Saw this in the news


https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/wagamama-katsu-curry-recipe-how-to-make-cooking-chef-tutorial-video-a9489466.html

I havn't been to one of these restaurants but it looks similiar to curry I had in Japan a few years ago (which I posted on here) notably by the use of flour.

Hope someone finds it interesting.

Firstly opening a thread in which people shout insults at each other is not my aim here. I understand all media is to some degree prejudice but as someone who found the decision to vote remain a very easy one I wanted to post this link for anyone who was not aware of the coming problem.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/uk-curry-industry-brexit-staff-shortages-bangladesh-catering-association-a8677911.html

Just to reiterate the damage is pretty much done so we should probably all make the effort to ask those questions we were getting around to at our local TA's as there will be without a doubt far less of them in the near future.

My curry making only happens very occasionally now, usually when it's been so long that I've forgotten just how unlike a TA it actually tastes and that always brings me back to the point 3 years ago when I sat looking freeze frame at H4ppychris's base video where he promises we will all get to 100% satisfaction thanks to the contents of a small plate hes sliding in at around 25m 10s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A91qv2O5eQw

Although I continue to read new posts here there hasn't been anything as exciting since and so at the risk of getting people worked up over what happened back then I think enough time has passed to re-examine that saucer of "magic" as he describes it and wonder if it really was the method that hides so well in plain sight.

Personally from what I saw and read I think it was the real deal mainly due to his friendship with Sam which fits with a theory I posted a while ago in that the only way to achieve identical results is to have a Chef literally hold your spoon arm all the way through. Secondly his passion for BIR was obvious in terms of the large amount of personal time spent making videos in the TA.

This of course doesnt make me feel any better that the ebook never materialised and that this site could maybe now be alive with people shouting about how their own currys are surpassing the local TA on a regular basis.

Not that I am making accusations but I never properly understood why he left here anyway, be it arrogance, academic lazyiness with the book or just too much beer? all of which I think were suggested by others around then.

Remembering the aftermath, at least one person claimed to have been present in his kitchen when he was making that stuff and were bound to secrecy, but now the episode is pretty much ancient history I wonder if thats still the case? Does anyone have any partial information on it? Did anyone else know Sam or speak with him about it?

I can't help feeling it was an important missed opportunity and deserves revisiting in an intellectual fashion as opposed to Chris bashing, if only to debunk probably the boldest claim ever made here once and for all.



 

OK. So I have now officially given up waiting for Happy Chris?s eBook!

For the record I believe that Chris is making genuine BIR curry due to what appears to be a genuine friendship with Sam who appears to be a genuine TA owner.

I?m not saying he will never release this eBook but when? A year, 3 years? 8 years? There has to be some kind of realistic date that short of a world catastrophe it couldn?t take any longer to finish. The reality I think is that Chris isn?t a bad bloke but figures a lifetime of detail is what a decent BIR publication needs and although that may not be wrong it doesn?t help if we?re all dead when it comes out, so although I?ve no interest in the personal stand offs that have occurred prior to his leaving my opinion is that he will probably release it precisely when he feels in the mood, even if he finishes it tomorrow but announcing it only takes his fancy on New Years Eve 2030.

Also worth noting is that money surely is no motivation based on the time and resources the videos alone must be taking and for all we know he may of fallen out with Sam or Sam may be objecting to how the eBook is being written etc etc.

A while back I paid the owner of my new local TA to come to my kitchen and show me how to make a Madras/Vindaloo (which I wrote about on here at the time.) From this I did learn about the importance of Tandoori Masala, but that was all and the more I think back to it the more I see how I was easy money because restaurant/TA staff either don?t like the food they make for the masses personally or don?t like us enough to actually WANT US to reproduce it faithfully (this is where I think Chris is a rare example of someone succeeding.)

However I?m going to go one further and say:

The only way I think we will make the same food as our favourite TAs is to actually work in one regularly for a good while. I am well aware that this isn?t practical but just out of frustration I felt I needed to say it as every time I login here so little has changed and seeing as there are so many members wanting the same thing it?s sad we can?t throw our combined resources at convincing some gifted BIR chef to make it his No.1 priority in teaching precise methods, in the same mould a driving instructor truly wants his students to pass as his rating/reputation is at stake.


Or we could just wait for Chris?

I realise there are some members who absolutely despise supermarket curry and for good reason as most of it is terrible let alone BIR.

However having had a few of these now I thought I would make a quick post to say it's actually the only ready meal curry I rate, its made with whole spices as I've managed to pick some out of it and the prawns are decent any plentiful.

It says unavailable on the website but I always find it in my local store.

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Product/Details/?id=259391755

Ignoring the rice it's still worth ?3.50.