Curry Recipes Online
British Indian Restaurant Recipes - Main Dishes => BIR Main Dishes Chat => Topic started by: mike travis on January 02, 2010, 08:44 PM
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Hi folks, ;) over the festive period (seems so long ago now) we ordered in an Indian takeaway. I had my usual Chicken Madras. When I tipped it out onto the boiled rice it was yellow and had a distinctive smell and taste of coconut milk. I have been eating Madras for as long as I can remember and have never had one with coconut milk in. It wasnt a mix up in the order, as I got the exact same dish a while ago. Coconut milk in a Korma yes but a Madras!
your views please............. mike
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I wouldn't expect any coconut products in a madras.
Having said that I do use coconut milk/cream in some of my hotter curries as the wife likes it that way.
Did you enjoy your madras or did the coconut ruin it for you?
PaulP.
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I've definitely had coconut (may have been powder, not necessarily milk) in a Madras many times. I prefer it without, but its still a nice curry.
Here in Canada, it seems every Madras has coconut in it. But here, a Madras is nothing like a BIR Madras at all. I'd describe the flavour as coconut and curry leaves, low-medium heat. :(
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I usually put coconut milk in my madras, but not enough that you can detect it in the finished item. In other words, if you can taste it, you've used too much.
It's presence in the dish still helps though, in my opinion.
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round here some do and some don't Mike...I had one last night from a takeaway and it tasted faintly of star anise, looked orange and had a turnippy/swedey undertone....I still ate it though though I was very, very drunk....lol
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goodness me - we aren't half guilty.
i made 976bar's Nepal Chicken (mango) recently and had coconut milk leftover. i'd also seen a white liquid going into quite a lot of malik's dishes.
i ended up adding to my usual 976Bar Kashmiri and Admin's Jalfrezi. As Secret Santa says just a touch. It worked well. not enough to open a tin for but it did get me thinking of freezing it.
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I tend to add coconut to many of my curries (cos I like it).
However, to my mind, adding it to a Madras (which I admit I often do) takes it more towards a Ceylon, in my opinion, especially if lemon juice is also added.
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I've added it but all that does is add sweet coconut aroma to the dish. Sure its great tasting but belongs in a 'Fusion' setting. Boy are we going to dislike these places huh? ::)
It's more Thai food than Indian.
I did add it to a base a month ago not having coconut block. Quite good really but I prefer some hard hitting spices really. (In moderation to said tastes).
I'm lucky. I have food around me that is awesome truly. I'm learning from these guys using my nose, I have a good nose. ;)
I'll use it yes when I want it though. Sorry for sounding vague. :-\
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However, to my mind, adding it to a Madras (which I admit I often do) takes it more towards a Ceylon, in my opinion, especially if lemon juice is also added.
Ah, yes, but only if you overdo it!
If you can taste the coconut, then you've gone too far.
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If you can taste the coconut, then you've gone too far.
If you can't taste it, what qualities does it add to the Madras? I just figure that if you can't detect it, couldn't it be omitted?
Cheers
BB
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what qualities does it add to the Madras? I just figure that if you can't detect it, couldn't it be omitted?
i can't comment on madras - i would not put it in this dish (conscious just a little while ago i would not put lemon juice - of course i now know it was lemon dressing i needed not juice)
when i've used it (coconut milk) - it adds a smoothness and bit more body to the dish - more delux.
the trouble is for me is that it's quite expensive and i can't see BIR's using it so librally as they do in the malik video. i initially thought it was cream and then milk (i've only seen it being dispensed from 1 litre carton not a tin).
does anyone have any ideas. i must admit like Mikka says it's getting too close to fusion.
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Hi all, i have hunted high and low for lemon dressing but no joy. where can i buy some. is it in the salad dressing sections of supermarkets?
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i would not put lemon juice - of course i now know it was lemon dressing i needed not juice)
What is the difference between lemon juice and dressing anyway?
Never heard of dressing.
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Hi Josh,
I think this is the type of stuff
http://www.chefs-larder.co.uk/catalog/productinformation.aspx?code=97521&categoryName=305195&CSUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chefs-larder.co.uk%2Fcatalog%2Fsearchsite.aspx%3FcategoryName%3D305195 (http://www.chefs-larder.co.uk/catalog/productinformation.aspx?code=97521&categoryName=305195&CSUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.chefs-larder.co.uk%2Fcatalog%2Fsearchsite.aspx%3FcategoryName%3D305195)
Paul.
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So, in essence, it's....errrrr...bottled lemon juice plus artificial colouring? :-\
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So bottled lemon juice and lemon dressing are one and the same?
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Jerry says it tastes sweet too. It must add something I'm sure. Still not seen that here...
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The KTC bottled lemon "juice" not dressing, same thing me thinks (which I have seen used in a local TA) is available in Morrisons for around 50 pence here in Doncaster.
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So, in essence, it's....errrrr...bottled lemon juice plus artificial colouring? :-\
I've always used this. It's not like Jif Lemon, it's thinner, weaker and sweeter. Sorry for chatting off topic.
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If you can't taste it, what qualities does it add to the Madras? I just figure that if you can't detect it, couldn't it be omitted?
Ahh, I was waiting for someone to say that!
I could give the example of using anchovies in certain sauces as giving the same effect, i.e. they're there, you know because you cooked it that they're there, and if you do it just right you can't really tell that it's anchovy you've added, but it improves the flavour of the dish. There are other examples too.
All I can say is that it 'rounds' the dish out in a way that, again in my opinion, improves it.
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the trouble is for me is that it's quite expensive and i can't see BIR's using it so librally as they do in the malik video. i initially thought it was cream and then milk (i've only seen it being dispensed from 1 litre carton not a tin).
Jerry, Maliks don't use canned coconut milk, that 1L carton is UHT cream, you can tell because it is used liberally in the kormas and not quite so liberally in the CTMs. The East takeaway on the other hand do use canned coconut milk in their CTM and korma, straight from the can, and UHT cream straight from the carton.
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I've always used this. It's not like Jif Lemon, it's thinner, weaker and sweeter.
And that's something that most if not all people on this forum, apart from me apparently, seem to be unaware of.
The lemon dressing is definitely not lemon juice, and when people say they see BIRs using lemon juice what they are actually using is lemon dressing. This is why I groan every time I see lemon juice in a BIR recipe.
Now I can understand this being used in a vindaloo, or even a madras, but definitely not pure lemon juice.
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There is nothing where I live remotely called "lemon dressing". I took a look at the bottle I use, and its concentrated lemon juice: lemon juice, water, sulphites, lemon oil.
If I took this, watered it down even more, and added some sugar, would that suffice?
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If I took this, watered it down even more, and added some sugar, would that suffice?
You'd also need citric acid (5%) and 'flavourings' which could be anything!
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You'd also need citric acid (5%)
Errrrr...isn't lemon juice 5% citric acid? :-\
A N Y W A Y....isn't this thread about coconut milk? :-X
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A N Y W A Y....isn't this thread about coconut milk? :-X
Wellll, one thing leads to another! Wasn't it ever thus?
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I should maybe elaborate in that I rarely add coconut milk (i.e. the liquid stuff in a tin) to any BIR curry (I generally use coconut milk powder or, sometimes, extra fine desiccated coconut for texture). As Mikka points out, adding coconut milk tends to make the curries more akin to Thai curries, in my opinion.
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Secret Santa,
many thanks for clarification on the white liquid. i will need to look again for UHT cream - i am now thinking this will be better than carnation (which i use)(looked at the milk rack yesterday but no luck).
ps on the citric acid - i think the stuff in the dressing is man made and makes the difference. u can buy the citric acid in stores as white crystal. with this i think u could make dressing from lemon juice, sugar, water, citric acid. at the cheap price in the UK u'd only buy it of course.
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I put that in my curry sometimes because I like it too (Coconut Milk). I don't do it too often though because I feel it takes the whole dish towards an asian feel and that's not really what I'm trying to accomplish.
Interesting that a lot of folks do however.
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Secret Santa,
i tried asda for the UHT cream. they have it in plastic containers - not the 1 lt cardboard. i'll try my Asian store when i next get a chance. i'm thinking though of trying the UHT full cream milk (malik's use such a lot of this white liquid unless it's just down to the dishes being ordered).
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Secret Santa,
i checked in my local asian supermarket for the UHT cream. they only have small shelf of it and sell for 1.80 per L. they had no UHT milk which was a suprise. the cream still seems a tad expensive c/w the milk at say 70p/L.
just out of curiosity i will try the milk when i next have base (malik's seems too watery and too much used for cream).
ps my local TA had 2 tins of evap milk on the counter on my last visit.