"An Introduction to BIR Curries" Now Released!

[Dan Sak]

I have to admit when I see a pataks paste in a recipe I always leave it out these days. I find that they all have a distinctive taste that I personally have never tasted in any BIR dish from a restaurant or TA. Leaving it out has never seemed to give a detrimental effect, infact the opposite.

[Ruby Murray]

Thanks for the prompt reply Pauly ..

[Ruby Murray]

Do you substitute with anything Dan Sak ?

[Dan Sak]

No - Just omit it.

[Ruby Murray]

Cool. I will give every method I can a try..

[Cory Ander]

You obviously can't leave it out of all recipes. For example, three varieties of commercial curry paste are specified in the Red Masala Sauce. In this case (as would also be the case for some tikka/tandoori marinades) you might prefer to substitute the tikka/tandoori paste with tandoori masala).

In some other recipes you might prefer to leave it out or substitute it with a quantity of an appropriate spice mix. I personally find that adding just a little (e.g. 1 tsp) of some of them (some are dire...as is using too much!) can be beneficial (as an option).

Of course, you could always make your own curry pastes and use those instead.

[chukitinabukit]

What needs to be borne in mind, is that most, if not all, BIR outlets use these pastes.
If you cannot stand the taste of them, you are either 1. misusing them, or 2. not trying to recreate the BIR taste.
You need to be honest with yourselves and decide which it is.

[rfr]

i dont think it is either,birs use either an ingredient or technique that as an effect on the taste of spices a bit like msg does when making a chinese style curry so that is why you dont taste pataks in your meal from the TA,i cant stand pataks and wont use it but i found out recently i have been having it in my baltis and madras for years from my local with out knowing it but if i put it in mine i can detect it for sure.

[Ruby Murray]

Do you think it maybe that "you" know it is in the curry .?? Could be worthwhile someone cooking for you as in a blind test ? Do you think you would pick up on it then ?

[rfr]

i dont think thats the reason dougie,my sister was expecting me at hers so she made a curry,i told her after one mouth full it had pataks in it i just suffered as much of it as i could,i know its in the madras and balti at my local but i would still order them as i cant detect it at all.

[Ruby Murray]

Strange.. Have you tried adding it at a different stage ..

[Dan Sak]

Ok, when I said I omit them I was talking about the dishes that I have tried that call for them, not all dishes that call for them. I should have stipulated that.

I find it hard to believe that these are regularly used in commercial BIR's myself (well the ones I use anyway) or maybe I don't order the dishes they get used in?

For example CA's madras recipe calls for a tsp of Madras paste which is optional... I made it with pataks once and it made it taste nothing like a BIR madras but I omitted it the next time I made it and that made it almost the same as my TA. It was superb.. This says to me that they do not use madras paste in their madras...?

This is one case where I found that leaving out a commercial paste made a very positive improvement to a recipe. My opinion of course...

[rfr]

I copied the way i have seen it done in several YT videos and that was to put it in shortly after the mixed powder then put the tomato sauce in, thats the only method i have done,maybe it would of been better if i had put it in with the gg paste to cook out more but i dont think i will be trying it again any time soon.

[Gazzer63]

Keep up the Gd work chaps.Gr8 cause & lovely menu.Trying your Ceylon curry CA.Pukka pies!!!
It's a mad 1. I've always eaten Indian & cooked it but I've never ever used a base?.
My dad was Anglo-Indian.Had a lot of Sunday dinners,chicken currys.I've cooked in that style.I feel that I've turned a corner when I found you guys.
I'll be happy to put up what i know although they don't start with a curry base.
Keep up the Gd.
All the best

Gazzer 63

[Alchemist]

Hi gazzer, thanks for your feedback, great to hear it's really helped to raise your curry game!

[ozzie dave]

Happy new year to the forum. Tried the onion bhajis from the BIR ebook , not bad for a first attempt, think i needed a bit more floor in the mix, they seem to be more onion than mix. Also they were a bit bland, Should i add more than a tea spoon of spices.

[Alchemist]

Dave, you just need enough flour to hold the bhajis together. I'm not sure why they were bland, as I've made them many times and they always seemed ok. Did you miss the salt out?

You could always increase the salt or spices to suit your palette.

[ozzie dave]

Must admit, didn"t put the stated amount of salt in due to the fact the bhajis iam buying over here have too much salt in which puts me of a bit.

[rshome123]

Have to say I don't make Onion Bhajis much at all (perhaps 3-4 times in 2 years), and haven't tried the new eBook Recipe... but I know the recipe has respect. I've only ever used Julian Voigt's C2GO recipe which was always good.

Nothing to add, except for try sticking exactly to recipe (take note of the spoon measurements in particular). Also... make sure you squeeze the onion bhaji balls of excess moisture before deep frying.

[Willyeckerslike]

I make onion bhajis quite frequently, I would suggest you follow the recipe exactly (ie add the required amount of salt) If you find them bland after that we can make some suggestions. I make quite a thick batter and gently form into balls kind of like a birds nest so the oil can penetrate the center of the bhaji.