Best pastes for restaurant style Chicken Tikka Masala
 

Steve Grace was kind enough to recommend a Pat Chapman recipe for
Chicken Tikka Masala (CTM) from his book "Bangladeshi Restaurant
Curries".

If specifically after the typical taste of a UK restaurant style CTM,
has anyone found specific brands of pastes which give the closest
result? Perhaps you even know which brands of paste your local
restaurant use! Or is is best to go through the long-drawn-out process
of making Pat Chapman's various pastes at home? I assume the mix of
paste could have a significant impact on the final flavour.

The items I refer to a

1.5 tablespoons bottled mild curry paste
1.5 tablespoons bottled tandoori paste

Which brands give the restaurant flavour?

The Pat Chapman recipe also mentions:
1-tablespoon vinegar, any type

Is any type better than another? White wine or basalmic vinegar
perhaps?

Regards
George

mroo philpott-smythe wrote:
I wouldn't use white wine vinegar either. Most Indians would probably
use
> fresh lime or lemon juice to add tartness, or perhaps a tart yoghurt,
> depending on the region. Try tamarind juice if you're trying to thicken the
> sauce.
>
> sq

My ex IL's, Indians, used plain old white vinegar if they needed
vinegar. I recall some vindalooy stuff with a bit of it.
I use a very mild "natural style" brown rice vinegar (Japanese) for just
about anything Asian, except a really hot chinese dish. For that I use a
randy Pearl River Brand vinegar, which is dirt cheap and looks a little
poisonous.
blacksalt

kalanamak > wrote in
:
> mroo philpott-smythe wrote:

> I wouldn't use white wine vinegar either. Most Indians would probably
> use
>> fresh lime or lemon juice to add tartness, or perhaps a tart yoghurt,
>> depending on the region. Try tamarind juice if you're trying to
>> thicken the sauce.

> My ex IL's, Indians, used plain old white vinegar if they needed
> vinegar. I recall some vindalooy stuff with a bit of it.

There you go, only the Goans use that vinegar stuff.

> I use a very mild "natural style" brown rice vinegar (Japanese) for
> just about anything Asian, except a really hot chinese dish. For that
> I use a randy Pearl River Brand vinegar, which is dirt cheap and looks
> a little poisonous.

The brown rice vinegar is just too bland for my taste. I like the Chinese
black or red vinegars. Mine is not Pearl River, but I use a nice Chekiang
black vinegar in the kitchen.

However, like any true nutcase cook, I also have apple cider, white wine,
red wine, balsamic red, and a bottle of the Japanese brown that The
Partner bought for me under the mistaken impression that I would use it.

The regular white vinegar is really only good for washing windows! %^P

sq

mroo philpott-smythe wrote:

> The brown rice vinegar is just too bland for my taste. I like the Chinese
> black or red vinegars. Mine is not Pearl River, but I use a nice Chekiang
> black vinegar in the kitchen.
>
> However, like any true nutcase cook, I also have apple cider, white wine,
> red wine, balsamic red, and a bottle of the Japanese brown that The
> Partner bought for me under the mistaken impression that I would use it.

Let's not get in a vinegar scuffle. I have at least twenty, including
wine with pink berries a nice strong raisin vinegar. And that bottle of
incredibly expensive balsamic, that I pour out into a teaspoon and sip
whenever I've had a bad day.
If you think the brown rice vinegar too bland, try this recipe:
1 1/4 lb THIN sliced yam or sweet potato, marinated
overnight in 3 T rice vinegar, 1 teas toasted sesame oil, 1 1/2 T
sugar,
1 teas salt. I put in a sealed container and shook a few times during
the rest. Just before serving add cilantro....I added quite a bit,
whole
leaf.
I've discovered this, even with the cilantro, keeps pretty well over
night, or in a lunch pail. Very refreshing.
It is from From the Earth by Eileen Lo.

> The regular white vinegar is really only good for washing windows! %^P
>
> sq

And putting in the rinse cycle to get the smell of bleach out of whites
just bleached.
I've been told my a Young Woman of Today, vinegar isn't even used for
douche anymore, but Listerine is.
blacksalt

kalanamak > wrote in
:
> mroo philpott-smythe wrote:

[snip]

>> However, like any true nutcase cook, I also have apple cider, white
>> wine, red wine, balsamic red, and a bottle of the Japanese brown that
>> The Partner bought for me under the mistaken impression that I would
>> use it.

> Let's not get in a vinegar scuffle.

Good grief, no. I'm here to garner what I can by way of information.

> I have at least twenty, including wine with pink berries

What's that, where do you get it, and what do you use it for? What are
the "pink berries"?

> a nice strong raisin vinegar. And that bottle
> of incredibly expensive balsamic, that I pour out into a teaspoon and
> sip whenever I've had a bad day.

> If you think the brown rice vinegar too bland, try this recipe:
> 1 1/4 lb THIN sliced yam or sweet potato, marinated
> overnight in 3 T rice vinegar,

brown rice vinegar, or black rice vinegar?

Thanks for the recipe, by the bye.

>> The regular white vinegar is really only good for washing windows!
>> %^P

> And putting in the rinse cycle to get the smell of bleach out of
> whites just bleached.

Really?

I like the smell of bleach. But then I line-dry, so perhaps the smell I'm
smelling is sunshine+bleach.

I don't suppose you would happen to have a recipe for Nimki? I haven't
eaten those for about 30 years, and my tongue just waters for them.

sq

kalanamak > wrote in
:
> mroo philpott-smythe wrote:
>> kalanamak > wrote in
>> :
>> > mroo philpott-smythe wrote:


>> > I have at least twenty, including wine with pink berries

>> What's that, where do you get it, and what do you use it for? What
>> are the "pink berries"?

> Also known as "red pepper" as in the red peppercorn-sized berries one
> finds in a "4 peppercorn" mix. They have a certain astringency, and
> give the vinegar an unusual character.

Is that the "ma la," the Chinese Sichuan pepper berries aka fragara? Or
the Madagascar pink berries?

> I bought it, first, as a Paul
> Corcellet vinegar. These are NO LONGER imported (and their red wine
> vinegar from old red wine was my absolute favourite), so now I make
> mine out of adding pink berries to a bottle of middling good white
> wine vinegar. Don't add it to the really pricey stuff, as it will
> overwhelm the subtly.

Thanks, that's good to know.

> If you like vinegars, etc. try verjus. I'm just wild over it. It is
> the juice of unripe wine grapes and comes in red and white. The stuff
> out of California is just as good as the French stuff.

California wineries are putting out some good. I found a couple of nice
recipes that call for verjus, although sour isn't my favorite taste, but
I think I'll try them.

[More good advice snipped]

>> I don't suppose you would happen to have a recipe for Nimki? I
>> haven't eaten those for about 30 years, and my tongue just waters for
>> them.


> http://festivals.iloveindia.com/durga-puja/nimki.html
> gets at what my MIL did.
> I prefer papadams, esp. with the black pepper in them.

Thanks!

sq

On Mon, 06 Dec 2004 21:30:34 -0000, "mroo philpott-smythe" > wrote:


>
>I wouldn't use white wine vinegar either. Most Indians would probably use
>fresh lime or lemon juice to add tartness, or perhaps a tart yoghurt,
>depending on the region. Try tamarind juice if you're trying to thicken the
>sauce.
>
No doubt that most Indians would use lime or tamarind, but we also do use white vinegar for certain dishes. In fact, I
like to add white vinegar to my fried rice, and so far I like the Heinz brand best :)

mroo philpott-smythe wrote:

> > Also known as "red pepper" as in the red peppercorn-sized berries one
> > finds in a "4 peppercorn" mix. They have a certain astringency, and
> > give the vinegar an unusual character.
>
> Is that the "ma la," the Chinese Sichuan pepper berries aka fragara? Or
> the Madagascar pink berries?

The latter.
blacksalt

mroo philpott-smythe wrote:

> > Also known as "red pepper" as in the red peppercorn-sized berries one
> > finds in a "4 peppercorn" mix. They have a certain astringency, and
> > give the vinegar an unusual character.
>
> Is that the "ma la," the Chinese Sichuan pepper berries aka fragara? Or
> the Madagascar pink berries?

The latter.
blacksalt

kalanamak > wrote in :

> mroo philpott-smythe wrote:
>
>> > Also known as "red pepper" as in the red peppercorn-sized berries one
>> > finds in a "4 peppercorn" mix. They have a certain astringency, and
>> > give the vinegar an unusual character.
>>
>> Is that the "ma la," the Chinese Sichuan pepper berries aka fragara? Or
>> the Madagascar pink berries?
>
> The latter.

Thanks. Peter, out of the goodness of his ample heart, is sending me
fragara. I might have to beat up the ex to find out where he gets his pink
berries, but it's worth it just to get a decent peppery vinegar.

sq

kalanamak > wrote in :

> mroo philpott-smythe wrote:
>
>> > Also known as "red pepper" as in the red peppercorn-sized berries one
>> > finds in a "4 peppercorn" mix. They have a certain astringency, and
>> > give the vinegar an unusual character.
>>
>> Is that the "ma la," the Chinese Sichuan pepper berries aka fragara? Or
>> the Madagascar pink berries?
>
> The latter.

Thanks. Peter, out of the goodness of his ample heart, is sending me
fragara. I might have to beat up the ex to find out where he gets his pink
berries, but it's worth it just to get a decent peppery vinegar.

sq

On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 15:46:15 -0800, kalanamak >
wrote:
>
>And putting in the rinse cycle to get the smell of bleach out of whites
>just bleached.
>I've been told my a Young Woman of Today, vinegar isn't even used for
>douche anymore, but Listerine is.
>blacksalt

it will never replace coca-cola.

your pal,
blake

On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 15:46:15 -0800, kalanamak >
wrote:
>
>And putting in the rinse cycle to get the smell of bleach out of whites
>just bleached.
>I've been told my a Young Woman of Today, vinegar isn't even used for
>douche anymore, but Listerine is.
>blacksalt

it will never replace coca-cola.

your pal,
blake