Been making curry for 30 years, this was brilliantly explained and so important to understand - There is so much emphasis on making base gravy these days, but do this properly and no need.
I can't believe that some of these commenters are watching the same videos that I am. Just follow what she's doing and saying and apply some critical thinking, and it will be fine...
Think they expect to be spoon fed step by step instructions!! There's going to be a time she's not going to be able to reply to the all the comments the more these guy's comment just watch the videos guy's!!
Very very interesting - never heard it broken down like this before, so thank you! Something I’ve noticed is that very many dishes use the same spices - BUT - in different proportions and that seems to account for many different flavours. Additionally, the time when the spices are introduced seem to make a difference too. Could you make a video explaining this please?
My wife and I love your food you are a great cook and teacher, when are you going to bring out your book as I am getting writers cramp. Your fans and students here in Perth Australia.
Hey Shamza, like other people I’ve been making curries a long time and only on odd occasions been happy with the outcomes. I follow the ingredients to the letter and never seem to capture that authentic flavour. I tried this today and absolutely loved it! The process and timings you give have really made me think differently about how I’ve been doing things and the result were fantastic. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thank you!
Hi Shamza, This is a great idea, showing the basic techniques of making a great curry rather than a good one. I've always had problems with the oil separating, though if I reheat it in a microwave it separates perfectly, I think you've just shown me why! Can I have some more please!
I really appreciate the explanation of the bhunning process. You use the word so often I had to google to get a basic understanding - but the full explanation is very much appreciated!
Shamza is the queen of explaining the bhunning process. She breaks it down step by step like no other online cook/chef who often skip parts/rush the process for the sake of making their video less monotonous BUT it is this very process that transforms a dish from mediocre to brilliant. I credit Shamza for transforming my bhunning technique which I struggled with for years. Gone are the days when I used to resort to a hand blender because my onions hadn’t broken down! My mother, bless her, taught me how to cook, but Shamza is a close second and definitely in top position for the bhunning process alone. FYI - she forgot to mention it’s an Urdu/Hindi word (pronounced slightly differently depending on accents etc. In Punjabi, it starts with P (phoon).) It literally means ‘continuously mixing or stirring’. I always wondered what her non-Urdu/Punjabi speaking followers were thinking whenever she said that. 😅
Thank you so much Sadz for this lovely comment. I tryy best to explain things how I was taught and I am glad that my manner of teaching is clear and concise. 😊🙌
Great information. Thanks. I tend to batch cook and then portion and freeze (I live alone). As such, I usually make double the quantities stated in recipes. One thing that I have noticed when batch cooking large quantities is that the bhunning process for the meat, in particular, takes MUCH longer before the released liquids have evaporated and the oil starts to separate. But it's very important to allow this time.
Thank you Shamza, had been waiting for this video. Great lesson, quite difficult to explain but you’ve done a very good job especially with the practical part to reinforce. I will be bhunning with confidence from now on!
MaashaAllah beautiful explained this is one of the best cooking channels I have come across on CZcams. Thank you so so much May Allah bless you and your family so much may Allah always protect you and your family Ameen. JazakAllahu khairan
This is what I needed when I was at uni. Always ended up with spicy tomato soup with chicken. My mum used to say over the phone "Bhun it puthar". I was like how long for? She always did everything by eye and couldn't explain properly. In the end she just bulk preped everything and sent me back to uni with a load of frozen curries.
Thanks for this Shamza. So you do this with basically ALL of your curries, regardless of which one it is - the only difference is the blend of spices, and which protein ingredient you want (chicken, beef etc)
Not totally. If the curry base requires the onions to break down then yes. As a result particularly needed for North Indian curries. Some curries, eg dhal/lentil preparation usually involves creating an aromatised oil (tarka) which has onions and you add it to the boiled lentils without first cooking the onions until they effectively dissolve.
Red_Snappa, a majority of the curries use this technique, like I mentioned dhal and plain rice dishes do not require this. With dhal we finish it off by adding a tarka which is tempering the onions and spices without the need to break down. Pilau or biryani dishes do as you're cooking the meat with the onion base masala so the process is required.
@@MyLittleKitchenRecipes Thanks Shamza. I bhuno the onions as you’ve shown, on the majority of my curry’s now. I also used to be wary of cooking breast meat too long, as I’ve read it was supposed to ‘dry out’ if you did. As you’ve said before somewhere, it doesn’t seem to when it’s cooked in the sauce. Thx again 👍
Beautifully presented as always Shamza and I have eagerly awaited this video. I agree totally with all the comments posted here and now feel confident in making my dishes better.
Love your videos and learnt a lot from this, however I’ve always browned off my chicken First on a high heat first and then done the other parts, do you not miss out on flavour from essentially boiling the chicken?
Just made a curry doing this Shamza 👌 A couple of points with mine: Even with the extended cooking times, the skins on the Tom’s didn’t break down and were still there at the end, so I’ll purée them next time I think. Also, the amounts I used for a recipe that I’ve done before without using this process, always fills a large TA tub (for going in the freezer), this time, it was a bit short, because of the extra reduction I guess, so again, I’ll be tweaking the amounts a bit because the flavour was spot-on and 'richer' as you say. Can’t wait for our 'Curry Night' this weekend. Thanks again Shamza 👍👍
Just a quick note about the skins of the tomatoes - they never break down or dissolve. My mum and I just take them out as soon as they start to separate from the rest of the tomato whilst cooking. Even our digestive system can’t break them down (this was mentioned on a TV show recently called ‘Know your sh*t: inside our guts’. Some people choose to boil the tomatoes in advance to remove the skin but I think that’s a waste of time. Just remove them as soon as they start to separate. Otherwise the only way to “breakdown” is to use a blender (but you’ll only really just be shredding them).
That was a terrific video Shamza, thanks so much for sharing your knowledge in a clear and understandable way. I’ll definitely use your tips going forward 🙌🏼🙌🏼
Hi Shamza I did this recipe just like you making sure I did the Bhunning right to the end which I have never done properly before & it turned out absolutely brilliant, Thank You it's in my cookbook Ha...👍👍
Hi thanks for the explanation. Can I ask that if you're cooking chicken, especially breast as in this video, if it's fully cooked in the watery gravy then wouldn't the bhunao process, while getting rid of the water from the gravy, just overcook the chicken leaving it dry?
Omg this happened to me last week. With cubed chicken breast full of watery sauce! I covered it and all the water from the chicken breast ruined my nice thick sauce. I had to try to fix the sauce by adding in yoghurt and some cornstarch and water. It was edible tasted better the day after. HOWEVER I THINK I need some coaching on how many tablespoons of curry powder or masala per pound of chicken for example and how to average for the water that's released with cooking and also how much water to add if any. I made a huge curry mess last week and my poor husband said for the first time in our 11 year marriage "don't make this dish again" 😐 and he never ever complained and is not picky about anything to give you an idea of what a disaster I had
I suppose the easiest way to describe it is slow cooking to let more of the flavours both come out and meld with all the others. Slow cooking (unless overdone) always results in a far tastier dish and can make the toughest of meats tender. I think Lamb Handi would be a prime example, oh what a delight.
Hi Miss Shamza the triplets age 7 tia tahira tamira says this is the best channel for desi dishes on the internet… hehe . Making awesome dishes for there uncle B over the weekends love and light :)
Thank you for a very informative video! Can you please explain why in some videos you use diced onions and in others (such as this) you chop the onions into thin strips? Does it matter when making masala base? Thanks
Shamza, is it ok to make a large batch of the base sauce, separate into separate containers for freezing and then defrost, heat and prepare that days meal without loss of flavour? I'd appreciate your advice. Thank you.
Garam masala is added at the end as its a blend of all the whole spices to subtlety enhance the flavour of the overall dish. If added at the beginning, you wouldn't be able to taste nor smell the aroma of it hence why it's added at the end.
Hello Shamza, I've just discovered your channel whole searching keema curry. You make absolutely delicious looking food and I'm a seasoned Indian and Pakistani curry fan especially lamb on the bone bhuna. I make curries along these lines myself but I cheat using curry powder and whole garam masala spices and I actually like chewing the cardamoms 😅😂😂. Thanks for your videos I'll subscribe 👍👍
Mainly curries from Northern India/Pakistan I believe use yoghurt 1. as a souring agent ( which all curries need in their various forms, tomatoes, tamarind liquid etc) and 2. to tenderise the meat..
A lot of them do use yoghurt, but not all. I also prefer to use fresh tomatoes over tinned ones (though I add a 1/2 tablespoons of tinned tomatoes to add a subtle tangy flavour).
The chicken here is dead in the water. Chicken breast cooked like this just destroys it,it will be stringy & tough. If such a long cooking process is required at 100C (ie boiling) then dark meat should be used such as the thighs as they have the fat to cope with the long cooking requirement. Sauce yes, looks truly amazing but the chicken should be binned.
more videos like this where you actually educate us on the techniques used to cook and the science behind it
Been making curry for 30 years, this was brilliantly explained and so important to understand - There is so much emphasis on making base gravy these days, but do this properly and no need.
Great video. The keys to making good curry. Big thanks 🙏 I’ll use these steps all the time now.
Thank you, and yes sure is if you want that depth of flavour
I can't believe that some of these commenters are watching the same videos that I am. Just follow what she's doing and saying and apply some critical thinking, and it will be fine...
Think they expect to be spoon fed step by step instructions!! There's going to be a time she's not going to be able to reply to the all the comments the more these guy's comment just watch the videos guy's!!
Your post made me laugh! People are amazing, right?
I’m not sure you known what critical thinking is, part of it is to ask questions, hence the commenters.
Very very interesting - never heard it broken down like this before, so thank you!
Something I’ve noticed is that very many dishes use the same spices - BUT - in different proportions and that seems to account for many different flavours. Additionally, the time when the spices are introduced seem to make a difference too. Could you make a video explaining this please?
Noted.
Love all ur recipes the way u explain & all is done so differently I’m sure the taste is delicious
Thanks for watching
i love the authenticness
My wife and I love your food you are a great cook and teacher, when are you going to bring out your book as I am getting writers cramp. Your fans and students here in Perth Australia.
Aww thank you so much for your kind words. I hope to one day.
you just enlightened me very informative love your shows and your acent
Hey Shamza, like other people I’ve been making curries a long time and only on odd occasions been happy with the outcomes. I follow the ingredients to the letter and never seem to capture that authentic flavour.
I tried this today and absolutely loved it! The process and timings you give have really made me think differently about how I’ve been doing things and the result were fantastic.
I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing this important step in cooking
My pleasure 😊
Hi Shamza, This is a great idea, showing the basic techniques of making a great curry rather than a good one. I've always had problems with the oil separating, though if I reheat it in a microwave it separates perfectly, I think you've just shown me why! Can I have some more please!
Thanks for watching and you're very welcome 👍😊
Incredibly informative....you really have to release a recipe book! 😋
One day! 🙌
I really appreciate the explanation of the bhunning process. You use the word so often I had to google to get a basic understanding - but the full explanation is very much appreciated!
Shamza is the queen of explaining the bhunning process. She breaks it down step by step like no other online cook/chef who often skip parts/rush the process for the sake of making their video less monotonous BUT it is this very process that transforms a dish from mediocre to brilliant.
I credit Shamza for transforming my bhunning technique which I struggled with for years. Gone are the days when I used to resort to a hand blender because my onions hadn’t broken down!
My mother, bless her, taught me how to cook, but Shamza is a close second and definitely in top position for the bhunning process alone.
FYI - she forgot to mention it’s an Urdu/Hindi word (pronounced slightly differently depending on accents etc. In Punjabi, it starts with P (phoon).) It literally means ‘continuously mixing or stirring’. I always wondered what her non-Urdu/Punjabi speaking followers were thinking whenever she said that. 😅
Thank you so much Sadz for this lovely comment. I tryy best to explain things how I was taught and I am glad that my manner of teaching is clear and concise. 😊🙌
Glad it was helpful! 😊👍
Bhunning with a p sound . Now I get it. Thanks for explaining.
Thank u for ur efforts, I learned from you a lot ❤❤❤
I'm so glad!
Great information. Thanks.
I tend to batch cook and then portion and freeze (I live alone). As such, I usually make double the quantities stated in recipes. One thing that I have noticed when batch cooking large quantities is that the bhunning process for the meat, in particular, takes MUCH longer before the released liquids have evaporated and the oil starts to separate. But it's very important to allow this time.
Absolutely. 😊👍
You’re an amazing teacher! Thank you for sharing this technique with us
Thank you about telling the important techniques which I mostly fail.
Happy to help!😊👍
superb as always.
Thank you Shamza, had been waiting for this video. Great lesson, quite difficult to explain but you’ve done a very good job especially with the practical part to reinforce. I will be bhunning with confidence from now on!
Thank you! 😃
MaashaAllah beautiful explained this is one of the best cooking channels I have come across on CZcams.
Thank you so so much
May Allah bless you and your family so much may Allah always protect you and your family Ameen.
JazakAllahu khairan
Thanks and welcome. 🙏😊
This is what I needed when I was at uni. Always ended up with spicy tomato soup with chicken.
My mum used to say over the phone "Bhun it puthar". I was like how long for? She always did everything by eye and couldn't explain properly. In the end she just bulk preped everything and sent me back to uni with a load of frozen curries.
I say the exact same to my son as he too is at uni lol. Thanks, hope you've understand the process now and what you need to do.
Your recipes are just amazing. I am a university student I find them very helpful❤
Awesome! Thank you! 😊👍
Thanks for sharing the method. Just made this for tommorow .you never dissapoint! Half has gone already.i added a drop of yoghurt in mine
Very well explained. 😊
Thank you 🙂
Thanks for this Shamza. So you do this with basically ALL of your curries, regardless of which one it is - the only difference is the blend of spices, and which protein ingredient you want (chicken, beef etc)
Not totally. If the curry base requires the onions to break down then yes. As a result particularly needed for North Indian curries. Some curries, eg dhal/lentil preparation usually involves creating an aromatised oil (tarka) which has onions and you add it to the boiled lentils without first cooking the onions until they effectively dissolve.
Red_Snappa, a majority of the curries use this technique, like I mentioned dhal and plain rice dishes do not require this. With dhal we finish it off by adding a tarka which is tempering the onions and spices without the need to break down. Pilau or biryani dishes do as you're cooking the meat with the onion base masala so the process is required.
@@MyLittleKitchenRecipes Thanks Shamza. I bhuno the onions as you’ve shown, on the majority of my curry’s now. I also used to be wary of cooking breast meat too long, as I’ve read it was supposed to ‘dry out’ if you did. As you’ve said before somewhere, it doesn’t seem to when it’s cooked in the sauce. Thx again 👍
Beautifully presented as always Shamza and I have eagerly awaited this video. I agree totally with all the comments posted here and now feel confident in making my dishes better.
It can be a little confusing to just explain the process. A very good visual and verbal demonstration 👍🏻
Thanks
Nicely explained! Thank you!
Amazing demonstration. I will implement this in the future. Keep up the good work.
Such a great and informative video, thanks so much.
Thank you! You are an amazing teacher and your recipes are wonderful! ❤️
Thank you so much! 😊🙌
Ah so the chicken Bhuna we see in restaurants is Bhunning
Love your videos and learnt a lot from this, however I’ve always browned off my chicken
First on a high heat first and then done the other parts, do you not miss out on flavour from essentially boiling the chicken?
Making this tomorrow 🙌🏻🙌🏻
Just made a curry doing this Shamza 👌 A couple of points with mine: Even with the extended cooking times, the skins on the Tom’s didn’t break down and were still there at the end, so I’ll purée them next time I think. Also, the amounts I used for a recipe that I’ve done before without using this process, always fills a large TA tub (for going in the freezer), this time, it was a bit short, because of the extra reduction I guess, so again, I’ll be tweaking the amounts a bit because the flavour was spot-on and 'richer' as you say. Can’t wait for our 'Curry Night' this weekend. Thanks again Shamza 👍👍
Just a quick note about the skins of the tomatoes - they never break down or dissolve. My mum and I just take them out as soon as they start to separate from the rest of the tomato whilst cooking. Even our digestive system can’t break them down (this was mentioned on a TV show recently called ‘Know your sh*t: inside our guts’. Some people choose to boil the tomatoes in advance to remove the skin but I think that’s a waste of time. Just remove them as soon as they start to separate. Otherwise the only way to “breakdown” is to use a blender (but you’ll only really just be shredding them).
Great to hear this, just double the quantity of the onions and tomatoes if you want extra for the freezer. 😊
Hi from South Africa! We do this with all of our curries here too! I had no idea of the word though. Thank you
That was a terrific video Shamza, thanks so much for sharing your knowledge in a clear and understandable way. I’ll definitely use your tips going forward 🙌🏼🙌🏼
You're welcome 😊🙌
Fantastic video 👍🏻👍🏻
Thank you 👍
Hi Shamza I did this recipe just like you making sure I did the Bhunning right to the end which I have never done properly before & it turned out absolutely brilliant, Thank You it's in my cookbook Ha...👍👍
Hi thanks for the explanation. Can I ask that if you're cooking chicken, especially breast as in this video, if it's fully cooked in the watery gravy then wouldn't the bhunao process, while getting rid of the water from the gravy, just overcook the chicken leaving it dry?
Omg this happened to me last week. With cubed chicken breast full of watery sauce! I covered it and all the water from the chicken breast ruined my nice thick sauce. I had to try to fix the sauce by adding in yoghurt and some cornstarch and water. It was edible tasted better the day after. HOWEVER I THINK I need some coaching on how many tablespoons of curry powder or masala per pound of chicken for example and how to average for the water that's released with cooking and also how much water to add if any. I made a huge curry mess last week and my poor husband said for the first time in our 11 year marriage "don't make this dish again" 😐 and he never ever complained and is not picky about anything to give you an idea of what a disaster I had
Hi, could you post an onion bhaji recipe please. Many thanks.
Sharon I've one coming 😊🙌
Excellent video as always 👌
Thanks!
AS SALAAM ALEIKUM Shamza and great video on how to reduce all we cooking into a flavour we require. Simples
Colin 🏴🙏
Thanks Colin 😊👍
I suppose the easiest way to describe it is slow cooking to let more of the flavours both come out and meld with all the others. Slow cooking (unless overdone) always results in a far tastier dish and can make the toughest of meats tender. I think Lamb Handi would be a prime example, oh what a delight.
Salam shamza thankyou for the video, I cooked this from your video before and was the best dish I made.
My pleasure 😊
Very well explained, thank you so much for posting.
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Miss Shamza the triplets age 7 tia tahira tamira says this is the best channel for desi dishes on the internet… hehe . Making awesome dishes for there uncle B over the weekends love and light :)
Thank you so much 🙂🙏
Great tips Shamza👌🏻
Thank you for sharing!
My pleasure!! 😊👍
Great video. My curries taste good but I'm rushing this crucial part.
Oh no! This step cannot be missed!
@@MyLittleKitchenRecipes Yes I'm learning to give it time and do it properly thanks to your videos
Just asking curious quesitons here but wouldnt the continous addition of water dilute the flavor of the spices?
Love your videos, great recipes always.
Thanks so much Tony 😊🙌
super video .don't know how i missed this video even that i added a like lol
the best thats going in the save list for later lol
Very useful, thanks
You're welcome!
Thank you for a very informative video! Can you please explain why in some videos you use diced onions and in others (such as this) you chop the onions into thin strips? Does it matter when making masala base? Thanks
Is the lid off or on for the 2nd stage of bhunning please
Also where you didn’t fry your garam masala does it not have that raw taste to it?
Can I do this for lamb too? Lamb bhuna?
Salam beautiful recipe please upload more ❤
Wsalaam and thank you. Currently I find once every fortnight works for me & the channel. Maybe later on I may consider posting more.
thank you
You're welcome
Why was the chicken fried beforehand? To get rid of the chicjen smell
Shamza, is it ok to make a large batch of the base sauce, separate into separate containers for freezing and then defrost, heat and prepare that days meal without loss of flavour? I'd appreciate your advice. Thank you.
If you check out my other videos you'll find my base curry video which discusses this, short answer is yes.
@@MyLittleKitchenRecipes Thank you.
Why no bay leaves, cardamom and cloves?
Never knew the term but I’ve been doing this instinctively for 40 years.
It’s not an English word that’s why - though it’s been anglicised with the ‘ing’ at the end :)
OH MY GOSH what a process! Is this the difference between good and mediocre dish?
What an exclusive cooking guide! Please do keep sharing such massaledar stuff 😊
We will!
😊😊😊
But there is a specific name to a dish in many BIRs which is ‘Lamb Bhuna’.
Hi loving this video and your recipes. For the first bhuning do you leave the lid off the pan ? Sorry if that’s a daft question
Yes you do
Great technique but why did you add garam last
Garam masala is added at the end as its a blend of all the whole spices to subtlety enhance the flavour of the overall dish. If added at the beginning, you wouldn't be able to taste nor smell the aroma of it hence why it's added at the end.
Your husband is one lucky man.
He most definitely is! Thank you 😊🙌
💜👍💜👍💜
thanks for this, loving your posts, BTW are you from Bra(t)dord ? lol I am from Manningham but now live down south
I remember her saying she's from somewhere in Lancashire before.
Preston.
Preston, Lancashire 😊👍
Hello Shamza, I've just discovered your channel whole searching keema curry. You make absolutely delicious looking food and I'm a seasoned Indian and Pakistani curry fan especially lamb on the bone bhuna. I make curries along these lines myself but I cheat using curry powder and whole garam masala spices and I actually like chewing the cardamoms 😅😂😂.
Thanks for your videos I'll subscribe 👍👍
Thank you so much 😊👍
What's the kashmiri chillies powder can you please show me wht it looks like
It doesn't allow me to add a picture here, but the local Asian shops will have it. Just for deghi mirch.
can you use tinned tomato instead of fresh
Yeah
Yes
Yes, absolutely.
❤️❤️❤️❤️so you didn't add yoghurt. I thought all Curry's r cooked with it.
Not as far as I know.
No, not all.
Mainly curries from Northern India/Pakistan I believe use yoghurt 1. as a souring agent ( which all curries need in their various forms, tomatoes, tamarind liquid etc) and 2. to tenderise the meat..
A lot of them do use yoghurt, but not all. I also prefer to use fresh tomatoes over tinned ones (though I add a 1/2 tablespoons of tinned tomatoes to add a subtle tangy flavour).
No not all curries use yoghurt I them.
Ur very beautifull ...
Thank you 😊
The chicken here is dead in the water. Chicken breast cooked like this just destroys it,it will be stringy & tough.
If such a long cooking process is required at 100C (ie boiling) then dark meat should be used such as the thighs as they have the fat to cope with the long cooking requirement.
Sauce yes, looks truly amazing but the chicken should be binned.
I should have known, but I was confused that the "b" is pronounced with a "p".
It's very north Indian way of cooking and not something we do in the south