Undercover Curry: An Insider's Expose of British Indian Restaurant Cookery Paperback – 26 Mar. 2010

This book claims to show you how to make an authentic British Indian Restaurants (BIR) curry. These restaurants rely on the availability of chefs from Bangladesh. Presumably because these chefs have been trained, so this gives a measure of the scale of the task ahead of you. Most 5 star reviewers of this book have long experience of Indian cooking and presumably enjoy the process. I am a beginner, so how did I do?As mentioned by others, there are no real recipes as we know them in this book. Before you can play with the rules, you need to understand them. Without measured recipes, no rules are provided. There are some good stories that provide background, but more is needed. However, I played along and set to work. First I made the garlic and ginger puree. This was relatively straightforward, using garlic, ginger and oil - that had to be pureed. What a faff! What a mess! Fortunately, it made a lot, but now I find that I can buy the frozen puree from Morrisons.Then on to peeling and slicing onions for the bhaji, whose oil was an essential ingredient for the 'gravy', more of which later. Let's just say that the result was not as good as commercial bhajis. The mix was gooey and stuck to my hands, making it difficult to make nice shapes. We ate them for lunch and I managed to get a few millitres of orange-coloured oil.Then on to making the gravy. This is given top billing by the author as being the one thing that gave the genuine BIR curry. This was relatively easy as I measured nothing and chucked in as much of each as I thought right, with no experience of what was reasonable. The result was surprisingly good, but nor what I thought BIR gravy should be. I am not sure that I could get the same result again.On then to making something to eat. I used chicken as the base but forgot to add garam masala and coriander. It would have been nice to have a shopping list.The result was an acceptable curry, but one I did not recognise from anything that I had eaten before.I am not a purist and I have other things to do, so I have to ask, "is it worth it?" Sharwoods and Pataks make very acceptable sauces that are quick to turn into a meal. It may not be BIR, but it is consistent. And for the special occasion there are those expert chefs at my local takeaway. All without getting the blender out and spending time preparing ingredients and washing up.If you like spending time cooking and are happy to experiment as you make several curries a week, then this book might help. Otherwise, either use a cook-in sauce, or marry a Bangladeshi chef.That was my first impression, but now I have made more curries and enjoyed experimenting. It has given me a fun hobby, so I have changed the rating from 1 star to 4. Probably after making 20 curries I might start to get the hang of it, but in the meantime I am enjoying the surprise of what I produce each time.

The curry made from this book is brilliant, better than any curry we have ever tasted. It encourages you to use as little or as much of anything you put in - although I must admit it would be better to have more of a guide line of quantities or at least tell you where to buy a curry spoon.....could be a marketing opportunity for someone to produce this!? Once you have the main 'gravy' sauce in the freezer, a patia sauce, doppiaza, tomato puree and the garlic and ginger - all in your fridge, you are literally minutes from eating the most delicious curry. You will be delighted with the results, I never thought it possible to make such a good curry.It is a shame that the korma curry is not included as it is very popular - I have great comments/results with the vindaloo, patia and my korma which I made up by using the book.Recipe as follows - pre cooked chicken (I cook my chicken breasts in the microwave with a little seasoning and tiny amount of water-then cut up into chunks straight into the curry) Oil in pan-add 1 banana-sliced, (Dipping) - 1 rounded desert spoon or more ginger/garlic paste, 2 rounded teaspoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon tomato puree, good pinch fenugreek leaf, a sprinkle of cardomon and cinnamon, good pinch of demerara sugar. Then add chicken, cashew nuts and stir well, add gravy to coat and a good chunk of coconut cream block, coriander leaf and lastly just before serving add another sliced banana and stir in yoghurt or single cream. Of course add less or more of anything you wish.The book does have handy places to add your own notes, there is no index which would be handy although you soon get the hang of it, it is a very easy read and well worth reading right through before you start. Enjoy!

I’ve been cooking Indian meals for the past 30 years. The food I was taught was Gujarati in basis and while it’s authentic, it’s nothing like a BIR takeaway — which is what my kids want to eat. This book delivers.So it’s not simple-simple, it’s a bit of a chore to do all the prep, but do it. I’m used to cooking with spices etc, but this is a different approach and you cook in large batches. And to be honest, that’s actually quite easy.I tell you, when you have that freezer stocked with your “gravy”, and any day of the week you can whip up a takeaway, in less time than your local can deliver, you will realise it’s all worth it. Or when your kids beg for your food, instead of push it around a plate with a sneer. Yep, this book is life changing.Do it. Don’t be put off if it seems a bit complex at the beginning. Just put aside some time the first time you cook a batch. You won’t regert it.Come on Dave, I want more. Just do another book. There’s got to be more we can learn.Thank you Dave. Great book, brought a lot to my household and unlike any of the other thousands of cook books I’ve bought (and read and barely used). X

I think my cooking education is complete. I have mastered (with the aid of this excellent book) the ability to make a Madras that looks, smells, and tastes the same as the best Indian restaurant.Now for me that is very significant. I am a curry addict. I swear if I had to only eat one type of cuisine for the rest of my life - it would have to be Indian. I do love to cook Indian from scratch, as other entries in this blog testify....but they are never the same as what you get from a good Cuzza. I know they are different, I know it's not traditional, but hey - I also know that I love them. Properly love them. I travel for work a lot, and sitting down in a small cuzza of an evening....just me, a Madras, a couple of pints and my Kindle, and I am a very very happy man.Now - I can be that happy at home.Here's a link to my blog to show you my efforts: http://shrestaurants.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/bir-madras.htmlIt's a quirky book to read...but when the author starts with a simple Dhal, and then states his 'test' curry in any Restaurant is a Vindaloo - then you know you are in good hands....