Topic: My Local Indian Curry Base

[Davy]

Oooh Errr! a lot of Chilli in that one Annam!!  Interesting point on the cooling to let the spices infuse. Nice post and looks the biz. I think i will ease off on the chilli as suggested lest there be a bout of Ghandi's revenge!! :

[ANNAM]

HI DAVY THE AMOUNT OF CHILLI DID NOT MAKE THIS ANY HOTTER THAN A MADRAS BUT I WOULD USE LESS IF YOU ARE NOT SURE I THINK YOU WILL LOVE THIS DISH  ALL THE BEST



            ANNAM

[mal0r]

Hi everybody, I'm a complete newbie here but needed to know how to make a base sauce for a curry.  I stumbled on this one and I'm in the first cooling down waiting period.

I couldn't get all of the ingredients, I didn't know what ASAFOETIDA was!

So, I've replaced it with garam masala.  I also wasn't sure if the stems Annam was talking about were the things that the small leaves are joined to, so I put the whole lot in.

So far, it is smelling just like one of my local Indian restaurants does every day when they are cooking long before opening time.  I can't wait to see how this turns out.

Many cheers.

[JerryM]

mal,

i've not tried this base so interested in how it turns out - annam's clearly very positive.

won't matter if u put the whole coriander in - i've done same before. must admit i'm now a bit more choosey - since i started using frozen coriander (there is a real good post on it). what i do now is i cut the bunch of coriander in half leaving the stems one side and the leaves the other. i put the stems in the base. i then chop the coriander leaves and put them straight into a container (that lives in the freezer). i then use the frozen coriander straight into the curry at frying stage. i'm sure it's not as good as having fresh all the time but i find the freezing a practical soln to having coriander on tap all the time.

the ASAFOETIDA is a real mystery to me - it rings no bells - i've even looked through all my spice and nothing their. i'm supposed to have used in CA's curry masala so i can only guess i've never been able to find it (i think i might have used fennel seeds as i have a big bag).

for future i would just leave it out and not replace with garam which is quite different. i'm sure as long as not too much garam is in then should be ok.

[Unclebuck]

the ASAFOETIDA is a real mystery to me - it rings no bells - i've even looked through all my spice and nothing their. i'm supposed to have used in CA's curry masala so i can only guess i've never been able to find it (i think i might have used fennel seeds as i have a big bag).

for future i would just leave it out and not replace with garam which is quite different. i'm sure as long as not too much garam is in then should be ok.

ASAFOETIDA is a plant ive never used or seen but apparently they call it the "stinking" plant!? it doesn't smell too good but when cooked is quite pleasant and said to taste like leeks.. i guess GM isn't a good substitute. UB

[joshallen2k]

I've used asafoetida a few times in some authentic indian dishes I've made. Also known as "Hing", the smell is really worse than anything I've ever smelled before. Disgusting.

It does disappear very quickly once it gets added to the dish while cooking. Most recipes call for a pinch, or 1/4 teaspoon max.

-- Josh

[mal0r]

Hello again, sorry it's been a while before I reported back, but here's an update:

I used Annam's original base sauce (the 8 onion one) and just made teh quantities smaller, but left most things the same except putting in the coriander leaves too.  This was a mistake.

Everything was going exactly as Annam had described, smelled perfect - but I over-coriander'd the whole thing.

I've since made two Bhunas with it, and it's pretty close, but too much coriander.  I also think I may have under spiced either the bhuna or the base sauce.

But, it smells fantastic and tastes pretty close, but it is missing a certain note that you get from a restaurant Bhuna or Jalfreizi and I'm looking to find what it is.

Good progress for me though.  Next batch will be using just the coriander stalks as prescribed by Annam and maybe a smidge more spice.  The key is the Methi/Fenugreek for the 'proper' smell.  But I need to find the illusive 'mid-to-top' note taste as I'm not sure if it's just more garlic ginger or a missing spice.

Cheers again for the starter recipe.

[JerryM]

mal,

the extra garlic in the base is worth a try - i love the stuff so i always put more in than the spec (usually 1 large bulb aiming for around 30 to 45gm per 3L base).

it's difficult to know what the "mid to top" taste could be in reality though - it could be a squeeze of lemon or lime at cooking stage for example.