hmm.. it could be oil now that you mention it, I hope it is. When I thought I had scraped most of it off the top, after simmering for a bit longer more started to appear. Would oil do the same?

Spelled 'Summak'

I once saw a bag of Summak with a printed label on the packaging which read  "100% pure smack".. Couldn't help but have a chuckle

Fellow aussie here down south in chilli Canberra. Thanks heaps for these base recipes. Couldn't understand how they'd get such a huge difference in flavours between a Butter Chicken and other curries without using a different base. Your base recipes clear things up a bit. My favourite IR serves a thick, smokey, tomatoey and slightly sweet butter chicken. Got high hopes i'll be able to replicate this using your tomato base. Looking forward to the recipes.

Tried a different restaurant to my regular trusted local for something new.

Firstly, Credit where credit is due, their Samosas, Tandoori chicken on the bone and dessert were good.

But my Lamb Rogenjosh was terrible.
My curry appeared to be bits of lamb cooked in water with a few spices thrown in then poured into a serving

bowl and called a curry. Going by the taste, look and texture I was convinced that I had been served mildly spiced water, light brown in colour with bits of lamb sitting in it.

Dipping Naan bread into the curry resulted in a soggy bit of bread with no curry "sauce" on it.
Serving the curry ontop of rice resulted in the curry seeping down to the bottom of the plate and being left with bits of lamb sitting ontop of watery rice.

My wife's Butter Chicken had passable flavour, but it too was watery and missing that creamy/buttery texture and look.

Very dissapointed that I wasted our "go out for dinner night" on this. Wont be doing it again.

And, please tell me guys, why is it, do you think, that "mozeous", who joined this forum on March 15th, and has only made 2 posts, both about this book, started this thread?

It seems to me that they he is simply promoting this book and you are all simply playing into his hands (but I could be wrong).  Fair enough, but please be more specific when debating the books content (without breaching copyright) is all I'm saying.

No conspiracy here, I stumbled upon the book while google searching "bir curry" and thought you guys might be interested in it as I was, seeing how many people did buy the book after reading my post would be nice if the author sent me a free copy. The only contact I've had with the author or who ever replies to emails on the book's website is if I could order a copy of the book from Australia through the website to which they replied it would be better off to order through amazon. I don't even have the book yet.