base_sydney

The curries, my wife cooks tastes very different from the restaurants'. In fact, most of the curries she makes are not available in the restaurants (she learnt them from the cooking classes which she did back home).

After coming to Sydney, we have hardly been to any Indian restuarant. We always try asian food whether u r at the foodcourt or while choosing a posh restaurant. Why bother going to an Indian restaurant when we can cook better stuff at home.

However, having said that, we r still missing the good Indian/pakistani cuisine which we used to get back in Manchester!!

SonicBird

Here is a fantastic curry recipe.. it's easy as pie too...

Ingredients
6tbsps cooking oil
2 medium onions, coursely chopped
2.5cms/1inch fresh root ginger peeled and roughly chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, coursely chopped
4-6 dried red chillies

2 large cloves garlic crushed
1-2 fresh green chillies, sliced lengthways
225g/8oz tinned tomatoes
3 tsps ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½-1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
1kg leg or shoulder lamb, fat removed and cut in 4cm or 1½inch cubes OR
1kg of chicken
175 ml/6fl oz warm water
1¼tsps salt
1 tsp garam marsala
Chopped fresh coriander

Recipe
1. Heat 3 tbsps oil over medium heat, fry coursely chopped onions, garlic, ginger and RED chillies until onions are soft.. remove from heat allow to cool.

2. Heat remaining oil and fry Crushed Garlic and GREEN Chillies until garlic is browned.

3. Add half the tinned tomatoes, with juice. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.

4. Add cumin, coriander, chilli powder and turmeric, cook over low heat for 6-8 minutes.

5. Add meat, increase the heat and fry for 5-6 mintues until meat changes colour.

6. Add water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 mins.

7. Place onion mixture (left cooling from earlier) in liquidiser, and remaining tomatoes and juice, blend till smooth. Add this mixture to pan, add salt, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 35-40 mins or until meat is tender.

8. Stir in garam marsala and remove from heat. Stir in fresh coriander.

SERVE with boiled basmati rice and chapattis!

It's yummy I promise!!!!!

Bix

Did I tell ya I found an interesting Indian feedery ?

MrsDagboy

Lynn, we used to eat at Little Indain Palace quite often (when we lived closer) & always enjoyed it, but then we like "indian" indian food (as opposed to UK indian).

FWIW, we ate once at Bengal Curry House & thought it was horrible & chose Little Indian Palace in preference after that (even though it was 10 mins further away).

annqldau

Do you think there is maybe an Australian Ex-pats site in the UK with loads of Aussies complaining that 'it's not like we used to get in Oz' and wondering why Marmite doesn't compare to Vegemite It's like the people who go to Spain and complain that you just can't get a good fried breakfast or fish and chips like at 'home' and expect the Sun newspaper - after all, we moved to get away from the UK - not to bring it all over here with us! You can eat virtually any nationality you like here - ok some aren't as good as others, but how may crap restaurants did you go to in the UK before you found your 'favourite'?

From 'Mr Annqldua' - not the Mrs

cam_uk

I agree but i think the point is that if you go to a restuarant and order chicken and chips, you pretty much know what your going to get ... but with curry there seems to be so much difference .. the last curry i had in oz (which was in newcastle, nsw back in 2002) basically tasted like meat and gravy ...

Now we're back, i'd like to find somewhere to eat a curry ... that just tastes like curry ... not tastes like curry like back home

lynnlovessun

I like Indian food! Whats the big deal!? - its not like i'm trying to find 'Scottish' food from back home in Oz - i'm loving the new food here but now and again I just want a curry - an 'Indian' one not an English one!!!!!

Lynn

annqldau

How many really 'Indian' curry places are there in the UK - I would say most of them are post 1st generation immigrants to the UK so doesn't that make them 'English' curries after all? I enjoy a balti and most other types of curry although not a fan of stuff like phaal - too hot to taste it - but let's be honest - the UK is hardly the culinary centre of the universe is it?? you need to go to France for that It's amazing how a dish that was made to disguise crap meat can be such a topic!

(Mr Annqldau again)

lynnlovessun

Indian curries in Glasgow are just that - Indian!!!!! Most of my local Indian restaurants (not balti's - thats an English concept having balti restaurants) are run by indians who have lived in India or Pakistan at some point.

Glasgow happens to have an amazing array of culinary delight restaurants - its a very cultural city. At no point have I missed Scottish food or craved for that - I'm just looking for some decent International restaurants to dine in as well as trying new foods - I think you'll find that Australia is mainly inspired by asian cooking anyway.

Lynn

annqldau

Ah! there lies the problem we are English not Scottish and therefore like a good English/Indian curry in a Balti restaurant. Had a very good night there last night with cracking band on who were strangely enough ‘Scottish’… . If the Scottish insist on letting people from India or Pakistan make their curries they will never get the correct English curry.

As for the Scottish food I’m not surprised you have not missed Haggis, Oatcakes or Porridge but can see why you would miss the whisky although personally I prefer Canadian Club… .

We on the other hand have imported Fish and Chips and in PaulB’s case the good old English Sunday dinner (he just needs to perfect the Yorkshire mix. But, we are both up for trying the Asian food as will try anything once.

Answer by Annqldau not Mr. .

annqldau

"(not balti's - thats an English concept having balti restaurants)"

From "http://www.owlsprings.com/the_balti_page/"

The Balti is an Indian dish representative of a style of cooking which some say is native to Baltistan. It's a kind of curry, its ingredients usually assembled and cooked quickly in a manner reminiscent of a stir-fry.

The heart of this style of cooking is a cast-iron pot, originally also called the balti. The balti evolved into a half-hemispherical pot as likely to be made of steel as iron, and usually called the karahi or karai. A Balti is usually both cooked in the karahi, and served at the table in it. Typically served with Balti is naan bread, a thinnish leavened bread (somewhat like pita bread) torn up and used as an eating implement, to scoop up the Balti and get at the sauce. This utensil-less approach turns Balti into one of the "sport" foods, like ribs: you get it, or it gets you, and sometimes both.

Balti in Europe started attracting notice over the last few years in Birmingham in England -- particularly in the city's Sparkhill and Sparkbrook areas, home of some of the oldest and best Balti houses, and now increasingly known as "the Balti Belt." Word of the wonderfulness of Balti began to spread through the rest of the UK and elsewhere, with the result that Balti is rapidly turning into one of the "hot" things in the food world (to the amusement of those of us who've liked it for years).

This page is an acknowledgement of people's continuing interest in this yummy subset of Indian food. We'll be posting recipes here, addresses of places where you can get Balti-making equipment and spices, and the names and addresses of restaurants (mostly in the UK and Ireland at first, but elsewhere as we hear about them) which offer Balti.

...Just a note here about the origins of the name "Balti": various correspondents (such as Olaf Stutzke, [email protected], and Saad As-Jandal, [email protected]), have written to say that Balti doesn't have anything to do with Baltistan, which they both describe as an area where most people are vegetarian, and not likely to have evolved a cuisine with so much meat in it. Saad As-Jandal adds, "It seems like the Pakistani community in Birmingham and elsewhere have attatched a romantic notion that these so called Balti dishes originate from Baltistan, whereas from my knowledge it is more commonly found in Peshawar North West Pakistan, where it is known as 'Karhai'. -- So please spread the word and let it be known."

That would seem to end the confusion over whether it is an Asian or British dish I think. It may be more popular in recent times in the UK, bit it's origins are definitely Asian and as such you can be allowed to appreciate this type of curry as well without feeling like you've come to the dark side. Just don't be frightened to do it in the correct style and get your fingers in there. It took the Scots years to get culture in the first place - maybe you'll catch up soon with the Balti

Mr Annqldau

lynnlovessun

You better be kidding me on mr annqldau or else i'll never chat to your missus again !!!!!!!!!. Think i'll give the english style balti and st george wearing waiters/ waitresses a miss!!!!! - i'd far rather have an authentic indian curry - indian style not glasgow or english!!! lol

p.s when the birkdale gets spiced onions and pakora (not onion bajis) let me know - then i'll go back!!!!!

madsad

If you ask the Birkdale owners to make you pakora & spiced onions they will Just ask put your best smiley face on

Donna.

Bix

Anyone for Chinese ?

annqldau

Now as it happens oninon bajis are my favourite i'd rather have the onion bajis and a pappadum than the main meal as easily filled. Well Chinese I like them as well but haven't had the chance yet to try the Brisbane China Town restaurants yet. Any tips... anybody tried one and liked?