Topic: Garlic Powder

[alarmist10]

Here's a question I hope other members can help me with.......do BIRs use garlic powder in their recipes and is it an essential in creating 'the taste' we're all looking for??

I ask for a number of reasons:
1.  Many years ago, my favourite take away just outside Wolverhampton (Bangladeshi, if I remember rightly)produced curries with a truly remarkable taste.  I asked the owner about what gave them such a flavour and he pointed to the use of garlic powder.....and when I added it to my own humble attempts there was a definite improvement in flavour.
2.  Looking through several recipes on this site for both curry base and main meals, few of them seem to use garlic powder as an ingredient.  This set me wondering.  Given that the BIRs work to cheap(ish) ingredients and are always looking to save preparation time, wouldn't it make sense if they used powder instead of fresh garlic?  I'm all for using fresh ingredients in cooking.  And here in the Philippines we still have thriving daily meat, fruit and veg markets - the sort that died out in the UK when the big supermarkets took over!  But would the BIRs take the time to peel literally hundreds of garlic cloves per day, day after day??
3.  As a relatively new member to the site I've been reviewing a lot that's written here and working up to to trying some of Cory Ander's recipes - I notice that garlic powder is one ingredient in his spices mix! - but I thought I'd try to get people's reactions on the garlic powder question before I began.

It may well be that this is a thread that has been explored before.  If so, does anyone know of a link that will avoid wasting other people's time??!!

[Peripatetic Phil]

Here's a question I hope other members can help me with.......do BIRs use garlic powder in their recipes and is it an essential in creating 'the taste' we're all looking for??[long snip]It may well be that this is a thread that has been explored before.  If so, does anyone know of a link that will avoid wasting other people's time??!!

Two thoughts : (1) I know that in one of the recipes I use on a regular basis, it reads in part "Garlic powder (not salt !)", so there is at least one recipe on CR0 that calls for it; and (2), in terms of the time needed to peel "several hundred cloves of garlic per day", recent threads have pointed to the availability of frozen garlic and to the quick-peel method that can peel a whole head of garlic in 20 seconds.

** Phil.

[Razor]

Hi Alarmist10,

Just the fact that the chef shown you garlic powder would suggest that it is used in the BIR, however, to what degree is the real question I guess?

Like Cory Ander, I also use garlic and ginger powder in my own spice masala, and I can really tell the difference if it isn't there.

I guess the answer is, some BIR's do and some don't. 

I have started reducing the levels of garlic in my curries of late and I think it has improved them.  I use a lot of garlic in my base sauce and garlic powder in my spice mix, so I have cut back to about 0.5tsp or less of garlic paste when starting off my curry and it really has improved them.

Yeah I think it plays it's part but I would only imagine it to be used in a spice mix, unless anyone knows more?

Ray

[haldi]

I regulary go in takeaway kitchens and none use garlic powder
Fresh garlic is used for purees and yes, it's peeled by hand
You can get surprisingly quick at it, and you don't really need that much
I peeled ten bulbs and was told that was a weeks worth
That was for the chopped garlic
It was chopped in food processor
My hands smelt of garlic for days
You crush the bulbs first under a chopping board, then the skins come off easily
I came across one chef who used dried garlic flakes for the garlic ginger puree
I've tried that
It's ok, but not as good as fresh

All the big Asian supermarkets have garlic powder for sale, so someone uses it
I really don't know who

If you look at your curry powders, tandoori masala mix etc
In fact nearly all the blended spices
You will see they have garlic powder in
So it is used in Indian takeaway cooking, but not as an individual ingredient
Perhaps it's used in other areas of the uk

[JerryM]

alarmist10,

best wishes to you hoping you're not a wolves fan. only joking. used to live in the midlands and love the curries there.

i don't use garlic powder in mix powder but have tried it in the past (i've settled on parker21's mouchak). garlic is crucial though as you've pointed out. how it gets into the curry i don't feel matters as long as it's there in a decent amount.

i've recently switched to using bottled garlic in place of g/g paste and feel i'm sticking with it for a while.

the other thing is that i always felt i had a taste missing c/w BIR some hours after a curry.  i thought for long time it was garlic which it wasn't - salt surprisingly was it (i now put 0.5 tsp per portion in the base and a further 0.25 tsp at dish frying if i want full taste).

all the best.

[Unclefrank]

Haldi said about smelly fingers (from peeling garlic ;D)
i use this http://www.silit.com/kitchen-utensils--all-products_1008/anti-odor-stainless-steel-soap_3934.html
And it really does work.
Not far from Wolvo' myself about 6 mile away.

[alarmist10]

Many thanks for all your helpful comments!
PHIL - enjoyed the really useful links, especially the quick peel method that I've never seen before!
RAZOR - yes, there was a very strong smell and taste from the garlic.  Like you, my suspicion was that it was in the spice mix.......but it was one of the 'closed door' takeaway places so I couldn't see into the kitchen!  But then
HALDI's observation on the lack of garlic powder in restaurant kitchens seems to knock that idea sideways.
JERRYM - I used to watch the Wolves(the Dougan/Richards era), but am a Newcastle man from birth! 
UNCLEFRANK - another excellent tip!
Overall, I go with JERRYM's comment on this - getting the garlic in there is what counts.  Maybe HALDI's right and it is largely used in Takeaway cooking.  I have it in my spice masala as Razor suggests - I'm using Cory Ander's version - rather than the base mix.
That taste still haunts me, and I'll keep trying.  Thanks again for the ideas!

[emin-j]

I believe it's Garlic that gives that Savoury flavour in a Curry I recently cut down on the amount of Garlic in my Curry's and it was noticeable that lipsmacking flavour just wasn't there 
My favourite T/A use the usuall Garlic/Ginger Puree and a fair bit (2heaped teaspoons at least) goes into my Madras.

[alarmist10]

Thanks emin-j.  This is another confirmation that backs up the idea of different restaurants & T/As using different methods as CA has mentioned on another thread!!

I'm going to experiment with Abdulmohed's '8 Spice Mix'.........the original 8 versus the 8 plus Garlic Powder.  If the 'One over the eight' turns out to be significantly different, I'll come back to the thread again.

[martinvic]

Some interesting views on the amount of garlic used when making a curry.

I use quite a lot of it, in the base and when adding the GG paste to start a curry.

I may be wrong, or not quite remembering correctly, but in my heyday of curry eating (late 70's early 80's) I am sure the curries had loads more garlic.
I remember you would smell of it for a day or two after, sweating garlic was term we used then, so people would often ask on a Monday, at work, if you'd had a curry the weekend.

Oh and yes I did wash/bath.

Don't particularly notice that, these days after a BIR curry.

Martin