A delicious tasty meal.

jonbeeza

jonbeeza

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Since the lockdown we have tried about four different Indian restaurants, by ringing our order in and going to pick it up. All this is done safely, by waiting in a safe area and keeping a safe distance from staff.

We normally get a Lamb / Chicken Bhuna and missus loves it. But while I do like the meal, I don't think it has a curry taste, it has a strong Tomato flavour if anything. I know I could simply ask when I ring up, but sometimes it is hard to get the answer to the question, as they simply say "all of the meals are curries". They do have little descriptions, such as cooked with peppers and tomatoes, and garnished with this and that.

So, does anybody know what I am talking about, when I say a curry, that tastes like a curry?

Going to order a curry tonight, and hopefully one that tastes like curry.
 
Reading your post just reminds me of something, up until a few years back, I did not realise.

It is that Chicken Tikka Masala (at least I think is the "curry" in question) is completely unknown and does not exist in India. It was by all accounts an invented recipe created in one of the early Indian restaurants in the UK to pander to British pallette as to what a curry was.

As I understand it, every region in India has its own cuisine.......and regional rivalry being what it is no doubt one might say of another...."curry, that is not a curry..."
 
How hot and/or tasty do you like it? Sounds like Mrs Beeza enjoys her Bhuna but you're after a bit more. Our local delivery gives a bit of info in their menu, including a brief description of ingredients and a heat guide, so I'll list their description below.
Style...………….Heat.....Ingredient base.

Jalfrezi...……….**…….....Ginger & green chillies
Korai...………….*…...…….Tomatoes & onions
Chilli Massala.**…...….Green cillies and a tangy sauce
Chat Massala.*...……...Tangy sauce
Massala……………………..Mild sauce
Rajilla…...………**…….....Spicy hot sauce, tomato based (IIRC!)
Roshan...………*………….Mushrooms & garlic
Kurma…………………….....Mild, nuts and cream
Nawabi…………*………….Garlic, ginger and onions
Zafrani...…………………….Mild with nuts and cream
Passanda……………...…..Mild & creamy
Peshwari...………………...Mild with coconut & almonds
Gosht'e'Kalia..***……...Herbs and spices with chilli seeds & yoghurt
Naga......……….***……….Very hot Bangladeshi naga chilli paste & special spices

They also list
Madras **
Vindaloo ***
Dansak ** with lentils
Ceylon ** with coconut
Patia ** with onions
Biryani *
Palak * with spinach
Kashmir M with tropical fruit
Bhuna * with onions
Dupiaza * with cubes of onion
Rogan * with lots of tomatoes

Hope the above helps - or at leasts makes your mouth water!!!
 
all curries have their own flavour and we perhaps all have our own favourites. I will most often choose a Jalfezi which is very popular today. it can be of any hotness depending how many green chillies are used in its preparation. I prefer it on the medium to mild side.

The best curries that I have had are the Curries served at "Mumtaz Bradford". You can also find them chilled in some Morrison supermarkets.

None of the best curries taste anything much like those prepared with traditional English curry powder. which are usually just hot with little flavour.
 
Nod said:
How hot and/or tasty do you like it? Sounds like Mrs Beeza enjoys her Bhuna but you're after a bit more. Our local delivery gives a bit of info in their menu, including a brief description of ingredients and a heat guide, so I'll list their description below.
Style...………….Heat.....Ingredient base.

Jalfrezi...……….**…….....Ginger & green chillies
Korai...………….*…...…….Tomatoes & onions
Chilli Massala.**…...….Green cillies and a tangy sauce
Chat Massala.*...……...Tangy sauce
Massala……………………..Mild sauce
Rajilla…...………**…….....Spicy hot sauce, tomato based (IIRC!)
Roshan...………*………….Mushrooms & garlic
Kurma…………………….....Mild, nuts and cream
Nawabi…………*………….Garlic, ginger and onions
Zafrani...…………………….Mild with nuts and cream
Passanda……………...…..Mild & creamy
Peshwari...………………...Mild with coconut & almonds
Gosht'e'Kalia..***……...Herbs and spices with chilli seeds & yoghurt
Naga......……….***……….Very hot Bangladeshi naga chilli paste & special spices

They also list
Madras **
Vindaloo ***
Dansak ** with lentils
Ceylon ** with coconut
Patia ** with onions
Biryani *
Palak * with spinach
Kashmir M with tropical fruit
Bhuna * with onions
Dupiaza * with cubes of onion
Rogan * with lots of tomatoes

Hope the above helps - or at leasts makes your mouth water!!!
Click to expand...

Yes mouth watering already. Thanks for taking time to stick that up. (y)

Just reading the Ingredient, some do sound nice.


PS

I don't like it too hot, but I like more of a curry flavour.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
all curries have their own flavour and we perhaps all have our own favourites. I will most often choose a Jalfezi which is very popular today. it can be of any hotness depending how many green chillies are used in its preparation. I prefer it on the medium to mild side.

The best curries that I have had are the Curries served at "Mumtaz Bradford". You can also find them chilled in some Morrison supermarkets.

None of the best curries taste anything much like those prepared with traditional English curry powder. which are usually just hot with little flavour.
Click to expand...

Just thinking of some curries that you would find in the chippy for example, you know the strong curry flavour you can taste so vividly. I have not had an Indian where you can taste the curry so evidently, as the Indians I have tried have been very strong in Tomato taste, so much so, I would call it a Tomato dish and not a curry.
 
I usually stick to a Rogan Josh or Tikka Massala but like others I've tried many.

My favourites would be a Chicken Tikka Nawabi or Chicken Tikka channa Daal.

I think sometimes you have to get a little brave and go for it. I don't like Madras it's just too hot to enjoy I love Lamb rogan josh, and prefer what I see as a wet curry ( with Massala ) to a dry curry without a sauce.

My local curry shop used to laugh at me because each week for years I used to ask why I hadn't tried and just worked my way round the menu.

One thing to remember if you think of curry flavour is that chips shop curry sauce has not one iota to do with curry :D
 
ChrisH said:
I usually stick to a Rogan Josh or Tikka Massala but like others I've tried many.

My favourites would be a Chicken Tikka Nawabi or Chicken Tikka channa Daal.

I think sometimes you have to get a little brave and go for it. I don't like Madras it's just too hot to enjoy I love Lamb rogan josh, and prefer what I see as a wet curry ( with Massala ) to a dry curry without a sauce.

My local curry shop used to laugh at me because each week for years I used to ask why I hadn't tried and just worked my way round the menu.

One thing to remember if you think of curry flavour is that chips shop curry sauce has not one iota to do with curry :D
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I have never been a great fan of Indian food, as I much prefer Italian or Chinese food. Chinese food being eaten by me for many many years. I would only eat Indian food very rarely in my younger days, but probably in the last ten years I have tried Indian food a little more, as the missus loves it.
 
jonbeeza said:
Just thinking of some curries that you would find in the chippy for example, you know the strong curry flavour you can taste so vividly. I have not had an Indian where you can taste the curry so evidently, as the Indians I have tried have been very strong in Tomato taste, so much so, I would call it a Tomato dish and not a curry.
Click to expand...

My taste is quite different to yours... as I do not care much for the British interpretation of a curry flavour found in Kurry sauce.. ( there never was such a thing as Curry powder till the British invented it.)
Regional Indian curries vary enormously and may be based on what is available and the actual mix of herbs and spices used for the sources, they also vary in what is included and the amounts used.. The results vary in taste a great deal. The vegetable curries from the Gujarat region are outstanding, as are fish curries from the Khyber / Kashmir area as made by "Mumtaz" ( previously mentioned.)
Some dishes are all flavour and hardly hot at all. Many Indian recipes we find in restaurants are just unique family traditions that have been handed down for generations. usually given the traditional names appropriate to their main ingredients.
If you find a restaurant that suits you that is just fine... there are no rules.
 
jonbeeza said:
I have never been a great fan of Indian food, as I much prefer Italian or Chinese food. Chinese food being eaten by me for many many years. I would only eat Indian food very rarely in my younger days, but probably in the last ten years I have tried Indian food a little more, as the missus loves it.
Click to expand...


As I've got older my tastes have radically changed, I was raised in simple Lancashire post war food made by my Mum and Dad, as I got older I tried a few new things but as I got into my late 40's early 50's I became more and more adventurous. Now I'll have a try at most things including sheets brains ( yuck ) and Rabbit.

I think sometimes we have to challenge what we like to eat.
 
Many Indian restaurants look down ion "Balti" restaurants, saying that they just cook and serve everything at once in a bucket. (actually an Iron pot)
Which is pretty much true, but does not stop people liking them.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
My taste is quite different to yours... as I do not care much for the British interpretation of a curry flavour found in Kurry sauce.. ( there never was such a thing as Curry powder till the British invented it.)
Regional Indian curries vary enormously and may be based on what is available and the actual mix of herbs and spices used for the sources, they also vary in what is included and the amounts used.. The results vary in taste a great deal. The vegetable curries from the Gujarat region are outstanding, as are fish curries from the Khyber / Kashmir area as made by "Mumtaz" ( previously mentioned.)
Some dishes are all flavour and hardly hot at all. Many Indian recipes we find in restaurants are just unique family traditions that have been handed down for generations. usually given the traditional names appropriate to their main ingredients.
If you find a restaurant that suits you that is just fine... there are no rules.
Click to expand...
Just like there was never such a thing as the Fujifilm X-Pro1 , until Fuji invented it. ;)



I used to go to an Indian way back in the late 70s, and the food tasted great. I stopped going when I moved away from the area. But I never found a place that made similar tasting food. Could food change so much over the years, or possibly just their own unique cooking method possibly? Or even more feasible, my taste buds are no longer what they used to be.
 
jonbeeza said:
Just thinking of some curries that you would find in the chippy for example, you know the strong curry flavour you can taste so vividly. I have not had an Indian where you can taste the curry so evidently, as the Indians I have tried have been very strong in Tomato taste, so much so, I would call it a Tomato dish and not a curry.
Click to expand...

My taste is quite different to yours... as I do not care much for the British interpretation of a curry flavour. ( there never was such a thing as Curry powder till the British invented it.)
regional Indian curries vary enormously and may be based on what is available. the actual mix of herbs and spices used for the sources, they also vary in what is included and the amounts used.. The results vary in taste a great deal. The vegetable curries from the Gujarat region are outstanding, as are fish curries from the Khyber area as made by "Mumtaz" ( previously mentioned.) Some dishes are all flavour and hardly hot at all. Many Indian recipes we find in restaurants are just unique family traditions that have been handed down for generations.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
Many Indian restaurants look down ion "Balti" restaurants, saying that they just cook and serve everything at once in a bucket. (actually an Iron pot)
Which is pretty much true, but does not stop people liking them.
Click to expand...

We were actually thinking of having a Balti tonight, so I do hope it is a good choice.
 
I think the problem is the variation of flavours between different Indian restaurants for what is named as the same dish. We can get a chasni from one place that is fantastic and from another place that is very mild.
A knew discovery for us recently was a shakuti korma which is slightly hot and spicy but with a korma flavour.
We are all going to be ordering from our local take away after this thread [emoji51]
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
My taste is quite different to yours... as I do not care much for the British interpretation of a curry flavour. ( there never was such a thing as Curry powder till the British invented it.)
regional Indian curries vary enormously and may be based on what is available. the actual mix of herbs and spices used for the sources, they also vary in what is included and the amounts used.. The results vary in taste a great deal. The vegetable curries from the Gujarat region are outstanding, as are fish curries from the Khyber area as made by "Mumtaz" ( previously mentioned.) Some dishes are all flavour and hardly hot at all. Many Indian recipes we find in restaurants are just unique family traditions that have been handed down for generations.
Click to expand...

All though to be honest, maybe the meals served in the UK are not what you would get in India itself. Over the last few months, I have been watching YouTube videos of street food cooking in India. While the hygiene, or the lack of it is scary, the methods do look interesting.
 
jonbeeza said:
Just like there was never such a thing as the Fujifilm X-Pro1 , until Fuji invented it. ;)



I used to go to an Indian way back in the late 70s, and the food tasted great. I stopped going when I moved away from the area. But I never found a place that made similar tasting food. Could food change so much over the years, or possibly just their own unique cooking method possibly? Or even more feasible, my taste buds are no longer what they used to be.
Click to expand...

Exactly that... Indian food as we know it has changed dramatically in the UK . The first Indian restaurants Highly anglicised their food, to match English tastes. It is only of recent years that people have travelled further and tasted the real thing, that Indian restaurants have introduce the genuine regional and family recipes as would be served in the Indian sub continent. the difference is astounding.
They all now use their traditional cooking utensils and methods. rather than making do with Commercial restraint cookers. and containers.

Though Indian food varies as to heat from north to south, they have nothing like the extreme heat we often see in this country. Chilli were introduced to India by Portuguese traders many years ago, but their use varies considerably over the continent.
 
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Peter10d said:
I think the problem is the variation of flavours between different Indian restaurants for what is named as the same dish. We can get a chasni from one place that is fantastic and from another place that is very mild.
A knew discovery for us recently was a shakuti korma which is slightly hot and spicy but with a korma flavour.
We are all going to be ordering from our local take away after this thread [emoji51]
Click to expand...

The Bhuna dishes and another I can't recall, that we have tried, are heavily done in tomatoes. They taste like tomato dishes and not what I would call a curry. Unless my interpretation of what a curry should be, is wrong.

We will be ordering ours soon. I think the earliest we can order, is about 4.30pm. :)
 
jonbeeza said:
The Bhuna dishes and another I can't recall, that we have tried, are heavily done in tomatoes. They taste like tomato dishes and not what I would call a curry. Unless my interpretation of what a curry should be, is wrong.

We will be ordering ours soon. I think the earliest we can order, is about 4.30pm. :)
Click to expand...
Some dishes do have a lot of Tomatoes, where they do, they say so. there is no such thing as a curry flavour. as there is no single set of ingredients. However compared to british cooking they are all spicy and herby and some are hot. there are no rules that define a curry.

Some restaurants buy their veg in Bulk tins, tomatoes are very cheap like that. Other better restaurants only use fresh vegetables and produce. , and cook to order. you get what you pay for.
 
ChrisH said:
As I've got older my tastes have radically changed, I was raised in simple Lancashire post war food made by my Mum and Dad, as I got older I tried a few new things but as I got into my late 40's early 50's I became more and more adventurous. Now I'll have a try at most things including sheets brains ( yuck ) and Rabbit.

I think sometimes we have to challenge what we like to eat.
Click to expand...


I did not know sheets had brains... but ever since mad cows disease i have avoided brains.

However rabbit and hare are delicious One of the best meats I have ever had. My Grand father took me to the Savoy Grill where we had the best Jugged hare I have ever tasted. We had potted shrimp for starters and Bramley apple pie and cream to follow.
Although Jugged hare is a very flavoursome and rich dish it is nothing like a curry.

Devilled meats like Devilled Turkey Drumsticks are about the nearest we get to an English equivalent of a curry though they would not normally use many exotic spices and derive the necessary heat from mustard.
 
Many Indian restaurants in the UK are owned by Bangladeshis, and most of the dishes have been created, or adapted, to suit customers expectations. They don't bear a great deal of resemblance to the food you get in the sub-continent and even the word 'curry' is an English adaptation of 'kari' (sauce) dating from the days of the Raj. We also tend to eat curry with rice, which is a South Indian practice. You're more likely to get bread (chuppatis, parathas and so on) in the north, although the hotels generally mix and match because they know what tourists/visitors expect.

My favourite 'curry' isn't even Indian. It's Kukul Mas, from Sri Lanka, cooked in coconut milk, and you can make it as spicy as you like by varying the chili content. There are recipes online, and the best one is by Charmaine Solomon. Her book, The Complete Asian Cookbook, is well worth buying if you want to try making your own dishes.
 
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Last one we ordered was delicious but was delivered 2 hours early! I'd ordered it online for delivery 30 minutes after Mrs Nod had finished teaching her yoga classes online but I think they were arranging block deliveries so we got it early. Most of it survived until she had finished but there may have been a naan and poppadum "accidental ingestion"...
 
I must admit I also fancy an Italian, but the place we go for a sit down meal is a little far away to pick up. Plus they are closed as I don't suppose you can take an Italian home, or at least an Italian meal that is. As Spaghetti / pasta would not travel too well.

I think when we get back to normal or as normal as can be, an Italian is the next thing to have. :p
 
Way back in the 70s, a family member had a Malaysian friend come to stay. They cooked a meal for us all, and it was one of the most delicious meals I have ever eaten. I can still remember the taste till this day. :p
 
jonbeeza said:
Way back in the 70s, a family member had a Malaysian friend come to stay. They cooked a meal for us all, and it was one of the most delicious meals I have ever eaten. I can still remember the taste till this day. :p
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Malaysian and Indonesian food (they overlap) is excellent. Most of the dishes are quite mild compared with Thai and South Indian food, but have wonderful flavours. There are plenty of recipes in the Charmaine Solomon book I mentioned in Post 25. One thing we've never managed to get quite right is sate (small skewers of grilled meat/chicken served with peanut/chilli sauce. I can get close, but it's just not the same as we used to eat in Hong Kong back in the 70s. Maybe it's a situational/psychological thing though..?
 
MartynK said:
Malaysian and Indonesian food (they overlap) is excellent. Most of the dishes are quite mild compared with Thai and South Indian food, but have wonderful flavours. There are plenty of recipes in the Charmaine Solomon book I mentioned in Post 25. One thing we've never managed to get quite right is sate (small skewers of grilled meat/chicken served with peanut/chilli sauce. I can get close, but it's just not the same as we used to eat in Hong Kong back in the 70s. Maybe it's a situational/psychological thing though..?
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Martyn, you are so right about the Hong Kong satays, we used to go to the Stanley Club and I would absolutely gorge on them there. Mum got the recipe before we left from the chef there, and used to make the marinade and sauce exactly as per, but still not quite the same. I guess you needed the climate and colonial ambience as well...
 
I have a Garlic allergy so don't ever get to eat restaurant curry or almost any other spicy foods that aren't prepared at home
 
tijuana taxi said:
I have a Garlic allergy so don't ever get to eat restaurant curry or almost any other spicy foods that aren't prepared at home
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That is a difficult allergy... never heard of it before. Almost everything I like will contain some Garlic.
How did you find out that was your problem.?
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
That is a difficult allergy... never heard of it before. Almost everything I like will contain some Garlic.
How did you find out that was your problem.?
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Almost immediately felt nauseous and burping non stop followed by upset stomach with pain when I ate Garlic.
The evil bulb is in so many foods even those you wouldn't suspect, luckily I can taste it straight away.
It gets included because it gives the most flavour for the least cost.
Included in for instance some frozen battered Cod, almost every ready meal, pizza, burgers, soup etc etc
Strangely absent from a lot of Pate, usually safe with Sausages and other fresh meat with veg, nothing too exotic
 
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DSC_3958.jpg

Missus had the Lamb Balti and I opted for the Chicken Balti ( pictured above), oh and the customary can of Lager. :p


It was OK, but again it tasted very tomatoey.
 
DSC_3960.jpg


We split the meal in half, and we will have it tomorrow. No way we could have finished it all, you always get a generous portion. :p
 
I love Indian and Chinese food and have been home-cooking both for over thirty years. Both require a little skill and knowledge, but nothing insurmountable - the important thing is using the right techniques and ingredients.

For any of you that shop with Asda, their fresh chicken Vindaloo is very nice: https://groceries.asda.com/product/indian-takeaway/asda-chicken-vindaloo/910002599245

Tesco used to do it too, but they stopped for some reason (don't bother with their Madras - it's dreadful).
 
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