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Cliffrodo's Pathia

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Greybeard
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Favourite Curries: Dopiaza, Kashmiri, Madras or Garlic chicken
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Cliffrodo's Pathia

Post by Greybeard »

The final result
The final result
P1010053.JPG (136.84 KiB) Viewed 5106 times
Cliffrodo's Pathia in its full glory. Review coming soon ...
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
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charliebir
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Re: Hello from West Cumbria

Post by charliebir »

Thanks, GB.

That looks first class.

Good for you Cliff
Charlie.
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Greybeard
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Favourite Curries: Dopiaza, Kashmiri, Madras or Garlic chicken
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Re: Hello from West Cumbria

Post by Greybeard »

Review of Cliffrodo's Chicken Pathia (In the style of A A Gill)

Location: Open plan office with communal kitchen microwave
Atmosphere: 2/5
Food: 5/5

There currently seems to be a renaissance of certain elements of 1970's culture - Left wing leaders causing dissent, beards, moustaches, austerity and Black Magic chocolate. The advertising slogan of the latter delicacy was "Who knows the secret of the Black Magic Box"? I was faced with a similar question when presented out of the blue with an almost hermetically sealed plastic container which fitted perfectly in the palm of my hand. Would that classic BIR aroma waft into my nostrils? That glorious meniscus of separated oil - would it glisten with all the transparent glory of a rich red tomato purée?

Upon unsnapping the ample and durable fastenings on the container, it was clearly obvious that this dish was not your run of the mill traditional Indian home style curry. Like a cold aluminium curry pan containing leftovers after a hard night's curry production, the aroma was captivating, and the well proportioned puddle of oil at the side shone with Eastern promise. Inspired by the comments of a fellow word-smith - who accurately pointed out that the scent would make ideal candles – I asked a number of well known curry and food aficionados as to their opinion. Without exception, the Pathia delighted the olfactory senses of all.

My next quandary was how long to nuke this diminutive sample of goodness in the corporate microwave. Sixty seconds? Two minutes? Experience told me that when you can smell the aroma of the dish coming from the microwave it will be almost heated through, so after 40 seconds, a quick stir and another 20 seconds for good luck, I removed the piping hot, steaming plastic crucible of Pathia and carried it to my desk, along with a napkin and a white plastic fork which turned out to be the ideal implement for reviewing a curry, rather than its more robust metal cousin.

The reason for this became apparent when I stirred the curry – a thin slick of the deepest yellow-tangerine coloured oil coated the fork, clearly demonstrating that the colour from the pineapple juice, mix powder, turmeric and tomato had successfully bled into the oil. The curry sauce was smooth, only a few shades darker than the original base from which it was cooked. Neither too thick or thin, it coated the chicken well and had a good mouth feel. The chicken was perfectly cooked, flaking easily against the insubstantial plastic fork with just a touch of resistance. Consumption completed, even the napkin was satisfied with a small but robust curry stain once I wiped my lips.

You can probably guess by now that I was impressed with this restaurant-quality curry. The author is no expert in the Pathia genre, but going by another curry fan who criticised the author's own Pathia as being slightly too sweet, this could possibly be the only failing of this specific example. The lack of a readily available local supply of quality Tamarind is no doubt the culprit here, rather than any reflection on the chef.

Atmosphere wise, the restaurant was poor. Noisy, with uninspiring décor, harsh lighting, poor ventilation, discordant nylon carpet tiles and no other facility to eat at other than a faux-wood covered desk with poor quality seating, it was not the sort of establishment one would choose to eat in - other than to purely satisfy the primal urge to desperately and rapidly masticate. Being positive, at least the venue did not resort to the tactics of some fast food restaurants by employing sloping seats so the patrons don't get too comfortable. Sadly, some fellow diners even had the audacity to object to the aroma of such high quality food, but this is one of the perils of open communal spaces. The only positive element of the whole experience was that I had access to copious quantities of hot water and industrial detergent so could thoroughly remove the persistent oil stain from the container that was threatening to make itself a permanent feature. And the accommodation was dry and pest free. The local burger van with a flat tyre has more atmosphere, but as it pretty much continuously rains up here I will give the venue two points as I prefer my food dry and not contaminated by seagull faeces.

As a first attempt into the forays and complex jungle of BIR cookery, Chef Cliffrodo has demonstrated a level of skill that is both a blessing and a curse. Like a gambler who has a major win the first time at the betting shop, the chef has already tacitly admitted that the Pathia was really, really good but missing “just that something” and is planning his next spin of the curry roulette wheel as soon as possible. I don't think I am exaggerating when I suggest we potentially have another talented BIR curry addict on our hands with further exemplary dishes to come.
Last edited by Greybeard on Thu Feb 04, 2016 11:19 pm, edited 3 times in total.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
rshome123
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Re: Hello from West Cumbria

Post by rshome123 »

So, epic win for Cliffrodo it appears. Are you serialising your findings in a national newspaper GreyBeard? Would be great to read a Curry column every morning.
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Greybeard
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Location: Somewhere north of Watford but south of Inverness
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Re: Hello from West Cumbria

Post by Greybeard »

@rshome123

I've tried all my Fleet St contacts (and even the Guardian) but sadly they weren't interested :weep:
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
rshome123
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Posts: 4354
Joined: Mon Jul 29, 2013 8:38 am
Favourite Curries: Chicken Vindaloo
Location: Warrington, North West England

Re: Hello from West Cumbria

Post by rshome123 »

@GreyBeard

Sad. They don't know what they are missing.
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Cory Ander
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Re: Cliffrodo's Pathia

Post by Cory Ander »

Looks great! Which recipe did Cliffrodo use to make this, please, Greybeard?

PS: Moved this post and replies from here to this section of the forum where is seems to better belong.
CA (aka Admin) :)
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Westy
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Re: Cliffrodo's Pathia

Post by Westy »

I love your reviews GB - can't you do a weekly review on here every Friday , at least until one of the Nationals realise their mistake ?

I'm pleased Cliffrodo had such success on his first attempt too :D
A curry can never be ‘too garlicky’ or ‘too hot’ .....
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charliebir
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Favourite Curries: Pathia, Garlic Chilli, Madras.
Location: Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
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Re: Cliffrodo's Pathia

Post by charliebir »

Great review, GB. Enjoyed it. Keep them coming, please.
Charlie.
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Greybeard
BIRD'S EYE
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Posts: 1604
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 11:18 pm
Favourite Curries: Dopiaza, Kashmiri, Madras or Garlic chicken
Location: Somewhere north of Watford but south of Inverness
Scotland

Re: Cliffrodo's Pathia

Post by Greybeard »

@Westy, If you come up with some things I can review - maybe a review of the spices quality I have stashed away next? Ideally, I need to lay my hands on items to review. Not sure if I can do something weekly though. I could I suppose work my way through the members recipes section, and Friday night is designated curry night in our household .....

@Cory, not sure what recipe Cliffrodo used, but the mix powder I gave him was yours (less the garlic powder) as I didn't have any at the time. I have stocked up now 8-)

@Cliffrodo, as you were so blessed with beginners luck, I think you should write a review on the curry I promise I will bring in on Monday :whistle:
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
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