Topic: Curry Tester's Base Soup + Curry

[JerryM]

currytester,

hope you?re not a pompey fan.

on the summary of restaurants i'm right with u. disappointed that the no corkage is not really upto spec as i believe these are fantastic places for a get together.

i'll try the mushroom technique for english breakfast 1st - as a practise on my skills.

would appreciate your thoughts on what spice for a BIR base - even maybe your thoughts on the differences across the 3 categories of BIR.

[currytester]

JerryM

Rugby fanatic

The base spice mix I seem to prefer is equal quantities of ground coriander, ground cumin, good paprika, turmeric. I never add chili powder to the base as its easy to spice up the final dish to your desired heat.

I have three different chili powders now Rajah Extra Hot, Hot and Mild. Believe you me the Extra Hot is exactly what it says on the packet - I made a beef chili a couple of years ago and threw in a tablespoon - I was the only one able to eat it with watering eyes, runny nose and sweating like a pig. The morning after was also quite painful and brought tears to the eyes.

I would say that there are really only 2 categories of BIR, cheap ones and dear ones. The cheap ones generally have very similar menus to each other and vary a small amount in taste, sauce consistency and quality. The more expensive restaurants and here I mean meals starting at ?12.00 and over just for the main dish tend to do a lot less trade (throughput) but are generally booked solid. They have what I would describe as a different menu - they call it traditional. However the food is simply better cooked and with slightly different fresher fuller flavours.

This is where the use of ghee came from to replicate the slightly buttery flavour of these "better" restaurants.

By the way on the subject of "the taste" I am sure that this is the burnt oil in the cooking process caused by the flames regularly seen in BIR kitchens and the high heat of the burners.

Ghee has just about the highest smoke point of all oils I would check out the wiki on ghee as you may actually find its a healthier option than veg oil.

[joshallen2k]

Currytester, when you are suggesting that upmarket BIRs use ghee instead of veg oil, is it in the base or the curry, or both?

-- Josh

[JerryM]

Currytester,

very pleased on the rugby front which i know nothing of despite living at the centre of rugby league (or so they claim).

yep! i think i'm pretty much settling on the same base spice - i need to make one more base batch to confirm. agree on the chilli too but i have on my list to add the milder green chilli without seed (i know from mex chilli how u miss chilli a bit like garlic when it's not there). i now also think the type of chilli important (another post on cayenne pepper).

i would add a 3rd BIR (but being a bit flippant) - some have now gone the way of some general restaurants and started putting more emphasis on the decoration (and small portions) without thought that punters have to visit the chip shop on way home.

i aim to minimise cholesterol through sat fat. butter along with eggs and butter are whey off scale. i do struggle with the richness of the ghee in the base (down to individual taste buds). i could see a use at the final cooking stage.

i too am pretty sure now that the final missing part of the "taste" is down to the burners & flames (instantaneous heat hitting the ingredients). i am beginning to think also that overall it may not be that crucial.

best wishes.

[currytester]

Its definitely used in the final curry as I have seen them use it but whether they use it in all curries is a different matter. I havent been able to afford to go through the full menu. I have in the past had a good arrangement with 3 different curry houses and have been in the kitchens and watched the preparations - unfortunately these were only the lower end curry houses. One thing I would say is that they very rarely use large amounts of spice in their individual portions. In all three curry houses they have 6 or 7 containers alongside the range which they dip into when making the curry plus a large pot with the curry sauce. I havent seen a container containing dried methi leaves unless these have been ground down finer and I didnt recognise them.

However thinking about it they had a tub of sliced onions with green flecks in - I wonder if they pre-mix the onions with the methi and then add them into the curry in this way?

A thread discussing pro's and con's of veg oils versus ghee, etc here:
http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,2139.msg18068.html#msg18068
SnS

[Tamala]

In all three curry houses they have 6 or 7 containers alongside the range

Are these British or American restaurants CT?

[currytester]

Sorry about the delay in replying they are all uk based.

I have been into other kitchens notably in Gran Canaria - Puerto Rico but I wasnt able to learn anything because the curry was c**p.

Here is an interesting point though using the recipes off this site both chinese and Indian are generally better than the overseas (European) restaurant bought curries.