Fifty Weeks, Fifty Curries: Week Thirteen: Bori Curry
2014-Dec-08, Monday 21:14![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dorchadas
I don't have much of a preamble for this week's post, because I had no idea what it was going to be. Unlike last week, where schoolpsychnerd explained that it was going to have apricots in it and got me really curious about how it would taste, I knew nothing. I knew it was going to have short ribs in it because I was there when we bought them (someday, the butcher will have stew lamb again...), but I didn't even know it had potatoes until I suggested eating some of the pita we got from True Nature with it and schoolpsychnerd told me it was already starchy.
I did know that the Bori in the name of the curry referred to a specific group of people in Mumbai who had originally been a group of traders from Gujarat, and 50 Great Curries of India claims that their curry is well-liked by local people but can't be found in restaurants, although there are spice mixes sold in local stores.
After that preamble, let's talk about the curry.
It wasn't bad. It wasn't even that it was bland, like shalgam gosht was. It was more that the disparate tastes never really blended together into a coherent whole. There was the onion taste, and the potato taste, and the curry spicy taste, and the meat taste, but they were all separate and it was a little offputting. It didn't really feel like I was eating a curry, actually--more like a bunch of stuff that had just been thrown together. Which is what a curry is, but, well, it usually comes out with some kind of flavor even if that flavor is "the burning." This curry didn't even do that.
Words from the Chef
So that's about it. I don't know exactly what the problem was. The first thing I'd think of is that the flavors didn't have enough time to blend and that it might be better to put it in the slow cooker, but since it has potatos they'd turn into mush and then it wouldn't look like the picture in the book. The recipe specifically says that the whole thing is only supposed to cook for thirty minutes and that's how longschoolpsychnerd cooked it for, so maybe that's what it's supposed to taste like? If so, I can see why it's not in restaurants. It doesn't have much to recommend it.
Would I Eat It Again?: I would not.
Do I Prefer It to the Usual Thai Curry?: Nope.
What Would I Change?: I'm not sure how to change it without completely overhauling it, sadly.
schoolpsychnerd explained that it was going to have apricots in it and got me really curious about how it would taste, I knew nothing. I knew it was going to have short ribs in it because I was there when we bought them (someday, the butcher will have stew lamb again...), but I didn't even know it had potatoes until I suggested eating some of the pita we got from True Nature with it and schoolpsychnerd told me it was already starchy. I did know that the Bori in the name of the curry referred to a specific group of people in Mumbai who had originally been a group of traders from Gujarat, and 50 Great Curries of India claims that their curry is well-liked by local people but can't be found in restaurants, although there are spice mixes sold in local stores.
After that preamble, let's talk about the curry.
The giant bag of coconut is because the recipe wanted schoolpsychnerd to make her own coconut milk by pureeing it. Not sure why she couldn't just buy coconut milk... 
schoolpsychnerd to make her own coconut milk by pureeing it. Not sure why she couldn't just buy coconut milk... It wasn't bad. It wasn't even that it was bland, like shalgam gosht was. It was more that the disparate tastes never really blended together into a coherent whole. There was the onion taste, and the potato taste, and the curry spicy taste, and the meat taste, but they were all separate and it was a little offputting. It didn't really feel like I was eating a curry, actually--more like a bunch of stuff that had just been thrown together. Which is what a curry is, but, well, it usually comes out with some kind of flavor even if that flavor is "the burning." This curry didn't even do that.
No frying onions this time. Instead, frying potatos!
Words from the Chef
This curry felt a bit fussy in terms of directions (I am looking at you, make your own coconut milk!). I understand respect for fresh and regional ingredients but I really wish there had been a note that said "or you could buy coconut milk if you don't feel like fighting with a fresh coconut." I think that's something I've noticed is that they group ingredients by order of use, which isn't so bad until you get to one that has 2 different uses of the same ingredient. This curry, for the work I put into it was not a great reward, which is sad. I keep wondering if there was something I could have done differently but I followed the recipe exactly. Ah well, they can't all be mindblowing.
A mixture of spices! I think there are onions in there.
So that's about it. I don't know exactly what the problem was. The first thing I'd think of is that the flavors didn't have enough time to blend and that it might be better to put it in the slow cooker, but since it has potatos they'd turn into mush and then it wouldn't look like the picture in the book. The recipe specifically says that the whole thing is only supposed to cook for thirty minutes and that's how long
schoolpsychnerd cooked it for, so maybe that's what it's supposed to taste like? If so, I can see why it's not in restaurants. It doesn't have much to recommend it.It looks really good...
Would I Eat It Again?: I would not.
Do I Prefer It to the Usual Thai Curry?: Nope.
What Would I Change?: I'm not sure how to change it without completely overhauling it, sadly.
