Topic: base from BIR

[fishy]

Hi all, well my favourite restaurant kindly sold me a tub of there base gravy it is so good and fair bit better than i produce and ive tried several recipes, it had that special taste and smell were after, i can never put my finger on that smell and taste, it was quite thick and yellow, found a couple of red strands which i assume is saffron, plenty of garlic, he wouldnt give us the recipe of coarse but said that this is the only base they use , he told me they water it down to use in dishes other than jalfrezie.

Made a jalfrezie with it tonight it was bloody lovely (better than mine)but still not nearly as good as the chef, they did tell me the secret is lots of practice and they are considering giving us lessons (fingers crossed).

I gotta say that this restaurant produce the tastiest curry ive ever experienced.

I'll keep you posted regarding lessons.
Atb

Fishy

[Malc.]

Nice one Fishy, i'll look forward to your reports.

[haldi]

Hi Fishy
I would love to know how they make their base
Maybe, you'll find out..................hope so
I've spent quite a bit of time recently at two takeaways
At both places I recently tasted the base on it's own
I was really surprised that both were very average
Nothing special about them at all
But both of these places, produce very good curries
They have different cooking methods and completely different flavours

I know what you mean about that "special taste and smell"
I seriously underestimated the cooking skills of these chefs
That is where, I believe,  the missing elements lie
Given the same ingredients a really good chef, would produce different results to me
This delicate flavour is very easy to lose
I hope you get some more info

[976bar]

I've found over the years that the blander the base, the better the final dish. I've made several from here, using all sorts of spice mix and tomato paste and even bunjara, but I think we have to remember it IS A BASE for which to build a curry. The final dish with all of it's fresh ingredients, spices and herbs create that final taste.

[haldi]

The final dish with all of it's fresh ingredients, spices and herbs create that final taste.

That can be true, depending on what the chef does with the curry base
I came across one kitchen that only adds main ingredient, tomato puree, chilli and oil to make the curries
Mind you, the oil they use is amazing stuff
It's really thick and dark, with an almost burnt flavour You couldn't eat it, on it's own
I reckon fresh coriander is the key for that "special" aroma/taste
I was frying onion, pepper, fresh tomato and garlic ginger (as per recent demo)
I'd accidentally got a little coriander mixed in with the onion
The aroma was amazing

[976bar]

The final dish with all of it's fresh ingredients, spices and herbs create that final taste.

I reckon fresh coriander is the key for that "special" aroma/taste
I was frying onion, pepper, fresh tomato and garlic ginger (as per recent demo)
I'd accidentally got a little coriander mixed in with the onion
The aroma was amazing

I think you are right. It doesn't really matter what type of cuisine you are cooking, be it French, Italian, Spanish, Greek.... whatever, it's all about knowing which ingredients blend well with others.

There are 2 ways of achieving this. Either go to a "catering college" and attain the necessary qualifications which then gives you a "Chef's status" and then furthering your knowledge from there in various restaurants, (the preffered method), or extensive years of research and cooking your heart out until you find that blend yourself

[chriswg]

I've come to the realization that the base has little bearing on the final dish. It is mainly there to add bulk to the final dish rather than taste. Apparently adding potato to the base is a good idea as it is an excellent thickening ingredient. As long as you have lots of onions with some carrot, green pepper, potato and spices then you have a blank canvas with which to create your masterpieces with.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I've come to the realization that the base has little bearing on the final dish. It is mainly there to add bulk to the final dish rather than taste.

Yes and no : a bland base will accomplish just that, which is why I prefer bland bases, but a heavily spiced base must have some significant effect on the overall flavour of the final dish (IMHO, as always).

Apparently adding potato to the base is a good idea as it is an excellent thickening ingredient.

But do you want that additional thickness ?  For me, the optimal thickness comes from just onion, ginger and garlic; any extra thickness will place constraints on the time for which I can cook the final curry (the longer I cook, the thicker it will become).

As long as you have lots of onions with some carrot, green pepper, potato and spices then you have a blank canvas with which to create your masterpieces with.

An alternative perspective : "As long as you have lots of onions with some ginger and garlic, then you have a blank canvas with which to create your masterpieces."

** Phil.

[Malc.]

I'll have to check my notes, but I am fairly sure that the IG add potato to their base. I mention this only as the chef pointed out especially, how thin his base was.

If the base recipe has a good balance of flavour then it should produce an equally good curry. But I would have disagree with the base having little bearing on the final dish. I know from my recent efforts with the Taz and the Kushi base, that they produce different final dishes.