Hello Mamta

I often wonder why your recipe for 'Chinese Curry Sauce, Like you get from the Take Away 1' is always in your 'top 20 recipes' of the month list and 4th in 'all time favourites'? It doesn't taste anything like so many of your wonderful curry recipes here or like any curries I have ever eaten at Indian restaurants! In fact, I hate the chips & curry sauce from Chinese take away and don't see the point of it.

By the way, I am a regular user of your site and have recommended it to many of my friends.

Regards

Warren

Hi Warren

I think you're in the same boat as mum - she doesn't like the chinese takeaway curry sauces either so is often bemused by the popularity of that recipe. But that's always the way - if we don't like something we find it hard to understand how much others can like it.

I actually do like takeaway curry sauce - it's a completely different thing to real curry and I don't even think of it in the same way. But for me... I would never want to cook it - I like it for what it is and if I fancy it I'll order some from the chinese takeaway!

:o)

I agree that it's pretty poor stuff, and bears no relation to good Indian cooking. But I have to confessthat I developed an addiction to it many years ago. Not that I ever make it at home.

I have English friends who developed a fondness for dreadful school meals food while at booarding school, so maybe it's a bit like that phenomenon.

It's the kind of thing I used to have a craving for after too many pints in the pub of an evening.

I wouldn't admit this to any of my friends in France!

Phil

Exactly...

It's like... we all know that doner kebabs are only good for scoffing on the way home from a drunken night out and yet... and yet I still crave them now and then even when I've not been drinking or even out for the evening... luckily one of our local 'bab houses delivers. And yes I do know what's in some of them but it simply does not impinge on my cravings whatsoever!

I often have proper mince meat kebabs at my mum's house or at good restaurants and enjoy real tastylicious lamb too but... that cheapo doner kebab just hits the spot sometimes!

And so it is (for some of us) with chinese takeaway curry sauce!

I did not know you ate Donar kebabs Kav, ugh!!!!

Long time ago, I used to get meat from a Pakistani butcher in Bury park, a very friendly gentleman. When he cleaned the meat for me (and others), removing fat/tendons etc., he used to throw all the scraps on a big heap, in one corner. This looked rather yuk. One day I asked him if all that went into animal feed. Do you know what he said? "Donar kebab people love it because it is full of fat and keeps their kebabs moist". They can?t get enough of it. I don?t know if this is still true, but I could never touch or get tempted by Donar kebabs from that day! Just thinking about it still gives me the shivers after 20 years!

Mum

Mum, yes you did know that I eat them and every single time I mention it you tell me that exact same story about the butcher and the scraps and then you forget and the next time I mention it you say you didn't know I ate doner kebabs and tell me again!!!!!

And you know what? I don't CARE! :o)

:D

I must be loosing my memory ! I bet I say that too every time ;)!

Mum

Hey, Mamta, it's the prerogative of those of us of a certain age to forget things and keep on repeating the same old stories.

When I first took my Belgian fiancee to a kebab takeaway shop in Edinburgh at around 2.00 am, I was deeply apologetic about it all, given that she knew French cuisine. But she had a kofta kebab, and if it's decent meat, along with salad and pitta bread, I guess that's not junk food at all. She loved it.

I was also initially apologetic about HP sauce, but in fact it contains a wealth of interesting spices, so I wonder whether there might be an Indian connection in its history. It's sold as exotica in France, in delicatessens spcialising in foreign foodstuffs. Haven't seen it here in Texas.

Although she was quite happy to have a go at kebabs initially, she was very wary of Indian and Chinese food, which was a bit of a challenge, given that this is mostly what I cook and eat. But you can go softly softly on these things, introducing people to yoghurt-based, mild sauces to begin with, and then moving on from there. That strategy worked a treat!

Phil

I am sorry... but I also hate the chinese style curry sauce... its far too sweet and sickly for my liking.

Its mostly only an english thing to get "chips and curry sauce" with that kind of sauce on it.... Up here in the land of the scots we prefer "chips and cheese" on our drunken walks home from the pub ;)

I like the curry sauce on special fried rice and eat it with prawn crackers on the very very very few and far between visits I make to a Chinese takeaway.. (the sauce is really only to add moisture in this case)

Mind you since finding this site I don't think we've been to an Indian takeaway either...

Steve

Well, some Indian takeaway places can be sort of alright, though I see what you mean.

In Montpellier in France, we sometimes get an Indian takeaway, but it's gone from ok to poor, so count your blessings if you're in the UK.

Over here in Austin, Texas for a few months, I'm having Indian food for lunch on a daily basis, but I'm the only non-Indian/Pakistani person in the queue!

Phil

We broke from the norm the other weekend and ordered out !

Well it was late, we'd been busy and had both decided we could go without eating but at the last minute a "kebab" was mentioned...

Having not ordered takeaway for so long, we had to ring around our daughters for a recomendation on which takeaway do the best ones...which we then ordered.

now I remembered why we don't get take out... no doubt in another few years I will have forgotten again... LOL

Steve

(and I'll bet there is a fine kebab recipe on here)

In answer to my own post -

Chicken Sheek Kebab 1

Chicken Sheek Kebab 2

Meat Kebab (quick version)

href="http://www.mamtaskitchen.com/recipe_display.php?id=10063">MeatSheek Kebab

href="http://www.mamtaskitchen.com/recipe_display.php?id=10119">Shami Kebab (meat or chicken)

and thats only some of them (there are many other with lamb, fish and even fruit to be found)

oops try again -

Chicken Sheek Kebab 1

Chicken Sheek Kebab 2

Meat Kebab (quick version)

MeatSheek Kebab

Shami Kebab (meat or chicken)

When I first introduced my French Belgian fiancee to a Turkish kebab joint in Edinburgh back in the late 80's, I was deeply apologetic, because I thought of it as grub for people chucked out of pubs at closing time, but she loved it! She had a kofta kebab with salad and chilli sauce, in pitta bread.

We now do Indian kebabs for some of our French guests at lunchtime. But that's as far as we've been prepared to go in offering Indian food to our French friends!

Phil

Hi Phil

Try tandoori chicken pieces, served with a salad or plain pilaf rice on your French friends. It usually goes quite well.

Another thing to try is a Tandoori Roast leg of lamb, with Indian marinade.

I am sorry I can't make it clickable for you, I am still in India and do not remember how to make it clickable:-(!

I may not answere for a while becaiue access to computer is limited.

Mamta

OK, Mamta, I'll try that once we get back to France.

Thanks!

phil

how do u make prawn and potato spicy curry

Make a spicy potato curry and add prawns at the end of cooking time, just for one boil, no more.

Mamta

Although I enjoy 'authentic' Asian curries as well, I must admit to the occassional craving for that Chinese takeaway curry fix, even though I know it's not actually that nice in any conventional meaning of the word. I've found the best way to reproduce the taste exactly is to shop where the takeaway and restaurant owners buy their ingredients from. We have a massive Asian supermarket near us that is primarily a wholesale outlet for the catering trade but also sell to the general public in smaller quantities. They sell the pastes and powders used by the takeaways. By far the best (and cheapest)way to get that taste just right. They even sell the restaurant crockery to serve it in!

Den, its not a bad idea if you can crowbar the info out of the takeaway in the first place. Some don't mind telling you but others will try to avoid giving away secrets as it means they might lose customers as you make your own.

You could of course keep your eye on which vans turn up making deliveries...

Steve

Called at my parents the other day and they have bought a bottle of Curry Sauce which is like a ketchup for squeezing on chips and such. Its the style of Chinese chip shop curry sauce and the ingredients listed include apples and pinapple. This must be to give it that sweetness and add extra thickness to it.

Steve