How to prevent fat flowing top of gravy curries

[Vedvyas]

Hi All,

 

We regularly do lot of indian gravy curries. We do transport food to different customer locations such as youth hostels and apartments.

 

The problem we are facing is due to the transport fluctuations the fat which has been used while making curry is being floated on top of curry. And people scared to see such oil/ butter/ clarified butter. They are complaining that we are using excess oil which may spoil their health.

 

Could any one suggest solution to my problem. This problem has to be addressed at the earliest as told by my management.

 

Please suggest me how to upload pictures. I am unable to upload and the error appearing as "previous operation can't be complaint because of low memory".

 

Thank you. 

[pastrygirl]

Use less fat!  Or ask if they prefer certain oils instead of ghee - fat is flavor, but you also want your customers to be happy and feel good about the food.  Also, some fats will solidify as they cool and look less appetizing, but many oils will stay soft.

 

Or you can skim it off.  If you make the curry a day ahead and chill it, you can remove the fat layer from the top.  Are the dishes delivered warm?

[heidih]

I could certainly be wrong but the fat float as I've read about is common and desired. Along the lines of getting a bowl of pho with no little round fat droplets floatng - you are in for a flat taste.  It is not attractive to Western tastes oftentimes. Who is your customer base?

[Jaymes]

1 hour ago, heidih said:

I could certainly be wrong but the fat float as I've read about is common and desired. Along the lines of getting a bowl of pho with no little round fat droplets floatng - you are in for a flat taste.  It is not attractive to Western tastes oftentimes. Who is your customer base?

 

I suppose that, like most things, it depends who you're trying to please. I agree with heidi. The first thing I thought when reading about the "problem" was that those puddles are the thing that I find the most appealing and irresistible when I look at a pan of curry. 

 

My suggestion to you is that, before you go to great lengths to solve the problem, be sure one exists.

 

The obvious thing (in addition to reducing/removing some of the fat) seems to be to heat it up and give it a few more quick stirs before service.

 

But I'd definitely recommend that you query your customers to be sure those lovely, tasty little pools are even an issue before taking any steps to eliminate them. 

 

Edited April 14, 2018 by Jaymes (log)

[Lisa Shock]

I just saw a tv show where a professional chef was mentioning that the mark of a professional chef was knowing how to refine the sauce of a curry so there were no oil spots. (I think it was an American show, though!)

 

One solution, depending upon the type of dish, would be to make a quick roux when starting. So, instead of, say, adding ghee to the pot, then spices, then puree of onion, then chunky vegetables, then pureed tomatoes to finish, one would add a some all-purpose wheat flour after the ghee and spices are added and let it cook for a couple of minutes until it is a bubbly paste and the flour is just starting to brown, barely. It is important for the flour to get thoroughly cooked and bubbly, so it does not form lumps in the sauce or taste like raw flour. Let the spice flavors develop then add a little less flour, by weight, than ghee. Normally, the ratio for roux-making is equal parts fat and flour by weight, however, you probably have some dry spices absorbing some fat, so you have less fat available. You're going to have to experiment a bit, but, something like 0.5 - 0.75 flour to 1 ghee by weight should fix the issue.

 

Your pictures may be too large, or too high quality. Try reducing the image (in a Windows PC, use Paint) to 800x600 pixels and see if that helps. Good luck!

[Martin Fisher]

As @Jaymes said, If it's held or heated to safe holding temperature of 145 degrees F or a bit higher, you should be able to blend it together just before service.

The roux that @Lisa Shock mentioned is also a possible option.

Or emulsifiers— a smidgen of xanthan gum, or a tiny amount of xanthan gum and gum arabic, or xanthan gum and liquid lecithin (I use liquid sunflower lecithin), etc.

 

Edited April 15, 2018 by DiggingDogFarm (log)

[KennethT]

@DiggingDogFarm I like the emulsifier idea if the OP doesn't want to change the recipe or change the flavor by using a roux.  A little bit of lecithin will go a long way and keep it from separating.

[Vedvyas]

Attached pics here

[Vedvyas]

The  picture of left over curry at my location which remained after all the transportation being done.

Here I could see absolutely there is no trace of fat on top. 

 

So to appease customers I am planning to try the below:

1) use less fat being compromising with taste.

2) prepare the gravy early and see any excessive fat appears on the top and skim it off.

3) our cooks add good amount of fat ghee/ butter also at the end of curry. One chef told that adding this type of cold fat makes it to float. So I have told our cooks not to add at the end but in the middle of gravy making, so that it will not surface up.

 

I thank you all for your valuable replies.

 

 

Edited April 15, 2018 by Vedvyas (log)