Images to accompany the "Chicken Madras, posted at Cory Ander's request" thread.
Also available at higher resolution and in slideshow format on Picasaweb.


~~ Chicken Madras ~~


~~ Microwave Pulao Rice ~~



~~ Red Onion & Tomato Salad ~~


~~ The served meal (lime pickle at 10:00) ~~


~~ Clausthaler Extra Herb (0,5% alcohol by volume) ~~

Phil - that really does look like an excellent madras!

Couple of questions though - first why the ground fenugreek seeds? What does this add? Also why so many varieties of chili powder? Deggi, Kashmiri and bassar...

Thanks and great work!

Josh

Quote from: joshallen2k on September 14, 2012, 12:30 AM
Phil - that really does look like an excellent madras!  Couple of questions though - first why the ground fenugreek seeds? What does this add? Also why so many varieties of chili powder? Deggi, Kashmiri and bassar...  Thanks and great work!  Josh

Thank /you/, Josh, for your kind words.  And some answers to your questions.

1) In fact, the dish you see has neither cumin nor fenugreek.  When I cooked it last time, at CA's request, I reported that with just the Bassar, curry powder and mirch alone the dish was very edible.  I reported this on the basis of one piece of chicken and one spoonful of sauce which I tried while checking the recipe for publication and before adding the cumin and fenugreek.  When I cooked it again this evening for the photographs, I decided to deliberately omit those ingredients and eat the whole meal with just the four basic spices/spice mixes.  And it was indeed very fine.  But in my normal Madras, which really formed the basis of the report, I do indeed add ground fenugreek seeds (usually equal to 50% of the cumin content), and the only reason I can offer for so doing is because I like the flavour.

2) The chillies.  Well, first of all Bassar curry masala is far more than just ground chillies : it has about ten ingredients, including mustard oil, so although the chilli content is high it can't be thought of as just ground chillies.  And the Deggi & Kashmiri mirch each offer something different : Kashmiri -- beautiful deep red; Deggi -- paler but more heat.  I find 50:50 is fine, I would not willingly omit the Kashmiri (because I love the colour so), but when cooking for my wife I can happily omit the Deggi and replace it by more Kashmiri.

** Phil.

Thanks Phil. I may try a small amount of fenugreek powder next time I make a Madras.

Just a note on your use Of chat masala. The BIR I frequented the most while I lived in the UK (which was superb), always used a sprinkle of chat masala on the surface of their Madras before serving. I always thought it was a nice touch.

Josh

What a lovely looking dish Phil !!

That 1st picture reminds me of the first few BIR curries I ate ( early 80's ) ... I love the different shapes and almost 'rustic-ness' of the chicken pieces .... makes my diced breast look a little dull . The sauce is a great colour and has a nice sheen to it .CA recommended to me to add 0.25 tsp of fenugreek powder to a vindaloo and although you omitted it on this occasion I agree with you ... it does add something. I like the flavour too !.

Well done again ... a nice bit of porn for the weekend !!   

My next dish to try ........

Looking fantasttic. I'm hungry now!

1st class Phil.

Phil,

Lovely looking food there. That Madras sauce looks absolutely superb! with nice juicy looking chicken pieces too.

Cheers

Certainly looks the part Phil. I wouldn't be grumbling if I were served that in a restaurant.

Just following up on my earlier response to Josh Allen's question in re methi powder/ground fenugreek seeds :

Quote from: joshallen2k on September 14, 2012, 12:30 AMCouple of questions though - first why the ground fenugreek seeds? What does this add?

I realised after sleeping on it that my original answer was over-simplistic.  It is not /just/ that I like the flavour of methi powder in a curry; what is far more important (IMHO, glossed previously) is that its use was one of my first real breakthroughs.  I added methi powder, either to Kris Dhillon's Chicken Madras recipe or to one of my early variants thereof, and I knew immediately I smelled and tasted it that this was an aroma and a flavour that I associate with BIR cuisine.  And this would also explain why Mr & Mrs Athwal and their sons ("Crowhurst & Tompsett", Marden) neither stocked it nor were even unaware of its existence; they, of course, cook traditional Indian food, not BIR food.  It would be interesting to know whether BIRs add ground methi explicitly, or whether it is a major ingredient of commercial catering curry powders for the BIR trade, or whether there is some other reason for my associating its smell and flavour with BIR cuisine.

** Phil.