Lee Reynolds

Right. I keep on having a go at cooking Indian curries. Im not talking authentic, im meaning like you get at the local takeaway etc. I CAN cook a nice curry, miles better than the jar stuff you get from supermarket, but there is always something missing imo. I cooked a roghan josh recently and whilst we enjoyed it im never happy as it hasn't got that flavour same as when you go out for a curry! There must be some secret ingredient? I have looked at LOADS of recipes from various books and websites and they virtually all contain the same ingredients/spices as each other per curry.

Has anyone got the secret? LOL Is it Ghee ?

TurboShed

Mate, I've tried everything and it's impossible to make them like curry house ones. I think the only home-made curry that works out well is beef ones, simple tomato/chilli/onion type beef currys like madras style or something, nothing else seems to work.

Though I'd be willing to bet that you need Monosodium Glutamate by the spoonful to get "proper tasting" curry.

RC4

forget all that hard work ,use pataks sauces and paste,taste exactly the same as take away anyhow,just marinate your tikka in your meat first

dojj

iTrader: (3)

are u adding the mix 2 the food or the food 2 the mix?
I asked the mrs how 2 make the mix and posted it a while back so c if u can find it

Lambchop

iTrader: (1)

I also think that pataks paste is brilliant! We use the madras a lot!

While it's a cooking style post...
How do you get nice tender chicken? I've always got a paranoia of not cooking it right. Sometimes the chicken goes slightly rubbery or ever so slightly chewy. I've tried cutting to larger pieces but get para and prob cook too long

Graham S1

Cheat!. Although we do have a jar in the cupboards for emergencies.

Marinade it in some yoghurt, onion, lemon juice and tikka/tandoori powder for at least a few hours.

Graham S1

In a word.. yes. Bloody expensive from supermarkets, but if you can find an Indian cash and carry place, you can get huge tubs for a few quid. Never seems quite right if you make it using anything else...like olive oil.

Lambchop

iTrader: (1)

Plain yoghurt? Can you be slightly more specific? chopped onion? how much LJ? and leave it over night?


What exactly is ghee then?

LHD220Turbo

iTrader: (4)

the key is how long you cook it for; understandably people get really worried by chicken - you overcook it and it goes all chewy like you said

whenever i make a chicken dish which is marinated; always marinade the chicken the day/night before you want to eat it - the difference is amazing!

Big G

I try to let the meat marinade for a good 12 hours at least just to let it soak in, then you should get flavoured meat instead of flavour and meat.

As for ingredienats Lee, it may just be your own taste, experiment with the recipe's, add a little more of a spice or herb and see how that tastes etc.
Part of the fun of cooking is experimenting away from the book.

Graham S1

Plain yoghurt/greek yoghurt. Juice of about half a lemon (the acid helps tenderise the meat), and yes finely chopped onion (about half an onion depends on how much meat you have.

Another tip... cook it in the morning, then reheat it later on. Gives the flavours time to do their stuff. Ever wondered why takeaway seems to taste better cold the morning after?

Ghee is simply clarified butter/veg fat, with all the moisture taken out, and has a slightly higher smoking point.

It's Czech Mate

Chop to make meat soft you need to break the protein down with something acidic in a marinade

So a marinade with acid ie white wine vinegar/lemonjuice/limejuice etc will do it

Try half a large pot of low fat natural yoghourt, juice of half a lemon, half a shallot finely chopped, teaspoon of cumin, half a fresh chilli finely chopped, garlic clove finely chopped and a thumb of gfresh ginger finely chopped.

Thats enough to marinade 2-4 breasts or equivalent in thighs ( meat is best on bone for curry etc ) overnight.

(If you want it a bit more neutral tasting to add to another dish, just leave out the stronger flavours, you have to use the lemon juice tho! )

I just do the above, then griddle it in have in pitta with cucumber, mint, chilli and onion salad and some homemade mint yohgourt


Same way to take the rawness off onions for a salad...hit them with some acid

Lambchop

iTrader: (1)

Ok cool i'm going to try that marinade then and see how i get on

Agreed on the take away the mornign after. I love it the next day and for best results i eat it cold!

SO you use the ghee in the pan instead of oil? I get you.

Excellent tips there. If you were maranading would there be certain pastes or sauces not to use withg those kind of flavours?

TurboShed

All good sounding stuff this, I think I may have another bash at home made curry now

It's Czech Mate

Just keep it simple if your using the meat for curry. pour the lemon juice on the seasoned meat first, pinch of salt and pepper, whilst your mixing the youghourt and the other stuff together, i'd use just a shallot and a bit of cumin then mix all that in with the chopped chicken, which is already doused in lemon juice.

Then in the fridge for at least 12 hours.

Jobs a goodun

Thats not that traditional but it will sure as hell get you a tender chunk of chicken

dojj

iTrader: (3)

i am failing 2 understand why its taking u 12+ hours to makd a 'curry' when it takes an indian 30 mins from bag to tum
the ghee u want has green/yellow metal tin with a cow on the cover

It's Czech Mate

I never mentioned making a traditional curry

I just told him how to marinate a piece of meat to make it really tender

Lambchop

iTrader: (1)

Cheers for that. I'll be trying it for sure!

Big G

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I have abit of a problem doing Keema Aloo, I fooking love it but cant seem to get it right regarding the spuds, always get them too hard
You would have thought it was an easier dish to make too

craig2016

Are you putting sugar and vinegar in, as not many recipies show this but it's vital for the tangyness, also add half a block of butter or so near the end of cooking will give your sauce a nice shine!!!

Also freshly ground cardamon seeds give a sweet and spicy aroma!

dojj

iTrader: (3)

simples. Make them seperate then mix
as for adding suger and/or viniger. Wtf

dojj

iTrader: (3)

thats good for kebab/bbp types

It's Czech Mate

Yep, as I said in my op, thats what I do on the griddle

I can do curry but it takes about an hour, so your missis needs to show me where to save time! Folk deffo go wrong using breast for curry etc. Thigh FTW

dojj

iTrader: (3)

bonelss chicken ftw

no gristle to chew through

and as for making it in 30 minutes, simples, you cook the mix and the meat seperatly and thenmix them at the end for a few minutes, job done and no messing baout, in fact, the mrs makes up a weeks worth of mier on a sunday and then just adds bits and bobs to the mixer during the week, so free food every night

Graham S1

Also.. it does take a few goes to "perfect" doing a curry. I started with a recipe years ago, but it kind of evolved into my own recipe.

First time I did one, it said add 1 tin tomatoes OR xxx ml water, but I didn't see the "or" bit, and it ended up like mild curry soup.

Batch of Samosa's to make this weekend.

Big G

Naaaaa, gotta get the flavour from the bone

dojj

iTrader: (3)

samosas ftw
but 4 the brave folk, start the meal off with salted sliced dry chillis, washed down with 50/50 milk/coca cola

vroooom ptssssh

I've been told no curry from a takeaway/restraunt will ever taste the same as the flavours from the pan they cooked the previous curry get added into the one they make next.....?

I LOVE indian food though

dojj

iTrader: (3)

curry is curry, be it with meat of vegatables

all that differes is the colour and the spicyness

if you want to make "proper" curry then you need to have a bit of a mixup of stuff to whack in, if youwant "authentic" then it's different again

just because it looks good doens't mean to say it'll be good

white2lsr

iTrader: (1)

Try these

CLICKY

I used to try alsort to get the take away type curry. Then I saw a program about this shop and awards they had done. I travelled all the way down to York to see what they did. I now regually get curry packs via their mail order site. I just make them and freeze them in foil take away containers.

Well worth a try

Graham S1

ewww...

pete mcrash

iTrader: (1)

bookmark...........

Lee Reynolds

Always put a bit of balsamic in!

Gonna try the ghee route....as im not far off tbh!

Cooked a Lamb saag tonight, was very nice but it still lacked that little bit!

Chop, i never marinade and always have tender meat. If its chicken you need to seal it, you cook it on high heat stirring for 5 mins, then reduce the heat,

dojj

iTrader: (3)

http://www.theasiancookshop.co.uk/bu...ghee-396-p.asp

Lee Reynolds

cheers doj, thats what i was looking at. Asda had it online, i went in store for it and they had none