The Bengali cook has put up a video yesterday, informing that he is preparing to upload a set of videos for 1990's BIR recipes.  The base gravy, preparing the chicken etc. Could be interesting.

https://youtu.be/y-6W0eHgAPQ

Most of what Robbo has photographed there is what I expect to see when I buy Cinnamon Sticks (or quills) here in Australia.
 https://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/imagehost/#9339c69d77dae57e4802a77dfe582683.jpeg
There are a few pieces in the middle which are what I'd have thought could be Cassia Bark.  Of course I could be well wrong and spices are a bit hit and miss over here, however here is my logic.

See the first 5 photographs of the last bag of Cinnamon sticks I bought.  Indeed some of it is paper thin and then some is about 1 mm thick and some up to 1.5 or 2  mm thickness.  This is, as I expected, the inner bark of the tree.  There is no evidence of outer bark and it is of Genus Cinnamomum but actual Species unknown. Of course there are Cinnamomum Spp from different geographical locations and Ceylon Cinnamon (Cinnamomum Verum) is the variety known as "True Cinnamon".  What I have here is Indian Cinnamon Sticks, which could be Verum, but who knows.

The last 2 photographs are what I expect to see when I purchase Cassia Bark.  It is flatter, not curled up and clearly shows the outer surface of the actual outer bark, which should be of the Cinnamomum Cassia (or Chinese Cinnamon).  Unfortunately, I no longer have the bag but it read Cinnamon Flat.  As I said, my previous bag was clearly labelled Cassia Bark.

In the instance of these 2 spices I have, there is a distinctly different aroma, with the quills being much "sweeter and richer" than the flat bark which has very little smell at all really.  Of course these are both out of India so are probably a variety of Cinnamomum tree which is neither or either Verum or Cassia spp, or some other spp.

I once bought a bag of ground Chinese Cinnamon from a Chinese Grocer and it was awful stuff.  You would never use it to make Cinnamon sugar for cinnamon toast or cinnamon doughnuts.  I have ground up my Cinnamon quills to make cinnamon sugar and it is what I would call the right stuff, ie: not Cassia.

Yes folks!  That's right. 

This will take 2 posts as it's 12 photos.  Start to finish with a photo at each stage plus a closeup of the finished dish.  This was a big improvement on my first attempt where I clearly under-cooked the gravy.
1) Onion in oil
2) Onion browning edges and garlic added (in middle)
3) Chicken in with first gravy
4) Reduction # 1
5) Tomato in
6) Reduction # 2

Well, I'll attempt to keep this unbiased.  Australia's revolving doors at The Lodge and Kirribilli House have spun once more. We now have our 8th Prime Minister in only 15 years. Although, the ousted one did actually win an election and survive his full term, but only one.  Australia's Liberal & National parties coalition (right wing) Government has been given the big heave-ho yesterday. Our new Government is probably a minority one with the Australian Labor Party (left wing) gaining control with a comically small primary vote.  The ALP currently is presumed to have won 71 of the required 76 seats to form a Government with 13 seats still undecided, but it is doubtful they will get the remaining 5 required.

The primary votes for the coalition fell from above 41% 3 years ago to only around 35%.  The ALP also dropped in primary votes, by less, but still received less than the coalition at only around 31%.  However, due to the time honoured election system of preferential voting it was enough for the ALP to gain power with a 2 party preferred vote of just over 50%.  You have to love the Westminster system.

The surprise (or not) was the literal dumping of incumbents in "Blue-Ribbon" Liberal seats, particularly in the State of Victoria with several high profile members, and probably including the Treasurer, defeated by "Independents".  These victorious Independents have been labelled as the Teals, as in colour, because they appeared to band together and inform disillusioned voters how to vote to cause the most damage possible to stable government.  They all adopted the same colour which is a bit "party like" rather than independent.  On a side note, they are all relatively young (Ah, what is the term we are allowed to use in these woke days?) let's call them non-males.

While the actual numbers aren't yet fully known due to late counting of pre-poll, absentee and postal votes, it is pretty clear that we have entered a new era.  Not just a new Government.  We've swapped between left and right leaning Government before but this is a different beast.  The Greens and "Independents" will have a lot of power in the Lower House of Parliament.

Our new PM is a lovely bloke with a heart-warming back story. Time will tell if he is up to the task.

On the plus side of all this, we as Australians can be well proud of the dignified and civilised manner in which the true democratic model is exercised here.  The voters (compulsory) have made the numbers and the politicians accept defeat and victory without all the conspiracy theory and rubbish seen in other leading democratic countries.

Our defeated PM has announced his intention to step down as party leader, and with the loss of several of those assumed to be his potential successor, we now have a situation where the right leaning party, which was booted for being just that, may actually become even harder right.  Go figure!!

It's a different world we live in today.

Update:  ALP has formed Government now holding 77 seats in the Lower House.  1 more than required 76.