I am not one with a deep palate, I cannot tell 4,000... 400.. or even 40 teas from each other.. I try some and like what I like, I go no further.
Similarly with Curry.. there are some I like, some I REALLY like (CurryHell!) and others that just don't even warrant a second try... it is my 'taste', so to speak.  We are all different!

I have resisted the recent Balti threads because I just don't have the experience of what they are trying to reproduce and more likely the palate to tell the difference (fantastic effort Livo to overcome the former and with your experimentation and ability of the later).

I have nothing valid left to contribute.
I wish everyone the very best in your continued search for... whatever it is you are looking for.

BAJ.

Great crop there...

Seconded.

I have 9 plants at the moment (that I had to seed this year), 4 Caribbean blend, all around 3ft (1m) tall and with varying amounts of fruit so far... some were neglected and left in direct sunlight during our recent hot spells, they burnt and are now recovering but with less fruit compared to the others.  The other 5 are Habanero, like the Yellow's in your picture.  They are enjoying being in the greenhouse where the atmosphere is warmer, more humid but the sunlight is diffused (they have not burnt) but are much slower growing and have not fruited yet although they are flowering quite optimistically.

I will take some pics when there is something more to show than a few green chilli and lots of flowers, respectively.

BAJ.

P.S.
I still have some 'Cherry Bombs' left from a couple of years ago, frozen.  I use them mainly in Chilli-con-carne (I make it in a large 5 Litre/9 Pint pan), although I only make around 10 portions at a time, they are much too strong for a Curry even if I am batch cooking.  I wonder how the potency would compare if I could have dehydrated and ground them as you have done Robbo and then kept airtight for up to 2 years. Intriguing!

I think next time I'll remove all whole spices and I believe it will benefit from this.

That part is always confusing to me.. often omitted from any descriptive method, as if it is obvious.  I remove large items, such as bay leaf when I think it has 'done it's bit' and Cassia before I think it will overpower any other spices.  That in itself is why I am 'resistant' to making MDB's.. grinding up 55g of bark (no mention of removing it)... I would want to 'cook' it for a lot longer than just 1 hour before I risk putting it in a blender???  Maybe I have missed a trick/step about removing it?

BAJ

I'm going to conduct an experiment today.

Despite and given your recent admission.. your continued experimentation to try a dish that barely any of us has eaten the original of, and even if we had, could barely remember it, is EXEMPLARY!

Your research, methods and comparisons are most enlightening.

Thank you! 

I have been following this thread closely and since we are now digressing into other chef's versions of a Balti I feel I can comment.

I have never been to Brum, so never had one of the fabled dishes but I have had "Baltis" from numerous places in West Yorkshire over the last 40 years (Not sure what you can make of that qualification!).

I am not inclined to make this Base as it is only for this one dish and to be honest, I am not a great fan of Cassia/Cinnamon so when I saw the massive amount and the stress placed on using that quantity (with almost no other spices given the volume) I immediately decided to give it a miss.  So without that, does it make the Balti's I have eaten and subsequently cooked Bland? I would say not.

What I will comment on is if all the 'cooking' is essentially done in the base and I believe the reduction there is the key (I have over reduced sauces and gravies before in other cooking styles and ended up with extremely strong flavours but not always palatable), then maybe the other spice flavours come back to the fore, however I wonder how much of that would be once again from the Cassia.

Rarely do I cook with Red meats anymore... for no other reason than the cost... and imho Chicken just cannot stand out in an actual Balti.

BAJ.