patak cooking sauces

[Begram]

are these any good?

[don1]

Someone the other day on here somewhere said they thought Pataks were the best, personally I don't care for them.

The only way is to try one and see what you think.

[beerbelly]

As with any of these ready made sauces , you always need to add bits and pieces to spice it up .
so why not make it yourself from scratch ?
its more fun , and you know exactly what is in there !

as don1 says , try one and see !!
after that you will probably want to make your own .!!!

[Quizmonster]

It may be that my response is the one Don1 refers to above. Here's more or less what I said...
Patak's curry pastes - I have never used their sauces - are wonderful and I say that as someone who can make a very mean curry himself.
The first time I praised these on AnswerBank, someone claimed she found such pastes 'artificial' tasting. Perhaps she did not follow the Patak family court-case at the Old Bailey a year or so ago. The case was all about inheritance and whether daughters had a right to shares left them by their father. The point here is that, in the course of the case, it was made clear that 90% of Britain's 'Indian' restaurants actually buy and use Patak's pastes. I imagine, therefore, that that lady had had many a meal/take-away that she thoroughly enjoyed - with no notion of 'artificiality - little realising it, too, had come from a Patak's jar!
Personally, I brown the meat before cooking the curry, which the instructions on the jar do not suggest. Not so much chicken, but - with beef, lamb and pork recipes - I brown the meat in oil, then drain it before proceeding. That way, you do not get the rather unpleasant, greasy liquids that sometimes appear and go on to make the curry too sloppy. Also, I do not just put the tinned tomatoes in as the instructions suggest...I put them in a bowl, mash them down a little with a fork/potato-masher then drain them, this time saving the juice. Again, this avoids an excess of liquid. You can always add some of the saved tomato-juice if the curry seems too dry. I also occasionally 'fiddle' with ingredients - a little extra sliced chilli here and a couple of tablespoons of Patak's vindaloo paste there - and finish up telling my partner-lady that "We're having Patak's King Prawn Madras Plus this evening."
To be honest, these pastes are so good that I really have to be "in the mood" to bother creating a curry from scratch nowadays.
Give them a go.

[fideldyfee]

They're nice and "cure your curry cravings" which is always a bonus.

[nickmo]

You don't need to be Delia to make a sauce If you are put off by the though of too many things to do to make one try this:

1 teaspoon of curry powder

1 Tablespoons of olive oil

1 tin of plum tomatoes (about 400g)

10-15 dried apricots

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

half a red chilli (with or without seeds)

1 green pepper, roughly chopped

Mix the oil and curry powder in a small dish and leave for about half an hour or while you prepare the other ingredients. This brings out the flavour of the spices. Place everything including the oil and curry into a liquidiser and whiz up until smooth. Season with sea salt if wanted.

Seve with any cooked veg or meats.

And yes you don't need to cook it.......

Or try the suggestions here: http://www.zindagee.co.uk/cuisine/curries.htm The oil is part of the flavour of the curry and should not be skimmed off - its all part of the proper flavour...