Mamta, I'm about to have a go at this recipe (Navaratam Murg Korma). Two queries:

1. Your recipe clearly requires whole almonds, but I've got finely sliced almonds. Should they also soak?

2. I'm not clear about where the ionions come in: they're not part of the marinade. Should I fry these before putting the rest in the slow cooker?

Phil

Phil, I just saw this. I was busy cooking for daughter number 2's freezer this morning.

Sliced almonds are fine, soaking will make it easier to grind them and mix with other nuts.

I have added them raw, see picture, to the marinated chicken before putting them in a slow cooker. You can fry them, but they are fine as they are, because they cook slowly with chicken and mingle well.

I am sorry, the recipe does not mention it clearly and needs editing, thanks for pointing it out. It will have to wait for another 6 weeks or so before I can edit it. I have made a note.

Mamta

Thanks, Mamta: I'm going to start the marinade now.

I've only just realised that you can click on the small photos on the left hand side of the recipe: what a technophobe!

I also didn't know what a slow cooker was, but I've checked it out on Google.

Looking forward to it! Phil

Slow cookers are mgreat, I have just finished cooking a lamb curry in it. It smells very nice and OH says it taste good too.

They're electric, right? I'm going to get one. Could help a lot in the kitchen.

Phil

Hello Phil

If a friend has one, borrow and try it out first. They are good, I use them all the time, but you have to be sure. There are some now that are a combination of Slow Cooker, Steamer, Rice Cooker, Porridge Maker etc. This way, you save a lot of cupboard space; http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tefal-RK701115-Steamer-Porridge-Brushed/dp/B000T76URQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1265483848&sr=1-1

This one is a bit expensive but it is worth looking around on the net. Amzon have a good selection too. Some are a combination of rice cooker and slow cooker. Argos do some inexpensive ones. If you cook only for two, there are mini ones too, I think!

Mamta

Thanks, Mamta: I'll check it out.

Mamta, just one small point when you get the time to edit the recipe for this korma: if you've had the chicken marinading in the fridge overnight, people should make sure to take it out way ahead of the cooking time, so that the yoghurt comes to room temperature.

Otherwise, as you say elsewhere, the yoghurt might separate when cooking.

I took it out of the fridge 2 hours before cooking, but that wasn't enough. Also, I need to use full-fat yoghurt, as you suggest. Looks good, though, despite the separation.

Good point! I have noted it down for correction later on. Thanks Phil.

Mamta

I would have thought the splitting was due to the use of low fat yoghurt, rather than the low temperatures. I use yoghurt straight from the fridge every time, and don't have any problems with splitting, since I have been using a different yoghurt.

Oddly I use 0% fat Greek Style yoghurt straight from the fridge and don't have problems with that splitting either !

Steve

It doesn't always split when cold, but is more likely to. As you said Lapis, skimmed milk yoghurt is also more likely to split.

If at room temperatur, it is less likely to split, for some reason. This can also be stopped by adding a little of the hot gravy and then adding it to the curry. Sometimes, adding a little cornflour/besan also stops this.

Maybe it's the full-fat factor, or perhaps also the fridge factor, or both: it's an empirical question. I'll see.

It wasn't really a success: I overdid the cardamom, and although I cooked it in a heavy pot on the lowest setting on the electric ring, that was too hot.

I'll have to do it in a really low oven, or in a slow cooker, if I get one.

Phil

Phil, what were the problesm with it, may be I can help.

if you cook with a lid on, you will lose less of the aromatics than without a lid. It is tempting to add the same amount of spice, regardless of cooking process, but it really does make a difference. If the recipe is good enough (as it should be on this site) then I suggest following it to the letter. One reason why North Indian dishes use garam masala is so that the strongly aromatic spices are added in the correct proportions at the beginning of cooking, and not sprinkled at hoc at the end!

On this one, I think Lapis is bang-on: follow the recipe to the letter (which is what I normally do when I first try a recipe, unless I see something in it that just doesn't feel right).

I've become rather slap-dash with spice amounts, which is partly where I went wrong here: the taste of cardamom was drwoing out the other tastes. I also should have used full-fat yoghurt. Until such time as I get a slow cooker, I think I'll try it in a very low oven.

I'm also going to try doing one of your tandoori chicken recipes, Mamta, but with quails, for which we currently use a Spanish recipe which contains grated red peppers, ground cumin, garlic, chilli powder and olive oil. I'm sure I had tandoori quail once in an Indian restaurant in Edinburgh.

these old type recipes relied on cooking with pots on top of the range, as western style ovens are a very recent introduction in Indian culinary terms.

[When I went to see aa friend in Bangalore, neither he, or his house maid had even lit the grill, let alone the oven! Lets say I didn't break the 'Primary Directive']

In the past, if heat was required all around, a compromise was found by sealing a pot with a ribbon of dough, then charcoal was placed on top of the pot. Very little aromatics were lost, but one couldn't have a peak to see if all was still fine!

Hello Phil

If you try the tandoori chicken with quails, please take postures. If the recipe works for them, we can add it either on the chicken recipe as a not or write it again for quails. I know, I am becoming a picture bore, keep asking everyone!

You are right lapis, very few people in India have Western style ovens. They either gave gas cooker top tandoor or oven as part of their new microwave ovens. Even the proper tandoor is not that common in domestic use. Dum was indeed availed by dough seal. My mum used it for some vegetarian dishes, specially her vegetable pulao (called pilaf in UK for some reason).

Mamta

Pilaf I think of as Middle Eastern, which came first I don't know, but rice is said to originate from east of India, so it might be that rice spread from India to Persia, for example. Paella comes from the same route, I think.

Of course, pilau rice in a so-called 'Indian restaurant' just means rice, the sort and combination being up to the cooks there.

I really should write up my "pilau rice" recipe as its a far cry from the takeaway stuff... !

Steve

thank goodness......

Lapis: charcoals on top of a heavy pan with a lid sounds like it would do the trick. But how do they monitor the temperature accurately.

Mamta: we've bought a new digital camera (after I dropped the old one outside a seafood restaurant), but we need to insert a CD into the Mac to get it set up tp have pictures uploaded; I'm a complete technophobe, but I might try it.

Pictures are great idea, especially since I've now seen that they can be accessed at the side of the recipe!

Did a roast pigeon last night: not a success. I'm going through a bad culinary period!

Phil

how do you monitor the temperature in your oven? You rely on the setting on the dial. Mine was 20?C too low! when I used an oven thermometer. Older ovens (non fan ovens) are very poor at maintaining a temperature.

I assure you that 'glowing embers on the pan top' is the way it is done. It all comes down to experience, and watching Mum ;?) There's quite a bit of science to it, as well, a bit like a tagine!

I find modern ovens very variable, but I can't see how the temperature shown on the liquid crystal display can be wrong.

Perhaps the problem is that many of my recipes are based on older ovens, and so my contemporary oven is too hot when fan-assisted.

But even our last oven, in a cooker bought fewer than 10 years ago, was less ferocious than this one.

It seems that you just have to get to know your own oven, through trial and error.

I read somewhere tht fan ovens need 20C less temperature and cook 10% faster, unless you use non-fan setting. I usually cook at 15C less temperatre if using an old recipe. Cakes and breads are specially vulnerable and burn, if you do not make this change.

From Mamta

"Hello Phil

If you try the tandoori chicken with quails, please take postures"

snigger snigger!

LOL! That is what happens when one uses spellchecker and not check what the blessed spellchecker is checking. Well spotted, LOL!

You will notice a few other spelling porblems for the next few days, I am using a computer where keyboard misses out letters at random!

I'm going to have my second attempt at that korma, this time with yoghurt which is definitely full-fat, an I'll try the tandoori quails this weekend. In both cases, I'll be posturing as much as I can (this is France, after all, the land of limitless posturing!)

It is best to have it at room temperature.

I havn't been able to make corrections, discussed previousy, yet.

Mamta: I got this dish right the second time.

Just my luck that I've discovered full-fat yoghurt at the time when my doctor is telling me to cut down on that kind of thing (cholesterol).

And soon, more full-fat yoghurt: tandoori quails!

Phil