Topic: Curry Gravy from CurryQueen

[Cory Ander]

in the takeaway i go to. he uses his base straight away after blending.

But he can hardly use all 36 litres of it straight away can he Ronnoc!  ;D

Or do they keep in simmering (heated) all night?  That's what I believe they do...whereupon the oil WILL separate and it WILL darken. 

Haldi, can you please clarify what you're saying?  Thanks mate 

[ronnoc]

no cory i am sure they don't. i know he uses whats left the following day. but he has two different sized pots. they know roughly how much need to make according to how busy they are. they will only make up as much as needed and can easily see if they are getting low to make up another batch. when i make mine it is still warm the following day and i believe you must allow to fully cool before freezing.
ronnoc

[Cory Ander]

Sorry Ronnoc/Haldi,

I'm probably not explaining myself very well. 

What I'm trying to deduce is.....

...do BIRs keep their curry bases heated after they have blended them?  Or do they let them cool down? 

My understanding is that it is the former?  Please correct me if I'm wrong Haldi?

Oh Curryqueen, I bet you wish you hadn't started this thread now! 

[Yousef]

This looks like a great Curry Sauce and its on my list.
I dont get too concerned anymore about the base not being dark enough as this can be altered during the curry cooking phase.

If you want your base darker to start with, just cook the onions/Veg down for longer.
When i made the Saffron base I left it on simmer way too long and almost burnt the veg at the bottom of the stock pot, it basically caramalised them, this added a new dimension, maybe thats why my Saffron base turned out first class....have i discovered something???

Stew

[haldi]

[quote author=Cory Ander link=topic=2358.msg20598#msg20598 date=1202382139
Sorry Haldi, I'm a little bit confused (what's new!  )
Are you saying that (unless they add it straight after blending, in which case it may still be warm) they add cold curry base to their curries?
[/quote]
At this particular place they make up a base with about twenty onions plus all the other ingredients (pepper,tomatoes etc)
When it's cooked they puree it straight away and it sits on the stove unheated
They take the gravy as and when required
They don't reboil after pureeing to get the oil
They use oil from the deep pan fryer

[Cory Ander]

Stew, Haldi, Ronnoc, etc, etc, etc,

Sorry guys, I must be speaking a foreign language or something? 

I was not really concerned about it Stew, but I'm becoming so.  I was really commenting on Haldi's observation that this base was a "creamy colour" after blending.  I was simply stating that they are always paler after blending (bubbles, emulsifying, etc)!

I then surmised that it will get darker, and the oil will separate, if it's reheated for some time.  It is my understanding that this is what most BIRs do, not least of all because it is my understanding that they add hot curry base to the curries.  But Haldi seems to be saying that this is not the case?  So now I'm concerned!

He said:

In all the times I have been in takeaways, I have never seen the curry gravy on a simmer after it's been cooked

What I'd like to know (because I feel it's important to BIR curry cooking), from Haldi please, is the following:

"are you saying Haldi, that, in all the BIR kitchens you've been in, that you have never seen curry bases being heated (after blending) prior to them being used to make a curry"?

If so, surely the inference is that they are added at any temperature, from about 80C to about room temperature and anywhere in between?

The significance is that, if this is true, then why do many people (me included) prescribe:

• simmering the base, after blending, to separate the oil?
• warming the base prior to adding it to a curry?

This advice would seem to be unfounded, in which case?

[Yousef]

In my opinion a curry house would keep the base warm as this would speed up the cooking process, I would imagine they can get very busy on a saturday night.

But im not an expert, just seems like sense to me rather than for the function of adding flavour/depth/colour to the base.

Stew

[Cory Ander]

Yes Stew, the darkening and the oil separation is a consequence of them keeping it warm.....

...but do they keep it warm haldi!    :

[Curry King]

I have been told by a chef that it must be warm, of course that doesn't mean they all do that 

[Bobby Bhuna]

Surely! I would have thought using cold base on a the hot pan would just take all the heat out of the pan during the final curry stage. This would waste time and effect the taste.