peterms Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 Vegetable samosas, yes. But quorn mince and no chillis? You should have just made them a nice salad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 Vegetable samosas, yes. But quorn mince and no chillis? You should have just made them a nice salad. I can't help it if they're anti-chilli! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcarpet Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 has any one got a good balti recipe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted October 19, 2010 Moderator Share Posted October 19, 2010 Just bought the curry book for £0.96 used on Amazon. Which becomes £4.90 (€5.60). Still a good deal. I got 50 great curries of india in Easons, has a dvd which was helpful too. Well the book arrived yesterday so I've gone out and finally bought a spice grinder (though from looking at it I can't see how it will grind things to be fine enough...). Also got some fenu greek seeds, garam masala, cumin seeds, extra hot chili powder, fresh ginger & coriander + chapattis. I'm sure I'll need to get some more stuff but at least I'm definitely well on the way to making something from absolute scratch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Coriander seeds and ground turmeric would be useful - lots of recipes call for them. After that, maybe cardamom, cinnamon, cloves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Now you've got a grinder you are best buying cumin and coriander seeds, dry roasting them and grinding. Much better colour and flavour than raw powder. Also, get bags of masala mix, dry roast and grind. Then you can add extra chilli and ginger or cloves, tailor your own garam masala :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted October 19, 2010 Moderator Share Posted October 19, 2010 Typically how long (and how hot) would you roast a seed so that it pops/cooks without burning it? I imagine they're quite a delicate thing and easy to mess up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Typically how long (and how hot) would you roast a seed so that it pops/cooks without burning it? I imagine they're quite a delicate thing and easy to mess up. Yes, just as they start to smoke a bit and pop. Bung em in a bowl to cool before grinding I have an old frying pan I use just for spices Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted October 19, 2010 Moderator Share Posted October 19, 2010 OK cheers. Not in an oven then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 No, in a pan on the hob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Dry frying pan, medium heat, spread them out in the pan so they are one thin layer, 30 secs-1 min, and watch to see they don't burn. When they are done, get them out of the pan or else the residual heat will continue to cook them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piav_k4 Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 Food connoisseurs of VT. Is there any reason why I can't put a puff pastry lid on my traditional fish pie? That means having the mash under the pastry lid? Only the Mrs seems to think it wouldn't work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 Food connoisseurs of VT. Is there any reason why I can't put a puff pastry lid on my traditional fish pie? That means having the mash under the pastry lid? Only the Mrs seems to think it wouldn't work? She might be thinking about having the pastry lid on a dry surface instead of the usual moist pie filling, which to be fair does sound as though it might not go that well - two relatively dry textures together. If you want a puff pastry lid on a fish pie which has mash on top, then I suggest the best way would be to cook the pie with mash topping in your usual manner, cook the pastry lid separately on a baking sheet, and just place it on the pie at the end when both are cooked. Putting the lid on at the end is how restaurants often do it. The bit that would seem a bit odd is having the mash separating the filling from the pastry. One way round that, if you really want both, would be to cook the pie as normal, then loosen it away from the sides of the bowl, invert it onto a plate, and put the pastry lid on top of that, with the mask on the bottom and the filling in between. Or else put the pastry lid on the plate and serve the pie on it, with the pastry on the bottom and the mash on top. Unconventional, but if it's what you want... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piav_k4 Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 Thanks a lot @peterms, i'm going to cook the lid separately as you suggested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted October 28, 2010 Moderator Share Posted October 28, 2010 Cinnamon sticks! I'm doing a curry at the moment that involves a 3 inch cinnamon stick. The instructions say to put the mixture into a food processor (incl. cinnamon) until it is a fine texture. But that cinnamon stick is going to break the processor. It needs a hammer and chisel to grind it down, not a blade. Am I doing something wrong or are cinnamon sticks supposed to stay 'complete' and only be taken out after cooking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted October 28, 2010 Share Posted October 28, 2010 You can take them out after, but I just grind them up. In fact they grind up quite nicely into a fine powder usually Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted October 28, 2010 Share Posted October 28, 2010 In fact I usually make a "bhuna" powder from cinnamon and cloves, ground together then kept in an airtight box Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted October 28, 2010 Share Posted October 28, 2010 My Basic Curry Recipe FWIW: 8 Cloves & 3 Pieces of cinnamon, fry in ghee untill fragrant 3 Onions Finely Diced, add in. Add, 2 Tsp Salt, 2Tblsp Cumin, 2 Tblsp Garam Massala, 2 Tsp Turmeric, 1 Tsp Chilli Powder Fry for a bit untill fragrant Add a blended mixture of Garlic, Ginger and Chillis (Preserved in Olive Oil that my Brother IL kindly makes for me) Add 1 can of liquidised tomatoes and half a can of water. Chicken, Lid on, Cook on Low heat for an hour. Finish with Coriander. Done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted October 28, 2010 Share Posted October 28, 2010 I'd shoot a man if he dared to put cinnamon in my curry. Horrible flavour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted October 28, 2010 Moderator Share Posted October 28, 2010 That sounds nice Shillzz. CED, you'll find that cinnamon (to some degree) is in most curries. They just don't taste like Goldschläger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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