UGH - What a disaster!

[MrMickeysMom]

I was SO looking forward to making what is supposed to be an exceptionally good korma from a long held Classic Indian Cooking book of mine. But, BOY, what a hot mess I made of it.

Now, all I can do is pick out the burnt onions and try to add a separate batch of onions. Breaks my heart.

Royal Braised Vegetables in Cardamom Nut Sauce (Shahi Sabz Korma)

I prepped all ingredients that were carefully chopped uniformly 1/4 inch x 1/4 inch x 1 and 1/4 length (potatoes, turnips, carrot). Where I screwed up was after the initial part, where the same uniformly cut paneer (Indian Cheese) was fried, then set aside. It called me to add the rest of the vegetable oil, and then on "high" fry onions, garlic, ginger root and green chiles for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Well, my stove is new (I know I was supposed to post pictures of my new kitchen, but I haven't yet). My burners must put out WAY more on "high", and in a very short time, I singed the MO-FO!

I can't stand it, but I'm much the wiser now. I don't think I'm gonna try this again until the spirit really moves me.

[elleng]

1. VERY sorry to hear it, Mom. :-(

I don't cook 'Indian,' my Pakistani friend cooks in that form generally or we go out when he really misses 'his' food. I stick to anglo/european, and have fits with his electric stove!

[MrMickeysMom]

2. Thanks, elleng… There must be a old adage for this...

You know… One cannot master something unless one fails along the way…

For some reason, after having the urge to cook this way years ago, I set that type of cooking aside. I usually stick to mostly vegetarian, and definitely Mexican and Italian cooking, all the while being more appreciative of eating out Indian when we celebrated.

But, I've gotten to know many more people from India, and over the last year or so, I've gotten an even stronger urge to pick it up again. I think it's the new kitchen. After years of being so limited, to go back to this type of cooking.

I don't like electric, like you probably don't.

[elleng]

5. I don't like electric at all,

but am stuck using it when I'm at my friend's house, as I am now. Heading to the cottage tomorrow, for an OLD gas range! I do have a curry sauce I got from James Beard years ago, and it's so simple I use it often with leftover roasted chicken. It's smashing, when served with rice, yogurt, and the right chutney. And sunflower seeds!

I am impressed that you've wanted to cook Indian, and am sure things will go well once you're used to your new kitchen.

[Warpy]

3. We need to swap stoves, then

I don't do Indian, prefer to get it out, but I do a lot of Chinese cooking that requires blast furnace level heat and my Monkey Ward gas stove just won't do it properly. Cooking takes a lot longer than it should instead of being the next thing right on the heels of the last, stir, pour in the sauce ingredients, thicken and serve.

Maybe when I order the new washer and dryer, I'll get a stove to match. The reason I haven't done so is that the old Monkey Ward stove has the only calibrated oven I've ever had.

[MrMickeysMom]

4. Monkey Ward...

I still have a Monkey Ward fridge from 1982…. small, tucked under the basement counter and sink and just right for drinks.

[NJCher]

6. sigh

Read the OP twice, trying to imagine it. I can see how that would have happened, especially in a new kitchen and cooking with an electric range.

You'll get the hang of cooking on an electric range; it's just different.


Cher

[MrMickeysMom]

7. No, actually, I have a gas range!

What I wasn't prepared for was how effective an output my gas has, due to the way I was supposed to fry (with over 10 TBS of oil) the recipe's onions, garlic, fresh ginger and chiles for "about 10 min". What was supposed to be "high" on my gas should have been maybe a setting of "4" out of "10".

Were I to try this again, which eventually I will, I realize that one cannot possibly put the setting of my burner on "high". It was actually stupid of me to think it wouldn't burn to a crisp, which is what it did. I had all the ingredients ready, but by that time I started adding to this mess, I knew everything added to it was being added to a burnt combo.

My next Indian recipe will be using some fresh okra, so I'll have learned something. I love gas over electric!

[Nac Mac Feegle]

8. Those who do not make mistakes rarely make anything

Chalk it up as a Real Learning Experience, and remember.

You're not the first one to have problems changing between gas and electric.




"There's a fine line between caramelize and carbonize. You just crossed it." Me- to a kid in Culinary School after he walked away from a large pan of onions. Even the instructor laughed.

[MrMickeysMom]

9. It's worse than that, Nac...

I was already a gas person who just wasn't quite prepared for her much improved version of a gas stovetop!

But, you're right about that fine line. And, I shall learn. I love to cook!