Does a spice mix containing more than the basic spices give more or less of a BIR flavour?

Hi Bobby,

Remember that most of the spice mixes here that I've seen (except for the cr0 masala and the various GM recipes) - I currently have identified 6 to try - include some form of commercial curry powder in them.  That means that they've automatically got more than just the "big 4" spices in them.  Different curry powders would likely also give different tastes, but I would imagine the variance would be less due to the proportions involved.

I still haven't managed to mix up any of the other 5 to try, so I can't really comment on which one's the best as yet.  I wonder how many people have done side-by-side comparisons?  Anyone?

Cheers,

ast

I'll be interested to hear of your results AST....I'd still be interested in understanding the perceived advantage though! 

Laziness, CA!  Laziness. ;D

Seriously, the main reason I'm thinking about this is entertaining.  I normally have a hard enough time getting all of the other things ready without spending all day in the kitchen to have people over for curry (we always seem to be in the middle of some major household project that requires dealing with prior to guests arriving).  My thinking is that having a "bread making day" and a "curry base/pre-cooked meat making day" so that I always have sufficient stock to have 2-4 people over on short notice would be a much better approach.

As for microwaving naan, I've done it, and I'd do it for just us, but I wouldn't do it for guests.  I've never been able to heat bread of any kind in the microwave without it not being the same as being fresh.  Heating in the oven might do the trick, as we've done this with reasonable results from takeaway naan before.

So, yeah, for 1 or 2 naan, I agree:  it doesn't make any sense, but when you're talking about a whole batch and don't want to add the time of making them on top of everything else you need to fit into a given time period, this seems like the best compromise I can see.  As we all know, cooking them doesn't take much time if you've hot enough equipment, so that isn't the main proportion of time spent during the process.

Cheers,

ast

You guys are making me homesick for Kansas City with all this talk about smokers!  I used to have a bunch of friends there who participated in a number of the local BBQ competitions (2-day events).  I remember visiting them during other parts of the year for the "practice" sessions in the back yard.  Nothing like perfectly smoked beef brisket!

Of course, for these guys, if you hadn't built your own smoker, you were an amateur!  I never got into it that much except as a spectator, however, since being here and not being able to get decent BBQ or cajun food, building one has crossed my mind.  I know you can, to some extent, fake it with a gas grill if you set it up right (I have a pretty good one), but as SnS points out, it isn't really the same.

At the very least, unless you've got a covered grill, you lose a lot of the benefits of grilling in the first place.  We use ours at least twice a week for regular meals year around (rain, sleet, snow, whatever...), but I lost the battle to convince my father-in-law to get one with a cover.  I have tried to use it several times with some beautiful pieces of meat, but I can't stand it!

For the way I grill (and the things I cook), I can't see how having one of the countertop models would work for me.  It looks like a nice idea, but how does it really work in practice?  Doesn't it smoke up the whole house?  Again, because it doesn't have a cover, I can't see how it would work quite as well in maintaining a radiant heat all around.

I guess I should also say that I use propane with my gas grill, so it's a bit hotter than the normal bottles of butane they sell here for grills.  It's rated for it, so I just made a new hose with a regulator that fits the patio gas bottles of propane.  They make propane for the "standard" one, but it's hard to find.  You certainly can't cook year-round on butane either!

Interesting stuff.

SnS, do you use your smoker very much?

No AST, it's distinctly a dish served WITHOUT rice (usually served only with naans): http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,1764.0.html

Maybe you're confusing Balti with Biriani?

Interesting.  Maybe I was.  I have had a Biriani on a few occasions, but not for a while.

Ok, well.  Thanks for the clarifications everyone.  So much for that theory! ;D

Still, after all this, I'd like to try it.  Who knows, I might even *like* it.

Cheers,

ast

Hi Domi,

I've never seen any kind of BIR curry listed with egg in it.  That sounds very interesting.  I have to say, though, if I got one in my Jalfrezi, I'd be a little disappointed.  Still, it wouldn't surprise me about regional differences.  I would've thought they'd be less likely in the UK, but certainly in the US, you get all kinds of stuff like that.

I've never seen eggs in curry here in Ireland either.

Very interesting indeed.... 

Cheers,

ast