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Topics - blade1212

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Bhuna / Chicken Bhuna Madras

« on: June 26, 2005, 08:58 AM »

After my recent spying misson to a local BIR, I decided to try making a final dish without any spices. Here's what I did (cheated a little)

1. Added 1 tb base sauce to hot frying pan (no oil)
2. Mixed 1 tbl caramalised onion with 1/4 tsp curry powder an 1/4 tsp of chill powder and added (this is the cheat - trying to mimic the yellow onions used in the BIR)
3. Added 1 tbl green chille paste - Ideally use red, but I didn't have any
4. Added 2 chef spoons of thick pasatta (I would have used 1 tbl of tomato puree - once again didn't have any)
5. Blast and reduce for 1 min
6. Add 1/2 lvl tsp methi and 1/2 tsp chopped chillis and cook for 30 secs
7. Add 2 big ladels of base and mix around
8. Add pre cooked chicken and 2 x 1/4 of fresh tomato and cook on full power for 4 mins.
9. Add 1 tsp fresh corriander and 1 chefs spoon of passata and cook for 1 more minute

That's it. Now I went outside for 5 mins to clear my nostrils.

This was delicious and I think had the taste - I say I think because I was wasn't exactly sober at this point, so I'll try again later today. The kitcken smells exactly like a BIR.

So for me, no dry spices is looking like the road to perfection.

PS. I'd call this Chicken Bhunna Madras

Madras / Demo - Chicken Tikka Jaipuri Madras

« on: June 24, 2005, 07:13 PM »

I ordered this from an open plan BIR tonight. This is based on what I could see going in - couldn't get talking to the chef. Apologies for the ingredients that I'm not 100% sure of - these were my best guess

1. 1 tbl oil (that's all). He used the unwashed pan from the previous dish. High Heat all the way through.
2. 1/2 chef spoon of yellow stuff ( this was really hard to tell, but looked like fried onions cooked in oil and turmeric - maybe curry powder)
3. 1/3 chef spoon of tomato puree (definitely the texture of puree - not ketchup)
4. 1/3 chef spoon of what look like Chilli pickle
5. Fried all this for 30 secs.
6 Added 1 tbl deep fried onion and 1 tbl deep fried Green and Red peppers and 1/4 fresh tomato
7. pinch of methi and a pinch of green chillis and fry for 30 secs (about 1/2 tsp each).
8. Added pre cooked Chicken Tikka
9. 2 big ladels of base and cooked from 4 mins
10. Pinch of fresh coriander
11. 1 chefs spoon of white solid/liquid emulsion stuff (possibly MSG/Salt/Sugar/Water combo ?? - not all dissolved )
12. This is another vague one, he sneaks under the counter in front of him and added 1/2 chef soon of some red liquid - looked like passata, but I can't be sure it wasn't some red liquid spice mixture.
13. Cooked for another min, then put in in the dish.

Sorry if this takes us back rather than forward because some of it is pretty vague.

Most interesting thing I noticed was there was no dry spices in here at all !!

PS. The texture of the final dish was very similar if you were to make a curry from say the MarkJ base, but add very little oil to the final dish. I've now cut this down to 1 tbl in my final dishes and prefer the result.

House Specialities / Chicken Bhuna Madras

« on: June 05, 2005, 09:45 PM »

This is the best I've made and it had the taste.

Here are the steps - most a mixture of tips/tricks I've picked up from this site. Thank you all.

The most important step is to foillow the fast (full heat) cooking of the final dish to the letter.
___________________
Base - The MarkJ 10 onion version

vegetable oil to cover large pan upto a height of 1/2 inch
3 tbl Garlic & Ginger paste
1 tbl curry powder
1 tbl Turmeric
1 lvl tsp Chilli powder
10 tennis ball sized onions, chopped
2 celery stick chopped
1 green pepper chopped
2 large carrots chopped
1 tsp Salt
1.5 lvl tsp Garamasala
3 tbl pasatta
1/2 tbl tomato puree
handful of fresh coriander ripped or chopped
3 tbl Knorr 'Touch of Taste' liquid chicken stock concentrate.
boiling water

1) Heat oil until hot add the garlic and ginger and fry until light brown, keep stirring
2) Add curry powder, turmeric and chilli powder and stir fry. Add some cold water (few tablespoons) when it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan. This frees it up instantly
3) Add the onions, carrots, green peppers and celery and fresh coriander
4) add salt and garamasala and mix around
5) add tomatoes then add boiling water to cover the vegetables by an inch
6) once up to the boil, add liquid chicken stock and simmer on lowish flame for 1 hour
7) Liquidise - easiest way is to use a hand blender straight into the pot

Boil hard for 10 mins - the top of the sauce rolls just like the base you may have seen in BIRs
9) cook on low for another 5 mins, then leave overnight.

all measures are rounded spoons unless it says lvl
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Final Dish - Chicken Bhuna Madras

   Cook on full power
   2 tbl veg oil
   Add 2 tbl pre cooked onions and 1 tbl chopped fresh chillis
   Cook for 30 seconds
   Add 1 tbl kethup, cook for 30 seconds
   Add 1.5 TSP curry powder, 2 TSP chilli powder, 1 TSP fenugreek leaves, 1/4 TSP salt, Cook for 30 seconds
   Add 1/2 ladel base sauce & evaporate the sauce
   Add 1/2 ladel base sauce and cook for 30 seconds
   Add precooked chicken, 1 tbl lemon juice, 1/4 whole tomato
   Add 1 tbl chopped fresh coriander
   Add 2 ladels of base sauce and rapid boil until oil floats
   add pinch of Garamasala and rest for 5 mins, then serve
______________________
Precooked Onions -

1. Peel and halve four onions and cut into thin slices.
2. Heat a large pan over a high flame add 2 TBL veg oil.
3. Add the onions and 1 TSP salt.
4. Stir, coating the onions with the oil. Continue to saut? for about five minutes over the high heat.
5. Turn the flame down to medium-low, leaving the onions to saut? slowly. Stir them often, for about 20 more minutes, until they reach
a golden brown color.

You can freeze the precooked onions in ice cube trays.
________________________

I used the 'Curry House' method for pre-cooking the chicken. it turns out fantastic !!!

Lets Talk Curry / The secret of the Karachi curry

« on: May 28, 2005, 08:04 PM »

I stumbled on this while searching usenet..........

_______________________

I know the secret of the Karachi curry.

I've often wanted to share my secret with the group, even started
typing once or twice then changed my mind, I mean, the secret cost
me a lot of time and a lot of money, why should I pass it on for
free.

I'm feeling generous tonight, I'll tell you all the secret ingredient
and how I found it.

The secret is not realy an ingredient...it's the lighting.

I spent a long time experimenting, trying every combination of the
usual spices, then some not so usual spices, even some damned rare
spices, all to no avail, I ate curry every day for months but never
got it right. Then I slipped a waiter there 50 quid to get me the
recipe, I followed the instructions to the letter, it still wasn't
right.

Eventually I sat in the Karachi night after night watching every move
the cook made, memorising it, then I went out and bought pans and
utensils which exactly matched theirs, I set about making an exact
copy of a Karachi curry...it still wasn't the same...something was
missing.

I racked my brain, didn't sleep nights knowing I'd missed something,
racking my brain as to what it could be. Then in desperation I decided
to try the lighting, it was the only thing different, the Karachi has
a row of flourescent lights over the range, maybe the ultraviolet
light somehow affected the taste.

Next day I bought a florescent light and hung it over my cooker, that
night I made a batch of curry and left it simmering on a very low
light, next morning I got up and got a spoon...I'd done it...I'd made
a perfect Karachi curry...it was the greatest day of my life.

You see what happens is the moths hit the flourescent light and knock
themselves out.
_________________

Starters and Side Dishes Chat / Chicken Tikka

« on: April 14, 2005, 07:56 AM »

This is one thing I struggle to replicate at home. The Takaway Tikka is red with and doesn't have a coating of dried up thick marinade when cooked.

I've tried many of the yougart based marinades but I'm convinced the Takaway boys don't use this. Any ideas ?

Lets Talk Curry / Missing taste...........here goes

« on: April 12, 2005, 08:32 PM »

Like many of you, I've spent years trying loads of different base + final sauces but they were always a little lacking. Here's the secrets I think are key

For the base
1. Use a good, subtle base sauce - add 2 or 3 tbl liquid chicken stock in addition to the usual onion, garlic, ginger and tomato mix.
2. Keep spices to a minimal - tumeric, cumin, corriander, chille powder per the recipe.
3. Use a jar of Passata instead of tinned tomatoes - less bitter.

I prefer to fry the onions first, then add the water (keeps the smell down)

For the final curry
1. Add a few tbls base sauce to a few tbl oil
2. Add cooked (or raw) chiken - cook as required
3. Add 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp corriander, 1/2 tsp garamasala (methi optional) and fresh and/or powerded chilli
4. add 2tbl Tomato ketchup <----------- this makes a HUGE difference
5. add a couple of ladels of sauce
6. 1 tsp salt
7. add a few tbl fresh corriander

Use good quality spices - I love Gatco.

In summary, keep the spices subtle (use sparingly) and add Ketcup to the base just after the dry spices. Don't add dry spices after the ladels of base sauce - this ruins it.

Good luck.......

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