Guys I had a TA from my local last week,it has an open kitchen and you can see clearly what the chef is doing though not all of the ingredients. As you would expect the use lots of short cuts like pre cooked rice that they stick in microwave to heat, pretty poor chicken ticka and precooked chicken held in what seems to be hot water as it comes out of the pan pure white. Anyway he puts in a little oil and what must be ghee then in goes the garlic/ginger paste, the tomato puree and whatever his spice mix is and he stirs it in with the back of the spoon. He then leaves it on what seems to be high heat for a few minutes. I feel it will surely burn but he seems relaxed with this approach the as he adds the meat followed by the base he begins the movement and stirring but in this case no flame though others times there can be it doesn't seem to matter too much. he produces acceptable TA though I would want freshly cooked ticka in a good BIR. PP

This Kiwi school chef gives a good bulk example using a bought in spice mix. (The kids love it!)

http://youtu.be/uGvai2N5J60