BBQ spice

[Buckman]

We like BBQ spices on our chicken, but for some reason it has been difficult to obtain the normal BBQ spice from supermarkets. Not prepared to pay silly prices for shipping an item costing under £2.
We have also noticed that many supermarkets seem to be replacing the known spices like Swartz and Robertsons with their own brands. Not sur eif it is my imagination, but the supermarket ones although cheaper do not taste as strong or as tasty as the original known brands. We have to use almost twice as much to get the same flavouring.
Of course it could be all in the imagination! LOL!

 

[Hutch]

We tend to make our own Spice mix, and normally purchase our spices from a local Asian store.

 

[otherclive]

We like BBQ spices on our chicken, but for some reason it has been difficult to obtain the normal BBQ spice from supermarkets. Not prepared to pay silly prices for shipping an item costing under £2.
We have also noticed that many supermarkets seem to be replacing the known spices like Swartz and Robertsons with their own brands. Not sur eif it is my imagination, but the supermarket ones although cheaper do not taste as strong or as tasty as the original known brands. We have to use almost twice as much to get the same flavouring.
Of course it could be all in the imagination! LOL!

Or Covid affecting your taste buds. 😷

 

[Buckman]

Or Covid affecting your taste buds. 😷

Neither of us have ever had Covid and noticed the difference in flavour before I had the radiotherapy for my throat, but get your humour. BTW I stopped smoking in my twenties, but had to breathe in second hand smoke.
Recently I have been experimenting again to see which of the spicier spices I can still use and I like the BBQ flavour, but cannot get it in any brand from Sainsburys or Morrisons. Like Hutch I have been making my own.
It was OH who remarked that the stuff like oregano, sage, parsley did not seem to be as flavoursome. My taste buds are only starting to recover 14 months later so hard for me to tell, but while OH is in hospital I have been attempting cooking adding various flavours and spices. I am gradually losing weight.

 

[Hutch]

I like a touch of Chilli

 

[Buckman]

View attachment 3075

I like a touch of Chilli

We used to grow our owne "Devil's chillies" They are the small chillies which are really potent. I love curries, but in the UK it seems that they have no idea how to make a proper curry as most curries are made for European tastes when a curry is a flavour and not the main ingredient.

 

[Hutch]

Having worked, in Trinidad, Pakistan, India and Nigeria, I have tasted many different styles of Curries. Trinidadian goat, being one of my favourite ones.
I grow two different types of chilli plants in the summer.

 

[Buckman]

Having worked, in Trinidad, Pakistan, India and Nigeria, I have tasted many different styles of Curries. Trinidadian goat, being one of my favourite ones.
I grow two different types of chilli plants in the summer.

Goat is the correct meat to use for a curry as in India they do not kill cows who are sacred. Think it was mainly goat, chicken and fish used for curries in India. Of course also beans. They used curry leaves rather than the powder and that gives it a very nice taste.
In Durban a favourite was a Bunny Chow. This was a loaf of bread cut in half and the innards scooped out. This was then filled with the curry meat so the bread soaked up the juices. Very filling. Try it sometime. You will enjoy a totally new experience.

 

[Dustydog]

BBQ chicken spice is so varied, like Hutch never buy a ready made. Our secret is to use our homemade as a rub , cover, and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight.
One taste I’ve never replicated is KFC.

 

[Hutch]

They do slaughter, and eat Cows in India, it is just the Hindus thatbdo not eat Cow. A lovely country. ( edit)

Fun Facts About India

India has the largest cattle inventory in the world. Thirty two percent (32%) of the world's cattle are in India.

beef2live.com

.

 

[otherclive]

They do slaughter, and eat Cows in India, it is just the Hindus thatbdo not eat Cow. A lovely county. .

Fun Facts About India

India has the largest cattle inventory in the world. Thirty two percent (32%) of the world's cattle are in India.

beef2live.com

.

Buffalo meat is eaten in India quite widely, and doesn’t clash with the Hindu respect for cows.

 

[Hutch]

 

[otherclive]

For those who want to have the feeling of a Phantom on reheat

 

[Buckman]

For those of you who have lived in Natal, you know how typical this is. They actually have a Curry cook-off about June/July. It takes up a major portion of a parking lot at the Royal Show in PMB.

Judge #3 was an inexperienced food critic named Frank, who was visiting from Australia.

Frank: "Recently, I was honoured to be selected as a judge at a Curry Cook-off. The original person called in sick at the last moment and I happened to be standing there at the judge's table asking for directions to the beer garden when the call came in. I was assured by the other two judges (Natal Indians) that the curry wouldn't be all that spicy and, besides, they told me I could have free beer during the tasting, so I accepted".

Here are the scorecard notes from the event:

CURRY # 1 - SEELAN'S MANIAC MONSTER TOMATO CURRY....
Judge # 1 -- A little too heavy on the tomato. Amusing kick.
Judge # 2 -- Nice smooth tomato flavour. Very mild.
Judge # 3 (Frank) -- Holy hell, what the hell is this stuff? You could remove dried paint from your driveway with it. Took me two beers to put the flames out. I hope that's the worst one. These people are crazy.

CURRY #2 - PHOENIX BBQ CHICKEN CURRY...
Judge # 1 -- Smoky, with a hint of chicken. Slight chilli tang.
Judge # 2 -- Exciting BBQ flavour, needs more peppers to be taken seriously.
Judge # 3 -- Keep this out of the reach of children. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to taste besides pain. I had to wave off two people who wanted to give me the Heimlich manoeuvre! They had to rush in more beer when they saw the look on my face.

CURRY # 3 - SHAMILA'S FAMOUS "BURN DOWN THE GARAGE" CURRY...
Judge # 1 -- Excellent firehouse curry. Great kick.
Judge # 2 -- A bit salty, good use of chilli peppers.
Judge # 3 -- Call 911. I've located a uranium spill. My nose feels like I have been snorting Drain Cleaner. Everyone knows the routine by now. Get me more beer before I ignite. Barmaid pounded me on the back, now my backbone is in the front part of my chest. I'm getting drunk from all the beer.

CHILLI # 4 - BABOO'S BLACK MAGIC BEAN CURRY...
Judge # 1 -- Black bean curry with almost no spice. Disappointing.
Judge # 2 -- Hint of lime in the black beans. Good side dish for fish or other mild foods, not much of a curry.
Judge # 3 -- I felt something scraping across my tongue, but was unable to taste it. Is it possible to burn out taste buds? Shareen, the beer maid, was standing behind me with fresh refills. That 200kg woman is starting to look HOT...just like this nuclear waste I'm eating! Is chilli an aphrodisiac?

CHILLI # 5 LALL'S LEGAL LIP REMOVER...
Judge # 1 -- Meaty, strong curry. Cayenne peppers freshly ground, adding considerable kick. Very impressive.
Judge # 2 -- Average beef curry, could use more tomato. Must admit the chilli peppers make a strong statement.
Judge # 3 -- My ears are ringing, sweat is pouring off my forehead and I can no longer focus my eyes. I passed wind and four people behind me needed paramedics. The contestant seemed offended when I told her that her chilli had given me brain damage. Shareen saved my tongue from bleeding by pouring beer directly on it from the pitcher. I wonder if I'm burning my lips off. It really annoys me that the other judges asked me to stop screaming. Stuff them.

CHILLI # 6 - VERISHNEE'S VEGETARIAN VARIETY...
Judge # 1 -- Thin yet bold vegetarian variety curry. Good balance of spices and peppers.
Judge # 2 -- The best yet. Aggressive use of peppers, onions, and garlic. Superb.
Judge # 3 -- My intestines are now a straight pipe filled with gaseous, sulphuric flames. I am definitely going to poop myself if I pass wind and I'm worried it will eat through the chair. No one seems inclined to stand behind me except that Shareen. Can't feel my lips anymore. I need to wipe my bum with a snow cone ice-cream.

CHILLI # 7 - SELINA'S "MOTHER-IN-LAW'S-TONGUE" CURRY...
Judge # 1 -- A mediocre curry with too much reliance on canned peppers.
Judge # 2 -- Ho hum, tastes as if the chef literally threw in a can of chilli peppers at the last moment. (I should take note at this stage that I am worried about Judge # 3. He appears to be in a bit of distress as he is cursing uncontrollably).
Judge # 3 -- You could put a grenade in my mouth, pull the pin, and I wouldn't feel a thing. I've lost sight in one eye, and the world sounds like it is made of rushing water. My shirt is covered with curry which slid unnoticed out of my mouth. My pants are full of lava to match my shirt. At least, during the autopsy, they'll know what killed me. I've decided to stop breathing - it's too painful. Screw it; I'm not getting any oxygen anyway. If I need air I'll just suck it in through the 4-inch hole in my stomach.

CHILLI # 8 - NAIDOO'S TOENAIL CURLING CURRY...
Judge # 1 -- The perfect ending. This is a nice blend curry. Not too bold but spicy enough to declare its existence.
Judge # 2 -- This final entry is a good, balanced curry. Neither mild nor hot. Sorry to see that most of it was lost when Judge #3 passed wind, passed out, fell over and pulled the curry pot down on top of himself. Not sure if he's going to make it. Poor man, wonder how he'd have reacted to really hot curry?
Judge # 3 - No Report.

 

[Beachball]

When i was younger at boarding school i met someone his family came from Nairobi and they moved to London and he invited me over for a long weekend we had chicken curry & rice he put a pint of bitter next to me .you will need it he was not wrong . I have brought a curry when we are out for a meal never had the same taste .

 

[Buckman]

When i was younger at boarding school i met someone his family came from Nairobi and they moved to London and he invited me over for a long weekend we had chicken curry & rice he put a pint of bitter next to me .you will need it he was not wrong . I have brought a curry when we are out for a meal never had the same taste .

Making a curry hot to the taste is not the correct way to make a curry. Curry is like a flavouring to enhance the taste, you only add a bit of curry to flavour the dish. OH was shown how to make a curry the correct way and it is enjoyable. Most curries you buy from take away are made to suit European tastes and can be extremely hot with no real flavouring.

 

[Dustydog]

I and SWMBO 30 years ago did a term at Indian cookery classes.
They never used”curry” powder.
All herbs and spices were added individually and made into a paste after warming them in a frying pan. Coriander , cumin,Garam masala garlic ginger ground cloves turmeric cardamom, chopped red chillies,green chillies, cocoanut, etc.
It was here we discovered how ignorant the British are on Asian foods.
Doesn’t curry mean Gravy in Indian cooking?

 

[otherclive]

Making a curry hot to the taste is not the correct way to make a curry. Curry is like a flavouring to enhance the taste, you only add a bit of curry to flavour the dish. OH was shown how to make a curry the correct way and it is enjoyable. Most curries you buy from take away are made to suit European tastes and can be extremely hot with no real flavouring.

We rarely these days have an Indian curry for exactly the reasons you say. Having had a few visits to the sub continent we realised that the local food has so much more flavour than the British variant. Yes you can get very hot ones but more often than not the meal doesn’t blow your head off with heat.
Luckily we have a good Nepali and Sri Lankan near us who do pretty genuine dishes.

 

[Buckman]

I and SWMBO 30 years ago did a term at Indian cookery classes.
They never used”curry” powder.
All herbs and spices were added individually and made into a paste after warming them in a frying pan. Coriander , cumin,Garam masala garlic ginger ground cloves turmeric cardamom, chopped red chillies,green chillies, cocoanut, etc.
It was here we discovered how ignorant the British are on Asian foods.
Doesn’t curry mean Gravy in Indian cooking?

Thanks DD for confirming what i have been saying. Best is using the curry leaves and not the powder. I love the taste of Bobotie which is actually a Malayan dish served with yellow rice and raisins. Another favourite is biryani.

 

[Hutch]

One of my most used spices is a ready mixed black pepper and dried lemon zest, it gives a lovely tang,
In India I found the taste for "heat" in the food was greater in the North than the South. And in Pakistan tomatoes were used very much more towards Gilgit and Chitral in the north, and very bland food, and in the Hunza valley they made a lovely wine from the local grapes.

 

[Buckman]

One of my most used spices is a ready mixed black pepper and dried lemon zest, it gives a lovely tang,
In India I found the taste for "heat" in the food was greater in the North than the South. And in Pakistan tomatoes were used very much more towards Gilgit and Chitral in the north, and very bland food, and in the Hunza valley they made a lovely wine from the local grapes.

We use coarse ground sea salt and coarse ground pepper for flavouring and hardly ever use the fine salt on food. Fine salt is only for the pot when it is boiling. I don't think we have any of the fine pepper in our home or caravan.

 

[Hutch]

We have both fine, whole pepper and, Sea salt and Himilayan salt, check out Chitral and Gilgit, in Pakistan, on Google maps. A nice area.

 

[otherclive]

We have both fine, whole pepper and, Sea salt and Himilayan salt, check out Chitral and Gilgit, in Pakistan, on Google maps. A nice area.

You might like The Golden Oriole by Raleigh Trevalyan. Pre owned for £4-£6.

It covers Gilgit,Chitral, and the northern areas too with some amazing early photos too.

 

[figbat]

I and SWMBO 30 years ago did a term at Indian cookery classes.
They never used”curry” powder.
All herbs and spices were added individually and made into a paste after warming them in a frying pan. Coriander , cumin,Garam masala garlic ginger ground cloves turmeric cardamom, chopped red chillies,green chillies, cocoanut, etc.
It was here we discovered how ignorant the British are on Asian foods.
Doesn’t curry mean Gravy in Indian cooking?

But isn't garam masala a spice mix?

I did a "curries of the world" cooking course a while back - chiang mai jungle curry, bobotie, cape malay curry, katsu, uwarmah ala dijaj (middle eastern)... we were given the recipes to make the various spice mixes from scratch plus the methods for using them. None of them were very hot but all were very tasty and learning a few basic techniques is useful for any time you want to use spices.

The best curries I have ever tasted I have no idea what they were. I was on a business trip, visiting farmers in the vast outback of Gujarat, a long drive into the countryside from Ahmedabad. I happened to be at one village at lunch time, where they were preparing various dishes simply to sustain the farmers and they offered to feed me too - it was incredible food, but very simply created and served.

 

[otherclive]

But isn't garam masala a spice mix?

I did a "curries of the world" cooking course a while back - chiang mai jungle curry, bobotie, cape malay curry, katsu, uwarmah ala dijaj (middle eastern)... we were given the recipes to make the various spice mixes from scratch plus the methods for using them. None of them were very hot but all were very tasty and learning a few basic techniques is useful for any time you want to use spices.

The best curries I have ever tasted I have no idea what they were. I was on a business trip, visiting farmers in the vast outback of Gujarat, a long drive into the countryside from Ahmedabad. I happened to be at one village at lunch time, where they were preparing various dishes simply to sustain the farmers and they offered to feed me too - it was incredible food, but very simply created and served.

We were travelling in UP and our driver stopped for us to have lunch at a small roadside eatery. Like yours two village ladies cooked the most amazing meal over a cow dung fire using just basic utensils. Really memorable.