Topic: How Close Is Your Curry Sauce Now!

[Mark J]

My feeling on this whole subject is that we have all of the ingredients required and all that is needed is technique and to introduce other aspects of the BIR cooking process.

I believe as Pete does the base is very important, I have observed a few meals being cooked in BIR kitchens and the ingredients, bar the base, are no suprise. They all use a special spice mixture that they claim is secret and handed down in the family for generations etc, this is rubbish, it is just different variantions of curry powder that they have made up.

To my mind the secret is a combination of the recipes we already have plus the unique way a BIR cooks the meals, they have a huge pot of base sauce that is usually on the go for a few days. Also when you go to a BIR you are not exposed massively to the cooking process as you are when you cook it yourself, i.e. your smell and taste aren't numbed.

I will try this weekend to get my wife to cook one of my dishes and see if that makes any difference, I suspect it will

regards

Mark

[pete]

I spoke to a chef and he actually wrote down the recipe.
He is a really nice man and I am sure that what he gave me is accurate.
There is no deception.
My only misgiving is that it seems very familiar.
I believe him, when he says, there are no other ingredients in the restaurant gravy pot.
I don't think there is a conspiracy to hide anything.
So, here it is:-

Stage 1:-

1 lb onion
1 tablespoon garlic/ginger puree
5% tomato puree (I assume he meant that as a percentage of the? overall amount)
He said use pureed tinned tomatoes or paste.
Both were ok.
1 small green pepper
2 teaspoon salt
Water (you'll have to guess the amount)

Boil the above for at least an hour and then puree

Stage 2:-

Spices? 2 teaspoon mix spice
This is Curry powder,Paprika,Turmeric,Cummin,Coriander in equal proportions
Salt as required
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek
1 teaspoon balti paste

Also:-
1 tablespoon garlic/ginger puree
3 teaspoon oil

Add the spices to the pureed onion mix
Heat the oil and fry the garlic ginger until brown
Then pour in the onion mix (watch out for spluttering)
Cook for at least ten minutes and it?s ready

I think it might be an idea to use vegetable ghee instead of oil
(ghee from an asian shop)

He also said that his vegetables are boiled in simply water.
No spices.
I would also add that his curries are some of the best, I have ever tasted
If the gravy doesn't work, then it MUST be down to scale.
Try it again with ten times the ingredients!
Right then....someone else get a recipe to compare.
I bet it will be just like this, or like the thin yellow gravy from Bengali Cuisine

[Yousef]

Pete,

As always you are the master.
I shall be trying this at the weekend.
Again no suprise at all on this recipe, very similar to the one i cooked the other day.

Ill give my feedback later.
Its so frustrating that the curry house can bang out a wicked madras curry for ?4.00 yet i can not re-create one at home at all thats on the same level.

right i am off to kidnapp a chef...ho ho
Stew

[Curry King]

Im very happy with my base sauce, a variation of petes. 

I now don't freeze it and just leave it in the fridge, I have found the taste improves after a couple of days.

[grimmo]

that interesting  - it has a relatively low oil content. I hope this recipe proves the one, as I'm finding that increasing amounts of oil and ghee having been going into mine each time and all that sat fat can't be good for the insides! (100 odd calories per TBSP of veg oil?!)

Going on past attempts - especially Kris Dillons - I would expect this recipe to perhaps have an onion-y end result (aftertaste). Does anyone else every find that sometimes? It usually repeats big time if it does.

This sounds like a good one to try though - nice one Pete!

[Curry King]

Ive found that you can add as little or as much oil as you like.  I used to put in a lot of oil in order to produce enough that I can scrape it of the top but I don't bother now.  I put in approx 500ml probably less and leave it in the gravy.

[curryqueen]

Hi Grimmo,

I am anxiously awaiting for the recipes from the Brick Lane restaurant.  How did you find the whole cooking experience?  Did you find it an exhilerating experience never to be forgotton, or, did you not think it was worth the drag there?  Recipes please, can't wait which I am sure most others can't either.