came across a site with some interesting recipes  for non    BIR curries     
http://thismuslimgirlbakes.blogspot.co.uk/

just purchased a  box of Julpur Garam Masala(?4.35 for 375 gms.)
Ingredients  are
Black pepper, Cinnamon,Cloves,Black Cardomons,Star Aniseed,Coriander, Cummin,Red chilli, Mixed spices.

when opening the box the gm which is an a polythene bag smells quite strong with the emphasis on the cloves/star anise  side of things- smells more chinese than indian.

 

has anyone used these  curry kits -seem to be the business
http://www.thespiceisright.co.uk/index.html

Looking through some of my menus from takeaways some describe madras /vindaloo as having a greater use of black pepper. I have not come across any recipes on this site which add black pepper to their curries.  Anybody use it?

For anyone going to  Puerto del Carmen Lanzarote  this year  I came across a great  Indian restaurant called ?Indian Curry House? which is highly  recommended  after having 3 meals  there. They served the  best curries I have had for a long time. The restaurant is off the main strip near an English  bar called Arthurs. It is run by a lovely woman who is really friendly.  On my last visit I asked could I have her recipes for the base  which  she told me and being a bit cheeky  I asked could I watch my curry being made  and she let me go into the kitchen when the curry was being prepared.
 Unfortunately , I  do not have precise quantities  as I was busy scribbling down what was  going on and my biggest mistake  was not having my  camera with me. Anyhow this is how the curry was made.
The chef started by frying some onions in the pan   and added some cumin seeds .  At this stage flames shot up round the pan. He also added some milk to the pan and then let the onions cook for a short time.  He then added ginger/ garlic paste , tomato paste( the owner said they use paste from tins not tubes. ) and some fresh tomato which he let cook. He then added  garam masala , chilli powder , methi leaves, salt  and turmeric. To this he added some bubbling base sauce which was quite pale ?very light brown -almost white and left this to cook. The vegetables were then added  and left to cook before adding chopped coriander.  At  this stage I went back to my beer but the chef says  that  it just cooks till it thickens .  I asked about the garam masala in the curry   and she said it is from a packet , brand name being    Schani  which is a German brand.(see photo) .  This  has a quite earthy aroma  more black  cardoman /cloves emphasis.   There is also a spice shop nearby (which the owner also owns)  which included Natco ,East End products and also  the Schani brand .
After the curry the owner who is quite willing to answer all sorts of questions on curries  gave me the recipe for the  base  sauce  but the problem is  I am not sure what quantity you should use for say six onions or whether the quantities are for a huge pot. What she said was   for the base you use 1 glass of water, 1 glass of oil, and 1 glass of tomato  paste. Onions must be cooked slowly to release their moisture, There is also added  in equal quantities to the onions(1 tbsp) cumin  powder. coriander powder, turmeric, chilli powder, salt, garam masala, ginger garlic paste and madras curry powder.  When cooked thi s is then all blended down ; water can be added to get the right consistency   
The interesting thing is that the garam masala in the base  is not the packet stuff but is made up by the restaurant  in equal quantities (100gm) of    Bay leaves , cloves, black cardomans, green cardomans and cinnamon stick(Cassia?).
Since returning home I have tried to reproduce this curry   after  adjusting  the quantities / ratios  for the home made garam masala as I can?t see that above being correct  for 6/7  onions used in my base. The curry  it turned out  very nice with my  kitchen full of the  famous curry smell.
This is one to definitely try again and tweak some of the ingredients but the interesting thing is no mix powder was used. I have got the e-mail   address of the owner and may request further clarifications after my next attempt.
If you are going to Lanzarote I  thoroughly recommend you visit the Indian Curry House preferably  in the day  when it?s not so busy as the owner is only to please to discuss   her methods  and   may even  allow you  in the kitchen .   Don?t forget to sign her comments book!