Thought the same when I caught the Indian reference on last night Baker boys.
When he said that you can't make Indian currys at home like you get at restaurants I immediately thought of this site.

Don't they ever do research? Light weights!

Interested in his chapati making though.

Hi Razor

>So, your lamb tikka masala, is it identical to the book or have you put your own twist on it.  I've got to say that it looks very different from a chicken tikka masala, which is good for me, as I don't really like CTM. 

I followed the recipe from the book. Back in the day as I tried each of his recipes I would make a note in pencil a score out of 10 and comment on possible improvements for next time.
This recipe I gave a 9/10 with no comments. Now please remember this is my taste which is rich and vinegary. I do like the tang in my curries and this is nothing like CTM as I'm used to.
I hadn't made this dish for years and only flicked through my collection of books as my interest was re-ignited by this site along with others including YouTube.

If it was as good as I remembered then I made it exactly as written.
 Except the following;
I used Pataks Tandoori/Rogan pastes

I marinated the lamb overnight in the fridge and next morning I froze it for about a week. As it was Christmas time I didn't know when it would be used, and I heard somewhere freezing can improve the flavours in curries.

I used the griddle to cook the lamb Tikka. This was a test as the book calls for oven cooking. I think Julian suggested using a griddle to get the burnt edges while retaining moisture. I would normally use the grill but feel I had better control using the grilled.
It was a nightmare to clean after though


Hi George
>Is the green masala you used the same recipe as given here:

Yes exactly the same although he has change from the book
Book = 4 fl oz (100 ml) vinegar
Website = 4 fl oz (120ml) vinegar
I work in ml so I used less.

Hi Haldi
I think those mistakes have been there for years


Hi CurryHell
>How do you normally cook your lamb tikka?  And were the results better? I admit i have always avoided using the meat in curries because it always seems to be a little, in some cases alot, on the chewy side. However, i've now been introduced to the slow cooker method for precooking and the results are melt in the mouth for ordinary lamb.  But how do i get melt in the mouth lamb tikka?

I usually use the grill but will try the griddle again as I was pleasantly surprised.
Now this may be down to my butcher. He selected it for me, hanging on a hook in the window, and boned it for me. He is a master butcher and has shown me where he hangs his meat for 21 days.
I will ask him next time what part of lamb it was. But it had an exquisite taste once as Tikka  and in the finished dish with that melt in the mouth experience. Definitely not chewy
The long marination may have helped too.

Hope this helps.

Regards, James

Hi Chewytikka,
I don't know whether this has been said before but I certainly find that your video's are some of the best I've see on the net.
I particularly like the clear step by step approach with the ingredients listed as they are added.
I like to follow the video in 'real time' on my iPad which sits on the kitchen shelf.

I made your recent chicken madras last weekend and it is one of the best curries I've made.
Just one suggestion for any future curry videos, I would like to see a full range of the ingredients used shown at the start of the video for about 10 seconds before the cooking commences. This can be used as a preparation list which can be paused on any play back device. It can be a bit of a pain on phones/tablets pausing and rewinding etc.

Just out of interest, what video editing software do you use which allows the addition of  text animations?
Thanks.

Regards, James

Another video posted yesterday showing how to make a base gravy.
Will be interesting to know how it compares.

Authentic BIR base gravy