First topic message reminder :

Hiya Guy's and Gal's just thought I would post up a simple Indian Restaurant dish so you can see what is involved next time you go out for a curry, all these dishes I post you will find in most Indian restaurants with slight differences, all the dishes posted here are what we used in our own restaurant but others have also used the same recipe most of the dishes found in any Indian restaurant are all very common but no one ever tell how its done [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] have ago you will enjoy it

Chicken Bhuna

Medium spices cooked in a thick spicy sauce with finely chopped onions, tomatoes and fresh coriander

Infused Make Up Liquid
500ml of cold water
2 Asian bay leaves
3 green cardamoms
1 whole clove
1 full finger of star anise
1/2 inch piece of cassia bark (not cinnamon)

Pre-cooked chicken

2kg of chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
2 Spanish onions (or Tesco extra large onions)
1 tablespoon of blended garlic
1/2 tablespoon of blended ginger
75ml of vegetable oil
2 level teaspoons of table salt
25g of coconut cream
1 heaped tablespoon of mixed powder

Mixed powder

All measurements are level teaspoons  You will need to mix the following:
8 teaspoons of turmeric powder
6 teaspoons curry powder (must just say curry powder, not Madras powder of anything else).
5 teaspoons of coriander powder
4 teaspoons of cumin powder
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
2 teaspoons of Garam masala
1 teaspoon of ginger powder
1/2 tablespoon of tomato paste

Method:

1. Peel the onions and chop relatively finely
2. You will need 2 pans, one we will call pan A, capable of holding all the chopped onions and all of the water, and another pan we will call pan B, capable of holding 500ml of water, both with room to boil.
3. Place into pan B all of the ingredients for the infused make up liquid.
4. Place into pan A the vegetable oil and sprinkle in half the salt. Add the chopped onions, minced garlic and minced ginger and sprinkle over the remaining salt. Stir in well and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Note: The salt will react with the onions and start to extract juice.
5. Turn on the heat to pan B until boiling and then turn down to a simmer. Apply a medium heat to pan A. Keep stirring the contents and soon you will detect that the cooking process has begun from the sound produced. The chemical and heat reaction between the oil, salt and onions begins to melt the onions, neutralising all of the acids thus making the mixture sweeter, and you will see that juice is being produced at the bottom of the pan. You must keep stirring and turning the onions over. At no point must you let the onions burn or brown at the bottom of the pan, otherwise it is in the bin time.
6. What will happen of course is that you will start to evaporate all of the water off, so after about 10 minutes you need to add a small amount of cold water. To further assist in the melting down you can sprinkle a little more salt onto the top then stir in. BE CAREFUL. You should taste the juice for saltiness. You cannot reverse this, so do not overdo the adding of further salt.
7. Add the chicken, tomato paste, mix powder and the coconut to pan A.
8. Remember to keep stirring. After 5 minutes add the contents of pan B minus the twigs. Top up with water to cover all of the ingredients if necessary.
9. Leave to cook now until the chicken is cooked through. Do not overcook or the chicken will start to break up.
10. Once cooked, turn off the heat and allow to cool down naturally. Then remove the chicken from the base and store or freeze in 8 portion pieces.

Main

1/2 of a medium sized onion, sliced
1/4 of a capsicum, sliced
1 tablespoon of melted ghee
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon of tomato paste mix (Mix equal quantities of tinned tomato paste and water)
1/2 tablespoon of mix powder
Good pinch of salt
1/2 tablespoon of fenugreek leaves
1 medium tomato, chopped coarsely
250ml of melting base gravy
2 tablespoons of fresh coriander, chopped

Base gravy

You will need the following:
Recipe makes approx 2 litres of gravy.

The Body Base

600g of Spanish/Dutch Onions when peeled
80g of carrots
1/4 of a green bell pepper
1/4 of a red bell pepper
1 tablespoon of blended garlic
2 teaspoons of blended ginger
300ml of Rapeseed Oil
1 1/2 level teaspoons of table salt
1.5 litres of hot water
100g of tinned plum tomatoes
4 green cardamoms
1 1/2 tablespoons of mix powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons of onion powder
1 1/2 tablespoons of tomato paste
50g of block coconut cream


Method

1. Peel the onions and chop relatively fine, approx 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces
2. Chop the 1/4 green and red pepper into 1/2 inch pieces.
3. Slice the carrots thinly
4. Add the oil to a pan on a low to medium heat, and allow the oil to start to warm up.
5. Add half of the chopped onions. Sprinkle half of the salt over the top of these.
6. Add the remaining onions, sprinkling the remaining salt over the top again. It is during this stage that the salt will begin to react with the onions.
7. Allow the oil to slowly gain temperature.
8. At the point when the oil is just starting to gently fry the onions, give the onions a stir.
9. Add the garlic, followed by the ginger, and stir in. At this point, approximately 4 minutes should have elapsed since adding the oil to the pan.
10. Add the chopped red and green pepper, green cardamoms and carrot. Stir in and allow to cook.
11. After 20 minutes from adding the oil to the pan, add the water.
12. Place the lid on the pan and turn up the heat to boil the contents. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and add the plum tomato.
13. Stir in and replace the lid. Cook for 30 minutes.
14. Add the mix powder, onion powder and garam masala. Do not stir in.
15. Cook for 10 minutes.
16. Add the tomato paste and block coconut. Stir in and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
17. Turn off the heat and blend the gravy.
Note 1: the gravy should be the consistency of thin soup.

Method:

1. Preheat pan to medium heat.
2. Add ghee, followed by garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until garlic is just golden brown.
3. Add onion, capsicum and salt and cook for 30 to 40 seconds, stirring regularly.
4. Add mix powder, tomato paste mix and fenugreek. Stir constantly while adding the chicken.
5. Shake the contents of the pan in a backwards and forwards motion while fiercely stirring the contents for one minute to ensure the ingredients are well mixed.
6. Add 125ml of the gravy and stir for 2 minutes.
7. Add tomato and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Add the coriander, followed by the remainder of the gravy. Leave to cook and thicken for a further 2 minutes and serve.

DONE!!    

Thank you another one for the book

Thank you for all this information here I have always wondered how it was done? and now I can try and get it right

The differences in taste depends on the mix powder, so I have added here 5 variations of mix powder.

We must bear in mind that these mix powders are designed to go with their respective gravies to produce the signature taste of the individual dish or Chef

Mix Powder No 1.

15 parts of turmeric powder
15 parts of curry powder
9 parts of coriander powder
7 parts of cumin powder
2 parts of garam masala
2 parts of garlic powder
1 part of ginger powder
1 part of paprika powder

Mix Powder No 2.

13 parts of turmeric powder
13 parts of curry powder
11 parts of coriander powder
9 parts of cumin powder
3 parts of garam masala
2 parts of garlic powder
1 part of ginger powder
1 part of cardamom powder

Mix Powder No 3.

13 parts of turmeric powder
11 parts of curry powder
9 parts of coriander powder
6 parts of cumin powder
3 parts of garam masala
3parts of garlic powder
1 part of ginger powder

Mix Powder No 4.

16 parts of turmeric powder
12 parts of curry powder
12 parts of coriander powder
7 parts of cumin powder
3 parts of garam masala
2 parts of garlic powder
1 part of ginger powder

Mix Powder No 5.

15 parts of turmeric powder
15 parts of curry powder
15 parts of coriander powder
9 parts of cumin powder
3 parts of garam masala
3 parts of garlic powder
2 part of ginger powder
1 part of paprika powder

As you can see a range of mix powders all producing individuality.

"
There is no such thing as a little garlic."


All Garlic Pickle

2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp onion seeds (kalonji)
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric
500g garlic cloves, peeled
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
Juice of 1 lemon

Dry roast mustard and fenugreek seeds in a hot pan until aromatic, this will take about a minute. Remove immediately and cool. Grind seeds and combine with other spices and salt.

Fry garlic cloves in olive oil until starting to colour. Do not brown. Take off the heat, and add spice mixture, sesame oil and lemon juice. Stir until thoroughly combined.

Transfer pickle to a sterilised jar with a tight fitting lid. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 2 months.

If you Soak the garlic cloves in very hot water for 2 minutes it will make them easy to peel.

Will give that a go,thanks Nets


Mike

I might try this one its different but I don't think I will be popular after eating it

Nets will log that in my book now

Oddy

Nice one nets

What makes your local curry house different - The Mix Powder

We must bear in mind that these mix powders are designed to go with their respective gravies to produce the signature taste of the individual restaurant or takeaway. All these mixes are all from friends of mine who are chefs in the restaurant trade (Indian)

Mix Powder No 1

15 parts of turmeric powder
15 parts of curry powder
9 parts of coriander powder
7 parts of cumin powder
2 parts of garam masala
2 parts of garlic powder
1 part of ginger powder
1 part of paprika powder

Mix Powder No 2.

13 parts of turmeric powder
13 parts of curry powder
11 parts of coriander powder
9 parts of cumin powder
3 parts of garam masala
2 parts of garlic powder
1 part of ginger powder
1 part of cardamom powder

Mix Powder No 3.

13 parts of turmeric powder
11 parts of curry powder
9 parts of coriander powder
6 parts of cumin powder
3 parts of garam masala
3parts of garlic powder
1 part of ginger powder

Mix Powder No 4.

16 parts of turmeric powder
12 parts of curry powder
12 parts of coriander powder
7 parts of cumin powder
3 parts of garam masala
2 parts of garlic powder
1 part of ginger powder

Mix Powder No 5.

15 parts of turmeric powder
15 parts of curry powder
15 parts of coriander powder
9 parts of cumin powder
3 parts of garam masala
3 parts of garlic powder
2 part of ginger powder
1 part of paprika powder

As you can see a range of mix powders all producing individuality.

Gosh I didn't realise there were so many different combinations of spices

Hi I've been requested to add a couple of recipes for (Chatt) so here they are

Chicken (Chatt)

Ingredients

200ml of any good base
1 chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
1 heaped tsp Chicken Chaat masala
1 level tsp Madras curry powder
1 level tsp ground cumin
1 level tsp ground coriander
1 heaped tsp turmeric
1 level tsp sugar
1 heaped tsp coriander mince/paste
1 tsp Tandoori paste (This can be optional but prefered)
4 tsp Lemmon juice

Method

Heat the oil to the highest temperature as you possibly can in a pan or wok.
add all of the spices and cook for a minute or two
add the tandoori masala and cook for another two minutes
add half the base and cook on high until it thickens slightly
add the UNCOOKED chicken and cook until the chicken seals
add the rest of the base on the highest heat
Add the lemmon juice
add the minced coriander and sugar
continue to cook for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked then serve ( You can also add cubed Cucumber a min or 2 before you finish the cooking )

Done

Thanks Nets! Will be trying this over the weekend

What makes your local curry house different - The Gravy.

In this thread I will list some of the differences in the gravy that are used throughout a range of different curry houses.

Chefs. Owners will pay a little more to get a chef to change jobs. Of course with them they carry the recipes in their heads so in no time you have a large collection of recipes floating about.

The gravy is the basis as we know in general, for all of the curry dishes. Some places make the gravy in one pot with all the ingredients cooked out in the one pot. Some places use other method similar to what I have written in this topic, there are generally only 2 methods.

The main differences in the gravies throughout the UK is that they are balanced to their own spice mix or mix powder. The basics behind them all though remain virtually the same in that Spanish or Dutch onions, oil, water, garlic, ginger and plum tomatoes form the basis of 99% of all gravies.

Then you get your bulk differences. These range from capsicums, carrot, cabbage, leeks, japanese radish or mooli as they are known and in a few occasions cauliflower. This adds two dimensions to the gravy mainly sweetness and colour.

Then designed around your spice mix or mix powder are added the enhancers. base gravy posted in this topic . The one pot producers will tend to add garam masala. In the melting base I use the mix powder, some places will use separate spices but then their individual curries will have a different mix powder to mine all aimed to provide balance and of course a signature taste.

Tomato paste is common and the White Tower brand supply over 75% of all restaurants. Other minor ingredients are added to suit the different owners and chefs but in general most gravies will taste similar with the actual curry/dish flavour being generated in the cooking of the individual curries.

Hope this helps.

This is just something you may enjoy reading while you have your coffee.


Popular Curry Dishes in Indian Restaurant

Description of some of the most popular Indian dishes that you may well see on every Indian restaurant menu in this country although the tastes may vary from restaurant to restaurant as each Chef has his or her own secret ingredient and their special technique in creating mouth watering result, Indian restaurant diners normally ask that their meal be cooked in a medium, mild, or hot, but Indian cooking is the art of Indian food in itself and depends not only on the hotness but in the use of the herb and spices.

BALTI

Balti describes the cooking pot, the deliciously spiced food cooked in it, Balti dishes are cooked in a special Balti sauce is a tangy like pickle sauce and may be quite dry and rich tasting unlike other curries, with rich flavour and aroma.

MADRAS

Madras is a South Indian hot dish originated from the Madras region of India, its use of an abundance of herbs and spices, Garlic, Exotic ground spices and a touch of lemon juice combine to form a dish of hot consistency.

VINDALOO

The same as Madras but involving a greater use of spices, Chilli, Garlic, Ginger, curry powder and tomato puree to produce a fiery hot taste and recommended to experience curry dinners.

JALFREZI

Jalfrezi is a combination of fresh herbs and spice cooked with Green Chillies, Onions, Capsicums, and coriander which makes this dish a little hotter than Madras but slightly milder than a Vindaloo.

TANDOORI

Tandoori dishes are marinated in yoghurt lightly spiced then Barbequed in a charcoal clay oven called a Tandoor. Many Tandoors are fired by gas while the more traditional ones are fired by charcoal which gives more depth to the taste.

TIKKA

Tikka is marinated in much the same way as Tandoori but a different selection of herbs and spices are added to the marinade before being put on a skewer and barbequed in a charcoal clay oven.

TIKKA MASALA

Tikka Masala means blend of Indian spices, Tikka is marinated Chicken or Lamb and king prawn added to fresh cream, tomato puree and very mild spices creating a tasty Masala sauce.

ROGAN JOSH

Rogan Josh an authentic Indian dish and is mild prepared with lots of tomato, onion, and a variety of fresh herbs and spices to give a rich tomatoes spicy flavour.

DANSAK

Dansak has an unusual sweet and sour bit hot taste combing lentils with garlic, ginger, and medium spices.

KORMA

Korma is cooked with a mixture of fresh cream, coconut powder, sugar and light curry spices to form a mild, sweet and creamy dish.

BIRYANI

Biryani is a traditional dish from the times of the Mogul emperors, and is cooked with the meat, chicken or vegetables of your choice, what makes these dishes unique is that they are prepared with fragrant basmati rice lightly spiced, and served with a mild vegetable curry sauce.

RICE

Basmati rice bought from almost any supermarket is among some of the best rice you can buy it has travelled from the foothills of the Himalayas and is watered by the Snowfed Rivers of the Himalayan Mountains producing an exquisite delicate flavour.
Basmati rice is used for a wide variety of dishes Pilau or boiled being the most common, you can add almost anything to rice creating several tasty side dishes or even main meals such as the Biryani mentioned above.

BREAD

Naan bread the more familiar form of bread eaten with curry’s takes a little longer to prepare using self rising flour, eggs, milk, sugar, onion seeds yeast and pure ghee then cooked in the traditional way by placing it inside a charcoal clay oven.
Chapatti are the easiest form of Indian thin bread with just two ingredients wheat flour and water is a type of unleavened thin bread rolled flat like a pancake and best eaten soon after cooking.

very interesting