Topic: Undercover Curry - Anyone heard of it?

[Ramirez]

Thanks.

I'm about to embark on all this (bhajis, base, tomato paste, tandoori marinade, etc.). It is certainly a lot of work and a level above what I am currently doing at the moment. Hopefully, it will be worth it.

[TyeNoodle]

I'm the same mate, was a bit daunting at first and took a couple of days of evenings getting everything ready but its all only a defrost away now  ;D

[George]

Dipping Dipping Dipping  :
There is a guide on how to do it accurately in the book, which you should buy I think if you haven't already.

There was no need for a guide at all. All the author needed to do was take a few minutes to work out the quantities in generally accepted measures like teaspoons. It was his clever idea to try and make the book 'distinctive' when it's actually very inconvenient. Then there's the arrogance of the comments about CTM and pages and pages of padding, duplication and blank pages for 'our notes'. I think it's about 150 pages when it could have been kept to a 75 page 'pamphlet'.

[Ramirez]

There was no need for a guide at all. All the author needed to do was take a few minutes to work out the quantities in generally accepted measures like teaspoons. It was his clever idea to try and make the book 'distinctive' when it's actually very inconvenient. Then there's the arrogance of the comments about CTM and pages and pages of padding, duplication and blank pages for 'our notes'. I think it's about 150 pages when it could have been kept to a 75 page 'pamphlet'.

He does give conversions though, if I remember correctly. Is he not trying to impress on the reader a certain style, instead of exact amounts of this, exact amounts of that? I'm not defending him here, as I find it annoying also (and quite inconvenient), but I am trying to look at it from the authors point of view.

You're right though, the book does feel very 'padded out'.

[PaulP]

In the book he gives 2 different base recipes for a full batch and a small batch but by my reckoning they don't scale properly.

If you don't have the book and are considering buying it some of the differences I've noted from the recipes I normally use are as follows:

Use of onion bhaji oil in the base is a must have for the BIR flavour.
Use of cabbage in the base.
Use of a very large amount of asafoetida (hing) in the base.
No dried methi specified in any dish except the vegetable curry.
Use of tandoori masalla in many dishes as a main spice ingredient.
Use of tandoori marinade directly in some dishes.
No mix powder specified - just curry powder used.

The reference to "dipping" without giving more meaningful measurements is pretty frustrating for me.

I think I'll have to bite the bullet and buy a deep fat frier and learn how to make onion bhajis before I give this a proper go.

Paul.

[gazman1976]

@ paul p , get a cheap fat fryer from asda for ?10 - and i would use the below recipe for the bhaji's as they are spot on and very easy to make

IG Onion Bhaji (Broken down from Kitchen Demo)

Ingredients

4 Onions (size about 5cm diameter)
1 - 2 Cups Gram Flour
1 tbl Corriander Leaf
1/2 Sml Potato
1 Egg Beaten
1/2 tsp Aniseed
1/2 tsp Hot Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp IG Spice Mix (here: http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4442.0)
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Drop Yellow Food Colouring (Optional)

Method

Half and slice the onions, cut the potato into match sticks add the Fennel and Corriander and mix. Add the Chilli and Spice Mix and mix. Add the colouring if using and the egg and salt and mix. Add the

[solarsplace]

snip...

The reference to "dipping" without giving more meaningful measurements is pretty frustrating for me.

...snip

Hi

In case this is of help for you, the conversions are on page 61.

1 curry spoon standard dip = three quarters of a teaspoon
1 level curry spoon (just scraped level, not tamped) = 4 teaspoons
1 curry spoon scoop = 10 teaspoons

Yes, you are also correct in that many of the big / small examples do not appear to scale properly - http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=4776.msg45425#msg45425

Cheers

[George]

You're right though, the book does feel very 'padded out'.

As most people must have noticed, it's largely because he gives numerous recipes for chicken, like Chicken Madras and Chicken Vindaloo, and then reprints them in their entirety as Lamb Madras, Lamb Vindaloo. etc. The only difference is the replacement of the word 'chicken' with the word 'lamb'. At least that Dip fellow on youtube  said to simply use chicken, prawns, lamb or whetever you like - the rest of each recipe is the same. It's blatant padding in the Undercover book, together with pages on the medicinal (quack) uses of herbs. Who needs that?

[gazman1976]

ive had a quick read of the book, i can see why he expanded on it as it could have easily have been shortened , it was only ?8 quid and i found the read at the start of it quite amusing

[emin-j]

Dipping Dipping Dipping  :
There is a guide on how to do it accurately in the book, which you should buy I think if you haven't already.

There was no need for a guide at all. All the author needed to do was take a few minutes to work out the quantities in generally accepted measures like teaspoons. It was his clever idea to try and make the book 'distinctive' when it's actually very inconvenient. Then there's the arrogance of the comments about CTM and pages and pages of padding, duplication and blank pages for 'our notes'. I think it's about 150 pages when it could have been kept to a 75 page 'pamphlet'.

George , The book is not intended to be a ' Curry Cookery Book ' as the author says , it is his experience of working in a BIR kitchen and a teaspoon doesn't come into it - I have spent a few hours in T/A and Indian Restaurant kitchens and the way he describes the cooking  methods are bang on and for ?8 if the Base Sauce turns out to cook as good as it smells it is for me  worth the money just for that  :