Topic: BRITISH-IAN FOOD IN THE MAKING

[BRITISH-IAN FOOD]

Hello Syed
I watched your vindaloo video on your YouTube channel. Subscribed.
Very interesting, different approach to what I’ve seen before but absolutely going to give it a try.
I have an open mind when it comes to cooking and if it gets me closer to the BIR I remember from back home, I’m all in.

Cheers
Robbo

thank you so much robbo, i am really happy that you liked my vindaloo recipe. 

keep in touch, there is more coming 

[romain]

Hi Syed,

Welcome to the forum!  It’s great you’re sharing your knowledge in the videos you put out on YouTube and I hope you continue doing them and also post here.  I already saw you in one of the Facebook groups, so I know you have other choices on where to share your knowledge, so I do hope you stay around here.

One word of warning - here on this forum there are people who’ve been posting about Indian restaurant food for fifteen years or so who have convinced themselves they know everything, and who will dismiss anything new which either doesn’t fit their expectations as “wrong”, or if they wish to make themselves appear clever their criticism will be “this is nothing new”.  Please DO NOT get discouraged when you read rude comments like this, and remember most people will welcome your input.

Time after time I’ve seen new contributors show up on this forum and get driven away by the same old “experts” who will criticise everything.

So I’m looking forward to seeing you stick around here and remember the phrase “water off a ducks back” when your read someone criticising your videos, because sadly it’s bound to happen!

Where was this when I joined???

Actually to be fair, I did get my fair share of PM about the "expert".

Welcome Syed, I am amazed at your dedication in cranking out videos at the rate you are producing them.

[Secret Santa]

“water off a ducks back”

Who is this "water off a duck" ... and where had he been?

[BRITISH-IAN FOOD]

Welcome, Syed — good to have you on board.  Noble Ox has reported very positively on your work, especially your vindaloo, and I wondered if you would like to tell us something about yourself, and how your interest in "British-ian" food came about.

** Phil.

P.S. Just realised that I recognise the little tub in the centre of the right-hand dish in the last frame :  "Preema red food colour", unless I am very much mistaken !
P.P.S. Tried to find your channel on Youtube, and it appears to be called "Britishian Food" (i.e., without the hyphen)

sorry, Phil i missed your point on finding my channel. yes, you have to type british-ian food to find my channel.
and yes it is a preema red food color. I always say on my recipe video that try to ignore the food color. it's totally optional. the food color have no flavor or anything, its just for look nice. that's all.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I would like to congratulate Syed on the videos he is turning out for his Youtube channel (at quite a phenomenal rate, I might add).  Yesterday I watched his BIR STYLE SHISH KEBAB RECIPE and learned a great deal.  His approach is quite unlike that which I have adopted until now —the mince does not need to be turned into a purée, for example, the skewer is removed before cooking, and only individual spices are used, no pastes.  Oh, and also no onion.  Today I plan to watch BIR STYLE SPECIAL CHICKEN TIKKA.  I also dipped (briefly) into his BIR STYLE NARGIS KEBAB and was staggered to discover that I had forgotten what they are — the sub-continental equivalent of Scotch eggs (Indian Eggs ?!).  An excellent and informative channel, Syed — well done !

** Phil.

[Secret Santa]

I'd just like to congratulate Syed on the videos he is turning out ... at quite a phenomenal rate ...

He really is knocking them out at a rapid rate isn't he. And they're very informative. I hope he continues.

Also his mix powder is unusual in that it is so basic. Probably the only one I've ever seen that doesn't include curry powder. I'm eager to do the whole process and try out the madras which is my go-to test curry.

Thanks for sharing Syed!

[Peripatetic Phil]

Planning to make his vindaloo (with dry-roasted ground spices) this evening, insha'Allah.
** Phil.

[Stephen Lindsay]

Planning to make his vindaloo (with dry-roasted ground spices) this evening, insha'Allah.
** Phil.

I look forward to your feedback Phil.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I am afraid that the results were seriously underwhelming.  I watched the video just before starting cooking, transcribed it including time stamps (see below), then did my d@mndest to follow it to the letter.  But ...

I failed to appreciate that Syed's tomato purée was pre-diluted
I realised with the benefit of hindsight that he did not give any volume for the chilli paste.

As a result, my curry was far too thick, and singularly lacking in flavour as well as lacking in heat (I added a desertspoonful  of mixed pickle to compensate for the latter two).

The one thing that did go to plan was the dry-roasting of the powdered spices.  I use his measures (unscaled) but used chef's spoons as the metric rather than tablespoons, and found that in practice two of my chef's spoonsful  were equal to six dessertspoonsful, not 12 tablespoonsful — this is a very significant difference !  Two of my chef's spoonsful of turmeric weigh just over 60gm.  I used a brand-new Ernesto ILAG-coated 28cm pan, which of course didn't even need washing after use, just a quick wipe with kitchen paper.

Two other deviations that may have contributed to my lack of success.  One, I used my own base, since I already had plenty and did not want to make more.  Two, I used fresh chicken rather than chicken tikka (and therefore added it before the potatoes, to give it time to cook).

I hope I have more success with Syed's seekh/shish kebabs ...

** Phil.
--------
Transcript :

Curry powder —

• 2 heaped curry spoons / 12 tablespoons turmeric
• 1 curry spoon / 6 tablespoons coriander
• 1 curry spoon / 6 tablespoons cumin
• teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon chilli or paprika

Low flame, cook turmeric for a minute or so, stirring almost continually
Add coriander, maybe the same
Then cumin, less time
Garam masala, same less time
Finally chilli, continue cooking until done.

Chilli paste —
•   2 teaspoons paprika
•   1 teaspoon ground chillies (Degghi mirch)

Vindaloo —
•   < 1 chef’s spoon butter ghee
•   1/3 chef’s spoon oil
•   Medium heat
•   1 teaspoon  chopped garlic at 3:08
•   ½ chef’s spoon finely chopped onions at 3:22
•   Garlic visibly browning
•   ½ chef’s spoon  tomato purée at 3:55 (first error)
•   ½ teaspoon mixed curry powder masala at 4:40
•   ½ teaspoon kasoori methi at 5:05
•   Potato at 5:20
•   Chicken at 5:30
•   ¼ teaspoon  salt at 5:50
•   Cook for half a minute
•   2 green chillies at 7:00
•   Chilli paste, all in at 7:30
•   3/4 ladle gravy at 8:50
(video edited, no point in recording further times)
•   Coriander as the oil starts to come out

** Phil.

[ELW]

Hello Phil I am very honored to be apart of this blog. I am overjoyed that you admired my Vindaloo.

My name is Syed and I worked in a  Restaurant as a head chef for a while during that time I developed my passion on creating flavoursome food. The name British-ian food came about when I was discussing to my wife about creating a YouTube channel with a unique name therefore she came up with this.

Welcome to the forum Syed. I watched your Desi style Karahi/Bhuna video last night. That’s how my local restaurant made theirs. Used to have to wait 45 mins for it , so went back to the bir version. Great video & looking forward to your restaurant version amongst others.
I’ve noticed the amount of base gravy you use varies per dish. Im looking forward to seeing how to get the balance of gravy with the cooking liquor, chilli sauce etc

Regards
ELW