Madras, Onion Gravy, Spice mixture
The spice mixture used by this restaurant is an equal quantity of
Curry powder
Paprika (which they call tomato powder)
Turmeric
Cummin
Coriander
I really like this ratio of spices; it?s very easy to remember
They boil mainly onions and a few peppers with a little tomato puree for about two hours
Then the mixture is pureed
They then heat some oil and fry garlic ginger puree along with 2 large spoons of Balti Paste (they said Pataks was ok, but theirs was from a Manchester company)
and add the pureed onion mix.
They then add 3 large spoons of their spice mix and cook the mixture for another forty minutes.
The finished gravy is BROWN not yellow like Bengal Cuisine.
It has a dark red oil on top.
The consistency is thicker too, more like a stew.
So I conclude that there definitely is no standard curry gravy.
Find one that works for you.
Although I didn?t get the quantities, I am sure we have all become experienced enough to guess it, to give it a go!!
I was shown how to cook a Vegetable Madras
I am not joking, it was absolutely delicious.
Ingredients: -
A couple of large spoons of oil taken from the top of curry gravy
2 teaspoons of chopped onion and green pepper
(I think it was fresh, although it could have been pre fried)
1 teaspoon of salt, dried fenugreek and balti paste
1 teaspoon chilli powder
3 teaspoon of the spice mix
2 large ladles of curry gravy
2 very large spoons of pre-cooked veg which included carrots, cabbage, brocolli and peas
A couple of chopped bits of pre cooked potatoes (almost a grey colour, not yellow)
Chopped fresh coriander
The gas ring was on maximum
Heat the oil from the curry gravy and add the onion and pepper.
Fry for a minute
Add the salt, dried fenugreek, balti paste and stir a little, mixing in (thirty seconds)
Add the chilli powder and spice mix and stir this in as well for about a minute.
Then add a quarter of the curry gravy.
As the pan dries, add the same amount again.
Then add the pre-cooked vegetables and stir
After a minute add the potatoes and the rest of the curry gravy.
Bring the whole lot to a rapid boil.
The oil is on top of the curry and bubbles like mad.
Stir occasionally and after about four minutes add the fresh coriander mixing in.
Turn off the gas and leave a minute
Scoop of the excess oil and guess where it goes??
BACK INTO THE CURRY GRAVY!!!
That gravy isn?t going to taste the same after an hour of that, is it?
I reckon that is an ingredient X that we will never achieve
There was no garlic ginger puree used in the final meal.
He said that was because it?s already in the curry gravy.
There was no tomato puree either.
That surprised me.
This will be a controversial point: -
I asked how to make a Vindaloo and he said it is made the same but NOT using chilli powder.
He acknowledged that some places treat it as a hot curry but he didn?t.
I think it?s a Nottingham thing.
The pre-cooked vegetables were done in oil, water and the spice mixture.
I reckon that will be very like the Bruce Edwards recipe from Curry House Cooking (but simpler)
Anyhow the curry was absolutely superb.
If someone else could get a Madras or Vindaloo recipe it would be fantastic to compare.
Topic: I've seen a Madras cooked at a Restaurant (Read 10554 times)
