Underestimating the amount of time aka the Chicken Tikka Masala thread

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So I had the GREBT idea to make some chicken tikka masala from abso-frigging-lutely scratch. I thought: well, the recipe is only one tiny page, can't be that much work! Oops, it refers to another page... and another. I need to... Oh FWOK this takes me an entire afternoon to make. Yes, I even made the curry sauce from scratch. Oh dear!

disclaimer: I'm not really a good/proper cook.

It better be good or I'm willing to spend 30 euros on it for two people at my local Indian takeout; ;-)

― nathalie (stevienixed), Thursday, 21 December 2006 15:59 (nineteen years ago)

tell me about your experiences and also about indian cooking.

― nathalie (stevienixed), Thursday, 21 December 2006 16:00 (nineteen years ago)

My first lard rendering and tomato paste adventures took days longer than I thought it would. Also, you can not leave the house with a giant vat of hot oil on the stove, due to bursting-into-flames potential. And, chopping 35 lbs of tomatoes takes a bloody long time. Pioneer ladies have my utmost respect for their long patient stirring.

I've been making small forays into indian cooking - whole wheat chapatis (success), paneer (failure), keema mutter (success, but made with preground spice mix from shop). I fear I will never reach the wonderfulness of this one terrific Indian restaurant we frequent (Roti on lower Queen Anne).

― jaq (jaq), Thursday, 21 December 2006 17:43 (nineteen years ago)

I've had mostly good luck with Indian cooking.

But as far as time goes, with bread, sometimes things do not go quite according the the schedule you expected. I have been known to scrounge around for extra warm spots to get things to go a little faster. And the times I've tried to start a sourdough starter, they always seem to have failed miserably after weeks of careful attention. Bah.

― Casuistry (casuistry), Thursday, 21 December 2006 19:02 (nineteen years ago)

i always have to add about 20-30 minutes on to the estimated time for savory recipes. this is usually due to the fact that i'm so slow with prep (my knife skills are terrible), but i've noticed that every so often the actual cooking time will be longer as well. i assume that's down to the difference in capability between a professional test kitchen and what i've got.

― Lauren (lauren), Thursday, 21 December 2006 20:14 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, lord, homemade enchilada sauce, an all day affair. And the last time I made some, it turned out very bitter because I lazily used the chili-soaking water instead of fresh water.

Another all-day affair was beef stock. I turned 10 lbs. of neckbones and a peck of aromatics into a dozen concentrated flavor bombs. But I did the math and it cost about $25. Worth it?

― I Am Curious (George) (Slight Return) (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 21 December 2006 22:23 (nineteen years ago)

Stock is always worth it, imo. I get depressed when the stock runs low.

― jaq (jaq), Thursday, 21 December 2006 22:47 (nineteen years ago)

All day long while the stock was reducing, I was remembering the old Steve Martin line -- "How I Turned a Million in Real Estate into 25 Dollars in Cash."

― I Am Curious (George) (Slight Return) (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 21 December 2006 22:53 (nineteen years ago)

Maybe I should take some pics but I ph34r the quantity doesn't justify the amount of time I spent on preparing this dish. Is it normal that you only have about a quarter liter tikka masala sauce? It seems a bit low. This is my stomach speaking of course. And that I'm used to getting a huge amount at the local curry restaurant. The latter probably puts a HUGE amount of food coloring in it, something I found dubious. :-) Anyway, today will be EATING chicken tikka masala day, not preparation of it. HURRAH. :-)

That said, it's great fun preparing food. I missed it so. It's been a long time I actually took some effort and prepared a new dish. :-)

― nathalie (stevienixed), Friday, 22 December 2006 09:35 (nineteen years ago)

We ate it. My husband said he hadn't eaten so good in the last six months. Oops, guess I'll need to focus a bit more on my cooking abilities ey? :-D

― nathalie (stevienixed), Friday, 22 December 2006 13:10 (nineteen years ago)

Lesson for today: Do not start making the pizza dough when you are already hungry, because by the time it is all done, one pizza is not going to be enough.

― jaq (jaq), Tuesday, 26 December 2006 22:50 (nineteen years ago)

Make three at a time, let one ferment until tomorrow.

― Casuistry (casuistry), Wednesday, 27 December 2006 00:49 (nineteen years ago)

See, that would have been smart, which, today, I am not. This was from your "1 hour makeout session" pizza post, btw, which I printed out ages ago and never tried. Sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, chopped up garlics, and parmesan. No making out, due to continuing illness :(

― jaq (jaq), Wednesday, 27 December 2006 00:55 (nineteen years ago)

My only experience with homemade Indian food was watching an episode of Julia Childs. The curry recipe (which took up the entire show) looked ridiculously complicated. I had no idea.

― clevo lk (clevo lk), Wednesday, 27 December 2006 16:15 (nineteen years ago)

Today, it's all about beef stock, which I need for the beef barley soup I'm making for Friday's Seattle fap/dance/basement dryout.

― jaq (jaq), Thursday, 28 December 2006 01:28 (nineteen years ago)

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