners. How quickly were those whole onions cooked :o :o
Keep getting in those kitchens Mick and keep that camera rolling ;). Can you just imagine the reaction if this video had be posted some 7 or 8 years ago on the forum ::). It shows just how far this site has advanced over the years as a result of contributions like that of Mick's and others.
Again well done mate
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Hey Mick,
Another superb video, thanks again for your efforts. Must have been a long stand by the gravy pot with the camera making sure you captured it all.
Out of curiosity, did you by chance see any Pataks pastes in the restaurant. Only reason I ask is wondering if they use them in their Red Masala/CTM Masala sauce. Being here in Aus we can't get a number of them so would be interesting to see/hear how they make theirs if they do it with or without.
One thing to mention for others commenting on how C2G cooks his onions, here in Aus we cook 10kg of onion with only whole spices and 1-2 large ladles of oil when making a base gravy. It only takes 1.5 hours or so to get the onions done, fully dark and caramelized before other items are added in and then simmered for another hour or less. No water is added when cooking the onions. Another Punjabi chef I know and have watched make his base gravy uses dried onions, and another uses a little oil initially on high heat for 10 or so mins, then adds a little water. All their curries taste great at the end stage, each chef has his way of doing things, not wrong, just different. But what it has shown me is that there is no one particular way to make great curries.
Cheers,
Mark
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Hey Mark, for the masala sauce I use Pataks tandoori paste, and "Prime" or "Ahmed Foods" sauces. They are available in Indian supermarkets here, so should imagine you'd get them over east too. I'm happy with the results.
Thanks for posting the link to the menu Mick. Very interesting that a high class restaurant is so cheap (to us)
Here is the menu for Royal India here in Perth, a similar high class restaurant.
http://www.royalindia.com.au/menus/ri-alacarte.pdf (http://www.royalindia.com.au/menus/ri-alacarte.pdf)
And here is our local restaurant/cafe
http://www.indian-restaurant-perth.com.au/menu/food-menu/ (http://www.indian-restaurant-perth.com.au/menu/food-menu/)
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Hi Aussie Mick,
Thanks, I'll have a look for those brands, haven't seen them at the two that I normally go to. They carry the Mothers and Ashoka brands but don't have the Kashmiri masala in either of them either nor the Tikka.
If the restaurant did make their own Red Masala from scratch would be great not having to rely on the pastes too.
I'll keep search for those pastes, thanks again,
Mark
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OOps, yes sorry Mark, I can't find a Kashmiri Masala over here either. I use just a tad of kebab paste. Everyone who has had my Balti or any other curry that has the "magic" sauce in, loves it. Make do and mend, or improvise...that's my philosophy.
I've even made the sauce with just the Pataks tandoori paste and it's still good.
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They carry the Mothers and Ashoka brands but don't have the Kashmiri masala in either of them either nor the Tikka.
Hi Mark,
Yes I like the Ashoka brand pastes. They do make a tikka paste, (I just checked in my fridge) so keep looking, or maybe ask them to order it in.
We're quite lucky here, our local IGA stocks Ashoka pastes. :D
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Great work again, CBM, and as others have said it's great to see a base cooked from scratch by a BIR chef.
As has been pointed out many times before, each chef will have his own tweaks and tricks, but it's especially refreshing to see that in terms of method and technique there are no surprises (by that I mean nothing that hasn't been covered on this forum, in your book and others, etc). Discussions about slow-cooked vs fast boiled onions and the bhagaring stage will no doubt continue!
In terms of ingredients, the moong dhal was new to me, and I was surprised that he revealed the much guarded 'secret' though, and shall be stocking up on Carnation condensed milk today! ;)
Keep up the great work - I've really enjoyed these Little India videos.
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In terms of ingredients, the moong dhal was new to me, and I was surprised that he revealed the much guarded 'secret' though, and shall be stocking up on Carnation condensed milk today! ;)
Evaporated SD, ;) Not the Lenny Henry sandwich filler ;D
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They carry the Mothers and Ashoka brands but don't have the Kashmiri masala in either of them either nor the Tikka.
Hi Mark,
Yes I like the Ashoka brand pastes. They do make a tikka paste, (I just checked in my fridge) so keep looking, or maybe ask them to order it in.
We're quite lucky here, our local IGA stocks Ashoka pastes. :D
Hi I live in Brisbane and I haven't seen Pataks Kashmiri paste or Tikka paste. I have found Tikka masala paste but I don't know if it could be used instead of Tikka paste for marinading?
I wonder if Coles would add these pastes and others from Pataks to their import order as they do import Pataks, Iron Brew, Weetabix and the likes? I don't know who I would write to though?
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Well Done Mick.
Thanks for taking the time and sharing this honest video on cR0.
A good base with the Chef's own personal touch and preferences.
Just a confirmation that the information shared by myself
Abdul Mohed, Az at Zaal, ifindforyou and yourself is sound advice.
Moong Dhal in his base, very interesting touch.
I wonder if he has Masoor Dhal in his Onion Bhajis, I still do. ;)
Cheers Chewy
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Hi CBM great video, just a query when the ingredients appear on the screen for the "new" base gravy recipe, 35-40 onions, then you type that the other pot with onions, garlic/ginger from last night is added, does that mean that this recipe has 70-80 onions in the whole recipe for the restaurants service for that night or is the 35-40 onions is the scaled down version, so to speak.
Also how much water is added to the base and the Akhani stock.
Another question, sorry, at about 11.48 the chef adds some liquid to the tomato, oil and mix powder in the pot what is it?
Cheers.
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Hi CBM great video, just a query when the ingredients appear on the screen for the "new" base gravy recipe, 35-40 onions, then you type that the other pot with onions, garlic/ginger from last night is added, does that mean that this recipe has 70-80 onions in the whole recipe for the restaurants service for that night or is the 35-40 onions is the scaled down version, so to speak.
Also how much water is added to the base and the Akhani stock.
Another question, sorry, at about 11.48 the chef adds some liquid to the tomato, oil and mix powder in the pot what is it?
Cheers.
Thanks SD and Chewy,
Hi Unclefrank,
He started the first pot with the 35-40 knowing that he was going to add the second pot so 70-80 would be correct.
The amount of water isn't critical, there was enough to just about cover the first lot. The Akhni stock would have started with about .75 litre but again not critical to be exact.
At just before 11:48 he added more water that was to rinse out the gravy that was left in the original pot. (if that is what you are referring to)
Cheers,
Mick
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Hi CBM great video, just a query when the ingredients appear on the screen for the "new" base gravy recipe, 35-40 onions, then you type that the other pot with onions, garlic/ginger from last night is added, does that mean that this recipe has 70-80 onions in the whole recipe for the restaurants service for that night or is the 35-40 onions is the scaled down version, so to speak.
Also how much water is added to the base and the Akhani stock.
Another question, sorry, at about 11.48 the chef adds some liquid to the tomato, oil and mix powder in the pot what is it?
Cheers.
Thanks SD and Chewy,
Hi Unclefrank,
He started the first pot with the 35-40 knowing that he was going to add the second pot so 70-80 would be correct.
The amount of water isn't critical, there was enough to just about cover the first lot. The Akhni stock would have started with about .75 litre but again not critical to be exact.
At just before 11:48 he added more water that was to rinse out the gravy that was left in the original pot. (if that is what you are referring to)
Cheers,
Mick
I'm just wondering if this recipe could be scaled down? I don't think even I could store that much base sauce.I suppose the tricky part is getting the spices in proportion so the gravy is not overspiced.The akhini stock looks very fragrant,I brought some black cardamons but I don't think I've ever used them.The evaporated milk is a new one to me,never seen that in a base before.
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Cheers CBM much appreciated.
As for the black cardamoms they are a desired taste,well for me they are, i have made dishes with it in spice blends and it just overpowered the dish, but with the amount of ingredients and water in this base they shouldn't be overpowering.
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Hi All,
I decided to just quarter the base ingredients so at 20 onions it's still quite a large amount but manageable.
Stage 1,
20 Onions medium size
0.5 a small Potato
1 average sized Carrot
1 tbls of Salt
2 tbls of Garlic/Ginger paste
2 tbls of Veg Ghee
3-4 Coriander stalks
40 ml of Akhni stock
1.5 tspn of Moong Dhal
18 grams of Coconut Block
200 grams of Plum Tomatoes
1.5 tspn of Turmeric
Stage 2 (Akhni stock)
4 Asian Bay Leaves
1x 2.5 inch Cassia Bark
2 Green Cardamon
0.5 Black Cardamon
Pinch of Fennel Seeds
Pinch of Cumin Seeds
300 ml of Water
Stage 3 (Spice/Tomato Fry)
250 ml of Veg Oil
1 tbls of Garlic/Ginger paste
375 ml of Blended Plum Tomatoes
3 tbls of Mix Powder
Baba Mia's Mix Powder
2 parts Coriander Powder
2 parts Cumin Powder
1.5 parts Curry Powder
1.5 parts Turmeric Powder
1 part Garam Masala
0.5 parts Paprika Powder
0.25 parts Chilli Powder
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I made the base, before this last quarter sized base, was posted
Mine was closer to an eighth sized base using 8 onions
It gave a very rich tasting base
The onions, for some reason, came out very sweet
The spice mix is a very good one
It gives a lovely aroma, even before it's cooked
I used the base to make the little India vindaloo
It's very tasty and easily up to a takeaway standard
It's frustrating to not have a comparison
The vindaloo's main flavour comes from the base but the fenugreek gives an interesting background feel
Thanks Mick!!
I've frozen some base for using next weekend
The base on it's own is an acceptable curry sauce
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This is one I have to try,glad you had some success with it Haldi.It's so frustrating to take all the trouble to make a base only to find it's nothing very special.My only question is did you add any evaporated milk?? It was in the original large scale recipe but it seems to have disappeared from the scaled down version devised by CBM.I wonder has he just forgot that bit??
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Will be adding a small amount of coconut block (20gms) plus a small tin of evaporated milk to my next base,making the Zaal base at the moment with excellent results :)the Zaal being quite similar to Micks video.
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It was in the original large scale recipe but it seems to have disappeared from the scaled down version devised by CBM.I wonder has he just forgot that bit??
Sorry JB,
Just proving I'm human.... ;D
It frustrates me that I cannot modify my own post to correct it.
Anyway add about 80 ml of Carnation at the end when all is mixed together.
Mick
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It was in the original large scale recipe but it seems to have disappeared from the scaled down version devised by CBM.I wonder has he just forgot that bit??
Sorry JB,
Just proving I'm human.... ;D
It frustrates me that I cannot modify my own post to correct it.
Anyway add about 80 ml of Carnation at the end when all is mixed together.
Mick
Ok Mick no probs I thought it was my old eyes missing something!!
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My only question is did you add any evaporated milk??
I put a splash of full fat milk instead
My demo from Bengal Cuisine (that's going back a bit!!) had evaporated milk in
I don't really think it makes a huge impact
A little extra something but no fantastic taste
I've experimented a bit with it and also yoghurt, to no great improvement with anything
But this base without it, aroma and flavour are very strong
Well worth a few hours cooking
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haldi,I believe we are that close now that small additions such as a little coconut block and evaporated milk and we could hit the jackpot ;D since trying the Zaal base which is very similar to Mick's my curries have been consistently as good or better than local BIR's 8) flavour,colour, and consistency are near spot on,just want to try the coconut and evaporated milk.
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haldi,I believe we are that close now that small additions such as a little coconut block and evaporated milk and we could hit the jackpot ;D since trying the Zaal base which is very similar to Mick's my curries have been consistently as good or better than local BIR's 8) flavour,colour, and consistency are near spot on,just want to try the coconut and evaporated milk.
I hope you get a result
I know I can make brilliant curries, but I have lost the belief BIR I can make them at home exactly
Something is just different
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Great video Mick 8)
Before I try this base, please would you be good enough to clarify:
a) Is that the remainder of the Akhni stock that he adds at 11.42? If not, what is it please (it looks like some form of stock)?
b) Is it actually moong dhal that he adds? The moong (mung) beans I have are green whereas his seemed to be distinctly yellow? Is it precooked or raw?
c) Do they use this base for all of their (base containing) curries, including their hottest (and non-creamy and non-coconutty) curries?
Thanks for sharing Mick :)
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CA - the beans are green until you peel the shells off - then they are yellow inside and they tend to split into two halves
They dont need any pre soaking they are just like the red lentils in Australia that i buy here - mind you the next lot of Dhansak i make will have the yellow in to compliment the pineapple
Try and buy them shelled already mate
best, Rich
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CA.... Prime Indian supermarkets sell Mung Dhal already split.
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Great video Mick 8)
Before I try this base, please would you be good enough to clarify:
a) Is that the remainder of the Akhni stock that he adds at 11.42? If not, what is it please (it looks like some form of stock)?
b) Is it actually moong dhal that he adds? The moong (mung) beans I have are green whereas his seemed to be distinctly yellow? Is it precooked or raw?
c) Do they use this base for all of their (base containing) curries, including their hottest (and non-creamy and non-coconutty) curries?
Thanks for sharing Mick :)
Thank you CA,
a. It was only extra water in the pot that the gravy had been blended in so as not to waste any gravy.
b. It is moong dhal. Like this image I found.
(http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/k567/currybarkingmad/moong-dal.jpg)
c. Yes it is the same base for all curries, given the quantities of coconut and Carnation added, these flavours do not stand out on their own.
Cheers,
Mick
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East End also sell moong Dahl but theirs seem To be a mix of green and yellow lentils.
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Thanks for the helpful replies guys :)
I realised, after my post, that my moong beans are un-shelled (and are, therefore, green) ???
Thanks for clarifying the later addition of water (rather than Ahkni stock). It still seems such as small addition of Akhni stock, considering they make so much of it? What do they do with the rest of the stock?
Anyway, I made this today (Mick's 20 onion version) to the letter (including the spice mix).
I have to say, base wise, I was quite disappointed. The base had bitter undertones (which I have always found when using tinned tomatoes). So, given that I now have many litres of it, I was not so impressed :(
However, I have just knocked up a chicken vindaloo (using chicken stripped from a precooked whole chicken) and minimal spicing (just the Little India spice mix, plus extra hot chili powder, plus ground black pepper, plus garlic/ginger paste, plus blended toms, plus dried fenugreek leaves, plus salt, plus fresh coriander) and it was very tasty and moorish!
So far, for me, the jury is out still. I will have a better idea when I have cooked more curries with this base. But the underlying bitterness, so far, bothers me. I don't know where it is coming from (apart from the tinned toms)?
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CA,
I also was surprised how little of the Akhni stock he used. He knows what he is doing so he obviously thinks it's worth putting that amount in.
The remainder was used in the chef's Masala Sauce that he was making at the same time as the base.
I will eventually get round to editing that video. You may be surprised at some of the ingredients used in that...I certainly was.... :o
I cannot explain why you are getting bitter undertones, the full base has no bitterness at all. If anything I wondered if it was too sweet.
Maybe the base doesn't down scale well....
Or maybe there is something different with the tinned tomatoes you use...
Or maybe me simply quartering the ingredients doesn't work....ties in with the first point...
Or maybe you have done something wrong.
I am open to other possibilities..........
I will discount the last point as you are very accomplished. :)
I have not managed to try the scaled down base as the curry shed is out of commission at the moment but as soon as I can I will give it a go.
Mick
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Hi Mick,
Thanks for your reply.
I don't doubt that he knows what he's doing. It's just that, so far, I'm a bit disappointed with the result I've obtained.
It is interesting to note how little he uses of the Akhni stock, evaporated milk and creamed coconut. I reckon each will/should introduce a nice subtlety to the base.
I use tinned, whole, Italian, plum tomatoes (of whichever make is cheapest at the time).
I tasted the oil/garlic/ginger/tomato/spice mix fry, before adding it to the onion base, and it didn't taste bitter. Otherwise, I would have suspected that I burnt the garlic/ginger and/or spice mix.
I think the underlying bitterness is in the onion base. I suspect it is due to the tinned tomatoes in that (which is what I've often found and is why I use tomato paste instead). Otherwise, I cooked the base for 2 to 3 hours in total.
It is quite possible that I am doing something wrong (it would be pretty arrogant of me to exclude this possibility! :P), but I can't think what, if I am :-\
But, as I said, the vindaloo I made from it was very tasty and moorish.
I need to reserve my final judgement until I have made several more, and a range of, curries from it.
Look forward to seeing (and trying) the chefs masala sauce :)
Once again, thanks for sharing Mick, I appreciate it :)
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I made this base gravy last week using approx 750g of onion and downscaled the other ingredients to what I thought best to match this amount of onion. I was most impressed with the gravy, it was slightly sweet with absolutely no hint of bitterness at all. I made several different curries for my family who all gave them the thumbs up. I intend making another batch next week.
I will post the quantities I used later which worked well for me.
Cheers
Jim
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with absolutely no hint of bitterness at all
Bizarre. I wonder what we did differently then (besides the scale)? :-\
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Cory, did you taste your base before and after adding the akhni? In my experience too much akhni, or too strong (too many whole spice in the water) adds a bitter flavour, which takes a long time to mellow out in the final boil.
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with absolutely no hint of bitterness at all
Bizarre. I wonder what we did differently then (besides the scale)? :-\
I have had this problem before and never got to the bottom of it
Sometimes a base just comes out bitter and other times sweet
When I made the little India base, it was silly sweet
Perhaps it could be down to how much water is added at the first stage
If there is very little, the onions fry more, until they release their own contained liquid
Since the curry2go book, I have cut down on water with the initial boil
Salt and oil/ghee effect the sweetness too
I also found the last stage of frying tomato, garlic ginger and spices really adding depth to the base
I reckon when you add water to this fry, and simmer it, it extracts something very special from the spices
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What is your verdict on the CBM Little India base?
Paul asked the above question in this thread http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=8422.msg74373#msg74373 (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=8422.msg74373#msg74373) but I thought it would probably be more appropriate for me to answer it here.
So far, I have mostly made hot curries (e.g. Vindaloo) from it (plus the mild Biriani mentioned in the above thread).
Like Haldi, I like this base. I think it's up there with the best that I have tried on this forum. I've enjoyed all the curries that I have so far made from it. They have all been very tasty (and with good aroma and texture). I like the spice mix too.
Having said that, for me, it doesn't really bridge the gap I have with producing top notch BIR curries. The balance, savouriness and intensity of taste and flavour is still somewhat lacking by comparison.
I was a little concerned that the base, by itself, had a slight underlying bitterness to it. But that hasn't come through in the final curries.
I am a little bemused by the (seemingly overly complicated?) preparation used to make the base. There just seems to be too much repetition (but, I suppose, that seems to be the case with most BIR curry cooking...."layers", some call it). For example, garlic/ginger paste and blended tinned tomatoes are added in "stage1" and then again in "stage 3" (and thereafter, invariably, in the cooking of the final curry!). Perhaps this imparts different tastes? But I'm not convinced.
I have also tried Akhni stock several times in the distant past (it is also something that, as far as I'm aware, Pat Chapman was the first to bring to the attention of the masses). I always found it added an "astringent" taste to the base and abandoned using it accordingly. Perhaps this is why so little of it is added to the Little India base? It is interesting to see its use mentioned a little more nowadays. Together with "aromatic salt" - another Pat Chapman "first", as far as I'm aware.
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Quick question: during stage 3 (tomato/spices) he adds 2 litres of water - how much did everyone add for Mick's scaled down version - 500ml?
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Quick question: during stage 3 (tomato/spices) he adds 2 litres of water - how much did everyone add for Mick's scaled down version - 500ml?
Yes, about 500ml
That's one of the problems of scaling down
The amounts can get unmanageable, because they become too small
You know the sort of thing
Something works out to be an eighth of a teaspoon
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I made this scaled down base yesterday;I was very,very impressed with the final outcome.Easily the best base I have attempted so far.It was sweetish but not overly so and had a nice underlying flavour(The smell was still lingering as I was putting the base into portions this morning).I'm not sure how CA ended with bitter undertones,mine was spot on.I think it was scaled down perfectly,many thanks Mick for this and for posting the video/recipe.I guess the the real test is in the final curries,I now have the base sorted as well as massala paste and I knocked up a version of Mick's onion paste,hopefully all will go well.
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with absolutely no hint of bitterness at all
Bizarre. I wonder what we did differently then (besides the scale)? :-\
The difference could simply be 'bad luck' and a bit like some of my attempts at various curries when I make the same recipe and, on one occasion, it tastes brilliant and on another occasion it's rubbish. So all factors seem to be constant (recipe, chef, ingredients, method) and yet there's an inexplicable difference. If that happened on trying a new recipe, like this Little India base, I probably wouldn't try it again, and it might well be my loss.
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with absolutely no hint of bitterness at all
Bizarre. I wonder what we did differently then (besides the scale)? :-\
The difference could simply be 'bad luck' and a bit like some of my attempts at various curries when I make the same recipe and, on one occasion, it tastes brilliant and on another occasion it's rubbish
. So all factors seem to be constant (recipe, chef, ingredients, method) and yet there's an inexplicable difference. If that happened on trying a new recipe, like this Little India base, I probably wouldn't try it again, and it might well be my loss.
George, most of our local T/A produce good and sometimes not so good curry's so we must be doing something right :-\ ;)
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I would be glad to try this base too, but two things remain unclear to me:
1) what is the time needed for each step of the preparation?
2) how much water is added (in particular at the very beginning with the onions and other vegetables)?
Thanks to Mick we have clear instructions about the ingredients, but I need clearer instructions about the cooking method.
Any help or indication is most welcome for me!
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I would be glad to try this base too, but two things remain unclear to me:
1) what is the time needed for each step of the preparation?
2) how much water is added (in particular at the very beginning with the onions and other vegetables)?
Thanks to Mick we have clear instructions about the ingredients, but I need clearer instructions about the cooking method.
Any help or indication is most welcome for me!
Hi there,I initially boiled the onions/veg etc for about one hour fifteen minutes,actually quite a bit longer than I used to do in the first stage of any base sauce.I left the onions whole,not sure if it makes any difference but that's the way the chef in the video did it.I think the most important thing is to ensure the veg is cooked out,ie if you put a knife into the onions they offer no resistance at all.The akhini stock I boiled for about twenty minutes before added to the boiling veg pan.Water was put in initially on the veg so it just covers them.Water is added at the end to thin the gravy out to your desired consistency.Hope that makes sense.
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Thank you jb for your explanations: now I feel confident enough to try this base.
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Hi Mick,
It seems that you have removed the video from Youtube.
Can we hope to get it back anywhere else?
Many thanks
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Hi Mick,
It seems that you have removed the video from Youtube.
Can we hope to get it back anywhere else?
Many thanks
You should still be able to see it here...
https://vimeo.com/45213828
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It works fine. Thank you!!!
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I can't seem to view the video from the OP of this thread... has it been removed?
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Hi Mick,
It seems that you have removed the video from Youtube.
Can we hope to get it back anywhere else?
Many thanks
You should still be able to see it here...
https://vimeo.com/45213828
Try here Chris
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Ah.. thanks CH. I didn't read the whole thread :)
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Hi Mick
Ive made this recipe twice now (20 onions) and must say it is my current favourite base.
Im not sure if its because I have used new season onions both times or not, but this base has produced the sweetest, most moorish curries I have ever made. Its a bit more fiddly than some of the other bases on the forum, but well worth the trouble
Thanks again for the time and trouble you have taken to post this
Mick
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Not sure if you spotted my other post Mick but I've got hold of a portion of curry gravy from my local favourite restaurant.The thing is in terms of both taste and smell it's almost identical to the scaled down version I made from the Little India.It's more oily,maybe their base had been sitting around for a while I don't know.I was very impressed with your video already,but now I've got a genuine base to compare with the Little Indian one I've no doubt it's the real deal.
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Good work as always Mick
Ben
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Not sure if you spotted my other post Mick but I've got hold of a portion of curry gravy from my local favourite restaurant.The thing is in terms of both taste and smell it's almost identical to the scaled down version I made from the Little India.It's more oily,maybe their base had been sitting around for a while I don't know.I was very impressed with your video already,but now I've got a genuine base to compare with the Little Indian one I've no doubt it's the real deal.
Think i'd be freezing it in ice cube and doing a few comparisons. I'd be interested to know how you think it compares to the Zaal base which i rate quite highly.
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Hi curryheads , just a quick question if i may. I made the cbm little indian base the other day, but the video was not available, so had to use the recipe posted in plain text. The water content was not specified so i made it with less water than i would normally use. The base was good for rogan josh and bhuna, not so good for madras IMO .
My question is , what consistency should this base be? Did i guess right that it should be medium thickness?
should it be:
1) very thin like safron base
2) very thick like ashoka base
3) or medium thickness , like kd base
cheers, this has been bugging me as i had to guess the water amount as the video was removed when i checked it out . thanks guys
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I almost forgot to add, did anyone have the cbm vindaloo recipe to go with this cbm base, as the video for that was also missing when i last checked ? cheers
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Hi Derek
The video is here : CBM Base Gravy on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/45213828)
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Vimeo embeds have stopped working on CR0, NJ : it's better to give the Vimeo URL in plain text :
http://vimeo.com/45213828
** Phil.
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Vimeo embeds have stopped working on CR0, NJ : it's better to give the Vimeo URL in plain text : http://vimeo.com/45213828
** Phil.
Thank you Phil
;D
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Thank you Phil
Y o u a r e w e l c o m e (to be pronounced in a Dalek-like monotone :)
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Whats happened to the only video of a chef making a full batch of gravy for service? ???
Regards
ELW
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:o ;D ;D ;D
Don't panic ELW. The Youtube vid has been removed and replaced by the Vimeo link on page 7 and just up this page a little ;)
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Bit of a bump. This base has been on my radar since it first appeared. Having had great success with the Zaal base after our visit to Fleet, the Little India base dropped in the priority list, but it was always going to be cooked. As it's been fairly quite over the last week or so on the forum i've re-read a few threads looking for answers to questions. One of the threads was jb's on a comparison between the LI base and that from a local BIR we both frequent. It also mentioned the use of spiced oil which had been taken form IFFU's bombay potato preparation. The combination of the two certainly impressed jb.
Another driver behind my desire to try this base is that another BIR i have used for years produces a unique tasting vindaloo. I watched it being cooked several times and the ingredients are nothing unusual. Therefore, the only possible answer as to where the taste comes from has to be the base. The dish has a tomato "twang" to it but not from the paste used in the cooking stage. It also has a lovely smooth flavour which takes the edge off the tomato. I remember speaking to the now owner, who was the chef when i first started using the restaurant and i remember him saying cream was added to the base. I have read several threads where the use of carnation evap milk is mentioned. When i see this video, the penney dropped. This must be the cream Ali was talking about :o :o . The use of this plus the quantity of tomatoes used, not at all unlike Abdul Mohed's enhanced base, made my mind up. This was just reinforced by what we learnt at Zaal's and what Abdul had told us.
So tonight i set to and made the base according to Micks scaled down recipe. It's cooling down now and smells and tastes absolutely great as bases go. And it has that tomato background flavour with the edge taken off by the evap milk :D I am hoping tomorrow that i will get closer to my favourite vindaloo dish than ever before. I do have a secret weapon though ;D I made CBM's pre-cooked spuds which i ensured provided me with some lovely spiced oil, which i filtered today. Tomorrow evening is going to be very interesting. Here's a pic of the base. I just can't stop myself from having a spoon of it every time i go near it :P
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/c41b2118017152b33751dbfa120b7403.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#c41b2118017152b33751dbfa120b7403.jpg)
(http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/pics/21f94db9834f24c46c3f091d20a6c928.jpg) (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#21f94db9834f24c46c3f091d20a6c928.jpg)
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Glad you finally got to try this base.I hope your dishes turn out as good as mine do.For me it's the ultimate base,end of story as far as I'm personally concerned.Not only do you see the chef cooking it the video from start to finish(ie no magical or secret spices unless he does add some off camera),but the base tastes and looks more or less identical to the base sample I got from the fantastic Spices restaurant.Look forward to seeing your results.The spiced oil is fantastic,once you have that you can't go wrong.