Topic: Curry pan sauce:

[JerryM]

this (for me anyhow) is all about spice, spice mix and how spices change to make each dish.

i'm currently solely on recipe refinement. when i watch the BIR chef in action he dips his spoon in quite a few tubs (too quick for the eye) - more than just a spice mix (and not salt or chilli which are obvious). link to the malik pic that was done some time ago (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3009.msg26649#msg26649).

my interest is in confirming:
1 Coconut powder             
2 Sugar                     
3 Ground corriander                         
4 Chilli powder             
5 Curry powder               
6 Cumin                     
7 Methi                         
8 Salt                       
9                           
10                   
11 Onions
12 Garlic
13 Ginger
14 looked like a Tub of Pataks Powder (turmeric?) - he used it to make the base
15
16
17
18 Watery Base ;-)
19 Whole Onions (tomorrow's base maybe)
20


i'm hoping it will allow me to experiment a bit - i guess it's just not for everyone.

for example which container is mix powder

[Cory Ander]

this (for me anyhow) is all about spice, spice mix and how spices change to make each dish.

Is this what you also see your thread to be about Mikka?

I'm not sure Mikka is relating it to tubs of spices and ingredients in a Malik restaurant video Jerry?  Or is he? 

[chriswg]

I 'think' what Mikka is trying to get at is that we shouldn't have one spice mix for all curries, rather the spice mix should be dynamic depending on the type of curry being produced. In his (poor) example he shows us a graph of the spices he believes should be in a Madras spice mix. Ideally () should be 0.25 tsp, ()()() 0.75 tsp, ()()()() 1 tsp and ()()()() ()()()() ()()()() 1 tbsp. I guess its a simple way for people (who don't understand basic fractions or measurements) to get the right quantities.

It is an interesting idea but won't lead us any closer to BIR utopia. In my experience the BIR chef will add varying proportions of turmeric, paprika, cumin, coriander and chilli powder depending on the curry being produced. For someone cooking a special curry at home it might be worth trying to work out the best balance of the 16 ingredients for an individual curry. I personally won't be investing any time in it.

who knows an indian who has a Daughter whose Dad runs a BIR

lol - so has this girl got 2 dads or is it the same bloke?

[Unclebuck]

Mikka, I don't think it's about BIR versus traditional Indian cooking, or a reluctance to listen to other views, I think it's more to do with simply understanding what is it you're trying to say (at least that's what it is in my case).

I've got a headache!  :-X

me too

[JerryM]

In my experience the BIR chef will add varying proportions of turmeric, paprika, cumin, coriander and chilli powder depending on the curry being produced.

this for me is something we (or certainly i) don't really understand enough.

i know my local TA use mix powder.

does anyone know if those listed by chriswg are the variables and are they variables when a mix powder is used.

i intend to use Mikka's spice list/proportions in a spreadsheet and play around with them using say 1 recipe as a control. i don't see it as a quick exercise.

in short what i'm getting at is how do BIR's change the taste of the various dishes given the non spice ingredients don't make the full difference.

this is what i thought Mikka was getting at.

[Mikka1]

Ok..........
I think apologies are needed as regards what I first posted. I did this just way too early and it was an attempt at making things clear as regards spice cooking times and quantities.

What I intend to do, (Which will take some time).
Is provide an index where folks can look visually at what they are adding and why?

Heat is one thing, variety of smells and tastes is a million miles from that. Let's also not forget that India is 4000 + years old and has traditions. THEY are the Spice masters, not England and the BIR.

Thanks Chriswg, for the reply.

I 'think' what Mikka is trying to get at is that we shouldn't have one spice mix for all curries, rather the spice mix should be dynamic depending on the type of curry being produced. In his (poor) example he shows us a graph of the spices he believes should be in a Madras spice mix. Ideally () should be 0.25 tsp, ()()() 0.75 tsp, ()()()() 1 tsp and ()()()() ()()()() ()()()() 1 tbsp. I guess its a simple way for people (who don't understand basic fractions or measurements) to get the right quantities.

It is an interesting idea but won't lead us any closer to BIR utopia. In my experience the BIR chef will add varying proportions of turmeric, paprika, cumin, coriander and chilli powder depending on the curry being produced. For someone cooking a special curry at home it might be worth trying to work out the best balance of the 16 ingredients for an individual curry. I personally won't be investing any time in it.

who knows an indian who has a Daughter whose Dad runs a BIR

lol - so has this girl got 2 dads or is it the same bloke?

[JerryM]

Mikka,

i've got your recipe in spreadsheet now. the spice is ~34ml and 750ml of base is used. ps i will make much smaller portion's to allow more dishes to be made. i just need to chart the spice journey - i'm hoping to keep the same pot of spice going throughout.

my only question is on the allspice. this i use but not in curry. i can see the amount is very small. it's quite a bitter taste (best i can do is nutmeg texture with a hint of cinnamon). what gave u the thought of including it.

[Mikka1]

I think you can safely swap it out Jerry although it does add something. It was that annoying smell I couldn't lay my hands on. I don't know whether this is it but its pretty darned close once made. The important thing is that everything must be ground really finely, even the fenugreek leaves. The resultant sauce is almost soup like and allows the green pepper a chance to work on the sauce.

The spice should marry quite nicely but I wouldn't leave it on the heat for longer than 30 + minutes. Cinnamon should be included, did I miss that? Nutmeg may work too?

Mikka,
I can see the amount is very small. it's quite a bitter taste (best i can do is nutmeg texture with a hint of cinnamon). what gave u the thought of including it.

[JerryM]

Mikka,

i'll keep it in (allspice). i won't use methi though as it does nothing for my taste buds. i did note the cinnamon. i will cook using my normal method which is done in 5 mins. this i need to do for side by side comparison.

i'll add thoughts on spice journey once i've had chance to think it through.