Topic: My attempt at documenting my best madras so far

[stevejet66]

All the videos we watch seeing the bir chef at his best, i dont see any bir chefs doing accuracy stuff! infact in some ways its pretty crude but good. The chefs spoon ok! scooping spices!,,,,,from the spice tubs,,,,, is it a tsp or not? is it 2 tsp's? or 1/2 tsp? where do you draw the line on accuracy? again imagination. i only give recipes to some degree of accuracy, you may add a bigger heaped tsp of spices than i do, someone else may add less etc etc, If i cook a stew i buy all the same ingrediants, but i never weigh them for accuracy, but each time i cook one its the same taste.

[George]

i only give recipes to some degree of accuracy

I won't be trying any of your recipes either, then! Please don't take it the wrong way but I disagree if you're suggesting that quantities don't matter much, give or take at least 50% either way. I say it could make a big difference. BIR chefs make it look easy because they have the experience.

Why be so sloppy over the accuracy of curry recipes, when presumably a mm or thou either way could make a big difference with your jet engines?

CH suggests it's only the ratios that matter. But if I'd tried SP's recipe with level spoon measures throughout, it's likely to have come out under-spiced and lacking in flavour, compared to SP's rounded measures.

[Stephen Lindsay]

is it a tsp or not? is it 2 tsp's? or 1/2 tsp?

this is exactly my point - we are not BIR chefs churning out dozens if not hundreds of curries each day and if it's chilli powder then the difference between a half teaspoon and two teaspoons makes it a mild or hot curry

where do you draw the line on accuracy?

I draw the line on accuracy by using level spoons throughout so a teaspoon is as near as I can get it to being a teaspoon bearing in mind Phil's comments. At least that way when I'm writing out recipes I know how much of each spice or liquid is going in. If I deviate from measuring spices then I have noticed a discernable deterioration in quality.

So its about following recipes as far as possible and it's not simply chucking stuff in a bish bosh doosh kind of fashion. I'll leave that to the experts.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Why be so sloppy over the accuracy of curry recipes, when presumably a mm or thou either way could make a big difference with your jet engines?

I would argue that one man's sloppiness is another man's pragmatics.  When I am preparing a curry for myself (as opposed to following someone else's recipe), I am guided by sight, experience, and an indefinable je ne sais quoi that informs my judgement as to exactly how much of each ingredient to add.  If the dish is a success, and I then want to share my experience with others, I do not painstakingly re-create the dish recording the exact quantity of each ingredient used : rather, I simply record, to the best of my ability, what I believe I used at the time that I first created the dish.  Given that this is done retrospectively, and that even if I had recorded it at the exact moment I added each ingredient I would have been completely unable to say whether any one particular spoonful was nearer to 6, 7, 8 or even 9 ml, then the best I can usually manage is "all teaspoonsful are rounded".  The exact degree of rounding will almost certainly vary for each spice used, but with the best will in the world I can do no better than to record a rough approximation to the quantity of each ingredient used.  Our curries are created for ourselves -- if others can share in our success, that is good, but we shouldn't feel driven to measuring spice quantities to the nearest 0,5gm/ml just in order to maximise the probability of others being able to re-create the dish with 99.5% accuracy.  Again, just my EUR 0,02.

** Phil.

[stevejet66]

I try to judge as a chef would do not pin point accuracy, after all its about ones self judgement of what a tsp is on a chefs spoon, creativness, George,,,, its not being sloppy its called practicing your skills. A jet engine on the other hand George is another thing, you wouldnt want your curry exploding at 120,000 rpm on the cooker would you ! ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjLR5_9CNh4

[Secret Santa]

Various people (including me) have been trying for years to get the twelve-fingered luddites of this forum to use the metric system with not a hope of converting them from their noggin of ale, thruppenny bit, gross of this, barleycorn of that mentality!

I fear actually asking for accurate measurements (in any system) may be asking the poor, metrically-challenged souls too much.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Various people (including me) have been trying for years to get the twelve-fingered luddites of this forum to use the metric system with not a hope of converting them from their noggin of ale, thruppenny bit, gross of this, barleycorn of that mentality!

I fear actually asking for accurate measurements (in any system) may be asking the poor, metrically-challenged souls too much.

When tha can axe for "litre o'ale" in any BIR in God's Own Country and get litre o'ale, tha can axe oos faw them there noo-fangled mitric units, but until thaat day coomes tha can take thee mitric units and stick them wha t'soon doon't shine, for they be az welcome 'ere as t'pox is welcome in't brothel ...

** Ned Ludd, his amanuensis.

[Secret Santa]

Various people (including me) have been trying for years to get the twelve-fingered luddites of this forum to use the metric system with not a hope of converting them from their noggin of ale, thruppenny bit, gross of this, barleycorn of that mentality!

I fear actually asking for accurate measurements (in any system) may be asking the poor, metrically-challenged souls too much.

When tha can axe for "litre o'ale" in any BIR in God's Own Country and get litre o'ale, tha can axe oos faw them there noo-fangled mitric units, but until thaat day coomes tha can take thee mitric units and stick them wha t'soon doon't shine, for they be az welcome 'ere as t'pox is welcome in't brothel ...

** Ned Ludd, his amanuensis.

 ;D

[Madrasandy]

Any one actually tried this recipes rather than arguing over heaped level or rounded teaspoons? I am making a madras tonight but dont have all the ingredients for this recipe and have never used a pataks paste for making a curry (isnt that cheating) does any one else use shop bought pastes? I am going to go through the majority of recipes and cooking processes for madras from this site and take notes and then take a happy medium from the results! Shall start a new topic after I have done and shall upload some photos also of the finished madras

[976bar]

Any one actually tried this recipes rather than arguing over heaped level or rounded teaspoons? I am making a madras tonight but dont have all the ingredients for this recipe and have never used a pataks paste for making a curry (isnt that cheating) does any one else use shop bought pastes? I am going to go through the majority of recipes and cooking processes for madras from this site and take notes and then take a happy medium from the results! Shall start a new topic after I have done and shall upload some photos also of the finished madras

The best Madras on this website in my opinion and I have just made this along with 5 other curries and a Raan of Lamb which is in the oven right now cooking ready for the clan when they arrive is....

1-2 persons
Oil
1 tsp garlic puree
1 tsp ginger puree
1 tsp spice mix
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp chilli powder (or to suit)
1 tbsp tomato puree mixed in 50ml of hot water
1 tsp salt
a little orange food colouring (optional)
350ml base
a splash of worcestershire sauce
1/2 lemon (juice) or to taste
1tsp suger (to balance out the lemon juice
freshly chopped coriander to garnish

oil in the pan, add the g&g, cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the spices and salt, cook for a further 1-2 minutes, add the tomato puree blend and stir in, it should splutter a little.
Add 100ml of base and cook out until the oil starts to separate. Continue with the rest of the base.
Add the worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and sugar and cook out until the curry sauce is ready and the oil is separating.

Add the meat/Chicken/Vegetables of your choice and cook/warm through thoroughly.

Serve and add freshly chopped coriander.

Done