Knorr Patak's Professional

[dapprman]

21TonyK said:

Ended up doing two batches, dinner and snacks for the next day.

Zero effort cooking. Ideal.

I might reconsider how I use these - generally used them as curry sauces added to liquid and slow cooked and found them disappointing (i.e. following the instructions on the jar). Think part of the problem is I grew up on Nazir's curry pastes from when they were for first/second generation Indian migrants around the Manchester area, as when they targeted a larger audiences they became sauces and lost a lot of flavour.

[NorthDave]

cheddar said:

Knoor/Pataks 'Professional' description is a disingenuous way of admitting that their previous efforts were water diluted, below par products, aqua filled to add profit.

Your local Indian wholesale outlet will have Madras/Tikka/Korma/Rogan Josh paste jars, non water padded, way more richness and authenticity for less than half the price.
They're the real deal.

Search for 'Mothers recipe' Indian paste.

There is no water added to the pastes? Not sure about the sauces as I havent tried them but the pastes are just spices and oil (to keep them fresh).

[FredericRobinson]

NorthDave said:

There is no water added to the pastes? Not sure about the sauces as I havent tried them but the pastes are just spices and oil (to keep them fresh).

A retail jar of Pataks Madras paste has water as the highest ingredient, followed by ground spices at 24%, oil at 18%, salt 4.7% and a few other bits and bobs which won't be in at very high levels, so around 50% added water, how this compares to the 'professional' paste I don't know though

[21TonyK]

FredericRobinson said:

NorthDave said:

There is no water added to the pastes? Not sure about the sauces as I havent tried them but the pastes are just spices and oil (to keep them fresh).

A retail jar of Pataks Madras paste has water as the highest ingredient, followed by ground spices at 24%, oil at 18%, salt 4.7% and a few other bits and bobs which won't be in at very high levels, so around 50% added water, how this compares to the 'professional' paste I don't know though

The professional tandoori one I have lists water as the main ingredient. Still happy with it, Not as good as some of the dry spice mixes I have used but its convenient and to hand for every day use. If I want to do something a bit better I can but for little or no effort the returns are perfectly acceptable.

[FredericRobinson]

21TonyK said:

The professional tandoori one I have lists water as the main ingredient. Still happy with it, Not as good as some of the dry spice mixes I have used but its convenient and to hand for every day use. If I want to do something a bit better I can but for little or no effort the returns are perfectly acceptable.

Better than the retail stuff?

[21TonyK]

FredericRobinson said:

Better than the retail stuff?

I've not used the retail paste, they look pretty similar though. I suspect the professional is just slightly stronger but the salt per 100g is much less than the retail.

Professional
Water, ginger puree (22%), tamarind (8%), coriander powder (3.5%), salt, cumin powder, paprika powder, acid (acetic acid), garlic powder, paprika extract, spices. .

Retail
Water, Ginger Purée (18%), Ground Spices (11%), [Coriander, Cumin, Paprika, Spices], Tamarind (8%), Salt, Acids (Acetic Acid, Lactic Acid), Garlic Powder (3%), Colours (E163, E122, E129).

[LeadFarmer]

I probably wouldn't be in a rush to buy the Knorr/Patak Korma paste again. I made a korma yesterday using my usual method, but also adding a little paste, and having also marinaded the chicken in the paste. It did add some flavour but the recipe I use for korma is perfect as it is, and just as good as takeaway flavour.

In some oil and ghee, slow fry some thinly sliced onions with some garlic & ginger paste, with lid on until onions go soft.
Turn up heat to slightly brown the inions
Add some cumin, turmeric, cardamon seeds, chilli powder, almond powder, desiccated coconut, sugar, salt.
Once stirred in add some water
Transfer to a jug and blend with stick blender until smooth.
Fry some chicken then add the sauce you made.
Stir in some double cream, and serve.

[Cotty]

LeadFarmer said:

I probably wouldn't be in a rush to buy the Knorr/Patak Korma paste again. I made a korma yesterday using my usual method, but also adding a little paste, and having also marinaded the chicken in the paste. It did add some flavour but the recipe I use for korma is perfect as it is, and just as good as takeaway flavour.

I don't follow the recipe on the jar of madras paste. I fry/brown some diced beef in a cast iron casserole dish on the hob, add some chunky cut onions and bell peppers give them a stir for a bit. Tip in a tin of diced tomatoes, maybe some chilies as well, heaped tablespoon of the paste, stir and lob it into the oven for an hour or so with the occasional stir.

Im not saying its amazing but it produces an edible dish without too much effort. I am actually working from home dealing with armoured car claims and fine art and jewellery claims worldwide so I just want a little convenience. This thread was never ment to be the holy grail of curry cooking it was just "if you can't get this paste, here is where you can find it".

Sod it im off to play The Sims 2 and see if they can cook dinner without burning the kitchen down.

[LeadFarmer]

I made a curry last night using the Knorr Patak Rogan Josh paste, which is very good.
I slow fried some sliced onions with garlic puree and ginger puree, then blended with a stick blender.
Back into the pan with some tomato puree, a few spices (cumin, tumeric, garam masala) and a tin of chopped tomatoes,
Added some of my home made curry gravy.
In a seperate pan I fried off some chicken with a dollop of the Knorr Rogan paste, and added it to the rest.
Then separately I fried off some chunky slices of onion, red pepper & tomatoes on a hot heat, and added to the rest.
Simmered for 45mins
Was lovely.

[21TonyK]

I did a very quick one the other night although the thighs did have 12 hours marinate first.

Basically shoved a pack of skinned boneless thighs in two heaped dessert spoons of paste and yoghurt before going to work.

For dinner stuck them under the grill on max until charred. Meanwhile sweated off finely diced onion with cardamom seeds, whole cloves and a bit of Kashmiri dried chilli. Then added some tomato paste, the remaining marinade and the fat and juices from the grilled chicken, added half a stock cube and some water and a splash of cream. Added the thighs in and reduced.

Came out very well for about 20 minutes work.

[giblet]

Couldn’t source any smaller jars of Pataks online however I just marinated 1/2kg of chicken breast in this with some yogurt



Smells alright, will leave it in the fridge for a day or so and cook them off in the tandoor

[giblet]

Forgot to report back. Seems either I used way too much sauce or it’s stronger than it seems. I get the feeling this is catered more towards asian palettes whereas the Pataks will be more generic if their other sauces are anything to go by.

Marinated the chicken for 24 hours and then had to cook it in the grill as it had started raining.

Pretty simple hassle free meal. Will use less paste next time and cook them in the tandoor or the bbq

[Cotty]

giblet said:

Pretty simple hassle free meal. Will use less paste next time and cook them in the tandoor or the bbq

Got a pic of your tandoor?

[giblet]

Cotty said:

Got a pic of your tandoor?

It’s a DIY jobbie as you can probably tell. Terracotta liner trimmed a bit and put inside a cut down metal drum. Sand and firebricks for the base, used an empty tin of sweetcorn for the vent hole. Filled the sides with perlite as insulation. Left some firebricks on the top to weight the insulation down. Planning to use some cement and broken tiles to tidy it all up a bit.



Sits at 500C if you load it with fuel. Tried making naan in it twice so far with mixed results. Hoping to have another play over the bank holiday weekend.

[Cotty]

Impressive