Topic: Madras curries and other information

[livo]

There is a member here (unfortunately I forget whom) who consistently did spreadsheet-style analyses; if I can track him (or her) down, I will let you know.

I've done a few but I think you may be referring to jerrym.  He sent me his work years ago but I don't know if I still have it.

[Peripatetic Phil]

JerryM

[Garp]

One more thing -- on the subject of curry/madras powders (I almost exclusively make madras curries), does anyone have a recommendation? I bought the rajah mild madras powder and found it much too pungent. I prefer the smell of the "Old India" brand that's available on Amazon, but not in supermarkets. If anyone has tried rajah, and knows of a brand that has a milder, more pleasant smell, then I'd love to know about it.

Personally, I would spend the time and effort creating your own, personalised spice mix rather than searching for a commercial curry powder. I think it's worth the effort.

[CurryManUKs]

One more thing -- on the subject of curry/madras powders (I almost exclusively make madras curries), does anyone have a recommendation? I bought the rajah mild madras powder and found it much too pungent. I prefer the smell of the "Old India" brand that's available on Amazon, but not in supermarkets. If anyone has tried rajah, and knows of a brand that has a milder, more pleasant smell, then I'd love to know about it.

Personally, I would spend the time and effort creating your own, personalised spice mix rather than searching for a commercial curry powder. I think it's worth the effort.

I make my own spice mix but spice mixes usually include a curry powder. 

[CurryManUKs]

There is a member here (unfortunately I forget whom) who consistently did spreadsheet-style analyses; if I can track him (or her) down, I will let you know.  As regards "the missing 5%", I know exactly what is meant by the phrase, but would be completely unable to explain it in a scientific way.  All I can say is that most of us, from time to time, get very close to perfection, yet we know that if we were able to visit a BIR of yore, their curries would still be consistently better than our finest efforts.  These days, I suspect that most of us can get within 98.5% of what most BIRs churn out these days, but to my mind at least (and I think that Secret Santa, amongst others, will agree with me) what we get these days is not a patch on what we got in the late 60's/early 70's.

** Phil.

Would you be able to describe "the missing 5%" casually? Is it a sourness, a spiciness, etc.? I just fail to see how everyone can mean the same thing given that ingredients and methods vary significantly across restaurants. There have been countless recipes, videos, etc. posted online, many by chefs, so how plausible is it that there is a "secret" they've all kept hidden for so many years? Not a single whistleblower? It sounds quite far-fetched, to be honest. As for curries in the late '60s, I'm in my early twenties, so I can't comment on that, but it seems I've missed something magnificent. 

[CurryManUKs]

I started a spreadsheet to track my BIR results but stopped after I had my first revelatory 9/10 vindaloo that honestly got very close to what I felt was takeaway taste and then did an exact repeat the following week, only to have the all-too-familiar ?alright but not quite?.
The technique / heat level / timing were the only variances although I thought I?d replicated everything. 
I?ve resigned myself to understanding that I can make a good curry, but not THE curry.
And unlike my fellow Brits back home, I can?t just go out and get takeaway. Boo!

Robbo

Have you shared the recipe and method on here or is it a top secret? 

[CurryManUKs]

It unsettles me that I see posts from 2005 expressing the same idea of recreating a perfect BIR curry. I applaud the long-term members for their patience, truly. 

[livo]

I'm not sure what you do or don't know so forgive me if you're already aware of any of this (and I could be wrong). Madras Curry Powder, particularly Rajah brand in the UK, is often a single ingredient in a BIR Chef's personalized 'Mixed Curry Powder' or 'Mix Powder' along with 4 or 5 or even up to 6 or 7 other spice powders.  There is a whole section of the forum devoted to the subject.  Chef Syed's recently published powder is the first one (as far as we know) to present a dry roasted powder recently and from memory it contains no Madras CP at all.  I'm not sure if any use Rajah CP straight out of the bag. I guess some chefs / cooks may do but it isn't commonly discussed here as normal practice.

As far as I'm aware, using Madras Curry Powder does not necessarily make a Madras Curry (or at least not a BIR Madras), although you'd think it should. A Madras can be the name of a dish. eg Chicken Madras, or it can refer to a particular target Chilli heat level for any dish.  It is all very confusing and there are no rules.

As for Madras Curry Powder, Rajah is not readily available to me as I'm outside the UK.  I use Clive Of India Authentic Curry Powder as a family favorite (not labelled as Madras) but lately I've also been using Mother's Recipe Madras Curry Powder (in a green can) which I find very nice. Another popular green can is The Original Ship Madras Curry Powder. You can also find recipes online to make your own Madras CP including a copy of the "one in the green can".  When I researched this I found about 5 or 6 different brands sold in green cans.

Anyway, good luck and simply cook and enjoy whatever it is that you like.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Would you be able to describe "the missing 5%" casually? Is it a sourness, a spiciness, etc.?

No, it is nothing tangible

[Gaspodia]

I've always had mixed feelings (no pun intended!) about using a curry powder in a mix - it feels a bit iterative since the curry powder is itself a blend. That's not to say I don't use curry powder - it's great for making a quick curried scrambled egg or curried beans.

Our local restaurants used to use Korma/Madras/Vindaloo as a heat guide, but the last couple of times I ordered one from two different restaurants that notion seems to have changed to be style-based instead (lots of sour, lots of heat).